meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
|
|
The Conservative Party www.AndrewSullivan.com — Permalink If, broadly speaking, you're a conservative, whom should you be rooting for in the American elections? I'm not being entirely facetious here. The conservative "movement" in the U.S. is still firmly behind president George W. Bush's re-election. | |
|
John Hawkins: However, after Sullivan finally came out with what amounts to an endorsement of John Kerry, I felt compelled to speak up again. Tom Maguire: Props to Andrew Sullivan (I Guess) We admire Mr.Sullivan's integrity in presenting his (near) endorsement of John Kerry during a pledge week. Tim Dunlop: As Andrew Sullivan notes today: [quote] The conservative "movement" in the U.S. is still firmly behind president George W. Bush's re-election.[end quote] |
Angry Bear: Here's a sample, but the rest is similar and well worth reading: [snipped quote] Sullivan's conclusion is a hair's... Jesse Taylor: The Endorsement You Need; The Grudging Acceptance Of You As A Human Being You Want ::Cracks fingers, and gets down to... Greg Ransom: THE ANDREW SULLIVAN <a href="RIPOFF? UPDATE: Sullivan seems to be suffering serious label confusion. VodkaPundit <a href="does a fisking. |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Deacon, Smash, Susan Madrak, Christopher Kanis, Wind Rider, James Joyner, Ed Driscoll, Stephen Green, Andrew Sullivan, KJL | |
Boston's Bloggers, Filling In the Margins By / WaPo — Permalink BOSTON, July 25 — Jay Rosen sees a basic contradiction in the journalistic invasion of the Democratic National Convention. "By coming and making news of the event, you're saying this is important," says the chairman of New York University's journalism department. | |
|
Ace: More here, here, here, and of course here. David Adesnik: For example, all but one of the bloggers mentioned in Howard Kurtz's convention-blogging round-up also get mentioned or quoted in Jenny 8-ball's round-up at the NYT. Brian Montopoli: Of course, with bloggers being toasted as the saviors of journalism, it's going to be hard to live up to the hype. |
Robert Cox: But...if you have a note from a doctor, you are allowed to TIVO THIS tonight... TIVO THIS Judy Woodruff's Inside... Mathew Gross: (See here, here and here). So what's it like here? Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, Newsweek's Howard Fineman, "who will be filing online dispatches from his BlackBerry on the convention... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, C. D. Harris, James Joyner, Betsy Newmark, Patrick Belton, Jeralyn Merritt, Captain Ed, Glenn Reynolds, Daniel Drezner | |
Democrats try to soften edges By / MSNBC — Permalink As the Democratic convention gets underway today, the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee are trying to soften any edges that might offend swing voters. So the word is out: the liberal wing of the party is being told to avoid any harsh rhetoric. | |
|
Tully @Centerfield: "So the word is out: the liberal wing of the party is being told to avoid any harsh rhetoric. Pejman Yousefzadeh: Having said that, I still find this article quite amusing: [snipped quote] The comments section is open for suggestions... KJL: AWKWARD AL MOMENTS — His speech evidently didn't pass the vetting test. |
Smash: Taming the Rhetoric — NBC'S ANDREA MITCHELL reports on efforts by the Democrats to "soften the edges" of campaign rhetoric at their National Convention. Taegan Goddard: Gore Needs a New Speech — Andrea Mitchell reports that "the liberal wing" of the Democratic party "is being told to avoid any harsh rhetoric" at the convention. |
USA TODAY SPIKES ANN COULTER COLUMN AT CONVENTION Drudge Report — Permalink USA Today editors have spiked a daily convention column they commissioned from conservative controversialist Ann Coulter, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Coulter filed her first report from Boston Sunday night, only to be told hours later that editors found it "unusable" and "not funny." | |
|
Joe Gandelman: B-U-T: WHAT IS USA TODAY'S PROBLEM with this column she wrote? Why did they ax it — and her? Edward _: Of course it's petty...that's why it makes me smile — Via the incomparable Harley on Tacitus — "Drudge is running a story re Ann Coulter's column for USA Today. Harley: A couple items: - Drudge is running a story re Ann Coulter's column for USA Today. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Not funny enough — "USA Today" doesn't find Ann Coulter funny. Betsy Newmark: USA Today has spiked Ann Coulter's column on the Democratic convention but will have Michael Moore covering the GOP convention. |
Heinz Kerry Tells Reporter to 'Shove It' AP — Permalink BOSTON July 25, 2004 — Teresa Heinz Kerry urged her home-state delegates to the Democratic National Convention to restore a more civil tone to American politics, then minutes later told a newspaperman to "shove it." | |
|
Joe Gandelman: (3) Teresa Kerry now tells a reporter to "shove it" after delivering an indigant speech on the need for more civility in politics. Will Collier: Testy Dems Update — From (amazingly) ABC News. Wind Rider: You said something I didn't say. Shove it. Wonder what might have popped out seeking a definition of 'un-Pennsylvanian'...shove oatmeal? |
Smash: Improving the Tone — THERESA HEINZ KERRY, speaking at a campaign dinner for the Pennsylvania delegation to the... James Joyner: Teresa Heinz Kerry: Shove It — Kevin Drum calls attention to Teresa Heinz Kerry's latest embarrassing comment: "Teresa... Captain Ed: We're Here To Restore Civility, You %$#*&@% Teresa Heinz-Kerry strkes again! |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Tom Maguire | |
Beantown Becomes Blogtown Opinion Journal — Permalink BOSTON—It isn't news that more than 15,000 journalists are descending on this city to cover the Democratic convention. What is news is that for the first time several dozen political bloggers will receive media credentials to report on the event. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: (Video here. Hat tip: RealClearPolitics.com) John Fund covers the blogs covering the convention. Todd Pearson: "Beantown Becomes Blogtown" — John Fund today: "It isn't news that more than 15,000 journalists are descending on this city to cover the Democratic convention. The Big Trunk: Blogs and Beckology — John Fund's OpinionJournal column on the impact of blogs on politics and journalism takes us... |
Will Collier: Fund On Blogs — Great John Fund OpinionJournal column today on political bloggers, who seem to be getting under the... Glenn Reynolds: CONVENTION BLOG-COVERAGE ROUNDUP: Here's my MSNBC post on convention blogging. Here's a link-rich item by John Fund. |
Democrats Defend Heinz Kerry's 'Shove It' By / AP — Permalink BOSTON - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry doesn't have a problem with his wife telling an insistent journalist to "shove it" when urged to explain her plea for more civility in politics. Neither does Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton . | |
|
Charles Johnson: Dems on Damage Control — John F. Kerry has no problem with his wife: 1) lying about what she said, and 2) making nasty... Steven Taylor: Amusing — Kerry's Wife Tells Reporter to 'Shove It' [snipped quote] Update: James Joyner has far more extensive comments. |
Hindrocket: Shove It, She Suggested — Teresa Heinz Kerry told a reporter from the "conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review"—so... |
Say what? Iowa first lady slammed blacks, Easterners and Southerners as bad speakers By / Boston Herald — Permalink Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack, a key factor in John Kerry's primary sweep and the primetime convention speaker tomorrow, has derided blacks, southerners and easterners as bad speakers because she couldn't understand them. | |
|
Ace: Meanwhile, the wife of Iowa governor (and Democrat) Tom Vilsack is apparently "fascinated" by the way blacks talk to one another. Harley: You think Teresa's 'shove it' is bad? Here's a bullet narrowly dodged. - Another fine piece, here, re the The Natural. Betsy Newmark: Maybe this is one reason why Tom Vilsack didn't get the vice-presidential nod. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Something tells me that Christie Vilsack will not be a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention:... Tom Maguire: I Don't Understand This — But maybe it's because I'm from New Jersey. |
Meet the Bloggers WSJ — Permalink The Democratic Party is widening its media tent for the Boston convention. For the first time ever, Web loggers, or bloggers, are being accredited for a national political convention. | |
|
David Adesnik: If you're willing to invest the time, the best article about bloggers at the convention belongs to Carl Bialik & Elizabeth Weinstein at the WSJ. Andrew Sullivan: WHO THE BLOGGERS ARE: Here's a WSJ round-up of the bloggers at the DNC convention. Mathew Gross: The Wall Street Journal has a guide to some of the bloggers, and Dave Winer's Convention Bloggers site is a great place to follow the action. |
Kevin Hayden: (So this is what all these bloggers look like! Makes an ugly old cuss like me wonder what I'm doin' amid all these pretty boys and lovely lasses). Susan Q. Stranahan: For anyone interested in following the bloggers' take on the Democrats, today's Wall Street Journal offers a free link to a scorecard of who's who in web coverage. Joe Gandelman: Meet And See The Convention Bloggers — The Wall Street Journal has an excellent piece has an excellent piece that... |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, Glenn Reynolds, Jeff Jarvis | |
USA Today Reponds to Flap Over Coulter Column By / Human Events — Permalink In response to multiple inquiries, USA Today Executive Editor Brian Gallagher told HUMAN EVENTS this evening that conservative columnist and Editor-at-Large of National Review Online Jonah Goldberg will replace HUMAN EVENTS columnist Ann Coulter in providing commentary from the Democratic National Convention in Boston. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: So??? This explanation from a USA Today bigwig is sort of flimsy. Sounds like disguised "buyer's remorse." Susanna Cornett: "I don't get it" — Ann Coulter was hired by USA Today to commentate on the Dem convention from a conservative... |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Probably a correct guess. In the meantime, Jonah Goldberg will fill in at the Dem love fest in Boston. Here's Coulter's column. |
Put the speakers in a cage WorldNetDaily — Permalink Here at the Spawn of Satan convention in Boston, conservatives are deploying a series of covert signals to identify one another, much like gay men do. My allies are the ones wearing crosses or American flags. The people sporting shirts emblazoned with the "F-word" are my opponents. | |
|
Arthur Chrenkoff: But when she submitted her first column, the paper editors found it "not funny" and "unusable." |
Susanna Cornett: Her column is now up at World Net Daily and Human Events, so it's even suppressed. |
Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: 'There is No Dialogue between Us and the Jews Except by the Sword and the Rifle' MEMRI — Permalink Prominent Sunni cleric Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi's July 2004 visit to London to establish the International Council of Muslim Clerics ('Ulama) [1] prompted reactions in the Arab press worldwide, which discussed, among other things, Al-Qaradhawi's controversial statements and positions. | |
|
Joseph Alexander Norland: Religion of Peace ™: 'There is No Dialogue between Us and the Jews Except by the Sword and the Rifle' - MEMRI 3. Harry @HarrysPlace: Some interesting reaction from Muslim writers to Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi's recent visit to London and his claim to be a 'moderate'. |
Gene @HarrysPlace: Sheikh al-Qaradawi, on Al-Jazeera, June 20, 2004 "There is nothing wrong between us and the Jews... We are not... |
Web Diarists Are Now Official Members of Convention Press Corps By / NYT — Permalink Jeralyn Merritt had expected the news to come by e-mail rather than by snail mail, otherwise known as the United States Postal Service. But she had to rip, rather than click, to open the message informing her that she had received press credentials to... | |
|
Daniel Drezner: A hypothesis about blog coverage — The extent to which the mainstream media has simultaneously embraced and covered the... Nathan Hallford: The Media: With the big three networks scaling back, even more, their coverage of the conventions, this year will be remembered, perhaps, as the year of the blog. |
Charles Johnson: Zuniga Brags to the NYT — Today, Markos Zuniga of Daily Kos boasts to the New York Times about his success: Web Diarists Are Now Official Members of Convention Press Corps. Jeff Jarvis: And don't forget the disinvited bloggers, too. : UPDATE: And here's The Times' profile of the convention bloggers. |
Democrats open convention stressing unity CNN — Permalink BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) — As delegates streamed into a Boston convention center bristling with the intimidating presence of security personnel, the Democratic National Convention was gaveled into session by the party's national committee chairman, Terry McAuliffe. | |
|
Kos: Rare Dem message discipline — Why does the media parrot the GOP talking points unquestioningly? |
Christopher Kanis: ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER... EXCEPT MAYBE TO CNN According to CNN, the Democrats are going to pull off a... |
WRONG 9/11 QUESTIONS By / New York Post — Permalink READING the 570-page "The 9/11 Commission Report" is like going through a French nouveau-roman. It starts with the promise of uncovering an ingenious plot but offers nothing but re-heated platitudes served with a pseudo-philosophical garnish. | |
|
Jeff Jarvis: And in the New York Post, Amir Taheri says this is a bureacratic solution because it is the product of bureaucratic thinking. Roger L. Simon: She dies... Well, I know it doesn't refer exactly to the current world situation, but I always find it amusing and it is... |
Greg Ransom: SHOULD WE BE SURPRISED that a panel of hacks and lawyers gave us a deeply flawed yet unimaginative commission report? Betsy Newmark: Amir Taheri is not impressed with the 9/11 Commission report. "Both men ask why is it that the terrorists specially hate America? |
The Natural By / The Atlantic Online — Permalink E arlier this year an East African newspaper sent a reporter to the region of Siaya, in Kenya, near Lake Victoria, where the father of a forty-three-year-old Chicago Democrat named Barack Obama was born. | |
|
ArchPundit: Ryan Lizza Drools — And I like it—more Obama for you from the Atlantic Monthly. I'm sure all of this is making candidates really want to get into this race. Taegan Goddard: The Natural — In the latest Atlantic Monthly, Ryan Lizza profiles Illinois U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama (D), the... |
Harley: Another fine piece, here, re the The Natural. Obama presages a new generation of black leaders in the party (Harold Ford, come on down!) |
Bush Set to Act on Advice of 9/11 Panel By / WaPo — Permalink CRAWFORD, Tex., July 25 — President Bush plans to begin making decisions about restructuring the nation's intelligence machinery within days and may enact some changes by executive order or regulatory action without waiting for Congress, White House officials said Sunday. | |
|
Jeffrey Dubner: George W. Bush seems about to execute his trademark decisive leadership and push forth with some of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission. James Joyner: WaPo - Bush Set To Act on Advice of 9/11 Panel "President Bush plans to begin making decisions about restructuring the... |
Daniel Drezner: Last week, when the 9-11 Commission report came out, I offered some free advice to Karl Rove: [snipped quote] Mike Allen... |
John Kerry's Monstrous Record on Civil Liberties By / Reason — Permalink For John Kerry, the specter of Attorney General John Ashcroft trashing Americans' civil liberties has been a useful campaign prop. In campaign stops, Kerry has promised to "end the era of John Ashcroft and renew our faith in the Constitution." | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: JOHN KERRY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES — This article will likely break the hearts of those who believed that Kerry is the anti-Ashcroft when it comes to the issue of civil liberties. |
Stephen Green: But the devil is in the details: [snipped quote] According to Reason's John Berlau, Kerry has also been in favor of... |
Where Do They Stand? NYT — Permalink Most campaigns feature efforts by the candidates to characterize their opponent as being out of the mainstream - as an extreme liberal or as part of the far right. The current presidential campaign is no exception. | |
|
Nick Confessore: The New York Times today features an oped by the Brookings Institution's Sarah Binder, Thomas Mann, and Alan Murphy. Fontana Labs: How to win a stupid debate — The NYT has a cute article-n-chart placing Kerry, Edwards, Bush, and Cheney on the left/right spectrum. |
Todd Pearson: An op-ed in the New York Times today with a chart says that Kerry is more liberal than the median Senate Democrat and Bush is more conservative than the median Senate Republican. |
TERESA TELLS REPORTER TO 'SHOVE IT' Drudge Report — Permalink Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic nominee John Kerry, told a reporter to 'shove it' on Sunday evening — immediately after giving a speech calling for a more civil tone in politics. Speaking to the Pennsylvanian delegation at the statehouse in Boston, Heinz Kerry delivered an impassioned plea against hate politics: | |
|
James Joyner: Michele Malkin saw this coming months ago. Update (0955): Drudge has a video. Update (1023): Dodd Harris reminds us of the Asses of Evil. Oliver Willis: Serves Him Right — Drudge is trying to make political hay out of the fact that Teresa Heinz Kerry told a newspaper "reporter" to "shove it". Tom Maguire: Matt Drudge blared it; Oliver Willis misread it (see UPDATE); and the AP has more (also at ABC News):: Teresa Heinz... |
Ed Driscoll: Not A Bad Way To Start The Week — George and Karl can add this to the list as well. KJL: "SHOVE IT" — Mrs. Heinz Kerry is a little too honest to a reporter, after a pro-civility speech. |
Year of the Blog? Web Diarists Are Now Official Members of Convention Press Corps By / NYT — Permalink Jeralyn Merritt had expected the news to come by e-mail rather than by snail mail, otherwise known as the United States Postal Service. But she had to rip, rather than click, to open the message informing her that she had received press credentials to... | |
|
Dave Winer: NY Times article on convention bloggers. Expect dozens of these from reporters who can't find anything else to report on. Jeralyn Merritt: Lee writes about bloggers receiving press credentials to cover the DNC in Boston and asks, Year of the Blog?. |
Patrick Belton: And NYT's Jenny '8-ball' Lee: [quote] "I look forward to the world that exists in the margins," said Patrick Belton, a...[end quote] Skippy: the nytimes starts off its piece on convention blogging with an anecdote about our bud talkleft receiving her blogging credentials. |
Kerry Visit to Fenway Is Changeup in Schedule By / NYT — Permalink BOSTON, July 25 - Senator John Kerry pulled off a grand political surprise Sunday night when he visited Fenway Park for the Red Sox-Yankees game, making a showy unscheduled appearance in his hometown on the eve of the Democratic National Convention here that will crown him as his party's presidential nominee this week. | |
|
Lambert @Corrente: Funny thing. Jodi Will-Whore-Em's "coverage" (heh) doesn't mention these details, or draw the obvious contrasts. I wonder why? |
Nathan Hallford: I Can Only Agree With John Kerry on this subject: Get rid of the designated hitter. |
The Purloined Documents By / TNR — Permalink We don't yet know whether, in pilfering top-secret classified documents from the National Archives, Sandy Berger actually kept any meaningful information from the 9/11 Commission. I suppose someone with authority is trying to find out and that, in due time, the findings will be made public. | |
|
C. D. Harris: No Mere Papercut — Martin Peretz adds a few cuts to Sandy Berger's Night of the Long Knives: [snipped quote] This line... |
Hugh Hewitt: Don't miss this piece. I am sure it is being handed around the Fleet Center. Martin Peretz slams Sandy Berger. |
Tour De Lance By / Slate — Permalink After Lance Armstrong's sixth Tour de France win on Sunday, he got a call from the president of the United States, who told him, "You're awesome." And while the European press largely agreed with that characterization, among the plaudits were plenty of sour grapes. | |
|
Libertarian: OK, I ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT that Repulican-types love Lance Armstrong because he keeps winning an event on French soil... |
Andrew Sullivan: And please hit the tip-jar to keep the blog alive. THE SLIMING OF ARMSTRONG: It's not only the French. |
Shifting Within Party To Gain His Footing By / WaPo — Permalink In a chamber controlled by Republicans and ruled by seniority, John F. Kerry — Democrat, freshman and junior senator to a legend named Kennedy — had three good reasons to keep his head down. But three weren't enough. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: Read yesterday's Washington Post piece on the early career of Kerry by Dale Russakoff, and today's part 2. |
Jeanne D'Arc: The Washington Post, in part two of a Kerry profile today (the first part is here) provides a few details. |
Vague reason Aljazeera — Permalink "We contacted the Democratic National Convention and the people who are organising the convention. And then they said it has been removed, maybe for lack of enough space or something like that, although they approved originally the sign and everything on it. | |
|
Magpie @PacificViews: Why did organizers of the Democratic National Convention remove a banner with Aljazeera's logo from the Arabic broadcaster's skybox? Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: More crushing of dissent here: [snipped quote] I blame John Ashcroft! Er, or did anyone see Sandy Berger hanging around, and think to check his pants? |
Bird Dog: Of course, al Jazeera isn't happy about it. Replacing the al Jazeera banner is one that reads "Strong for America". Eric @Wampum: Today Al Jazeera reports that its Fleet Center skybox banner had been replaced with "Strong for America". |
Saddam 'gardens, eats muffins' CNN — Permalink LONDON, England (CNN) — Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein spends his time in solitary confinement writing poems, tending a garden, reading the Koran and eating American muffins and cookies, a British newspaper has reported. | |
|
Nick Gillespie: Whole thing here. And Slobodan Milosevic is doubtless doing isometrics and reading Archie Comics... |
Talking Dog: It must be a slow news day (it really isn't, as the DNC Convention gets under way in Boston with Bill and Hill tonight,... |
The Justices at Home Abroad By / American Enterprise Institute — Permalink The overarching theme of the Supreme Court's decisions of the 2003-2004 term is jurisdiction—the allocation of decision-making authority and, in particular, the power of the federal courts to decide conflicts between the laws of competing sovereigns. | |
|
Michael DeBow: Michael Greve's Supreme Court wrap-up is now available online. |
Jonathan H. Adler: THE JUSTICES AT HOME AND ABROAD — AEI's Michael Greve provides a dispiriting wrap on the Supreme Court's 2003-04 term. |
Day by Day By / Opinion Journal — Permalink "We are becoming hopeful day by day. We cannot develop our country, in which the fighting existed for 23 years, within two years. We had lots of problems in the past but they are being solved day by day." So says Ghalib Shah Azizi, the head of Afghanistan's Northern Chamber of Commerce. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: . For employing the talents of Arthur Chrenkoff to give us more exceedingly valuable coverage regarding foreign affairs. KJL: GOOD NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN — A roundup |
Cori Dauber: He does his usual superb job, this time hitting the big time, published in OpinionJournal.com. (No, I am not jealous. Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Afghanistan, Part 2 — Note: This second part of "Good news from Afghanistan" is also available online at the "Opinion Journal". |
Non-partisan Survey by Pace University and Rock the Vote Shows New Voters Up for Grabs in the 2004 Presidential Election PRNewsWire — Permalink BOSTON, July 26 /PRNewswire/ — First-time voters in the 2004 presidential election remain in play, according to a non-partisan survey among newly registered first-time voters conducted by the Pace University Poll and Rock the Vote between July 8 and July 20. | |
|
Taegan Goddard: The Race for New Voters — "First-time voters in the 2004 presidential election remain in play," according to a new Pace University/Rock the Vote poll. |
Holden: New Voters Pick Kerry Over Bush, 50-40 — In a poll conducted July 8-20 by the Pace University Poll and Rock the Vote,... |
Oh yeah, and don't forget to bring those gas masks US News — Permalink The political conventions in Boston and New York City are shaping up to be a real gas, but not the kind that you can take care of with an Advil or Alka-Seltzer, according to federal security officials. | |
|
Lambert @Corrente: Bush AWOL: No wonder He's worried — Hmm..... [snipped quote] Wonder if there's anything else Bush needs to 'fess up on? |
Taegan Goddard: "Insiders" tell Washington Whispers that Sen. John Kerry "has read convention histories all the way back to Woodrow Wilson to make sure it goes right. |
Two Protest Groups Clash Near DNC Center By / AP — Permalink BOSTON - As delegates arrived for the Democratic National Convention, protesters clamored for attention, staging demonstrations and marches across the city against the Iraq war, abortion and a host of other issues. | |
|
Smash: Protestors Clash in Boston — VIOLENCE HAS BROKEN OUT on the streets of Boston, AP reports. |
Charles Johnson: Moronic Convergence in Boston — Peace-loving "anti-war" protesters are screaming insults and throwing blows in Boston: Two Protest Groups Clash Near DNC Center. |
Copyright Bill to Kill Tech? By / Wired — Permalink The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a bill Thursday that would hold technology companies liable for any product they make that encourages people to steal copyright materials. Search for Wi-Fi hot spots near you: Click thumbnails for full-size image: | |
|
Chris Bowers: The Record Industry Association of America, already more than a quarter century into its attempt to destroy music... |
Glenn Reynolds: His latest draconian copyright bill doesn't make me like him any more: [snipped quote] It's a disgrace. |
The $250 Billion Tax Trap By / Fortune — Permalink A piece of advice for voters during the presidential campaign: Don't believe what either guy says about taxes. George W. Bush's line is, "I'm a tax cutter and Kerry isn't." John Kerry's message: "I'm fiscally responsible and Bush isn't." Ignore it. It's all smoke. | |
|
Max B. Sawicky: BUSH TAX HIKE WATCH — The latest from Bruce Bartlett. |
Steve Antler: Just what we need to start the week... Bruce Bartlett has written a very depressing article for Fortune Magazine. |
Now That's Rich By / WaPo — Permalink There's always been confusion about how you determine who's rich, middle class or poor. There's rich and super-rich. There's lower, middle and upper middle class. There's working class, working poor and poor. Finally, President Bush weighed in on Tuesday to clarify things with a broad, new definition. | |
|
Jeanne D'Arc: Poor little rich boy — In George Bush's world, having $19 million in assets does not make you rich. |
Eugene Oregon: Al Kamen had a good bit on Bush's campaign rhetoric that I am going to post in its entirety "There's always been... |
A Surprise Senate Contender Reaches His Biggest Stage Yet By / NYT — Permalink CHICAGO, July 25 - Barack Obama's Senate campaign office in Springfield is a steamy, dimly lit room with a desk, a phone, a fan and a box of tissues. A storefront in the state capital, with a broken sign outside and a monthly rent of less than $600, it reminds visitors just how recently and how suddenly he has been thrust into national view. | |
|
ArchPundit: More Obama — The New York Times joins in. |
Taegan Goddard: A New York Times profile quotes the advice Obama's wife gave to him: "I better not screw it up." |
A new Berger scenario PittsburghLIVE.com — Permalink What was Sandy Berger up to when he "inadvertently" removed versions of a classified National Archives memo that critiqued Clinton administration intelligence and security efforts regarding the millennium celebrations? We still don't know. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: PANTSCAPADES: THE PLOT THICKENS — More interesting information regarding Sandy Berger's adventures in the National... Laura Rozen: Sandy Berger. ? ? ? ? . This story just gets weirder and weirder. Captain Ed: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gives a new twist to Trousergate today, reporting that Sandy Berger may have not only... |
KJLA: MORE BERGER Ace: Meanwhile, there's this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article claiming that Berger's greatest crime might have been not... Glenn Reynolds: SANDY BERGER UPDATE — very interesting plot twist: "Berger has acknowledged removing his handwritten notes taken during a review of classified documents. |
Bloggers go mainstream at US conventions By / BBC — Permalink Journalists will outnumber delegates three-to-one at the Democratic Party convention in Boston this week with 15,000 reporters of various stripes aiming to cover every angle. | |
|
Karl-T: BBC News Online also writes up their story... "But the bloggers will not only be laptop-toting political pundits. |
Jeff Jarvis: It's no news that no news will come from the Democratic National Convention this week — nevertheless, we apparently... |
In the spirit of the first JFK By / Boston Globe — Permalink JOHN ADAMS once said, "My gift of John Marshall to the people of the United States was the proudest act of my life." In a similar vein, we in Boston may soon be saying that John Kerry is our city's proudest gift to our modern nation. | |
|
Deacon: Today, as if on cue, Kennedy weighs in with this fluff piece comparing John Kerry to JFK. |
Betsy Newmark: Oh, Barf Alert Plus. Teddy likens John Kerry as Boston's gift to the nation just as John Adams said John Marshall was his gift to the nation. |
A Transformed Al Gore Returns to the Spotlight at a Risky Moment By / NYT — Permalink BOSTON, July 25 - At this point four years ago, Al Gore was the man of the hour. But in the years since he accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and tried to emerge from President Bill Clinton's shadow by declaring, "I stand here tonight as my own man," he has undergone personal and political transformations. | |
|
KJL: From the NYT: [snipped quote] The DNC attitude: The election was stolen from the Democrats. That's the Al Gore message. |
Taegan Goddard: For more on Al Gore's role in this year's campaign, USA Today and the New York Times provide interesting pieces. |
An Automobile With Feelings By / NYT — Permalink THE expression "road rage" usually refers to infuriated drivers who lose control of their temper and lash out at other motorists. But what if a car could also express anger, crouching low on its wheel base and glowering with red headlights like a lion about to pounce? | |
|
Ann Althouse: A car that shows its feelings is being developed by Toyota. (Via Drudge.) I need this car, because the car I drive won't stop smiling. |
KJL: WILL DAVID HASSELHOFF BE DRIVING? |
Officers Question Visibility of Army in Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink Some top U.S. military officers are questioning whether the practice of keeping U.S. troops highly visible in Iraq is doing more harm than good, challenging a key tenet of the Army's approach to occupying the country. | |
|
James Joyner: Officers Question Visibility of Army in Iraq — WaPo - Officers Question Visibility of Army in Iraq [snipped quote] A rather extensive doctrinal debate follows. Andrew Olmsted: The Army is looking at the possibility of reducing its visibility in Iraq, a decision that might reduce the risk of... |
Juan Cole: Some in the US military are arguing that US troops should adopt a less visible posture in Iraq, since their presence... |
Spinning Our Safety By / NYT — Permalink Maybe it's because I've been instructed to pack a respirator escape hood along with party dresses for the Boston convention. Maybe it's because our newspaper has assigned a terrorism reporter to cover a political convention. | |
|
Jeffrey Dubner: Maureen Dowd. Our efforts in the war on terrorism have been all wrong, and I attribute that to George W. Bush. David Brooks. Virginia Postrel: THE VOICE OF FEAR When I was in New York a few weeks ago, a friend in the magazine business told me he thinks the... |
Jon Henke: A bad one. Her latest column is prima facie evidence. Cori Dauber: MAUREEN DOWD, AGAIN — You can barely even follow her flailings anymore. |
Yankees, Red Sox keep the hate alive Toronto Star — Permalink BOSTON—A bench-clearing brawl broke out between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox yesterday after Bronson Arroyo hit New York's Alex Rodriguez with a pitch in the top of the third inning. Rodriguez stared down Arroyo as he started walking toward first. | |
|
Captain Ed: The bad news: it's the wrong Arroyo: [snipped quote] On the other hand, perhaps A-Rod merely put into practice what... |
KJL: HEADS TURN, KERRY TURNS — Even John Kerry can't help but be drawn in by the Arroyo-A-Rod drama. |
New Iraqi Government Facing Its First Big Test By / WaPo — Permalink Iraq's fragile new government faces its first big political test this week: holding a national conference that is a pivotal element of the country's postwar evolution but that U.S. and Iraqi officials fear may be boycotted by key players, hijacked by religious parties, targeted by insurgents or simply overwhelmed by bickering. | |
|
Juan Cole: Robin Wright of the Washington Post explains: "The selection process, which began last week, used a complicated formula... |
Andrew Olmsted: IRAQI POLITICS Iraq's new government will hold a three-day conference this week to begin the process of creating the permanent Iraqi government. |
Saddam Spends Time Gardening, Eating Muffins -Paper Reuters — Permalink LONDON (Reuters) - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is passing his time in solitary confinement by reading the Koran, writing poetry, gardening and snacking on cookies and muffins, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Monday. | |
|
KJL: WRITING POETRY, GARDENING, AND EATING MUFFINS — Life ain't too bad for an ex-dictator. |
Charles Johnson: Saddam the Peaceful Koran-Reading Gardener — According to al-Guardian, Saddam Hussein spends his days reading the Koran... |
3 Hours Over 4 Nights With 1 Fear By / NYT — Permalink YOU can't blame the broadcast networks for cutting their convention coverage to a fig-leaf minimum of just three hours of prime time spread over four nights. That's what both parties deserve for having steadily sanded down their quadrennial celebrations into infomercials with all the spark and spontaneity of the televised Yule Log. | |
|
Steve M.: Frank Rich, also in today's edition of the Times Susan Madrak: THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE — In his review, Frank Rich speaks on convention coverage: "YOU can't blame the broadcast... |
Cori Dauber: And then came Frank Rich. He shall not be moved, he shall not be deterred, he shall not be persuaded. |
Bush targets marijuana smokers Guardian — Permalink New super-strength marijuana readily available on US streets is prompting the White House to change direction in its war against drugs. Research from the government-sponsored Marijuana Potency Project claims today's cannabis is more than twice as strong... | |
|
Andrew Stuttaford: THE PARTY OF BIG GOVERNMENT, CONTINUED — From the Guardian: [snipped quote] Does he never learn? |
Andrew Sullivan: GOING AFTER SOFT DRUGS: Bush is apparently now ratcheting up the war on soft drugs, ordering "that resources be... |
130,000 in human chain from Gush Katif to J'lem Jerusalem Post — Permalink "Don't evacuate us," wrote six-year-old Yael Better in a note she stuck in a crevice in the Western Wall. She was the last participant in a human protest chain anchored by her grandfather Yitzhak Shamir, one of the founders of Kfar Darom, who lost an arm and a leg fighting for the Gaza Strip settlement during the War of Independence in 1948. | |
|
Charles Johnson: "Don't Evacuate Us" — An estimated 130,000 people formed a human chain stretching 55 miles across Israel, in a massive... |
Talking Dog: Today's largeish demonstration in Israel, a human chain 50-miles and 150,000 people long, to protest Sharon's... |
Kill scientists, says animal rights chief Observer — Permalink A top adviser to Britain's two most powerful animal rights protest groups caused outrage last night by claiming that the assassination of scientists working in biomedical research would save millions of animals' lives. | |
|
Captain Ed: PETA-Endorsed Speaker Urges Murder Of Scientists — The British newspaper The Observer reported yesterday that a... Kevin Drum: WHO'S THE ANIMAL?...A British animal rights activist has called for the assassination of scientists working in... |
Kim du Toit: Here's the rationale:"I think violence is part of... |
What you won't hear By / Boston Globe — Permalink The Democratic National Convention that gathers in Boston this week to nominate John F. Kerry for president will be more like a coronation than a competition. Huzzahs, speeches, bands, balloons. | |
|
Rainbough Phillips: Via QandO this is Ralph Nader's list of issues that Kerry will "avoid addressing" during the convention |
McQ: Nader's "12 things Kerry will avoid" — Ralph Nader has a list of 12 things Kerry is most likely to avoid at the Democrat Convention. |
The Democrats' Last Chance TNR — Permalink [By 1948, the Democratic coalition built by FDR had begun to fray beyond repair—or so thought The New Republic's editors when they penned this piece prior to the party's convention that summer. They were right, of course, that things looked bad. | |
|
Todd Pearson: Dump Truman — The New Republic (1948). [snipped quote] Andrew Sullivan: "D'oh!" |
Andrew Sullivan: DUMP TRUMAN: The New Republic's advice around this time in 1948. D'oh! |
The Chirac Doctrine By / Newsweek — Permalink Aug. 2 issue - When French presidents invoke "the national interest," often as not it means they've cut a deal they'd really rather not explain. But when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came courting President Jacques Chirac in Paris last week,... | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: No wonder he gets along so well with Jacques Chirac: [quote] When French presidents invoke "the national interest," often as...[end quote] |
Andrew Sullivan: HOW TO PERSUADE CHIRAC: Do it the way it's always been done: bribe him. REPUBLICANS FOR NADER: They're champing at the bit in Michigan. |
Palestinians 'made millions' selling cheap cement for barrier they bitterly oppose By / Telegraph — Permalink Palestinian businessmen have made millions of pounds supplying cement for Israel's "security barrier" in the full knowledge of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader and one of the wall's most vocal critics. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Here's a hint: A-R-A-F-A-T. Read this from England's Telegraph: "Palestinian businessmen have made millions of pounds... Pejman Yousefzadeh: BREATHTAKING — There really are no words to describe just how blatantly hypocritical some people can be: [snipped quote] If this is true, then I am just gobsmacked. Ted Belman: Having it both ways — Palestinians 'made millions' selling cheap cement for barrier they bitterly oppose By Inigo... |
Captain Ed: History Repeats Itself In Palestine — Yasser Arafat faces even more questions in his reign as Palestinian dictator, as... Charles Johnson: Hypocrisy, Palestinian-Style — The same people screeching and moaning about Israel's "apartheid wall" have made... |
Is The New York Times a Liberal Newspaper? By / NYT — Permalink OF course it is. The fattest file on my hard drive is jammed with letters from the disappointed, the dismayed and the irate who find in this newspaper a liberal bias that infects not just political coverage but a range of issues from abortion to zoology to the appointment of an admitted Democrat to be its watchdog. | |
|
Robert Cox: Dan Okrent's contract at The New York Times will not be renewed. Orin Kerr: Daniel Okrent on Liberal Bias at the NYT: This is not exactly news, but it's interesting coming from the paper's own Public Editor. Stanley Kurtz: MAKING IT BIG — Yesterday's allusion to me in Daniel Okrent's critique of liberal bias at the New York Times is certainly the most satisfying press attention I've ever gotten. |
Clayton Cramer: New York Times Public Editor Admits It — The guy that deals with complaints about bias and accuracy, Daniel Okrent,... Hindrocket: One thing I missed was yesterday's not-so-startling admission by "Public Editor" Daniel Okrent that the New York Times... Nathan Hallford: Via Jonathan Adler at The Corner I found this week's column by the New York Times's public editor Daniel Okrent. |
| Also: Howard Kurtz, Armed Liberal, Christopher Kanis, Roger L. Simon, Daniel Drezner, Hei Lun, Charles Johnson, Michele Catalano, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Ace, Jason Van Steenwyk, Steven Taylor, Steve M., Cori Dauber, Captain Ed, Will Collier, Mike Hendrix, Dave Huber, Jay Rosen, James Joyner, Wind Rider, Betsy Newmark, Greg Ransom, Joe Gandelman, Allah, Vanderleun, Ed Driscoll, Jeff Jarvis | |
Bounced Bloggers LAT — Permalink In late June, "official convention blogger" Eric Schnure posted an ebullient paean to weblogs and the role they will play at the Democratic National Convention. "The truth is," he wrote on the convention's website, "more and more people prefer their news and information, fresh and unfiltered, smart and savvy, even with an angle and an attitude…. | |
|
Jeralyn Merritt: We're hot today—in addition to the New York Times, we're quoted in the Wall Street Journal (free article), the... Glenn Reynolds: "BOUNCED BLOGGERS" — a piece on bloggers who didn't get to blog the Democratic Convention. Kevin Drum: (The link is here, although the online version doesn't do justice to the print version, which included nice little graphics for each blog.) |
Daniel Drezner: "The Los Angeles Times has a story on the bloggers who thought they got credentials but then had them yanked (link via Glenn Reynolds)." Charles Kuffner: Milestone achieved — I agree with Kevin: the fact that we have a story about blogs and blogging that isn't about the... Bill @INDCJournal: LA Times Story On Bloggers (With a Fisking/Cuban Prostitution Bonus) I looked for my cartoon on the LA Times web site, but all I found was this (the story with no graphics). |
We can nitpick forever, but what's changed? By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink I'll get into Sandy Berger's pants, crowded as they are, momentarily. But let me sneak up on them in a roundabout way. A few days ago, I woke up to find an e-mail from a pal enclosing the following UPI story: | |
|
Michael DeBow: Mark Steyn on the 9/11 Commission, Sandy Berger, and all the rest, here. Glenn Reynolds: MARK STEYN writes on Sandy Berger and war revisionism. Deacon: Through a rear window, darkly — Mark Steyn captures the parlous state of our politics is this incisive passage: "We... |
Dale Franks: Internal Consistency — Mark Steyn is wondering how the debate over the War on Terror has descended into nitpicking... Greg Ransom: SANDY BERGER. [snipped quote] It's Mark Steyn and there is more here. Charles Johnson: Steyn: Dems Want Another Holiday — Mark Steyn provides the perfect contrast to the unfortunate wobbling of Andrew... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark | |
Wiring the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy By / NYT — Permalink Andy Rappaport made his millions as a venture capitalist,searching out what he calls ''ideas that change the world.'' About six years ago, for instance, when most everyone else in the high-tech industry thought wireless communication was going to depend on... | |
|
Kevin Drum: NEW DEMOCRATS...A bunch of people have emailed me to recommend yesterday's Matt Bai article in the New York Times... Hugh Hewitt: No doubt every young lefty blogger has already read yesterday's cover-story in the New York Times Magazine and is busy... Rickheller @Centerfield: The NDN is hoping to create a liberal copycat structure. |
Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the New York Times Magazine runs an excellent profile of the NDN and the financing of the "left wing conspiracy." Julian Sanchez: Much as I'd like to say "no," in the case of Matt Bai's thorough New York Times Magazine cover story, I'll make an exception. Barbara O'Brien: You must read this: Matt Bai, "Wiring the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy," The New York Times Magazine, July 25, 2004 Highly... |
| Also: Susan Madrak, Ruy Teixeira, Armed Liberal, Kos, Jerome Armstrong, Xan @Corrente, DemFromCT | |
Bloggers will file reports from Boston that could close big gaps in the media's coverage By / Newsday — Permalink Richard Benedetto of Gannett News reported the news on July 11: "Conventions today are little more than weeklong, made-for-TV infomercials and pep rallies for the party, its candidates and its luminaries." | |
|
Dave Winer: Jay Rosen in Newsday on convention bloggers. Ed Cone: Jay Rosen infiltrates the mainstream to subvert the dominant paradigm. |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: —But the bloggers we all know will have some stiff competition: there are delegate bloggers, too... —And even... Jay Rosen: This was published Sunday morning in the Opinion section of Newsday— without links, of course. |
Rock Royalty to Join Voices Against Bush With Fall Concerts By / LAT — Permalink Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, R.E.M. , Pearl Jam and a deep roster of other rock stars will unite for politically minded concerts this fall that will give voice to dissatisfaction with the Bush administration. | |
|
Skippy: (cross-posted on our own born and ready to run blog) thanks to eric alterman, we find this latimes piece that tells us a... Russ Barnes: Kerrypalooza — A series of anti-Bush concerts are being scheduled for this fall, according to music industry sources. |
Charles Kuffner: Rocking for Kerry — How's this for a kick-butt concert tour? [snipped quote] Compare and contrast: [snipped quote] Let's see. Susan Madrak: ROCKING IN THE FREE WORLD — Hey hey, my my: [snipped quote] Oh, man. What a great birthday present that will be. |
Media Say DNC Restroom Facilities Lacking By / AP — Permalink BOSTON (AP) - Media members, already perturbed by long security lines, may find themselves waiting in line for something nearly as important. As the majority of the print reporters arrived Saturday at the FleetCenter for the Democratic National Convention, tongues clucked when they saw the restroom facilities that they will be using for the next week. | |
|
Steven Taylor: And, the shocker of all schockers in pre-convention coverage: Media Say DNC Restroom Facilities Lacking (Hat tip: Dean's... James Joyner: Democrats to Media: Piss Off — Guardian - Media Say DNC Restroom Facilities Lacking [snipped quote] Honestly, I don't see a problem here. Betsy Newmark: Oh, what the media suffer to bring us the news. "Media members, already perturbed by long security lines, may find themselves waiting in line for something nearly as important. |
Joe Gandelman: PROOF That It Is A Slow News Day: Convention Coverage — Here's proof that American journalism isn't the only media... KJL: OH MY — You know, the mainstream press may warm to the Republicans after a week of portaJohns in Boston. |
War of Ideology By / NYT — Permalink When foreign policy wonks go to bed, they dream of being X. They dream of writing the all-encompassing, epoch-defining essay, the way George F. Kennan did during the cold war under the pseudonym X. Careers have been spent racing to be X. But in our own time, the 9/11 commission has come closer than anybody else. | |
|
Lexington Green: He seems to come down more on the latter. This is an unusual case where I am disagreement with him. KJL: WAR ON WHAT? Andy McCarthy's idea is catching on. Laura Rozen: "It is no accident that the only intelligence agency that got it right on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was the..." |
Jeffrey Dubner: Our efforts in the war on terrorism have been all wrong, and I attribute that to George W. Bush. David Brooks. Andrew Stuttaford: A BATTLE OF IDEAS — Here's what David Brooks had to say in the New York Times on Saturday: "The commissioners don't say it, but the implication is clear. Cori Dauber: David Brooks has a big important job as a New York Times columnist, and he figured this out. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds, Kevin Drum | |
Delegates Lean Left And Oppose the War NYT — Permalink NINE out of 10 of the Democratic delegates gathering in Boston this week think the United States should not have gone to war in Iraq and say the gains from the war were not worth the loss of American lives, a New York Times/CBS News poll shows. | |
|
Roger Ailes: Given that most Democratic delegates don't share Jarvis's Barc-o-Lounger bloodlust, why promote him on the DNC site? Rickheller @Centerfield: Convention Delegates Polled — The NY Times has done some polling of convention delegates as part of its convention special coverage. |
Steven Taylor: Kerry won't have to worry about crossing any picket lines: Firefighters deal averts DNC picketlines "Boston firefighters... Jeralyn Merritt: Delegates Think War Was Wrong According to a new New York Times/CBS News poll, 9 out of 10 of the delegates attending... |
Will Kerry's Caution Pay Off at the Polls? By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. John F. Kerry is, for the most part, running a smart, cautious campaign while leading a party that hates President Bush with reckless passion. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore is floating crackpot theories about the war in Afghanistan, and the head of the Democratic National Committee is receptive to them. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: Ramesh Ponnuru says that Kerry is running a very cautious campaign and trying not to flaunt his position on social issues. |
KJL: THE KERRY CAUTION STRATEGY — Ramesh is in the LA Times today. |
Honorable Commission, Toothless Report By / NYT — Permalink Americans owe the 9/11 commission a deep debt for its extensive exposition of the facts surrounding the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Yet, because the commission had a goal of creating a unanimous report from a bipartisan group, it softened the edges and left it to the public to draw many conclusions. | |
|
Sir George: Richard Clarke Still Bleats — Richard Clarke has opined in the New York Times, and it's quite an entertaining piece of self-serving drivel. Laura Rozen: Worth reading Sunday: Richard Clarke in the New York Times: "First, we need not only a more powerful person at the top... Meteor Blades: Moreover, for all its hearings and interviews and document absorption, the Commission didn't address a lot of issues, as Richard Clarke forcefully argues in The New York Times. |
Frederick Maryland: Clarke's Take on the 9/11 Report — Richard A. Clarke, the Bush administration's former counter-terrorism expert, has... Cori Dauber: CLARKE SPEAKS OUT — You just can't keep that man quiet. Okay, lets take a look. |
Ricky runs away AP — Permalink MIAMI (AP) — Ricky Williams has told the Miami Dolphins that he's retiring after just five years in the NFL, The Miami Herald reported on its Web site Sunday. Williams said he was overjoyed by his decision. | |
|
Hei Lun: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, THIS TIME — A strange story in football today: Miami Dolphin star running back Ricky Williams has decided to retire after just five seasons in the NFL. |
James Joyner: Sports Illustrated - Ricky runs away: Williams tells Dolphins he will retire Blogospheric reaction: Paul at Wizbang, who... |
RONSTADT'S RAGE By / New York Post — Permalink LOOK into Linda Ronstadt's famous brown eyes. She rep resents the face of the Hol lyweird Left: puffy, petulant, and more self-absorbed than my diapered 8-month-old baby after a bottle of warm milk and a nap. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: BABY, YOU'RE NO GOOD — Here's a little piece I did for the New York Post today on the Linda Ronstadt imbroglio. |
The Big Trunk: You're no good, part 2 — The invaluable Michelle Malkin follows up on the Linda Ronstadt story and contrasts Ronstadt... |