meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
THE GRAY ZONE By / New Yorker — Permalink The roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal lie not in the criminal inclinations of a few Army reservists but in a decision, approved last year by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to expand a highly secret operation, which had been focussed on the hunt for Al Qaeda, to the interrogation of prisoners in Iraq. | |
|
Phil Carter: The New Yorker has published Sy Hersh's latest piece on the abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. Digby: Black Ops — Seymour Hersh's latest reveals the existence of a black operation put into high gear after 9/11 that was... Jeralyn Merritt: Pentagon and Rumsfeld Approved Secret Prisoner Abuse Program — Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker, who wrote this... |
Charles Johnson: The Gray Zone — Well, here's Seymour Hersh's latest hit piece, impressively documented with names, dates, and places: The Gray Zone. Brian Linse: Latest Hersh on Abu Ghraib — Don't miss Seymour Hersh's latest installment on Abu Ghraib in The New Yorker. Atrios: Hersh — Just go read and be horrified. |
| Also: Kevin Drum | |
Undeterred by McCain Denials, Some See Him as Kerry's No. 2 NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 14 — Despite weeks of steadfast rejections from Senator John McCain, some prominent Democrats are angling for him to run for vice president alongside Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, creating a bipartisan ticket that they say would instantly transform the presidential race. | |
|
Tom Maguire: Don't Offer Your Kid A Pony And Deliver A Hamster — The NY Times lets a few named and un-named Democrats fans the flames of the Kerry-McCain fantasy ticket. Jim Henley: Kevin Drum thinks the Kerry-McCain rumors are a chance for the rare "moderate Republican" to "make one last stand" by at... Matt Yglesias: More McCain! Count me among the ranks of the enthusiastic Democrats, though I sadly don't count as "prominent." |
Ramesh Ponnuru: McCAIN VEEP TALK — On the assumption that nothing actually comes of such talk, it is helpful to Bush's re-election... Kevin Drum: KERRY-McCAIN AGAIN....More speculation about a Kerry-McCain ticket, this time on the front page of the New York Times. Joe Gandelman: And even though he adamantly and repeatedly says it could never be in the cards, some want him to run for Veep. |
| Also: Captain Ed, The Big Trunk, Ken Masugi | |
Arafat Makes Call to 'Terrorize' Enemy AP — Permalink RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday called on his people to "terrorize your enemy" as he bitterly marked the 56-year anniversary of Israel's establishment, but also signaled that he is ready for peace. | |
|
Andrew C. McCarthy: Thanks for clearing that up. Full story is here. Bird Dog: From AP: [quote] Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday called on his people to "terrorize your enemy" as he bitterly...[end quote] |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE TRUE FACE OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY — No matter what pacific sounds and gestures Yasser Arafat makes, no matter... Charles Johnson: The al-Reuters release for this story is an amazing example of media cognitive dissonance: Arafat Makes Call to 'Terrorize' Enemy. |
Rumsfeld Approved Iraq Interrogation Plan -Report By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a plan that brought unconventional interrogation methods to Iraq to gain intelligence about the growing insurgency, ultimately leading to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, the New Yorker magazine reported on Saturday. | |
|
Max B. Sawicky: THE SECRETARY OF OFFENSE — What does it take to do a superb job? This. |
Jeralyn Merritt: A senior C.I.A. official, in confirming the details of this account last week, said that the operation stemmed from... |
Al-Qaeda says Canada deserves bombing By / National Post — Permalink Karim Khadr, 14, who was paralyzed when shot in the spine by Pakistani security forces last year near the border with Afghanistan, has returned home to Canada for medical treatment. His father was killed in the gun battle. | |
|
Damian Penny: They still hate us — Khalid Khawaja, an associate of Osama bin Laden, says Canada remains on the Islamofascist hit... |
Charles Johnson: The Voice of Jihad — Here's the jihad mindset revealed in all its anti-rational glory, in an interview with a friend of... |
Should cowboy Bush ride into the sunset? USA Today — Permalink As a former combat infantryman in World War II, I've always believed we must fully support our troops. Reluctantly, I now believe the best way to support troops in Iraq is to bring them home, starting with the "hand-over" on June 30. | |
|
Emperor Darth Misha I: Another Asshat Wearing His Service as a Shield — Boy, oh boy is that Kerry Ketchup tactic ever catching on, as LC... Atrios: Neuharth Tells Bush to Go — Wow. When? After 9/11. Bush bravely took on a necessary fight against terrorists who attacked us. |
Sandwichman: JUST LEAVE! by the Sandwichman Via Atrios this eloquently pithy column by USA Today founder Al Neuharth. Excerpt: Who? |
In U.S., Cotton Cries Betrayal By / WaPo — Permalink If Daniel Sumner's actions be treason, as some of his critics contend, then he is glad the most has been made of it. Sumner, an agricultural economist at the University of California at Davis, played a key role in an international trade case that is shaping up as one of the most significant defeats the United States has ever suffered on the trade front. | |
|
Brad DeLong: If Paul Blustein's story below is correct, then the answer is clearly "No," and UC Davis's Chancellor Vanderhoef badly... |
Tyler Cowen: Economist accused of treason — [snipped quote] Here is the full story. |
A bumpy takeoff for Air America liberal radio network Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink NEW YORK — Last week, Al Franken and Katherine Lanpher basked in the warm spring sun outside the Park Avenue skyscraper that serves as hub to the Air America radio network. Their distinctive laughs bounced off the courtyard wall as the pair relaxed after their 3-hour show. | |
|
Atrios: AAR news — Here's a pretty balanced look at what's going on at AAR which fits with the rumors I've heard. The Big Trunk: Ring of fire — The Minneapolis Star Tribune has a puff piece on the ongoing meltdown at Hate Bush radio, a/k/a Air... |
Captain Ed: The Star Tribune's Deborah Caulfield Rybak reviews the "bumpy start" that has plagued the netlet's first few months ... |
The Buck Stops ... Where? By / Slate — Permalink And so it seems I, too, have misunderestimated the president. This past Wednesday, I wrote a column holding George W. Bush responsible for our recent disasters—the torture at Abu Ghraib and the whole plethora of strategic errors in Iraq. | |
|
Brad DeLong: "But Fred Kaplan, who knows his business, believes it." |
Mark Kleiman: But Fred Kaplan, who knows his business, believes it. |
Velvet Hand, Iron Glove By / NYT — Permalink I had just about convinced myself that Iran is not a police state — and then the authorities detained me for a second time. The first time was in Isfahan, for committing journalism. The police apologized and let me go after 30 minutes when my papers were found to be in order. | |
|
Jeff Jarvis: Keystone Cops state : The NY Times' Nicholas Kristof finds himself detained twice by the authorities in Iran: "The... |
Cori Dauber: He discovers that even though it's said to be a police state, it isn't a very "effective" police state since people have... |
The Many Faces of Helen By / Slate — Permalink Listen to this story on NPR's Day to Day. For the producers of Troy, the forthcoming Warner Brothers spectacle, finding an actress to play Helen was tricky. There is no shortage of beautiful women in Hollywood, but faces that can reliably launch thousands of ships are scarce. | |
|
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Meanwhile, Patrick Belton links to this Slate item, which questions Diane Kruger's casting as Helen. |
Patrick Belton: SLATE'S COMMENTATORS say Diane Kruger's face only succeeds in launching about three ships. |
Our moral Waterloo By / Guardian — Permalink Underpinning the argument in support of the invasion of Iraq has been the idea of the moral virtue of the west. In contrast to Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorship, the "coalition" espouses the values of democracy and human rights. | |
|
Andrew Stuttaford: Here he is on how the horrors of Abu Ghraib have eroded supposed claims by the West of a monopoly of both virtue and modernity. |
Marcus @HarrysPlace: In today's Guardian the journalistic equivalent of just such an unappetising platter is dressed up to resemble a juicy... |
Become a Registered User Knoxville News Sentinel — Permalink Please take a moment to tell us about yourself! By completing this simple one-time registration, you'll gain instant access to our news coverage and interactive subscription services. Concerned about privacy? We understand. | |
|
Bill Hobbs: As Surplus Soars, Income Tax Becomes More Likely — Frank Cagle argues - persuasively - that the fiscal policies of the... |
SK Bubba: Trust us, it's safe — A radioactive spill occurred near Oak Ridge as radioactive waste was being moved from a... |
Powell Says Troops Would Leave Iraq if New Leaders Asked By / WaPo — Permalink Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, joined by the foreign ministers of nations making key contributions of military forces in Iraq, emphatically said yesterday that if the incoming Iraqi interim government ordered the departure of foreign troops after July 1, they would pack up without protest. | |
|
Christopher Kanis: Well, then, what to make of this? [snipped quote] I trust my readers will forgive me if I stop listening to the President's defenders on this issue. Billmon: He (Powell) is giving a press conference tomorrow morning, which should be entertaining, considering the furor over the... |
TChris: Colin Powell says the U.S. military will leave if asked to do so on July 1 by the interim government. Kevin Drum: Finally, later on Friday, Colin Powell, echoed by the foreign ministers of Britain, Italy and Japan, confirmed that this... |
DO WE WANT TO WIN? By / New York Post — Permalink WE interrupt America's self-flagellation over the Iraqi prison abuse scandal to ask three key crucial questions: 1) Just who were the inmates photographed at Abu Ghraib? Did they innocently wander into that Baghdad-area jail after Friday prayers, or were these the types who turned minarets into snipers' nests? | |
|
Betsy Newmark: Deroy Murdock asks some serious questions about how far we're willing to go in our self-flagellation over Abu Ghraib to... |
Whiskey: When reading Deroy Murdock's recent op-ed in the New York Post, I was reminded of the famous quote, "Good people sleep... |
New Limits On Tactics At Prisons By / WaPo — Permalink The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq has barred military interrogators from using the most coercive techniques potentially available to them in the past, declaring that requests to employ the measures against detainees will no longer even be considered, officials said yesterday. | |
|
Cori Dauber: Look at the Post's quite blunt assessment this morning: The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq has barred military... |
Captain Ed: Love Or Let Them Be Lonely — General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of US forces in Iraq, has issued an order putting some... |
Poll: Support for Bush, Iraq war dropping CNN — Permalink (CNN) — As Americans express growing unease about Iraq, President Bush's job approval rating has taken a hit, according to a poll released Friday by CNN and Time magazine. That development appears to be helping Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. | |
|
Atrios: I just might... Bush's overall job approval rating fell from 49 percent to 46 percent since the last CNN/Time poll on... Joe Gandelman: The Latest See-Saw Poll (Joe Gandelman) The latest see saw poll is in. Bodhisattva: New CNN/Time Poll — Likely Voters: Bush 46 Kerry 51 Bush Approval Approve 46 (49) Disapprove 49 (47) There's more. |
Hesiod: We all know it's not. But, thankfully, a majority of the American people are beginning to see through Bush's bulls**t. Chris Bowers: Generic Congressional Ballot Update — It is too bad today is not November 2nd: Rasmussen: Dem 44-35 GOP (5/11-13)... |
Top Commander Bars Coercive Tactics in Interrogation of Iraqis NYT — Permalink A senior military official said the American headquarters in Baghdad expected interrogators and their commanders to request exceptional permission for any approach that was not in the pre-approve category. | |
|
Dan Gillmor: U.S. Stops Abuse of Prisoner (but only in Iraq) NY Times: Top Commander Bars Coercive Tactics in Interrogation of Iraqis. |
Jeralyn Merritt: U.S. Bars Harsh Interrogation Techniques — Even Wolfowitz disagrees with Rumsfeld on what constitutes excessive... |
FBI Questioned Berg on 9/11 Link WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, May 14 — Nicholas Berg, the American businessman who disappeared here last month and was later decapitated by Islamic guerrillas, was interviewed by FBI agents in the United States in 2002 because of a tangential connection to the case of alleged al Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui, U.S. officials said Friday. | |
|
Cori Dauber: Although everyone now knows that his link to Mousaoui is utterly coincidental, just one of those spooky things that... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Berg was last seen on April 9. His body was found May 8. Update: The CIA maintains the beheader was Abu Musab Zarqawi. |
The Vietnam investor behind the "Swift Boat Vets" attack By / Salon — Permalink When the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" launched its campaign against John Kerry 10 days ago, leadership and guidance were provided by Republican activists and presidential friends from Texas — notably Houston attorney John E. O'Neill and corporate media consultant Merrie Spaeth. | |
|
Hesiod: But Joe Conason has been on their case, and has some new, very interesting information. Oliver Willis: Smear Watch — Joe Conason is on the case, as usual. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Joe Conasen at Salon writes that the group attacking Kerry for his antiwar record (the "swift-boat vet attacks") is... |
Mirror editor sacked over hoax Guardian — Permalink Piers Morgan was last night sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror as the newspaper apologised "unreservedly" for publishing photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse that were faked. | |
|
Andrew Sullivan: The editor, Piers Morgan, refused even yesterday to resign or acknowledge that he had published a falsehood. |
Jeralyn Merritt: UK Mirror Editor Fired over Phony British Abuse Photos — The UK's Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been fired... |
France and Germany Jointly Criticize Abuse of Iraqis and Express Horror at Beheading By / AP — Permalink PARIS, May 13 — President Jacques Chirac of France and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany on Thursday criticized the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers and expressed horror over the beheading of an American civilian. | |
|
Tom Maguire: Does he read the newspapers? I think he is a day late with the France invite. David Adesnik: We now know exactly what kind of response John Kerry will get when asks for French help in governing Iraq:... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Because it probably is not going to happen (thanks to David Adesnik for the pointer): [snipped quote] If anyone from the... |
Tainted by Torture By / Slate — Permalink There are plenty of good reasons to avoid using torture in interrogations. It's an immoral and barbaric practice condemned by most Western nations and theological traditions, for starters. International human rights law and U.S. criminal law both outlaw it. | |
|
Mark Kleiman: Torture, trials, and tribunals — Phil Carter points out that using torture will make it virtually impossible to try... Phil Carter: "Methods too close to the rack and the screw": Slate has just published my Jurisprudence article "Tainted by Torture" on... Donald Sensing: Update: Phil Carter explains how torture is actually counterproductive. |
Glenn Reynolds: AGAINST TORTURE: Phil Carter has an interesting article in Slate. I share his opposition to torture, as I noted back when Alan Dershowitz was floating the idea. James Joyner: Torturing Terrorists — Phil Carter has yet another piece in Slate. |
Vatican Warns Catholics Against Marrying Muslims By / Reuters — Permalink VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican warned Catholic women on Friday to think hard before marrying a Muslim and urged Muslims to show more respect for human rights, gender equality and democracy. | |
|
Fred Lapides: Vatican Warns Catholics Against Marrying Muslims — The Vatican warned Catholic women on Friday to think hard before... |
Charles Johnson: Vatican Warns Catholics Not to Marry Muslims — The Vatican continues a history of flip-flopping and mixed signals... |
Column One: Stop navel gazing By / Jerusalem Post — Permalink We are in a world war and yet we do not notice it. Over the past few weeks reports have abounded about the widening berth of the forces of global jihad. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that al-Qaida linked groups are operating in Africa from the Western Sahara to the Horn of Africa. | |
|
Deacon: Navel gazing — Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post is onto something when she identifies "navel gazing" as the central... |
Charles Johnson: Stop Navel Gazing — An excellent Column One from Caroline Glick: Stop navel gazing. [snipped quote] | rss last comment: zulubaby 10:02:32 am 5/15/04 |
A series of errors on lewd images By / Boston Globe — Permalink IT IS AN understatement to say that the Globe erred when it ran a photo that, if you look closely, showed images of men dressed as soldiers having sex with unidentified women. It's also an understatement to say the paper regrets the error — as was evident in the apology published yesterday as an editor's note. | |
|
Cori Dauber: APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED — The Globe has apologized (sort of) and explained how they came to publish sexually explicit... Harry @HarrysPlace: This is how they reacted - within two days. Rather different to how long it took the Mirror to own up to how they had been duped. |
Vanderleun: [quote] Boston Globe — A series of errors on lewd images "We are not firing anybody," responds Baron.[end quote] Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, here's the Boston Globe's ombudsman on its own fake-photo scandal. They're still not coming right out and admitting that the photos are bogus, though. |
Prisoner Abuses and Bilateral Logic By / TCS — Permalink "The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly those who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, border on the unimaginable. Prison rape not only threatens the lives of those who fall prey to their aggressors, but it is potentially devastating to the human spirit. | |
|
Dan Gillmor: When will that change? See also: "Prisoner Abuses and Bilateral Logic: by Patrick Cox. Glenn Reynolds: A CALL FOR SEN. CARL LEVIN TO RESIGN over prison abuse. UPDATE: More here. |
Rich Lowry: Meanwhile, this piece over at TCS picks up the cudgel. |
He's the Picture of Racial Compassion By / LAT — Permalink Quick. Before they take it down. Go to your computer, log on to http://www.georgewbush.com — the official Bush/Cheney '04 reelection website. OK, now notice how running horizontally along the top there's a row of file tabs: Economy, Compassion, Health Care, Education, Homeland Security and so forth. | |
|
Oliver Willis: Lots and lots of black people. And now, there he is again, reading to a different roomful of black schoolchildren. Ezra Klein: Come with us, if you will, into the President's wild and wonderful world of compassion [snipped quote] Read the whole thing, it's brilliant. |
Captain Ed: Lawrence Weschler, author and academic, writes a smirking, breathless piece on the audacity of George Bush to include pictures of black people on his website. Brian Doherty: The Color of Bush's Compassion — Lawrence Weschler, one of America's foremost chroniclers of the unique and peculiar,... |
Slippery Grease Bandits Make Slick Getaway Reuters — Permalink OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma police are looking for grease bandits who made off with 5,000 pounds (2268 kg) of used cooking oil and grease from three restaurants. Police in Edmond, north of Oklahoma City, said on Thursday the grease bandits have hit an area of Mexican, Chinese and steak restaurants over the past three months. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Police Seek Grease Bandits (Joe Gandelman) Reuters reports: [snipped quote] Police are looking for the Crisco Kid. |
Clayton Cramer: Crooks This Hardworking Deserve A Real Job — From Reuters: "OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma police are looking for... |
Editor sacked over 'hoax' pictures BBC — Permalink Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked following pressure over faked photos of soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner. The Queen's Lancashire Regiment earlier told a press conference the Mirror had to apologise for running the pictures and endangering British troops. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Now Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked after the newspaper was forced to finally concede the photographs were fakes. Glenn Reynolds: MIRROR EDITOR GONE OVER FAKED IRAQ PHOTOS: "Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked following pressure over faked photos of soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner. Steven Den Beste: However, those photographs were frauds, and were spotted as such almost immediately based on some serious... |
Dan Gillmor: Fake Photos Editor Bounced — BBC: Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos. Kevin Drum: Their editor has been sacked: [snipped quote] It's a sad day for tabloid journalism. |
ACLU gets Bible verse back in local yearbook By / Detroit Free Press — Permalink Abby Moler is getting the chance to pass on two lessons to her classmates: You can fight City Hall, and you can enlist unexpected sources for help. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan — often known for helping to keep religion out of schools... | |
|
Ezra Klein: Ah, f**k it: [snipped quote] I'm definitely expecting the right's celebration of this victory and their hearty applause for the ACLU. Julian Sanchez: God in the Classroom, Courtesy of the ACLU — The ACLU's work on church-state separation sometimes gets them pegged as... |
James Joyner: Preferred Freedoms — Julian Sanchez points to this case as evidence that the ACLU isn't necessarily a Left-wing, anti-religion organization. Eugene Volokh: "ACLU prevails in fight to put God back into the classroom": So How Appealing reports, pointing to the ACLU's standing... |
Rice Likens Terrorists to Klansmen By / AP — Permalink NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that terrorists today are driven by the same hatred that inspired Klansmen to bomb a church in 1963 in her hometown of Birmingham, Ala. | |
|
Steve Bainbridge: Condi at Vandy — Clayton Cramer has a great post excerpting and commenting on Condalezza Rice's speech at Vanderbilt:Make no mistake about this. Clayton Cramer: An Apt Comparison — Condoleeza Rice spoke at Vanderbilt University: "NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Condoleezza Rice said... |
Eugene Volokh: Qu Qlux Qaeda: According to the AP, "Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that terrorists today are driven by the same hatred... |
Police Union Endorses Kerry By / AP — Permalink Presumptive Democratic nominee John F. Kerry on Friday collected the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, a police union that backed President Bush in the 2000 election. | |
|
Meteor Blades: Police Union Backs Kerry — As Bush's poll numbers continue their descent, the president's campaign team got another... Taegan Goddard: Police Union Backs Kerry — Sen. John Kerry [snipped quote] the AP reports. The union endorsed Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. |
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Endorsement For Kerry — The International Brotherhood of Police Officers, a union that endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 campaign, has endorsed John Kerry for 2004. |
Turner's bogus photos Boston Globe — Permalink THE RECENT actions of Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner were reckless and inflammatory. With no regard for truth or consequences, Turner unveiled graphic photographs at a Tuesday press conference, suggesting that the images portrayed the rape of Iraqi women by US soldiers. | |
|
Vanderleun: Turner's bogus photos On the other hand, since she's obviously not up to the job perhaps she should go have a "conversation" with the editor. |
Glenn Reynolds: And it's perhaps worth noting here — as Dan Kennedy does in the item linked above — that the Globe's editorial on this event is more forthright than the ombudsman column. |
Is Torture Against the Law? By / Slate — Permalink According to an article in today's New York Times, the CIA is using "coercive interrogation methods" against some al-Qaida suspects. The piece notes that "defenders of the operation said the methods â did not violate American anti-torture statutes." | |
|
Hesiod: UPDATE: "The best laid plans...." Well it turns out that the United States DID ratify the Convention back in 1994. |
James Joyner: In a related piece, Brendan Koerner looks at the specific statutes in U.S. and international law that govern the use of terrorism. |
Bishop Would Deny Rite for Defiant Catholic Voters By / NYT — Permalink The Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs has issued a pastoral letter saying that American Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who defy church teaching by supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage, euthanasia or stem-cell research. | |
|
KJL: As Bishop Sheridan told the NYTimes, ""I'm not making a political statement. I'm making a statement about church teaching. Steve Messina: I don't know if the Colorado Springs bishop quoted in the post below is really representative of church thinking — the... |
Amy Lamboley: The New York Times has an article stating that "The Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs has issued a pastoral... Jesse Taylor: Democrats Need Not Apply — I wasn't surprised by the stance of this bishop threatening to deny voters communion if they... |
Scorpion panic as Colombia election bill advances By / Reuters — Permalink BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A bill that would allow popular Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to stand for a second term passed another legislative test on Friday after a raucus late-night session in which a senator thrust a scorpion at a rival. | |
|
Moe Lane: Life: Scorpion panic as Colombia election bill advances "BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A bill that would allow popular... |
Steven Taylor: Ways to Improve C-SPAN's Ratings — Scorpion panic as Colombia election bill advances "A bill that would allow popular... |
Lawsuits target alcohol industry By / USA Today — Permalink Consumers' attorneys across the nation have begun to target the alcoholic beverage industry, filing lawsuits that claim that some leading brewers and distillers are using slick advertising to sell products to underage drinkers. | |
|
Andrew Stuttaford: David Boies III is a lawyer who, to throw another metaphor into the invective, has crawled out from under some stone in... Michael DeBow: Boies, boys, and booze: USA Today reports on a batch of lawsuits filed against various purveyors of alcoholic beverages, in re their marketing to minors, etc. |
Radley Balko: You Were Warned — Here comes the first big wave of lawsuits: [snipped quote] The CAMY and CASA studies the anti-alcohol... |
American Cannibalism By / NRO — Permalink Have we any memory of a man in a suit and tie, nearly three years ago wading through the din and panic amid the morning rubble, assuring millions of stunned Americans that the national headquarters of their armed forces was still intact and capable of defending us after the mass murder of 3,000? | |
|
Jesse Taylor: Hanson's latest ramblings are predicatably being spread all over the conservative side of the blogosphere as if God just... The Poor Man: Victor Davis Hanson, classicist, columnist: "Have we any memory of a man in a suit and tie, nearly three years ago... Smash: MORE: Writing in the National Review, Victor Davis Hanson echoes my concerns. |
Betsy Newmark: Victor Davis Hanson's article, "American Cannibalism," in the National Review is one of the best I've seen for looking at where we are now and why Rumsfeld must stay. Stefan Sharkansky: Instead of "psychological counseling", these students (not to mention teachers and administrators) should be assigned to... Captain Ed: VDH: Taking Our Eyes Off The Ball — Victor David Hanson writes another brilliant essay for National Review Online,... |
| Also: Blackfive, The Big Trunk, Max B. Sawicky, Nathan Hallford, Charles Johnson, Hugh Hewitt, Mike Hendrix, Glenn Reynolds | |
Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One By / Opinion Journal — Permalink By now, some Americans may feel the need for respite from the images of Abu Ghraib and the five hooded barbarians standing behind Nick Berg. This week's column will try to provide some measure of respite. | |
|
Clayton Cramer: Barbarism At Abu Ghraib Prison — Here's the story you won't find on the evening news: "As perfect justice, the story in fact begins in Abu Ghraib prison, in 1995. Vanderleun: Abu Ghraib Videotapes We've Yet to See — DANIEL HENNINGER reports on unseen videos out of the Iraq Prison in:... The Big Trunk: Reader's request — Reader Susan Robbins has asked us to direct your attention to this outstanding Wonder Land column by... |
Betsy Newmark: Daniel Henninger had a great story yesterday about how American doctors and private individuals have worked together to help the victims of Abu Ghraib, Saddam's victims of torture. Dean Esmay: Abu Ghraib: The Untold Story — There's more about Abu Ghraib that you should know. It's important. Blackfive: Update: Peter sends this WSJ story about Abu Ghraib and it's a good one. Phil Carter has a post about one of the MPs cooperating with the investigation. |
| Also: James Joyner, Cori Dauber | |
WHY THE TROOPS DON'T TRUST RUMMY By / New York Post — Permalink ACCORDING to his handlers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went to Baghdad to "boost troop morale." The best way the SecDef could improve morale would be to resign. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rumsfeld and his apparatchiks boldly defended Washington while our troops fought overseas. | |
|
Kevin Drum: Ralph Peters is hardly the final word on this subject, but here's what he wrote about it today: [snipped quote] The fact... Nick Confessore: Everyone's favorite ornery, hard-ass retired military officer/pundit, Ralph Peters, has a particularly compelling column in the New York Post today. Mathew Gross: "Unfit to Serve Our Democracy" — Ralph Peters in today's New York Post delivers a blistering attack on Rumsfeld: [snipped quote] And take Wolfie with ya. |
Mary InLosGatos: Afterall, he put Rumsfeld in charge of his war and no one can deny that Rumsfeld has botched this war in Iraq royally. Charles Johnson: On the other side of this issue, Ralph Peters does not like Donald Rumsfeld and makes it very clear in his new column: Why the Troops Don't Trust Rummy. Wretchard: Whether the Syrian sanctions and operations against Fallujah and Najaf are battle-shaping activities for the next phase... |
| Also: Atrios | |
'Let Us Have Faith' By / Opinion Journal — Permalink WASHINGTON—Watching the reels of pictures from the prison in Iraq was a jarring descent into a world without values or limits or law. I was appalled, of course, by the American guards' lack of any respect for the humanity of their prisoners. | |
|
Captain Ed: UPDATE: On the other other hand, here's Joe Lieberman making nothing but sense in today's OpinionJournal: "Most... C. D. Harris: Truman Would Have No Choice But To Be A Republican Today — Here, in a nutshell, is why, had the Democrats nominated... Roger L. Simon: He writes in today's Wall Street Journal: Most Democrats and Republicans, including President Bush and Sen. Kerry, agree... |
Nathan Hallford: Rumsfeld Must Stay: That's what Sen. Joseph Lieberman writes in today's Wall Street Journal. Dean Esmay: It's important. Senator Joe Lieberman (D) has some thoughts that relate. Charles Johnson: "Let Us Have Faith" — Joe Lieberman, one of the few high-ranking Democrats who hasn't taken leave of his senses, says Donald Rumsfeld must stay. |
| Also: Cori Dauber | |
ROOTING FOR THE ENEMY By / New York Post — Permalink A MAN has his head cut off by al Qaeda in Iraq, and The New York Times aggressively markets the idea - on its front page yesterday - that his death is somehow the fault of the United States. | |
|
Edward Driscoll: JOHN PODHORETZ ON TIME MAGAZINE: "Take a look at Time magazine's cover this week. Hugh Hewitt: John Podhoretz is one of many who have taken off the gloves, and more will follow. Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz looks at how the press and some prominent Democrats want to use the prison abuse story for political gain. |
Michael DeBow: John Podhoretz lays it on the line in today's NY Post: "Conventional liberal opinion is actively seeking the humiliation and defeat of the United States in Iraq." Glenn Reynolds: This is our enemy's goal, for they are murderers, not soldiers." More thoughts here. |
Bad Signs For Bush In History, Numbers By / WaPo — Permalink Six months before the November election, President Bush has slipped into a politically fragile position that has put his reelection at risk, with the public clearly disaffected by his handling of the two biggest issues facing the country: Iraq and the economy. | |
|
Mary InLosGatos: Bush's campaign believes that Bush's drop in approval ratings is something that can be overcome. Hugh Hewitt: All of which is my long-winded way of saying that stories like Dan Balz's in the Washington Post that points to the... Taegan Goddard: Bad Signs For Bush In History — "Six months before the November election, President Bush has slipped into a politically... |
Joe Drymala: Making it Stick — David Broder has an analysis piece in the Washington Post this morning about Bush's poll numbers,... Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Glee — What a way to start the weekend! Bush's approval ratings are dropping. James Joyner: Bad Signs For Bush — WaPo - Bad Signs For Bush In History, Numbers [snipped quote] This analysis strikes me as solid. |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, David Adesnik | |
"Under New Management" By / Weekly Standard — Permalink ON MONDAY, Ted Kennedy took to the floor of the United States Senate and made this statement: "Shamefully we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management." | |
|
Edward Driscoll: All good questions. But don't look for the press to question Ted anytime soon about his recent statements anytime soon. Glenn Reynolds: Well, some people are trying to do that to us, anyway. |
Cori Dauber: Now, Hugh Hewitt does leave out of his piece here the fact that Kennedy's quote was used by the networks. |
I'm Not the Only One by George Galloway By / Independent — Permalink It is not the allegations that he was being paid by Saddam Hussein - soon to be settled in the libel courts - that will destroy George Galloway. No: it is this book. In this strange, repetitive little manifesto, marketed as an autobiography, the MP doesn't just shoot himself in the foot; he machine-guns his own legs to pieces. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Galloway's self-destructive manifesto — The leftist Independent prints a scathing book review of George Galloway's (yes, the traitor) autobiography I'm Not the Only One. Captain Ed: You might expect that the Independent would receive Galloway's new book with some sympathy. You would be wrong. Harry @HarrysPlace: You are not the only one — Here is Johann Hari's review of Galloway's book "I'm not the only one". |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Johann Hari's review just annihilates it: [snipped quote] It is nothing short of amazing that someone not under threat by Saddam and his goons can actually think this way. Damian Penny: GG [heart] SH — Johann Hari's review of George Galloway's new memoir, I'm Not the Only One, confirms what we already... |
Executive Order White House — Permalink I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby determine that the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining... | |
|
Moe Lane: Syrian Sanctions — First I've heard of this:Executive Order Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the... Wretchard: The Executive Order, whose full text has not been prominently carried by many newspapers, is extraordinarily accusatory. |
Vanderleun: By Executive Order "I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby determine that the actions of... |
Berg Died for Bush, Rumsfeld 'Sins' - Father Reuters — Permalink PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The father of Nick Berg, the American beheaded in Iraq, directly blamed President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday for his son's death. ''My son died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. | |
|
H.D. Miller: Nick Berg's Father — Like Spoons my first instict was to cut Nicholas Berg's father some slack on all that nonsense... Christopher Kanis: But this is starting to go too far: [snipped quote] Blaming Bush is fine. Excusing the terrorists isn't. Oliver Willis: So... I wonder how soon until the righties let us know how evil Michael Berg is for saying |
Sparkey: By blaming Bush and Rummy that's how: "My son died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. Cori Dauber: This is simply grotesque. He apparently also said the Patriot Act was a coup. Fine, good, whatever. This isn't news. Tbogg: Meanwhile, when the Berg story does get attention, they don't like what it tells them. I just listened to the CBS news on the local CBS radio affiliate. |
| Also: Mathew Gross, Damian Penny, John Hawkins | |
Red Double Cross Opinion Journal — Permalink Pentagon critics are treating a leaked Red Cross assessment—first reported in The Wall Street Journal last Friday—as proof that detainee abuse was widespread in Iraq and that the military was unresponsive to complaints. | |
|
Sadly @SadlyNo: Writing on the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture abuse consensual pornography scandal, the WSJ argues: Never mind that US... |
Cori Dauber: ANOTHER POSITION ON THE ICRC — OpinionJournal says that their real complaint isn't the obvious abuses, but the kinds of... |