Armando of DailyKos and Josh Trevino of Red State/Tacitus have co-founded their own blog, entitled Swords Crossed. Both are unabashed partisans, which in the current climate makes their friendship and commitment to honest dialogue all the more impressive. Certainly, the statement of purpose given by Armando is heartening: To me, this is the important first principle that allows … [Read more...] about Gentlemen’s Duel

(Part I is here.) So the Bush Administration may be planning an all-out offensive in Baghdad for later this year. But what is life in Baghdad like right now? Some on the right, including many in the blogosphere, would like us to believe that all is going well aside for some media-hyped sectarian violence. If only. The truth is rather more unsettling: Snipers held rooftop … [Read more...] about Just another day in the life and death of Iraq II

He's also mending fences... … [Read more...] about And If John McCain Is Busy So Is Rudy Giuliani

Over at Slate, Fred Kaplan argues that now is the time to talk directly to Iran about its nuclear program, "not as an act of appeasement but as a hard-headed security calculation". Consider: Bush should commence direct talks with Iran not because they offer a hopeful chance for peace and good will, but because they're a necessary prelude to an international campaign of economic … [Read more...] about Is it time to talk to Iran?

Concerns continue to mount over not just Iran's stance on its nuclear program, its hard-line, almost dismissive attitude towards attempts to get it to curtail its nuclear development activities and what a nuclear Iran would mean. Russia's Novosti news agency reports that these concerns are dominating UN-related talks in Moscow:The deputy foreign ministers of all five permanent … [Read more...] about Global Concerns Mount Over Iran And Its Potential Nuclear Role

Tom and Katie are now proud parents. Tom's comment: "BURP!" … [Read more...] about Yes, They Had A Baby Girl

...at what bills itself as the first real grassroots website supporting the candidacy of John McCain for President The McCain Movement. The McCain story continues to be one of the most fascinating political stories of our day — and it doesn't matter what ideology you have...it just IS. You have to factor into account McCain's "maverick" status in 2000, charisma and his … [Read more...] about Take A Peek…..

Advice from longtime Democratic consultant Shrum: shrewd or dumb? … [Read more...] about Advice For President Bush From Bob Shrum

It's because the news media is being manipulated by terrorists... … [Read more...] about Did You Know One Of The Reasons Why The Media Criticizes Rumsfeld?

First, there was this story. And now...the new hit (?) song....The Decider. UPDATE: And, in a related development, here is some breaking news. … [Read more...] about The News Creates A Song

Check out Hilzoy on the latest Gitmo catastrophe. Basic story: two Chinese Muslims are still rotting away in Guantanamo, despite the fact that the military already cleared them of being enemy combatants, and despite the fact that a US District Court already held that their continued detention was illegal (but he had "no relief to offer"). Many of the issues surrounding … [Read more...] about Indefinitely Detained For Naught

The NY Time reporters who broke the warrantless wiretapping story have won the Pulitzer Prize. And yet, some on the right are still calling for them to be imprisoned. So, in this new post 9/11 world, what does it mean to be courageous and what does it mean to be treasonous? I share my thoughts here. … [Read more...] about Courage And Treason

Some years ago, in a playful moment immortalized on video, George Bush, in the days before he was President, gave the half-a-peace sign you see at left to a videographer. Today, he's President, and while his body language may have changed, his attitude apparently hasn't. Here's his latest comment on calls that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should be replaced, courtesy … [Read more...] about Bush Reminds Everyone Whose Government It Really Is (UPDATED)

"Oh, Mommy please don't even take me to his movies anymore. He's just too weird.. Please make him go away.." "Oh, and Mommy....if he invites us to dinner, please turn him down." UPDATE: "And Mommy: look at this. This became a big news story and was carried by wire services and run on newspapers all over the world. A big fuss took place because of it. Now this site says it was … [Read more...] about “Oh, Mommy Please Make Him Go Away” (UPDATED)

It looks like the Iraq War could take another dramatic turn later this year. The Times has reported this: THE American military is planning a “second liberation of Baghdadâ€? to be carried out with the Iraqi army when a new government is installed... The battle for Baghdad is expected to entail a “carrot-and-stickâ€? approach, offering the beleaguered population protection … [Read more...] about The next Battle of Baghdad

According to The Washington Post, in an interesting article in this past Sunday's edition, "Blair fatigue has become the dominant narrative in British politics." There are other narratives, to be sure, including the rise of Blair's rival and presumptive successor, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, and of the new and dynamic Conservative Leader David Cameron; scandal … [Read more...] about Blair fatigue grips Britain

Haaretz: Militants demand Abbas apology for condemning Tel Aviv attack ===================================================================== Here is an update from Haaretz on the dead and injured - most of the Israeli dead have already been buried: The two Romanian victims of the bombing, Rosalia Basanya, 48, and Boda Proshka, 50, will be laid to rest in their native country. … [Read more...] about Chutzpah Defined!

Not unexpectedly, former Representative Rob Portman (R-OH2), now serving as U.S. Trade Representative, has been selected by George W. Bush as the new director of the Office of Management and Budget. … [Read more...] about Portman’s In at OMB

The New York Times and Washington Post both have good coverage of new WH CoS Josh Bolten's surprisingly candid (at least for this Administration) announcement to senior staff yesterday that big changes in staffing and structure may be (stress may be) coming to the West Wing in the near future. Without asking for specific resignations yesterday, Bolten said that it was his goal … [Read more...] about Can the White House “Refresh and Re-energize”?

Former Bill Clinton adviser (and now Hillary Clinton nemesis) Dick Morris has articulated what some have been whispering the past few months: George Bush may be shaping up as the Republican party's Jimmy Carter:George W. Bush is a one- term president now serving deep into his second term. Like his father, he shot his bolt during his first four years. Unlike his dad, he was … [Read more...] about George Bush And Jimmy Carter: Separated At Birth?