Andrew Sullivan writes:William F. Buckley is the latest to come to the conclusion that this administration has long abandoned conservatism for something only coherent in what passes for Karl Rove's mind. I look forward to Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and Ramesh Ponnuru excommunicating Buckley from the conservative movement.... ....Today's Republicans have abandoned limited … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: On William F. Buckley “Dissing” GWB

WIMN's Voices cites a Pew Internet & American Life study that shows that half of all bloggers are women, and asks:This Pew study doesn’t only shed light on the demographics of the blogosphere — it raises some very basic questions about the demographics of sources quoted in corporate news reports about blogs. If bloggers are approximately 50% female and are racially … [Read more...] about Pew Study: Half Of Bloggers Are Women

Remember Afghanistan? I won't blame you if you don't. It's hard to see it through the fog of war in Iraq and Lebanon, not to mention through the fall-out of nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea. Not so long ago, Afghanistan was the focus of much of our attention. After 9/11, the U.S. went in and routed the al Qaeda-friendly Taliban, or at least sent Osama bin Laden, Mullah … [Read more...] about Guns and poppies: The coming anarchy in Afghanistan

Joe has the story of William F. Buckley's interview with CBS — see here — and here are some additional thoughts: Once again, conservative godfather William F. Buckley has come out against President Bush, arguing in an interview with CBS's Thalia Assuras that he isn't really much of a conservative at all: I think Mr. Bush faces a singular problem best defined, I … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Buckley and Bush

Do they need better ideas -- or better campaigns? … [Read more...] about The Problem For Progressives

A band from my college days is making waves for suing its label over the way it was marketed, and it implicates the nature of "contemporary Christian music" (CCM) itself. Mute Math grew out of Earthsuit, a hard-to-define alt-rock group with reggae, rapcore and electronica elements that mixed together unbelievably well. Of course, as a band full of Christian guys that spoke of … [Read more...] about Is “Christian” marketing the kiss of death for “Christian” bands?

As thousands of refugees move out of Lebanon, I am reminded of a Lebanese family that left its home for the United States of America more than 100 years ago to escape the tyranny of the Ottoman authorities. At the time, the second largest Lebanese-American community was in Boston's South End, so the Gibrans decided to settle there in 1895. Because boy Khalil Gibran had no … [Read more...] about Kahlil Gibran : Remembering A Lebanese – American

The Talking Dog, a truly original weblog that has run a series of remarkable Q&A interviews on various legal aspects of the War On Terror has done it again. TTD has done it again in two ways: (1) He has again shown that weblogs can be more than extended op-ed pages and that the shockingly easy to use blog machinery gives everyone the option (which few use) to present … [Read more...] about Original Blog Interview with Glenn Sulmasy

Welcome our newest co-blogger Brij Khindaria, whose first post appears on the site today. Brij is the latest writer to accept an invitation to write on TMV, which seeks to present a diverse range of moderate viewpoints and thoughtful and thought provoking posts. (We again remind readers that just as Democrats, Republicans and Independents don't agree on everything, neither do … [Read more...] about Welcome Our Newest Co-Blogger

The only safe way out of Israel’s current imbroglio in Lebanon is to offer a generous peace in which all sides perceive concrete benefits. Waiting for the ultimate victory before offering the peace is foolish. A big stick wielded without any carrots other than an end to the beating is short sighted policy. Israel might claim “mission accomplishedâ€? and leave after … [Read more...] about Generosity in war

From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: … [Read more...] about More My Side, Your Side

One of their best (and computer colorized). MUST VIEWING (even if the You Tube post is a bit out of sync at times): … [Read more...] about Classic Comedy: Laurel & Hardy Play Each Other’s Wives

Now, let me get this straight, this guy is on our side?Yesterday, the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, said “We know there was a corrupt regime in Saddam, but a regime should be removed by surgery, not by butchering. The U.S. occupation is butcher’s work under the slogan of democracy and human rights and justice.â€?White House honcho Bolten assures us … [Read more...] about With Friends Like These Department

HOUSTON...WE HAVE A PROBLEM.... In the past week we've gotten a slew of emailed complaints (some from co-bloggers) about some comments that in the eyes of an increasing number of readers seemingly cross the line. Comments on blogs are not a "given" anymore due to the controversies about them: some people use them to leave spam, some go into rage-filled attack mode, and some … [Read more...] about A REMINDER About Rage-Filled Comments

Comments from a friend who is a professional historian, full professor of history and life-long Democrat: This concerns me as a Democrat, and as an observer that antisemitism today comes mostly from the left (Pat Buchanan excepted). Excerpted from elsewhere:When the House voted 410-8 in favor of a resolution "condemning the recent attacks against the State of Israel, holding … [Read more...] about Anti-Semitism from the Left

TMV has been on a brutal summer travel schedule that has greatly curtailed his own posting. For instance, during the past 48 hours he has done 6 shows in three California counties — all during a heat wave that saw 110 degree temperatures here in San Diego County. This week will be more of the same — only in a way WORSE...since TMV just discovered he has to leave … [Read more...] about TMV’s Own Limited Posting Schedule

If the alternative is Japan, anyway. … [Read more...] about I Wish I Could Be Executed in Texas

I wish, I wish, I wish that being smart wasn't a liability for a politician. I wish, I wish, I wish that wonkishness was seen as a virtue, and not a defect. I wish, I wish, I wish that voters would focus more on what politicians do and less on what they say. And I wish, I wish, I wish that a major political figure could get some currency out of the fact that he's been right … [Read more...] about Whither Al Gore?

Please don't! Just sleep alone if you care for your (and the world's)health, peace, tranquility and propserity. "IF YOU have ever thought you were stupid to sleep with someone, consider this...Sharing your bed could actually make you stupid if you are a man - at least temporarily," say Gerhard Kloesch and colleagues from the University of Vienna, Austria. "Even without … [Read more...] about Are You Sleeping With Anyone These Days?

From a CBS News interview with William F. Buckley, one of the longtime icons and a founder of 20th-21st century conservative movement:Buckley finds himself parting ways with President Bush, whom he praises as a decisive leader but admonishes for having strayed from true conservative principles in his foreign policy. In particular, Buckley views the three-and-a-half-year Iraq … [Read more...] about William F. Buckley On George Bush