al-Zarqawi has it. Find out why. … [Read more...] about The X Factor

Over at The Carpetbagger Report, Steve Benen tackles "the new media narrative" -- you know, the one where "Bush and the GOP have momentum and are on the upswing," the one being pushed in such lofty journalistic bastions as The Washington Post. Steve looks at a number of issues -- Zarqawi, Plamegate, Iraq, Busby, Treasury, and the GOP agenda -- and concludes that "the recent … [Read more...] about The shame of America’s free press

In Canada's House of Commons, that is. The latest row between the ruling Conservatives and the opposition parties involved an obscene hand gesture made by Conservative MP Jacques Gourde in response to opposition heckling. And thus began the "uproar," according to the CP, with more such gestures from fellow Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre and even Justice Minister Vic Toews. … [Read more...] about The decline of parliamentary civility

Which 2006 contests will frustrate the national trend? The bubble of conventional wisdom was burst last week, with the election of Republican Brian Bilbray to succeed disgraced Representative Duke Cunningham in California's 50th House district. While most reporters and analysts, including this pundit, publicly bet a nickel on Bilbray because of the GOP nature of the district, … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball – Election Exceptions

Sad, sad news* from WaPo: Michael J. Gerson, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers and author of nearly all of his most famous public words during the past seven years, plans to step down in the next couple weeks in a decision that colleagues believe will leave a huge hole in the White House at a critical period. Gerson said in an interview that he has been talking … [Read more...] about Gerson gone

Perhaps they should just shut Congress down for the rest of the year. It seems to have gone from being a problem-solving legislative body to a body with a partisan function to define political opponents. This time the House GOP is forcing another debate on the Iraq war clearly aimed at backing Democrats into a position that can be used against them in the mid-term elections. … [Read more...] about GOP House Forces Another “Defining” Debate On Iraq War

What do you do when you personally face an ethical dilemma? … [Read more...] about A Question For Lawyers (And Law Students)

Now there's a title I never thought I'd get to use. But it's true ... the president today will announce the designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a national monument, making the 140,000-square mile area the largest protected marine area in the world (surpassing even the Great Barrier Reef). According to reports in the NY Times and WaPo today, the region of … [Read more...] about Bush to Create Largest Protected Marine Area

Do you need yet another sign that politics is enormously fluid and that all the conventional wisdom that's out there can be changed in a flash — all the news stories, blog posts and political prognostication can be outdated within days or hours. If you do, then read this from Hotline On Call:At a briefing for the Washington, D.C. political press corps today, DSCC chair … [Read more...] about Schumer Says 8 Senate Seats Now Competitive

TMV himself will post very little today (if at all). The reason: he is on a two day schedule that takes him to Santa Monica, CA, then (city name deleted), CA then Pasadena, CA then Chula Vista, CA then home in San Diego, CA. But there's another reason. Last night I finished a show at a wonderful country club on a huge sandy beach in Santa Monica. The next stop was a city we … [Read more...] about Why TMV Will Barely Post Today: The Worst Hotel EVER

The folks at Unity08 invited yours truly to write a centrist/moderate-oriented column on their new website. And even though my vote does not belong to anyone or any party until the second I vote, I agreed. The first column is a bit of an introduction that also touches on what's happening among centrists these days. READ IT HERE. Links to the weekly column will be posted on … [Read more...] about TMV Starts Weekly Column On Unity08 Website

John Kerry has reiterated his call for a large-scale withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq before the end of the year. The Boston Globe: "The sweeping resolution amounts to the senator's sharpest condemnation of the war and his broadest repudiation of his own vote to authorize force. It also stands in contrast to his handling of the war issue during his campaign for president two … [Read more...] about Kerry’s regrets (and my own)

President Bush should be more careful asking why certain reporters are wearing sunglasses. … [Read more...] about Awkward….

AP via CNN: MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers dug through debris Thursday to reach two people trapped when Indonesia's most volatile volcano erupted, nearly enveloping a village with a searing gas cloud and forcing thousands of residents to flee. The eruption Wednesday came just a day after officials lowered the alert level and people returned to the homes around … [Read more...] about Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Erupts!

Washington Post: Top Presidential Adviser Gerson to Step Down Colleagues say departure of former speechwriter, who wrote most of president's public words over last 7 years, will leave huge hole in White House.... … [Read more...] about Think GWB’s Speeches Are Bad? They’ll Get Worse Now!

This is really happening? I swear I'm living in bizarro world. We have so many important things to worry about and now we're going to criminalize an expression of free speech. Amazing. Sean Aqui says it best:I didn’t join the Army to defend a piece of cloth; I joined the Army to defend what that piece of cloth represents. And what it represents is individual freedom, … [Read more...] about Flag Burning Amendment Heating Up?

You can read the memo HERE on Think Progress. Already weblogs are giving varying interpretations of it. We prefer you read the original yourself then see what you (and you can share your thoughts in comments). … [Read more...] about Memo Shows Republican Game Plan For Thursday’s House Iraq Debate

For my money, Hillary's opinions about not pulling out of Iraq anytime soon make a lot of sense. That some in the left-wing can't accept this is understandable, but ultimately disheartening. However, what will this mean for her chances in 2008? Will the Dem base cast her aside because she doesn't agree with them now? Alan Stewart Carl isn't optimistic. … [Read more...] about Hillary’s Stand

Cross-posted to Random Fate. --- While the Commissar of The Politburo Diktat rightly points out that there is indeed a real threat from groups who use terrorist tactics, calling it a "war" is wrong on many fronts, not limited to the terminology alone, but also because the strategy and tactics we are using are appropriate for wars past, not the "21st Century Thinking" that … [Read more...] about Lessons of war forgotten, although all too recently taught

...can be found at the Carnival of the Vanities (and if you have a weblog you can participate in it, too). … [Read more...] about A Grab-Bag Of Great Blog Posts