Iran (for now at least) remains increasingly isolated with the news that Russia and China are now backing efforts by the U.S. and European nations to convince Tehran to pull the plug on its nuclear program:Russia and China endorsed a package of incentives and penalties Thursday designed by Western nations to push Iran to suspend its nuclear program. Few details of the … [Read more...] about China And Russia Expand International Pincer On Iran

With a slew of challenges and huge problems on his plate, President George Bush will soon turn to an issue that millions of Americans are talking about at the 7-Eleven, at water-coolers, over their kitchen tables — an issue that makes Americans wake up at night filled with preoccupation...and issue on which they demand immediate action and the allocation of his and … [Read more...] about Hey, Don’t You Get A Hint That This Is An Election Year?

From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: Note that there is increasingly a lot of talk now about some kind of third party. Whether it'll come to fruition (and do more than undercut one of the main parties and help the other win) is another matter. But note this article by Peggy Noonan. And, if you missed it, be sure to read this. (Note: We really like Briscoe's cartoons, so … [Read more...] about “Our Terrific Two Party System” (UPDATED)

According to RFK Jr., writing in Rolling Stone, the 2004 presidential election was not quite what it was officially determined to be. Indeed, despite claims to the contrary in leading publications like NYT and WaPo, "indications [have] continued to emerge that something deeply troubling [took] place in 2004". RFK lists some of the troubles. They include "malfunctioning … [Read more...] about Kerry 2004 redux

Maybe I'm too sentimental, but this article on Afghan women driving really made me smile. And in a world where I have to finish 28 pages of paper writing by Sunday evening, there just isn't that much to smile about. … [Read more...] about It’s The Little Things In Life

And if you're going to argue that it isn't, it helps not to make glaring factual errors in the process. … [Read more...] about Gerrymandering: Still Bad

Question: is there a Democratic party mole in the Bush administration? If President George W. Bush's claim to fame is vowing to keep Americans safer, and his standing at ground zero with a bullhorn and promising to go after terrorists, this latest news — and feud with the city that has come to symbolize 9/11 to the entire world — is going to strip away layers of … [Read more...] about New York City Furious Over Big Security Funding Cuts And “No National Monuments” Whopper

President George W. Bush discusses the results of Viagra. (OK, two things to beat you to it: (1) Yes, we know we'll go to hell for saying that. (2) If you don't like that caption, write your own). TMV thanks Americablog for the tip. … [Read more...] about A Unique Reuters Photo Of President George Bush

Remember the Jefferson scandal? That is, the William Jefferson (D-LA) bribery story? Aspazia connects it back to — believe it or not — the philosophy of Michel Foucault: conceptual schemes, "lenses through which we peer into the world". Get your philosophy fix here. … [Read more...] about Michel Foucault and William Jefferson: How we make sense of the world around us

So Paulson is the new Snow (who was the new O'Neill). The non-story "shake-up" continues. But I guess non-news is better than no news, at least for this White House, which is desperately trying to show the world that Bush is doing something (anything), that he's still in charge, that his presidency still means something. Over at The Reaction, new co-blogger J. Kingston Pierce … [Read more...] about Paulson is the new Snow is the new O’Neill

Well, I'm back from a lovely two-week vacation in England. It was so lovely, in fact, that I preferred to spend most of it well away from a computer. If I remember correctly, I only wrote three posts for The Reaction (my co-bloggers did a great job during my absence). I didn't even watch much television. Sure, I read the newspapers, sort of, but I barely paid attention to what … [Read more...] about Back in Toronto (with thoughts on the World Cup)

Larry Sabato: It's humbling for all involved in America's electoral process to realize that each midterm election season--all the contests put together--comprises no more than a paragraph in the history books. The significant elections merit a bold, detailed paragraph, while the run-of-the-mill midterms get a tepid, sketchy paragraph. Most election paragraphs are tepid; big … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: History’s Paragraph for the 2006 Election

The New York Times is reporting on two new studies that connect recent hurricanes like Katrina and Rita back to global warming: "Climate researchers at Purdue University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology separately reported new evidence yesterday supporting the idea that global warming is causing stronger hurricanes." No, there's no conclusive link, but the … [Read more...] about It’s those stronger hurricanes, stupid!

When in school I had played badminton at the national-level. The game still interests me but as I near my 60 mark I shy away from risking my limbs and bones. So when I read a story about the danger posed to shuttlecocks...my further Google search led me to an interesting Chinese newspaper site. Before I could begin to read the fascinating story about the shortage of goose … [Read more...] about China Is Really Opening Up: Of Shuttlecocks and Voluptuous Chicks

...but he might not like it. … [Read more...] about Poll Finds George W. Bush A Notable President

The Federal Elections Commission is an embarrassment. Yesterday its members decided, by a 4-2 vote, to leave in place the current unsatisfactory rules for dealing with independent "527" political advocacy groups. A federal judge had ruled in April that the Commission should either "start crafting new rules or to issue a better explanation of how it will be able to regulate the … [Read more...] about FEC Shirks its Responsibility (Again)

....at Kiko's House, a jewel of a new blog written by Shaun Mullen, an award-winning former Knight-Ridder reporter and editor. And it is a glory to read: the writing is truly stylish, witty and the topics aren't what you find on so many other blogs. It does NOT limit itself to the political horserace. And Mullen hasn't yet fallen into "blogspeak" (of course we haven't either. … [Read more...] about Take A Peek

TMV will be headed to LA and unable to post until mid-day later today, at the earliest. But check back often since our always independent co-bloggers will likely have some things to say. … [Read more...] about TMV’s Own Posts Are Limited Today

For weeks the war clouds seemed to be gathering. The bellicose comments — seemingly matched tit for tat — came from both sides. Tehran? It seemed to be sticking its tongue out at the United States, virtually defying it to act. Washington? Sources (unofficial and otherwise) seemed to issuing dire warnings about military action, even as official statements insisted … [Read more...] about US Shifts To Containment Strategy On Iran

...and it's long term. (NOTE: I read everything this guy posts...) … [Read more...] about More Bad News For New Orleans