Democratic centrist blogger Bull Moose (allied with the Demcratic Leadership Council) has an as-usual intriguing post that MUST be read in full here. Here are some key excerpts 4 U. He urges Democrats not to obssess on Karl Rove, and notes that much of this will be resolved in the courts, and then:In the meantime, if the Democrats obsess on him and he is innocent of the … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Bull Moose On Rove, NAACP And Democrats

Here is part of why I believe what I believe--specifically, why I fear overarching "principles" and dogma. Guest-starring--a link to co-TMVer Jack's stellar post on the depressed state of politics! … [Read more...] about Journey into David’s Brain

comes out tonight at midnight. Presumably, there is fresh bloggable material about this. But I don't have it. So instead, I'll just point you to a flashback of the Marxist critique of HP. Regrettably, it's archived now, but you can access a summary of the debate here, as well as my own original post (mostly just giving outward links). I'm sure there will be plenty of generic … [Read more...] about Harry Potter…

...does not seek for partisan advantage. I have cried out for that kind of leadership in my post "Our government is no place for political games for gain at any cost" at my own weblog, Random Fate. Please read and comment on it, especially if you disagree. … [Read more...] about True leadership…

...through being distracted by shadow-boxing with fanatics? … [Read more...] about Is the United States setting itself up for a fall…

Cross posted at The Smoking Room If you're a fan of the Middle East Media Research Institute and the translations of Middle Eastern press they do, you might appreciate a relatively new site that translates media all over the world into English:The headline reads, "Columbus' Discovery of America: History's 'Biggest Mistake.' " That might sound harsh to an American audience, but … [Read more...] about English-translation website for world media shows America what it’s missing

Pseudo-Polymath disputes my argument that judicial nominees should be aggressively vetted by congress. I respond here. … [Read more...] about Hamilton and the Judicial Question

With each passing day, and each new revelation — few of them bound to create happy smiles in the White House — you get a sense that the hourglass is running out on the controversy swirling around political maven Karl Rove's alleged role in revealing the identity of a CIA operative. It's a sense that whether Rove faces any legal consquences or not, this is a new … [Read more...] about Rove Did Indirectly Confirm CIA Agent’s Identity

Once upon a time there was a Republican National Committee. It wanted to defuse tensions with a group called the NAACP, and offer this as a kind of olive branch to black Americans. But then a big, bad broadcaster opposed this overture — this overture that was clearly a (rare) sign of an effort to combat at least a small bit of a monster called polarization that had taken … [Read more...] about Rush Limbaugh Blasts RNC Chairman For Olive Branch To Blacks

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's political star has been falling rapidly in California and this certainly won't help stop the fall:SACRAMENTO — Two days before he was sworn into office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger accepted a consulting job paying an estimated $8 million over five years to "further the business objectives" of a national publisher of health and … [Read more...] about The Political Descent Of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Osama bin Laden and violence are losing support in the Muslim world, a Washington Post poll reports: Osama bin Laden's standing has dropped significantly in some pivotal Muslim countries, while support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence has "declined dramatically," according to a new survey released yesterday. Predominantly Muslim populations in a sampling of six … [Read more...] about Bin Laden And Terrorist Violence Losing Muslim Support

TMV in his other incarnation is on the road, appearing at a fair in Nebraska. We're still doing our posts from the road but due to our schedule and our severe transmission problems you may see fewer by TMV himself. But keep checking back since our co-bloggers are posting some provocative material. And a word on that: When TMV was permanent weekend guest blogger for more than … [Read more...] about Note To Readers From The Road

Via Orin Kerr, this semi-bombshell from the Supreme Court. Not having a spot that can be relatively uncontroversially be filled by a conservative severely limits Bush's options RE: O'Connor's replacement. How will it affect the nomination fight? Discuss. … [Read more...] about Rehnquist is Sticking it Out

...but necessary none the less. James Wolcott condemns our insular outlook, especially as it has been shown in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London, and he makes his point well. --- Cross-posted to Random Fate. … [Read more...] about Uncomfortable reading…

Former Ambassador Joe Wilson's little-read book from last year is finally getting some attention from journalists, but not the kind that bolsters his case against the Bush administration for supposedly leaking his wife's identity:In The Politics of Truth, former ambassador Joseph Wilson writes that he and his future wife both returned from overseas assignments in June 1997. … [Read more...] about Joe Wilson’s book finally gets read!

Cross-posted to Digital Dissent I'd say, "fat chance", but I'm willing to give him a shot. From CNN:Kim said "the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was the behest of President Kim Il Sung," his late father and the North's longtime former leader, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the reclusive leader said it was … [Read more...] about Kim Jong Il: Nuclear Pacifist?

A commentary on why Bastille Day should be remembered in the United States can be found at my weblog, Random Fate. … [Read more...] about Bastille Day

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm came into office as a rising star in the Democratic Party that, it was said, could sway independents and even Republicans with her tough-on-crime approach and gun enthusiasm. But she had an embarrassing reaction to an op-ed from a Michigan legislator and professor criticizing her new tax plan:Ms. Granholm was not pleased, going so far as to … [Read more...] about A Howard Dean moment for Michigan’s governor on taxes?

Cross posted at The Smoking Room Yet another reason why cable news is the sewer of media, as the editor of a gamers website gets lured into a supposed fluff interview on bottom-rated CNBC's "Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" and then gets skewered:It kicked off with Donny holding up a copy of Computer Games magazine declaring that there wasn't a single game in there that wasn't … [Read more...] about CNBC host ambushes video-game guest on game violence, exploits Columbine

Cross-posted to Random Fate. Technical presentations tend to all follow a similar format, with a brief overview of the object of study, a description of the experiments performed, a presentation of the data, a discussion of the implications of the data, and conclusions along with directions for future work. One oddity I encounter in dealing with the different cultures and … [Read more...] about Some thoughts on perspectives