There's finally some good news for the White House and from what has become an unlikely quarter for good news: an opinion poll. A new polls suggests that President George Bush's less-partisan-than-usual State of the Union address went over well with many viewers:Americans who watched President Bush's State of the Union Address generally approve of the proposals he outlined, … [Read more...] about Poll: Bush’s State Of The Union Speech Helped Him
Creative information display
A "tag cloud" has been generated for the recent State of the Union Address by President George W. Bush. Tag clouds were originally created to indicate which tags used to label/categorize blog posts were used the most; it lists the words (or tags) used in different sizes, with the larger sizes for the most used tags. In this case, the larger words are the ones used more often … [Read more...] about Creative information display
Rape: A History
In a discussion on "chastity balls," Feministe has a great run-down on how rape has historically been conceptualized--specifically, as a property crime against the woman's husband or father. … [Read more...] about Rape: A History
Jim Borgmann Cartoon
A good political cartoon in the Cincinnati Enquirer today: … [Read more...] about Jim Borgmann Cartoon
Fox in Charge of the Hen House
Sudan is campaigning hard to become the next chair of the AU. This cannot be allowed to happen. … [Read more...] about Fox in Charge of the Hen House
Is Carter Beginning to Admit The Validity of Criticism?
His apology at Brandeis is a good first step. … [Read more...] about Is Carter Beginning to Admit The Validity of Criticism?
There Is a God: John Kerry Quits Race
John Kerry, who plucked defeat from the jaws of victory in the 2004 presidential campaign, has announced that he will not run again in 2008. Kerry was last in the news for unleashing an ill-timed firestorm of criticism just before the mid-term election by telling college students that they'll "get stuck in Iraq" if they don't work hard in school. He later issued the … [Read more...] about There Is a God: John Kerry Quits Race
Protecting Canada’s rainforest
I know Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is turning its attention to the environment in anticipation of another federal election, perhaps one as early as this spring, and I realize it's doing so largely because Canadians consider the environment a key issue and because the new Liberal leader, Stéphane Dion, is a committed environmentalist, and, yes, … [Read more...] about Protecting Canada’s rainforest
What’s the matter with Bill Kristol?
Over at The Reaction, Heraclitus explains why he used to like Kristol and why now he can't stand him. Short explanation: Kristol used to present himself with irony and detachment, but he's reduced himself to cynical cheerleading for both Bush and the neoconservative worldview to which he is still so ideologically, and unreflexively, committed. You can find the full post … [Read more...] about What’s the matter with Bill Kristol?
So what about Iran?
(See my SOTU live-blog here for the play-by-play with commentary.) Bush didn't say much about Iran in his SOTU address. By my count, reading through the prepared text, he mentioned "Iran" five times. Four of those mentions concerned Iran's support for Hezbollah and Shiite elements in Iraq. The fifth mention was just this quasi-internationalist statement: "The United Nations … [Read more...] about So what about Iran?
Literary Quote of the Day: Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe (b. 1931) is one of the best writers in American journalism and literature. Known for his trademark white suit, Wolfe is the father of New Journalism, in which the tradition of dispassionate and balanced reporting was discarded for freer narrative writing. The most oustanding example of this is Wolfe's "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (1968), an account of the … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: Tom Wolfe
Fusion Ticket 2008
The brand new publication "The Politico" starts its second day featuring a creative article Fusion Is the Ticket for 2008 that argues for the timeliness of a cross party ticket. There is a strong voter pull from the Center that a clever ticket could capitalize upon. This is the intention Unity08 There are lively arguments for and against this kind of approach. But it is … [Read more...] about Fusion Ticket 2008
Popi Bama
It seems that Barack Obama's website is quite popular, to say the least: Twelve percent of Internet surfers who visit www.senate.gov click to the freshman senator’s homepage, according to rankings on Alexa.com, which tracks website traffic. Obama’s site gets more hits than any other senator’s, and, much like his popularity, those hits have increased over the last … [Read more...] about Popi Bama
Howard Hunt Dies
Via Ed Morrissey, the BBC reports: Howard Hunt, the CIA officer who helped to plan the Watergate break-in that led to the downfall of US President Richard Nixon has died, aged 88. Mr Hunt, who was jailed over the incident, had died after a lengthy bout of pneumonia in Miami, his son said. The accidental discovery of the Watergate burglary snowballed into the country's … [Read more...] about Howard Hunt Dies
On Newspapers I Worked For
...they considered THIS KIND OF MISTAKE (read caption on photo on left) so bad it was called "a fatal." Hat tip to Daily Kos … [Read more...] about On Newspapers I Worked For
Howard Fineman: Bush Is Sticking To His Guns No Matter What
Newsweek's Howard Fineman (an accurate measure of the conventional journalistic wisdom both in terms of what is out there an what the narrative is likely to be) on President George Bush's State Of The Union Speech:George W. Bush wanted to be Harry Truman (patron saint of embattled presidents) in his State of the Union speech, but he may have reminded voters of Slim Pickens in … [Read more...] about Howard Fineman: Bush Is Sticking To His Guns No Matter What
Fuggedabout Bush; Impeach Cheney
I was going to save this particular screed for another day. You know, give President Bush some breathing room -- which is to say a measure of respect -- after his State of the Union speech. But those people who were immolated in a minibus bombing in Baghdad didn't have the opportunity of any breathing room, let alone the hugs of their children when they were supposed to return … [Read more...] about Fuggedabout Bush; Impeach Cheney
Bush Pleads For More Time On Iraq In Less-Partisan Speech
(NOTE: This ran last night but we've redated it for today's edition, due to its timeliness. Some newer posts are below this one.) Just give me some more time. You could boil down that important message referring to U.S. Iraq military "surge" as the one that's likely to be most noted by most news outlets, mainstream media and perhaps weblogs from President George W. … [Read more...] about Bush Pleads For More Time On Iraq In Less-Partisan Speech
Guest Poet: A Republican’s Plea To The New Democratic Majority In Congress
Another poetic gem from TMV's favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall street Poet:A Republican's Plea To The New Democratic Majority In Congress Please don't do onto us, What we done unto you; That would be so unkind, Such a nasty thing to do. You'll end up feeling bad, Unless you treat us better; Forget our own past ways, Let's hug and work together. We … [Read more...] about Guest Poet: A Republican’s Plea To The New Democratic Majority In Congress
This Just In!!!
THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Bush’s Speech Inspires Confidence, Drinking Game Collegians Get Hammered When President Says ‘Iraq’ President Bush’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night inspired confidence among Republican Party loyalists and a drinking game that spread like wildfire on college campuses across the country. In dorms and … [Read more...] about This Just In!!!