The Iraq Study Group story is overblown. The media -- in particular David Broder and his clones -- talk up bipartisanship and "centrism" all the time. They feed off the partisanship, but in moments of self-importance, which are common, they like to situate themselves above the divisive rancour. Hence McCain's ongoing media popularity and questionable reputation as a maverick. … [Read more...] about The limitations of the Iraq Study Group

I supported Jane Harman for House Intelligence Committee chair. My supported softened somewhat, but I still supported her. And when it was clear that Nancy Pelosi was going to pick someone else, I supported Rush Holt as a suitable compromise candidate. And when Pelosi picked Silvestre Reyes, I was fine with it. And how's that working out? Let's just say, not as expected:In a … [Read more...] about See, I was right about Jane Harman

From an Orange County EditorialHere are the basics from the governor's statement: "The proposal creates a Citizens Redistricting Commission to develop an open and fair process for redrawing our political district lines. The commission would be composed of 11 independent and politically balanced members who reflect our state's diversity and who are free from conflicts of … [Read more...] about California Takes Another Swing at Redistricting Reform

The bar is so low that any SecDef nominee would look good. But, keeping in mind Creature's "love-in" post at State of the Day, I do think Gates looked good yesterday. Which isn't to say I don't have my reservations. Gates has more than his share of dirty laundry. And which isn't to say that I think Gates is right that "it's too soon to tell" whether or not the Iraq War was a … [Read more...] about Anyone but Rumsfeld

The big news today is the release of the Iraq Survey Group's report. As befitting the general consensus in America now, the ISG has determined that Iraq is a disaster. There are very few commentators on any part of the political spectrum that reject the notion that Iraq is in a grave situation at this point. The difference mostly centers on what to do about it: neoconservatives … [Read more...] about Unhinged in Baghdad

David Broder writes in today's Washington Post ">A Study In Comity about the process of the Iraq Study Group. Whatever the final impact of the Iraq Study Group report being issued today, for the 10 commission members this was an exhilarating experience, a demonstration of genuine bipartisanship that they hope will serve as an example to the broader political world. "It was … [Read more...] about ISG – A Role Model for Bi-Partisanship

Contenders for DCCC chairmanship campaign quietly...The party committee chairman is charged with recruiting candidates, fundraising and formulating an earned media strategy. ...Democratic aides agree only on the uncertainty surrounding the vacancy and the members on the short list to fill it. They include Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), who, according to Democratic … [Read more...] about Who Selects Democratic Candidates?

Reported in The HillPresident Bush has invited leaders of the conservative Blue Dog and New Democrat coalitions to the White House Friday to discuss areas of "mutual cooperation" in the words of one Democratic Congressional aide. The outreach comes at a time when Bush's image on Capitol Hill and around the country has taken a serious beating. The meeting is scheduled just two … [Read more...] about Bush to meet with Centrist Dems

Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake blog has a commentary on Centrism at The Huffington Post with an interesting collection of comments. The term centrism is like a Rorschach test. Everyone brings something different to the interpretation. For many it is an absurd attempt to take the average of opposing views. For some it is a cowardly effort to avoid taking a stand. For me it is … [Read more...] about Center of What?

Mary Cheney is pregnant. A sincere congratulations to American Vice-President Dick Cheney his wife and of course his daughter and her partner, Heather Poe (family of the great poet?). … [Read more...] about Congrats To Cheney

I of course want to bask in the glory of being part of a best centrist weblog nominee. And if I may say so, a hearty congratulations to Joe and all my fellow co-bloggers who have helped make this site great. But, egomaniac that I am, I couldn't help but notice that my blog, The Debate Link, was a finalist for an award as well--Best of the Top 3501 - 5000. It's the first time … [Read more...] about Double Up!

As Joe reported earlier today, TMV has been nominated for "Best Centrist Blog" for this year's Weblog Awards, which is of course a great honor: for Joe but also for us co-bloggers. However, I would like to pay some attention to one specific blog, nominated in a different category: Ed Morrissey's Captain's Quarters (category: Best Conservative Blog). Of course, most nominated … [Read more...] about Some Special Attention

The first thing to be said about the Iraq Study Group's report is that it is anticlimactic. That is not a bad thing. Although the bipartisan group worked behind closed doors, its high profile but low key chairman, James Baker, gave it a very public face and there wasn't any doubt about what its recommendations would be. The second thing to be said is that although the ISG's … [Read more...] about Iraq Study Group Report: Too Little Too Late?

Oef. This must be horrible...Forget the minimum wage. Or outsourcing jobs overseas. The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January. The horror.Indeed. Terrible, terrible. And not just for politicians:"I have bad news for you," Hoyer told reporters. "Those trips you had planned in … [Read more...] about Get Off of That Lazy Butt of Yours And Start Working

Bush 41 broke down in tears while delivering a speech about the leadership of his son Jeb, Governor of Florida and more specifically about how he dealt with both victories and defeats. In short, as a man. He then broke down in tears mentioning his son, Gov. Jeb Bush, as an example of leadership and the way he handled losing the 1994 governor's race to popular incumbent Democrat … [Read more...] about George Herbert Walker Bush Breaks Down in Tears

Mention Al Gore's documentary on global warming An Inconvenient Truth to people who haven't seen it and you're sure to find they generally fall into one of three categories;Liberals and environmentalists who have long been alarmed by this problem. They have waited years for a truly "accessible" mass media event to give the issue the attention they feel it deserves. They … [Read more...] about DVD Review: Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”

Why THANK YOU readers. TMV was sitting in his hotel room deep in downtown L.A. when he was genuinely surprised to discover that this site has been nominated in the Best Centrist Blog category in the 2006 Weblog Awards. TMV himself has been so busy this month with tasks in his other incarnation, trying to get some posts done, rescuing his crashed database and adding so many … [Read more...] about TMV Nominated For Best Centrist Blog Weblog Award

Tonight I had the honor of attending a special event at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education at HUC-JIR Cincinnati. You may recall that a few years ago Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon died when the Space Shuttle Columbia burned up on its return to Earth. Col. Ramon had taken with him into space a tiny Torah that had survived the Holocaust. This year his friend Canadian … [Read more...] about Jews, Space and Time

A fresh thought over at ">The Washington Note"He said that there is only one non-military way to break Iran's current course, and that the military option was not credible and would not be supported in the region. This official said that the only way to stop Iran at this point was to make the price of oil plummet. He said that America could engineer this with coordinated … [Read more...] about Lower the price of oil to begin to heal the Middle East

50 House members promote Leach for ambassador A Democratic congressman said today he will continue to push for Republican Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa to be named as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. I likey. … [Read more...] about Bi Partisan support for Leach to UN Ambassador