This post got overtaken quickly by other posts so we're reposting it from yesterday. In the latest polling from The Pew Research Center, President Bush's approval rating has fallen to 36 percent — down four points since late last month. Among Republicans and Independents, the President's numbers are at an all-time low of 77 percent and 29 percent, respectively. (Note … [Read more...] about Libby Indictment Weighs Down Bush Approval

This post got pushed down on our site due to many posts yesterday so we're reposting it today. I have a lot of trouble believing that this is true. But God help us if it is. H/T: Balloon Juice. UPDATE: The Christian Science Monitor asks "Did the US military use chemical weapons in Iraq?" … [Read more...] about US Using Illegal Incendiary Weapons?

NOTE TO READERS: Due to the timeliness of this post, the fact that Jack Grant lives in France, and its in depth nature, we're going to keep this at the top of this site for much of the day. Please SCROLL DOWN to see other, more recent breaking news. As an expatriate in France, I have the dubious privilege of being able to view (from inside the country) the violence while it … [Read more...] about Some thoughts both personal and more general on the riots underway in France

...has taken place in Tennessee and an assistant principal is dead. … [Read more...] about Another School Shooting…

Oxblog's Patrick Belton has this entry from Paris which needs to be read in full. Here's a small part:Paris is burning. It has done so before. Those of 1848 were the street riots of modernism, heralding enlightenment and republicanism versus the restoration of the ancien regime. The soixante-huitards's were those of postmodernity, seeking to resituate the individual and power … [Read more...] about The View From Paris

Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad had two monkey wrenches thrown in it today: the murder of yet another lawyer associated with the case and his lawyer's suspension of contact with the tribunal trying him until they get better security — and they're even asking for the trial to be moved abroad to protect all involved. The latest murder makes it clear it's very perilous to … [Read more...] about Saddam’s Lawyers Want Trial Moved Abroad As Another Lawyer Is Shot Dead

Yes, he says it here. (Define "We".) But then, what was going on at Gitmo and Abu Ghraib? What may still be going on there and/or in other U.S.-run detention facilities around the world? THE ONES WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT? Bush: "We're working with Congress to make sure that as we go forward, we make it possible, more possible, to do our job. There's an enemy that lurks and plots … [Read more...] about President Bush: “We do not torture”

This should hardly come as a surprise, but Weekly Standard editor and Fox News-frequenting neocon-Straussian Bill Kristol does not think that President Bush should fire Karl Rove (or, presumably, that Rove should resign). He does, however, think that Bush must remain "a polarizing president". First it was his culture of conservative victimhood, now it's his essentially … [Read more...] about Defending Rove: Bill Kristol’s un-conservative conservatism

Yes, it's the nightmare of reality. … [Read more...] about President Cheney??????????

Greg Prince at Uncorrelated has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking post on whether or not the Constitution 'as is' includes a right to privacy, a response in part to Dan Savage's suggestion at The Stranger that Democrats propose a so-called "Right to Privacy" amendment. It's an interesting idea, and Democrats might do well to go ahead with it (would Republicans or … [Read more...] about Is there a right to privacy in the Constitution?

Yesterday, I wrote about yet another piece of evidence that the Bush Administration used selective intelligence to justify its war in Iraq, specifically the fact that a key informer in American custody, a certain al Qaeda official named al-Libi, was known well before the war to be a "fabricator" of information. For more on this developing story, including a round-up of key … [Read more...] about Dick Cheney, enabler of torture

For a bit more on the big new case set to come before the Roberts Court, see here. … [Read more...] about SCOTUS to rule on military tribunals

A reminder to SCROLL DOWN. TMV and his co-bloggers may often write posts longer than you find on other weblogs (it's part of what makes us so lovable). And there are a LOT of new posts under today's dated weblog....so make sure you go all the way down. We will periodically put this at the top of this site as a reminder. … [Read more...] about Scroll Down!

...something happens that makes you realize we're all connected. … [Read more...] about Just When You Think The World Is Polarized….

It's election day today and, even though it isn't the mid-term elections, a lot is at stake. For instance, today could be the day when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's clout is terminated by California voters if the bulk of or all of his ballot measures go down the tubes. If you look at polls and talk to Californians at random you realize: you don't need actor … [Read more...] about What’s At Stake In Today’s Elections

Right? Well, if THIS STARTS A TREND they will be mere extensions of political candidates on both sides (spin within spin within spin). Will "a million blogs" therefore morph into "two million blogs?" (Oh. We forgot the remaining Nader supporters: Two million and one blogs.) … [Read more...] about Weblogs Are Manifestations Of An Individual’s Conscience…

It's a given in broadcasting that when a personality gets ready to depart he does so quietly. In fact, in most instances listeners tune in and find that their favorite DJ or talk show host has simply vanished and gone somewhere. There is no forwarding address. But "shockjock" Howard Stern, the self-styled King Of All Media (but who has had a rocky road expanding significantly … [Read more...] about Howard Stern Suspended After Plugging His New Satellite Radio Show

I have a bit more news on the spreading of violence in France (not much), along with a response to some who have commented, a note on what moderation truly is, and some additional information regarding the backgrounds of those involved in the riots at my weblog, Random Fate. (NOTE: the second link is to a different post) Depending upon the events of this evening, I hope to … [Read more...] about A small amount of additional information on the riots in France

The Supreme Court has granted cert in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, to determine whether the military commissions established by the Bush administration to prosecute detainees are constitutional. A few preliminary thoughts on the subject here. … [Read more...] about Military Tribunals to the Supreme Court

President Bush just came flat out and said it: "We do not torture." And I'll come flat out and say it: He's lying. … [Read more...] about Care To Say It Under Oath?