Ah, yes, we're still having serious site problems here at TMV. That's why you see this temporary template. Our dedicated techs are working on it. You may even see test posts. But, in answer to emails, no this is NOT our permanent design. It is a temporary template until the original site can be restored. We may redesign the site totally at a later date, but only after these … [Read more...] about Why TMV Is So Blue
Book Review: “Bridging the Gap”
Edward W. Brooke, the first African-American to be popularly elected to the Senate, tells the story of his life in a new memoir, Bridging the Divide: My Life (Rutgers University Press, 2007). A committed centrist who worked throughout his career to find solutions to some of this country's most pressing problems and injustices, Brooke has written a candid political autobiography … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Bridging the Gap”
Post-Modernists Die Weirder
Baudrillard is dead, and Derrida has emerged from the grave to avenge a vampire by taking his papers back from UC-Irvine. … [Read more...] about Post-Modernists Die Weirder
The Problem With Public Diplomacy
Karen Hughes, the infamous head of public diplomacy at the State Department, has a lot of work to do. A new Zogby International poll, conducted among 3,850 residents of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, found the following: Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed stated they had unfavorable attitudes -- 57 very unfavorable and 21 percent … [Read more...] about The Problem With Public Diplomacy
Wonder What’s Going On?
? Wonder what's going on? Why does everything look different at TMV? Why has the site gone down from time-to-time and frequently been slow to load? Well, someone (obviously not moderate or centrist) has attacked our site. Our tech leprechauns are busy fixing things so that you can read TMV again. … [Read more...] about Wonder What’s Going On?
Women for Hillary
Hillary Clinton “will begin an ambitious effort on Tuesday to enlist thousands of women to play roles in her presidential campaignâ€? according to The New York Times. Quite well-known women like Albright, Billie Jean King and Geraldine Ferraro will most likely play an active role in the campaign as well. Another specific part of the plan... Keep reading this>>. … [Read more...] about Women for Hillary
The Conservative Soul
In several posts and comments here at TMV, across a variety of related subjects, I've recommended Andrew Sullivan's The Conservative Soul (TCS). In response, a number of readers have indicated that they're curious about what Sullivan has to say, but they either (a) haven't yet gotten around to reading TCS or (b) are hesitant to pick up a copy because they fear it will be … [Read more...] about The Conservative Soul
Literary Quote of the Day:
Today's literary quote is from Ibn-al Zerhani, as quoted by Orhan Pamuk in The Black Book: Nothing can be as astounding as life. Except writing. Share your thoughts on today's literary quote of the day in the comment section of this post. … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day:
The Centrist Republican Leadership Council
The Republican Leadership Council Inspired by a drive to get back to the fundamentals of the Republican Party, Senator John Danforth, Lt. Governor Michael Steele, and Governor Christine Todd Whitman created the political organization the Republican Leadership Council, which advocates for the historic Republican principles of liberty, individual responsibility, and personal … [Read more...] about The Centrist Republican Leadership Council
Casualties Of War
10 Random Observations on the Scooter Libby Trial
(10.) The relationship between some big-name reporters and Bush administration insiders gives fresh meaning to the term incest. (9.) The damage wrought by the Bush administration's divide-and-govern tactics is immense. (8.) If the White House had initiated its purge of U.S. attorneys earlier, it wouldn’t have been embarrassed by Special Prosecutor Patrick … [Read more...] about 10 Random Observations on the Scooter Libby Trial
Scooter Libby Convicted on 4 of 5 Counts
Washington Post: Libby Found Guilty on Four of Five Counts Former White House aide is convicted of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity. • Special Report: The Plame Investigation … [Read more...] about Scooter Libby Convicted on 4 of 5 Counts
The Bipartisan Policy Center
Four former Senate leaders. Howard Baker, R-Tenn.; George Mitchell, D-Maine; Bob Dole, R-Kan.; and Tom Daschle, D-S.D. have formed the The Bipartisan Policy Center aimed at putting aside partisan politics and offering solutions to the nation's biggest issues. "We've all been leaders and you know how difficult it is," said Dole, who served as both majority and minority leader … [Read more...] about The Bipartisan Policy Center
Southeastern Louisiana: Solomon’s motherless baby
When King Solomon was faced with two women claiming the same baby, he offered to cut the baby in half so that each claimant could have part of the child. The real mother, of course, was willing to give up the baby rather than see it die. What if there had been a thousand claimants, and none of them had been willing to preserve the baby over their own interests? Obviously, … [Read more...] about Southeastern Louisiana: Solomon’s motherless baby
Hillary Clinton And Barack Obama Face Off Again
File this in your Here We Go Again Department file:Fresh off their battle for the hearts of black Americans, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are about to go head to head for Jewish votes. The leaders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 plan dueling receptions Monday when an influential pro-Israeli lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton And Barack Obama Face Off Again
30%
That’s George W. Bush’s job approval rating according to Zogby International. While overall, 30% gave Bush positive marks for his leadership of the nation, 69% gave him negative ratings. Sixty-one percent of Republicans gave Bush positive marks, compared with just 7% of Democrats and 20% of self-described independents. In December, 60% of Republicans gave Bush positive … [Read more...] about 30%
Center of Attention
A round up of recent reporting and commentary by a few centrist, moderate, and independent bloggers. John Cole considers who's (really) to blame for the most recent installment in the saga of the fired US Attorneys. Among a series of subjects, Dick Polman continues his examination of "Clinton fatigue" among Democrats, essentially asking (in the words of a TV commercial … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Veterans’ Care: When Outsourcing Is a Scandal
A patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Having turned against the war in Iraq several years ago, I came to believe that its consequences would be unpredictable and beyond the pale. Yet I never could have imagined the perfect storm of scandal that is blowing through the White House these days, a storm so powerful that it makes those recent tornados in Alabama seem … [Read more...] about Veterans’ Care: When Outsourcing Is a Scandal
Taiwan Increases Tensions
The Times reports that a war of words has broken out between Taiwan and China yesterday "when Beijing criticised the President of Taiwan for making strident calls for independence." For those who don't know, Tainwan's president Chen Shui-bian said: "Taiwan should be independent. Taiwan is a country whose sovereignty lies outside the People’s Republic of China." Also: The … [Read more...] about Taiwan Increases Tensions
(Updated) Iraq: Trying to Wish the War Away
The downtick in stories in the prints, on TV and online about violence in Baghdad is encouraging and would seem to be a result of the onset of Operation Imposing Law, the so-called "surge" security crackdown in the capital. But the relative calm is illusory. Anti-American cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr has withdrawn to Iran and his Mahdi Army and ethnic cleansing squads have … [Read more...] about (Updated) Iraq: Trying to Wish the War Away