Ayman Al-Zawahiri is again a familiar Al Qaeda talking head As surely as the sun comes up in the East, it was only a matter of time before American intelligence agencies would have to acknowledge that Al Qaeda, bowed but not beaten, has re-emerged in South Asia as a deadly force to again be reckoned with. As surely as the sun comes up in the East, it was only a matter of … [Read more...] about Iraq, Al Qaeda and The Mulberry Bush Syndrome
Is the Maverick Back?
This is quite surprising: Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history. "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement _ that's the kindest word I can give you _ of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona … [Read more...] about Is the Maverick Back?
DVD Review: Street Fight
Filmmaker Marshall Curry’s Academy Award-nominated documentary, Street Fight is a story about how a nice guy in politics finishes last. Or did he? Street Fight is now out on DVD with a short update added at the end of the film -- and, oh, what a difference the short update at the end means.... The documentary centers on the 2002 mayoral race in Newark, New Jersey … [Read more...] about DVD Review: Street Fight
United States Senate Iraq War
Schwarzenegger, Woody Allen, Hillary Clinton and I: Are We Lucky Pigs?
Well that's what the Chinese think!!! We were all born in the Chinese Year of the Pig in 1947. The Year of the Pig repeats itself after every 12 years. But 2007 is going to be an extremely lucky year for the Pigs. "A rolling barrage of fireworks greeted the Year of the Pig in Beijing as residents chased away any lingering bad spirits and celebrated the new moon in boisterous … [Read more...] about Schwarzenegger, Woody Allen, Hillary Clinton and I: Are We Lucky Pigs?
Can Religions of the World Unite for World Peace?
Will the Protestant and the Catholic churches be able to heal their centuries old rift and unite under the Papal authority in Rome? Difficult to say but some interesting developments are taking place in that direction. Writes Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times: "Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the … [Read more...] about Can Religions of the World Unite for World Peace?
Literary Quote of the Day: John Greenleaf Whittier
Today's literary quote of the day is from John Greenleaf Whittier's Ichabod! When faith is lost, when honor dies, The man is dead! Share your thoughts on today's literary quote in the comment section of this post. … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: John Greenleaf Whittier
From Darfur to Chad
From the BBC: The violence in Chad could turn into a genocide similar to that in Rwanda in 1994, the UN refugee agency has warned. The UNHCR says the killing tactics from neighbouring Darfur in Sudan have been transported to eastern Chad in full. The U.N. and the A.U. seem confident that a joint "border peace force" will be established, but: Concern is now … [Read more...] about From Darfur to Chad
It’s All a Game
Sacha Zimmerman points out the horrifying: "[W]e demand more tolerance from our NBA stars than from our presidential candidates." … [Read more...] about It’s All a Game
White History Month
Stop teaching Jim Crow in the passive voice. … [Read more...] about White History Month
The Context of the Thailand Bombings
At least 28 bombs went off in Muslim-predominant southern Thailand yesterday, near the Malaysian border. The AP reports: The bombings targeted hotels, karaoke bars, power grids and commercial sites in the country's southernmost provinces, the only parts of predominantly Buddhist Thailand with Muslim majorities. Two public schools were torched. Three people were killed, … [Read more...] about The Context of the Thailand Bombings
The John McCain Dumpster Diving Tour
In life and in war, turnabout is fair play, and that may be nowhere more true than in politics. And so we have the sorry sight of John Kerry flip-flopping on yet another issue and sucking up to yet another right-wing constituency . . . Wait a minute! Kerry has quit politics. It’s John McCain, that "maverick" Republican presidential candidate, who has become a … [Read more...] about The John McCain Dumpster Diving Tour
Hillary Clinton’s Lesser Babka
In a belated attempt to look like she's as serious about stopping the Iraq War as her fellow Democratic presidential candidates and as other leading Democrats like Senators John Kerry and Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton "has called for a 90-day deadline to start pulling American troops from Iraq". Here's how she put it in a video on her website: "Now it's time to say the … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton’s Lesser Babka
India Hit by Terrorist Attack
Nos Journaal reports (Dutch), that bombs exploded in the New Delhi (India) - Lahore (Pakistan) train: 66 people have died. After the bombs exploded, the train caught fire. Passengers were trapped. They could go nowhere. Indian police found suitcases with homemade explosives in them in the train. The idea behind the explosives was not to kill many people immediately, but … [Read more...] about India Hit by Terrorist Attack
Center of Attention
Extra attention to a few Centrist blogs. Amba spends some more time and attention to Anna Nicole Smith's death and... baby. Several men have now said that they could be the father of ANS's baby. Amba: "Hey, doesn't DNA testing make short work of these things? This is like some sort of strange Darwinian lottery. These men are all implicitly bragging that they slept with … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Attention Span
I am a Terrorist Loving Scoundrel
It is official. I am terrorist loving scum. I try to hide it behind a mask of hawkishness, but this test exposed me. Your 'Do You Want the Terrorists to Win' Score: 81% You are a terrorist-loving scoundrel who hates our dear leader and the values he defends. There are few redeeming qualities about you. You most likely celebrated when the evil-doers hit us on 9/11, then … [Read more...] about I am a Terrorist Loving Scoundrel
Humorless Comedy at Fox
Alessandra Stanley reviewed The 1/2 News Hour for the New York Times: Making fun of the president is not ideological. Not making fun of the president, on the other hand, is. And that’s what distinguishes “The ½ Hour News Hour,â€? a Fox News version of “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,â€? from most other satirical shows. Comedians like Mr. Stewart, Stephen Colbert, … [Read more...] about Humorless Comedy at Fox
Drum Roll, Please
Last week, inspired by a reader's comment, we suggested a three-step exercise to help us learn more about how the various presidential candidates, if elected, would actually govern. Step #1 was to compile a list of five questions to pose to each of those candidates. From a pool of nearly 50 suggested questions we received from TMV readers and contributors, we applied a … [Read more...] about Drum Roll, Please
The T.V. Was Blaring
Maybe this means he couldn't take his eyes of Tucker Carlson. The good news: his TV set really worked. What was the brand? … [Read more...] about The T.V. Was Blaring