Not too long ago, I read a book (Erfstukken: pieces of inheritance) by one of the Netherlands's most respected journalists: Paul Witteman. He is not just a great political journalist, but also an expert regarding classical music. Anyway, an important part of the book or more of an essay actually, was dedicated to the belief that 'talent' decides who will be a successful … [Read more...] about Hard Work Pays Off

I went through the White House's website and found numerous times when administration officials said, "stay the course." Read and decide for yourself if Bush and company are being honest. … [Read more...] about Stay The Course…A Retrospective

Let's face it, Nancy Pelosi has long been taking a brutal beating at the hands of Republicans and their character-assassination machine. As a surprisingly positive profile of the House minority leader in Saturday's Washington Post explains, "Republicans have sought to scare voters by portraying Pelosi as a liberal extremist who would be weak on national security and prone to … [Read more...] about The character of Nancy Pelosi

Jeezus... This is getting ridiculous. … [Read more...] about New Diebold Machine Worries?

Last month, I wrote about the nature and degree of Iraq's sectarianism -- see here. Responding to a (conservative) proposal that the U.S. send more troops to Iraq, I argued that there has been "an underestimation of the severity of the sectarian divides that have re-emerged in Iraq since Saddam's fall". Like other tyrants, Saddam had brutally controlled Iraq's sectarian … [Read more...] about Balad is Iraq

Now White House bigwig Dan Bartlett insists that the administration has “neverâ€? had “a stay-the-course strategy.â€? SEE IT HERE. President Bush said the same thing yesterday. The problem is: there are tons of links and videos showing that they argued just that. (The linked post has some of it. ALSO: Some folks suggest that because they don't like the linked site it … [Read more...] about Second White House Official Says Iraq Policy Was Never “Stay The Course”

I am one of those annoying people who greatly enjoy making 'personality tests'. I just found this one at CCN.money (via an article I plan to write about later today). If you enjoy tests too, take it and drop a comment with your result in the comment section of this post. My result: Your final score: 24 out of 30 ANALYSIS: You have a balanced view of what is within your … [Read more...] about O Goody! Another Test!

There's a great post up by guest blogger Jack at my friend (and Reaction co-blogger) Creature's State of the Day -- see here. Jack compares George W. Bush to John F. Kennedy and finds, as you might expect, that the former comes up short. In contrast to Kennedy's emphasis on diplomacy, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bush is "indifferent to the history he is … [Read more...] about GWB is no JFK

Lest you think there's any question as to 2006 being an election where issues and records will be discussed, with two weeks left there's a chance we'll be subjected to pandering to raw F-E-A-R. Dick Morris:With only two weeks left 'til Election Day, Republicans won't save themselves with phony optimism - pathetic claims that, somehow, they're mounting a comeback. They need to … [Read more...] about Dick Morris: GOP Should Scare Public Silly

It's been a rather tumultuous past year or so for the French. Last November, there were the riots — a state of emergency, if not quite another revolution — that, with multiple triggers sending alienated and in some cases highly politicized youth into the streets, exposed the deep cultural, political, and economic rift between mainstream French society and the largely … [Read more...] about France in flames

...when one of your videos is on the Colbert Report. … [Read more...] about It’s Truly A Thrill

From The Guardian:Tony Blair will put pressure on the Iraqi government today to demonstrate that its security forces will be ready to take over from the British army in southern provinces within roughly a year. Amid mounting international concern over escalating violence, Mr Blair is expected to use today's Downing Street talks with Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, … [Read more...] about Blair Gives Iraq 12 Months to be Ready for Handover

French police are speaking out more and more: the violence from immigrant 'youths' is escalating and has developed into a, almost religious, war against the French police.Michel Thooris, head of the small Action Police union, claims that the new violence is taking on an Islamic fundamentalist tinge. "Many youths, many arsonists, many vandals behind the violence do it to cries … [Read more...] about War in France

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the United States has not been good for the radical Islam biz. To put it another way, if it was entertainment, Variety would say radical Islam has not proven to be big B.O. (which stands for "box office," by the way). The Monitor reports:The Islamist radicalism that inspired young Muslims to attack their own countries - in London, … [Read more...] about Radical Islam Finds Few Takers In The United States

From Cox and Forkum: … [Read more...] about Savoir-Farce

It looks like this.... And it is made by The Moderate Brother … [Read more...] about When Glass Is More Than Glass

World Series Game 2 … [Read more...] about Final: Detroit 3, St. Louis 1

So which statement do you think really came from his heart and was more accurate? The first comment that sparked a firestorm or his new one which we suspect came after getting a phone call from some superiors?A senior U.S. diplomat who said the United States has shown "arrogance" and "stupidity" in Iraq said he "seriously misspoke" in an interview aired on Sunday after U.S. … [Read more...] about Diplomat Now Says He “Misspoke” About U.S. “Arrogance” and “Stupidity” On Iraq

Robot thinks people taste like bacon. Great news for the continued survival of humanity. … [Read more...] about Better Program Some Kosher Robots

Good news for a lot of commenters here at TMV (quite some people seem to think highly of Obama): Senator Barack Obama admits considering a run for president in 08. The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision … [Read more...] about Obama Admits Considering Running For President