meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
Bush Denounces Ads by Outside Groups By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush denounced campaign commercials aired by outside groups on Monday, including an ad that accuses John Kerry of lying about his combat record in Vietnam. | |
|
Steve M.: Instead, he change the subject and declares that it would be best if all ads by independent groups (527s) were off the air. Greyhawk: Is there anything lower? Update: Something to keep in mind on the Swifts. They aren't doing this for George Bush. Jesse Taylor: And you get that feeling because of the way Bush is handling the Swift Boat ads. Thus far, Bush has said he doesn't question Kerry's service. |
John Cole: Once again, I guess for the terminally stupid, Bush has re-stated that he does not support he Swift Boats for Veterans... The Big Trunk: Shut up, he explained — I don't understand why President Bush seems to think that only the candidates' voices should be... Tully @Centerfield: Update on the 527's — Bush Denounces Ads by Outside Groups Next move, Kerry's. |
| Also: James Joyner, Tim Graham, Stephen Green, Atrios, Glenn Reynolds | |
Bush calls for halt to Swift Boat vets' ads MSNBC — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush says a veterans' group should stop television ads criticizing John Kerry's war record. The president's criticism of the ads by Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth came as Bush denounced all TV ads by outside groups attacking both Kerry and himself on Monday and called for a halt to all such political efforts. | |
|
Bird Dog: Fun With Opensecrets.org and 527s — From MSNBC: "The president's criticism of the ads by Swift Boat Veterans for the... Ted Barlow: First they came for the grocers... George Bush: "I can't be more plain about it," Bush said. Ogged @Unfogged: Bush has called for an end to the Swift Vet ads. "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" should be halted, Bush said: "All of them. |
Charles Molluzzo: Today, however, President Bush reportedly denounced all outside groups who run campaign ads, including the Swift Boat Veterans and all 527 groups. Greg Ransom: ITS KERRY AND BUSH against the Swift Boat vets and their free speech rights. |
Over Najaf, Fighting for Des Moines By / NYT — Permalink Najaf, Iraq — I'm an average American who grew up watching "Brady Bunch" reruns, playing dodge ball and listening to Van Halen. I love the Longhorns and the Eagles. I'm you; your neighbor; the kid you used to go sledding with but who took a different career path in college. | |
|
Hindrocket: A Marine Speaks — We are far from the first to point out this superb op-ed by an Marine Major stationed in Najaf, which appeared in this morning's New York Times. Blackfive: Over Najaf, Fighting for Des Moines By GLEN G. BUTLER Najaf, Iraq — I'm an average American who grew up watching "Brady... David Cohen: JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN ABANDON THE TIMES (From Oxblog) Over Najaf, Fighting for Des Moines (Glen G. Butler, NY... |
Glenn Reynolds: It's also worth reading this New York Times oped by a Marine in Najaf: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. Dale Franks: Major Glen Butler, USMC, writes, in the New York Times, of all places, that the fighting in Najaf is about peace and... Josh Chafetz: WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH IT OR NOT (and, of course, by and large, I do), this is quite a piece. Well worth your time to read. |
| Also: Ed Cone, Cori Dauber | |
Harshness of red marks has students seeing purple By / Boston Globe — Permalink When it comes to correcting papers and grading tests, purple is emerging as the new red. "If you see a whole paper of red, it looks pretty frightening," said Sharon Carlson, a health and physical education teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton. | |
|
Joanne Jacobs: Royally wrong — Purple is replacing red as the color of correction, according to this Boston Globe story. Jeanne D'Arc: From the Boston Globe (via the indignant K-Lo): When it comes to correcting papers and grading tests, purple is emerging as the new red. Eric Soskin: As today's Boston Globe reports, teachers are now grading papers with purple pens, instead of red. Why? |
Jeff Goldstein: These go to eleven, or hamstringing Red Auerbach — From Boston.com: [snipped quote] The considered reply of protein... Betsy Newmark: They've decided that purple should be the new red because red marks on a paper are so harsh. KJL: BURN THE RED PENS! You don't want to hurt a student's feelings... |
Dole Questions Kerry's Vietnam Wounds By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - Former Republican Sen. Bob Dole suggested Sunday that John Kerry apologize for past testimony before Congress about alleged atrocities during the Vietnam War and joined critics of the Democratic presidential candidate who say he received an early exit from combat for "superficial wounds." | |
|
Ezra Klein: Will The Real Bob Dole Please Stand Up — I wish we could stop expressing shock over Dole's partisan hatchetry. Kos: Dole a hypocrite — Josh Marshall applies the smackdown to Bob Dole, so I don't have to: [snipped quote] Notice that even... Taegan Goddard: Former Sen. Bob Dole, quoted by the AP, questioning Sen. John Kerry's war medals. |
Mary Ratcliff: They've obviously done such a good job at it. Furthermore, Bob Dole has no qualms about slandering his "friend". Kieran Healy: It was just a superficial wound, but as I was coming out of the bathroom the doorbell rang and there was this army officer in full dress uniform at the door. Roger L. Simon: Americans over fifty (and most others in reruns) grew up on those immortal words from Tonto to the Lone Ranger — and... |
| Also: Steve M., Mitch Berg, Betsy Newmark, Richard TPD, Joe Gandelman, Tim Blair, ArchPundit, Laura Rozen, Dale Franks, Michael Totten, James Joyner, Blackfive, KJL, Glenn Reynolds, Josh Marshall, Ann Althouse, Orrin Judd | |
Holiday in Cambodia By / Slate — Permalink It is a twisted state of affairs that George W. Bush's most avid surrogates are trying to make this election turn on the question of whether Lieut. John Kerry was or was not in Cambodia on Christmas Eve 1968. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Holiday In Cambodia II — As I always say, Fred Kaplan is always a must-read. Jay Rosen: (See John Leo. On the other hand see Fred Kaplan in Slate.) |
The Poor Man: Kerry In Cambodia — Kaplan debunks. |
Why Kerry's War Record Matters By / Business Week — Permalink He has made it a central claim of his fitness for the Oval Office. However, his looseness with the truth is a poor job recommendation Almost 30 years after the last helicopter fled the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam remains the great American quagmire. | |
|
Greg Ransom: JF KERRY — modern day LBJ? Captain Ed: Business Week: Kerry Made His Bed By Lying In It — Roger Franklin at Business Week writes a clear-headed editorial in... JD @SouthernAppeal: Playing fast and loose with the truth — BusinessWeek's Roger Franklin has addressed Kerry's problems with the truth... |
Steve Bainbridge: Business Week Blasts Kerry — As business periodicals go, Business Week is probably the most left-leaning, so it comes... Betsy Newmark: There's a devastating online editorial at Business Week today. [snipped quote] Read the rest to see how Kerry is like LBJ. |
Kerry: strange, stuck-up... and stupid By / Telegraph — Permalink According to Francis Harris in Saturday's Telegraph, allegations that John Kerry "lied about his Vietnam record" are "unravelling". Oh, I wouldn't say that. Right now, it looks like the sanity of the Kerry campaign and its pals in the media that's beginning to unravel. | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: Maybe Mark Steyn flushed him out by remarking that "hagiographer Douglas Brinkley, after an intriguing interview with... Betsy Newmark: Mark Steyn thinks that Kerry is too strange, stuck-up, and stupid to be president. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: More from Mark Steyn: [snipped quote] ANOTHER UPDATE: The dog days of August are upon John Kerry. |
Bush Says 'That Ad' Attacking Kerry Should Stop By / Reuters — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - Under pressure from Democrats and Republican Sen. John McCain, President Bush on Monday called for ads attacking John Kerry's record in Vietnam to be stopped along with others run by independent groups, and said Kerry should be proud of his war service. | |
|
C. D. Harris: Again. And this time, he specifically included "that ad" that attacks Kerry's war record. Lambert @Corrente: Now that the poison has been injected into the bloodstream of the body politic... "Under pressure from Democrats and... |
Jeffrey Dubner: THAT HEADLINE SERVED ADMIRABLY. This headline is just plain sloppy. |
Dole Defends Swiftees in Call From Kerry NewsMax.com — Permalink Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole this morning to complain about Dole's demand a day earlier that he apologize to Vietnam veterans for protesting the war, the one-time Republican presidential candidate revealed Monday afternoon. | |
|
Roger L. Simon: A Fascinating Exchange... ... here between Bob Dole and John Kerry, another indication to me why this election is about character. Ace: Six Words Never Before Used Together: Bob Dole Is On F**king Fire — John Kerry calls Bob Dole. Bob Dole tells Kerry off. |
Betsy Newmark: Bob Dole told Sean Hannity of the conversation that he had today with John Kerry when Kerry called to whine about Dole's criticisms of Kerry yesterday. |
A Chill in Florida By / NYT — Permalink The state police investigation into get-out-the-vote activities by blacks in Orlando, Fla., fits perfectly with the political aims of Gov. Jeb Bush and the Republican Party. The Republicans were stung in the 2000 presidential election when Al Gore became the first Democrat since 1948 to carry Orange County, of which Orlando is the hub. | |
|
Nick Confessore: It is very hard to read Bob Herbert's column about GOP suppression of the black vote and not put two and two together. Jeanne D'Arc: Florida fraud — Bob Herbert is still on the story of voter intimidation in Florida, with an interesting bit of background today on why suppression is centered in Orlando. |
Oliver Willis: Voter Suppresion In Florida — Why is Bob Herbert the only person in the "liberal media" who's covering this story? Shawn @LiquidList: His third consecutive piece appears today (other two here). I'm glad someone is paying attention to this issue, because it appears Florida is not. |
Not So Swift By / Slate — Permalink George Orwell once wrote a column about an anecdote concerning Sir Walter Raleigh which, as he put it, deserved to be true. While imprisoned in the Tower of London, Raleigh (as we know for sure) decided to beguile the weary detention by writing a History of the World. | |
|
Digby: Un Danseur de Chippendales — Christopher Hitchens thinks that John Kerry shouldn't have released that picture of... Roger L. Simon: Bringing It On... and on... and on... Some people, including a few commenters on here, have welcomed the Kerry/Swiftie... |
Eugene Volokh: Shooting fleeing soldiers: Christopher Hitchens writes: [snipped quote] Maybe there's part of the story that I'm missing... |
Controversial Overtime Rules Take Effect By / NYT — Permalink The Bush administration's new overtime rules go into effect today, but the Kerry campaign has already begun attacking the overhauled regulations, saying they will hurt millions of American workers. | |
|
Kevin Hayden: Compassion working overtime, gratis — Six million could lose income from these new rules? DeLong: Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? (The Usually Excellent Steven Greenhouse Drops One Edition) What has happened to Steven Greenhouse? |
Ampersand @Amptoons: The New York Times provides an amazingly useless article on the new overtime regulations. |
Did Navy Lt. Kerry violate The UCMJ? American Thinker — Permalink The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is a federal law, enacted by Congress. Its provisions are contained in United States Code, Title 10, Chapter 47. Article 36 of the UCMJ allows the President to prescribe rules and procedures to implement the provisions of the UCMJ. | |
|
Baldilocks: Steven Gilbert has the same questions I had regarding John Kerry's reserve military service. Ace: And even more from Instapundit: a good piece here by The American Thinker about Kerry's possibly-illegal negoatiations with the North Vietnamese while still a Naval officer. |
Sir George: How is he going to respond to charges that his negotiations with the North Vietnamese violated the UCMJ while he was... |
Asked About Anti-Kerry Ads, Bush Urges End to Attacks on All Sides AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush denounced TV ads by outside groups attacking both John Kerry and himself on Monday and called for a halt to all such political efforts. "I think they're bad for the system," he said. | |
|
Tim Dunlop: If he only had a heart, brain, courage — Bush's moral cowardice continues as he refuses to denounce the Swift Boat... Taegan Goddard: Bush Denounces Ads — President Bush "denounced TV ads by outside groups attacking both John Kerry and himself on Monday... |
Orrin Judd: SMASHING LOBS: Bush Urges End to Attack Ads by Outside Groups on All Sides (MARIA NEWMAN, 8/23/04, NY Times) [snipped quote] Could Mr. Kerry have made this any easier for him? |
Gay couple married in Asbury Park, a New Jersey first AP — Permalink A gay couple were married in City Hall on Monday after being issued a license by city officials who claim New Jersey law does not explicitly ban such unions. In a short 3:30 p.m. ceremony attended by about 10 people, Louis Navarrete and Ric Best, both of Asbury Park, tied the knot in City Council chambers. | |
|
Roger L. Simon: According to the New York Daily News, he made that clear last March when the first gay couple got married in Asbury... |
Glenn Reynolds: Roger Simon points to this story from March on New Jersey Governor James McGreevey's opposition to gay marriage. |
Bush urges end to TV attack ads by outside groups, whatever their target By / Seattle Times — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush denounced TV ads by outside groups attacking both John Kerry and himself today and called for a halt to all such political efforts. "I think they're bad for the system," he said. | |
|
Steve Gilliard: Please let us have our advantage back — Attack dog Bush urges end to TV attack ads by outside groups, whatever their... Atrios: Sanduksy tells Dole to suck it. Crewmate Sandusky said today, "I was there when he got wounded. I saw the blood. |
Josh Marshall: The Post mentions his account in this story today. And he was on a conference call today arranged by the Kerry campaign. |
Kerry TV Ad Pins Veterans' Attack Firmly on Bush NYT — Permalink Senator John Kerry released a television advertisement yesterday blaming President Bush for a campaign by a "front group" of veterans that Mr. Kerry said had smeared his Vietnam record, as he intensified his drive to gain control in a fight that some Democrats said could undermine his campaign for the presidency. | |
|
Steve M.: David Stout "contributed reporting to this article," and Jim Rutenberg shares the byline, but the first name under the... DemFromCT: Supporting that are today's stories in the WaPo and NY Times, which has on their web page "Kerry TV Ad Pins Veterans'... The Big Trunk: The next day he's standing there, 'I want to be president because I'm a Vietnam veteran.'" And to this quote in today's... |
Glenn Reynolds: Then there's this quote from within the campaign itself: [snipped quote] Yes, and a predictable one. Captain Ed: Adan Nagourney and Jim Rutenberg write in today's New York Times that Kerry's team plans an ad blitz labeling the... William J. Dyer: Update: Per tomorrow's NYT story about the new Kerry ad and Dole's remarks: [quote] "John Kerry's a hero," Mr. Dole told Wolf Blitzer.[end quote] |
| Also: Mathew Gross | |
Bush Criticizes Anti-Kerry Television Ad By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday criticized a commercial that accused John Kerry of inflating his own Vietnam War record, more than a week after the ad stopped running, and said broadcast attacks by outside groups have no place in the race for the White House. | |
|
Josh Marshall: Look at the lede on David Espo's piece running on the AP wire, the piece that will define the coverage in daily papers across the country. |
Captain Ed: While the Washington Post manages to skate past the financial implications for Kerry in 'denouncing' 527 advertising... |
Most 877th members to stay in National Guard By / al.com — Permalink For Alabama National Guard units that have had lengthy tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, some questions hang in the air when they return: Who is staying in and who is getting out? The answers usually start coming after each returned unit has its customary 90-day cooling-off period and holds its first weekend drill. | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: HMM. DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MORALE is suffering: [snipped quote] Apparently, some of them changed their minds. |
Greyhawk: More Bad News for the Kerry Campaign — It just keeps getting worse: [snipped quote] They're probably partisan hacks though, staying in just to help Bush. |
Bush Says Attack Ad Against Kerry Should Stop By / Reuters — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush called on Monday for ads attacking John Kerry's record in Vietnam to be stopped along with others run by independent groups, and said Kerry should be proud of his war service. | |
|
John Cole: At any rate, it is amusing that while the left-wing bloggers are seizing upon the 'Bush is against free speech meme,' it... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Update: Reuters describes Bush's statement this way: "President Bush called on Monday for ads attacking John Kerry's... |
It's a Nice Place to Visit, but He Can't Stay By / NYT — Permalink More than a year ago, when Karl Rove and President Bush began planning the Republican National Convention, they picked New York City in early September so that the event would flow into the third anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. | |
|
Jesse Taylor: And it all fits - the incompetent campaign, the total lack of coherence between his statements from month to month, the... Taegan Goddard: Bush May Not Stay in New York City — The New York Times notes the Bush campaign, which once hoped nextw eek's... Jeralyn Merritt: President Bush will come to New York next week to make his speech Thursday night. But he won't be staying overnight. |
David Allan Pell: Once all is said and done, there will likely be no politically-motivated return to Ground Zero and Bush probably won't even spend the night in New York City. Steve Soto: Bush Will Do A "Drive By" In NYC — My, my, what a year and a major mistake aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln will do to... Mathew Gross: Politicizing War and Tragedy — or, We Gotta Get Out of This Place NYT: [snipped quote] Dowd, you poor bastard— you walked right into that one. |
Media Backtalk By / WaPo — Permalink Consumers used to get their news from newspapers, magazines and evening broadcasts from the three television networks. Now, with the Internet, cable TV and 24-hour news networks, the news cycle is faster and more constant, with every minute carrying a new deadline. | |
|
Mark Kleiman: See news story, courtesy of atrios here. |
Atrios: Wow, Some Truth From Kurtz — In today's WaPo chat Kurtz correctly informs us that Move On's Bush ads are being financed... |
GOP Plan Calls for Revamping Intelligence By / WaPo — Permalink The Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee unveiled a radical proposal yesterday to remove most of the nation's major intelligence-gathering operations from the CIA and Pentagon and place them directly under the control of a new national intelligence director. | |
|
Greg Ransom: THE KERRY CAMPAIGN — lurching toward real disaster. Cori Dauber: I'LL GIVE YOU REFORM, BABY Both the New York Times and the Washington Post report Senator Pat Robert's new proposal for restructuring the intelligence community straight. |
Aaron @LiquidList: According to media reports, the radical intelligence restructuring proposed by Republican Senator Pat Roberts (and first... Captain Ed: New Intelligence Reorganization Proposal Not Much Better — Dan Eggen reports in today's Washington Post that Republican... |
Dole: Kerry owes veterans apology AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - Former Republican Sen. Bob Dole suggested yesterday that John Kerry apologize for past testimony before Congress about alleged atrocities during the Vietnam War, and he joined critics of the Democratic presidential candidate who say Kerry received an early exit from combat for "superficial wounds." | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: The first is from Bob Dole: [snipped quote] Maybe Dole's mad because Democrats sneered that his World War II wounds were self-inflicted back during the 1996 campaign. Susan Madrak: Unfortunately, Republican leaders are singularly lacking in that humbling and human quality: [quote] "Three Purple Hearts, and...[end quote] |
Bill @INDCJournal: I wonder what he thinks about Bob Dole's opinion: Dole told CNN's "Late Edition" that Kerry may have himself to blame... |
Why We're Refighting Vietnam Opinion Journal — Permalink How did we get into this mess? Much of the presidential campaign this month has been consumed with a dispute about whether John Kerry told tall tales about his service in Vietnam 35 years ago. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: If you don't like the 527 ads, thank McCain-Feingold. The law of unintended consequences cannot be repealed. Jesse Taylor: You see, the problem with the smear ad is that the law allows groups independent of presidential campaign to run ads. |
James Joyner: Why We're Refighting Vietnam — John Fund argues that the current nasty campaign climate is partly owing to... |
Iraqi national guard members reluctant to fight Mahdi Army By / Knight Ridder — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - Just three weeks after rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's forces blew off his legs with a homemade bomb, Capt. Saeed Majeed returned to duty to set an example for the men he commands at an Iraqi national guard station in one of the deadliest districts in Baghdad. | |
|
DeLong: All the Fighting Spirit of the Vietnam-Era George W. Bush... Matthew Yglesias tells us that there is yet more bad news from Iraq: "YOU AND WHAT ARMY? Matthew Yglesias: Knight-Ridder brings us another excellent report into what's probably the biggest story coming out of the ongoing battle... |
Jeanne D'Arc: Somewhat comforting, I guess, but ambivalence doesn't work much to our advantage when the Iraqi national guard seems to... Juan Cole: Hannah Allam of Knight Ridder explores the reluctance of Iraqi police to fight the Mahdi Army. |
Bush Urges End to Attack Ads by Outside Groups on All Sides By / NYT — Permalink President Bush, who has refused for weeks to condemn a veterans' group's television commercials attacking John Kerry's military service in Vietnam, today said the group and others running independent advertisements should stop running them. | |
|
Mike Rappaport: The New York Times reports that George Bush has asked that all of the 527 ads (that is, independent ads) should stop. |
Taegan Goddard: The New York Times notes that in a speech tomorrow, Kerry "is expected to continue to talk about the history of dirty... |
Fit for a King By / Opinion Journal — Permalink The former king of Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah, has seen it all in his 89 years. After four decades on the throne, a coup that saw him deposed, and another three decades in exile, he is now back in his homeland, living a peaceful life of a private citizen, albeit in the security of a private mansion on the grounds of the presidential palace in Kabul. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE GOOD NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN — Arthur Chrenkoff's latest summary can be found here. Cori Dauber: If you look at the links from Chrenkoff's latest "good news roundup," I count six from major American outlets (by which I mean national outlets.) |
Glenn Reynolds: ARTHUR CHRENKOFF has posted his latest roundup of underreported good news from Afghanistan, and once again it's hosted by the Wall Street Journal folks. Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Afghanistan, Part 3 — Note: Also available at the "Opinion Journal". |
Boortz on board with recount fallacy Media Matters for America — Permalink In his August 20 column, nationally syndicated radio host Neal Boortz joined other conservatives in misrepresenting the 2000 presidential election by claiming that "every single recount in Florida, even a recount handled by a media consortium unfriendly to [George W.] | |
|
James Joyner: Jon Henke, with an unlikely assist from Media Matters, reports that George W. Bush actually won Florida in 2000. |
Jon Henke: Bush, showed Al Gore lost", and Media Matters jumps all over him for it... "As MMFA has noted on each occasion, the... |
Cowards All Around By / American Prospect — Permalink At first blush, the treatment given to Michael Dobbs' page-one swift-boat article in Sunday's Washington Post seems at least vaguely reassuring. There's the neutral headline "Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete," but below that, a deck-headline informing readers that "Critics Fail to Disprove Kerry's Version of Vietnam War Episode." | |
|
Laura Rozen: Go straight away to read Michael Tomasky reminding the media that what truly deserves scrutiny is what Bush and Cheney... Harley: Update [2004-8-23 9:32:22 by Harley]: Michael Tomasky offers appropriate insight into the recent and much embraced WaPo article here. |
Atrios: Other Priorities — This Tomasky article is just great. |
Campaign Cops and Car Ads By / WaPo — Permalink Russ Darrow — "The Right Russ," his bumper stickers say — is running in the Sept. 14 primary for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Russ Feingold (D-Wis.). | |
|
DeLong: Weekend Update — Matthew Yglesias does his weekend update: [snipped quote] Damned if I can understand why Mankiw gets pride of place. |
Matthew Yglesias: Jim Hoagland. We should have fewer bases abroad, and fewer at home, and more soldiers, too. George Will. |
Missing the Point WaPo — Permalink LAST FALL, DEFENSE Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ducked the embarrassing matter of grossly offensive, anti-Islamic remarks by Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin by asking the Defense Department's inspector general to examine his behavior. This was a ruse. | |
|
Maryscott OConnor: Boykin Gets A Pass — From Washington Post: [snipped quote] Click "Extended Entry" for the rest... Cori Dauber: If you care enough to make a stink, then at least care enough to follow through. That having been said, I still disagree with their position. |
Sam Rosenfeld: Good for the Washington Post for grasping the basic silliness of the Pentagon's internal investigation of Lt. Gen... |
GOP reluctant to criticize Edwards over tort reform By / Washington Times — Permalink Some Republican strategists are reluctant to criticize Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards too harshly for spending his career as a personal-injury lawyer, though polls show the majority of Americans support tort reform. | |
|
Amy Sullivan: According to an article in today's Washington Times — "GOP Reluctant to Criticize Edwards Over Tort Reform" —... |
Nick Confessore: The Washington Times reports that Republican strategists are wary of attacking John Edwards on malpractice issues, in... |
North Korea likens Bush to Hitler BBC — Permalink North Korea has described US President George W Bush as an "imbecile" and a "tyrant that puts Hitler in the shade". A Foreign Ministry spokesman was responding to comments President Bush made last week in which he described the North's Kim Jong-il as a "tyrant". | |
|
Ed Driscoll: Update: Taking a page from Mr. Vonnegut, North Korea also likens Bush to Hitler. I guess they'd prefer he'd be more like their own Kim Jong Il. |
Allah: Freakish, bellicose, concentration-camp-operat ing dictator warns world: Bush = Hitler |
G.O.P. Centrists to Speak at Convention, but Will They Be Heard? By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 - To the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, the ideological bent of some of the speakers set to star at the Republican National Convention is proof that there is plenty of room for diverse points of view under the Republican umbrella. | |
|
SK Bubba: Republicans gone wild — A guest post by lobbygow: [snipped quote] Apparently even arch-wingnut Pat Buchanan has concerns about the conservative wing of the Republican party. Tim Graham: POOR, POOR ARLEN — Today, the New York Times undertakes another quadrennial ritual: pitying the Republican "moderates"... |
Jesse Taylor: The modern day GOP is defined more by Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney and Bill Frist than it is by the few moderates that remain... |
'This is what I saw that day' By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago—three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969. | |
|
Jay Rosen: Now if you like sad as the best mood for consuming Swift Boat stories, if you think it fitting, then pay especially... Paul Glastris: The SBVFT argument has been further damaged by new testimony from previously silent eyewitnesses who back up Kerry's... |
Nick Gillespie: "The next day he's standing there, 'I want to be president because I'm a Vietnam veteran. " McQ: Swifties and Rood — I have to admit I sort of chuckled when I read Rood's account of the action in which Kerry won his Silver Star. |
Financial backing for al Qaeda down, report says San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Washington — Financial support for al Qaeda and the size of its operating budget have plummeted in the three years since the Sept. 11 attacks, but the network "continues to fund terrorist operations with relative ease," according to new findings released Saturday by the 9/11 commission. | |
|
Bird Dog: Budget Cuts — An interesting piece from the LA Times on al Qaeda and its finances, as taken from a new report by the... |
Glenn Reynolds: THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD NEWS: [snipped quote] I'm surprised that it's not getting more attention. |
Why Kerry's War Record Matters By / MSNBC — Permalink Almost 30 years after the last helicopter fled the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam remains the great American quagmire. You might think it should belong to history by now, especially after the Clinton years, when voters took the measure of a former... | |
|
Ace: John Forbes Kerry can't be happy about the comparisons being made: In 1944, another politician of vaulting ambition... |
Glenn Reynolds: MSNBC: "Why Kerry's War Record Matters," from Roger Franklin. Note the LBJ comparison. Great minds think alike, I guess. |
Flinging the Foul Mud of Vietnam By / Business Week — Permalink John Kerry returned a hero. The smears his political enemies are now flinging mark them — not him — as beneath contempt The next time the nation gets into a war, why would any American with an interest in national service show up to fight? | |
|
DeLong: Centrists and Right-Wingers Who Hold George W. Bush Beneath Contempt, Part XXVIII — Business Week's Thane Peterson... |
Ogged @Unfogged: And when did Business Week become The Nation? A powerhouse commentary condemning the Swift Boat ads. |
Time Is Not on Sadr's Side By / NRO — Permalink The situation in Najaf is evolving and devolving faster and more frequently than a wire reporter's updates. One moment, the battle between joint American-Iraqi forces and radical Shiite leader Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi army appear to be coming to a close. | |
|
Jeff Quinton: On the Ground in Najaf — NRO has the latest from W. Thomas Smith, Jr.. An excerpt: [snipped quote] Read the whole article. |
Cori Dauber: There are others who are disgruntled, but its because we haven't moved fast enough to take care of Sadr. |
Weary of War, Iraqis in Najaf Blame 2 Sides By / NYT — Permalink NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 22 - It was just about lunchtime when the sound of tank and gun fire tore through the quiet, just blocks from Amal Juad's house. Some of her neighbors, standing on a corner nearby, did not even stop talking. "It's normal," one said. | |
|
Jeanne D'Arc: The American press is not just focusing on the fact that it is Muqtada al-Sadr who turned the holy site into a battle... |
Cori Dauber: But according to the Times this morning, its both sides the people are blaming. |
Dear Kerry supporter: By / Townhall.com — Permalink The very milk of human kindness and the spirit of love compel me to write this note to you. I know that things have been a bit rough for you during the past few weeks. I thought it might be a nice gesture if I tried to say a few things to cheer you up, or at the very least let you know that I empathize with you. | |
|
Jon Henke: Media Matters for John Kerry's Election — Neal Boortz claims "every single recount in Florida, even a recount handled by a media consortium unfriendly to [George W. |
SLZoll: When Bush Supporters Get Scared Here's talk radio guy Neal Boortz with a Townhall column entitled "Dear Kerry... |
Blair refuses accept US award NEWS.com.au — Permalink BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair is refusing to fly to the US to receive a medal bestowed on him by the nation for his support over last year's Iraq war, a London newspaper reported today. | |
|
Jesse Taylor: Did It Happen? I don't think Tony Blair is ready for Bush's jelly, to give a frank and honest opinion. Tbogg: Now George Bush's bestest ally-buddy is turning off the lights and pretending that he's not at home: BRITISH Prime... |
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Snub A Dub Dub — Blair gives Bush the cold shoulder: [snipped quote] And yes, I am very proud of myself for this post's title. |
Playing the crowd By / Washington Times — Permalink In his Aug. 18 speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, John Kerry said a couple of interesting things that cannot withstand critical scrutiny or, in other words, do not pass the smell test. He said that he would always keep faith with his fellow veterans. | |
|
Mike Hendrix: He promotes his own Superman-like Vietnam record as a contrast to Bush's cowardly National Guard dodge, tapdancing lightly past his own post-Vietnam near-treason. |
Betsy Newmark: Did the members of the VFW who listened to Kerry last week know he'd once said this? |
Vietnam Vet Says Has No Proof for Claim Kerry Lied Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A veteran who disputed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry 's Vietnam war record acknowledged on Sunday he had no proof to back his charge that Kerry fabricated the reports of enemy fire that won him two medals. | |
|
Maryscott OConnor: Reuters: Vet Admits He Has No Proof AGainst Kerry "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A veteran who disputed Democratic presidential... John Emerson: There were a handful of neutral and negative headlines, but here are twelve of the first fifteen stories (about 7:30 PM... |
Joe Gandelman: This comes amid yet new news developments and major opinion pieces here and here and here (and more we don't want to list but we'll list one more here). Jesse Taylor: Curious Standards Of Evidence — From Van Odell, he of "I know for a fact that John Kerry faked his Bronze Star report"... |
Not a Hooverville in Sight By / NYT — Permalink Washington — How is the economy doing? Some economists, pundits and politicians want you to think it's in terrible shape. This is "the worst economic recovery period in terms of job creation that the nation has experienced since the Great Depression," said Laura D'Andrea Tyson, who was chairman of President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers. | |
|
Kieran Healy: Mankiw: Bush Economy not as bad as Worst Crisis in History of Capitalism — Greg Mankiw's Op-Ed made me feel much better, no matter what Brad DeLong thinks. DeLong: The Economist's Duty to Raise the Level of the Debate — Greg Mankiw is allowed out of his secured bunker: ... |
Matthew Yglesias: The Op-Ed You Actually Need To Read Gregory Mankiw explains that things were way worse during the Great Depression, so you've got nothing to worry about. |
Bolton's Tough Words New York Sun — Permalink Eli Lake Mr. Lake is a Washington correspondent of The New York Sun and may be reached at elake@nysun.com. An illuminating glimpse into the national-security debate was opened this week in Washington over Undersecretary of State John Bolton's warning that Iran had threatened European diplomats that it would begin work on an atom bomb. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Huh — Via Laura Rozen, the debut column from Eli Lake, one of the smarter neoconservatives writers out there. |
Laura Rozen: Eli Lake launches a new weekly column in the New York Sun with a defense of Undersecretary of State for arms control John Bolton. |
Interview With Bob Dole; Interview With David Kay CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's noon in Washington, 9 a.m. in Los Angeles, 5 p.m. in London, 8 p.m. in Baghdad. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us for "LATE EDITION." | |
|
Greg Ransom: TRANSCRIPT — BOB DOLE TAKES DOWN JOHN KERRY on CNN. Steve Bainbridge: Get back to the issues — According to CNN's Late Edition, the Kerry campaign is about to release an ad calling for the debate to "Get back to the issues." |
Liz Cox Barrett: Marshall also caught Bob Dole's stint on CNN yesterday weighing in on the Swift Boat situation, and what Marshall wants to know is "who gave [Dole] his talking points?" Donald Sensing: He said on CNN's Late Edition today, "But what I will always quarrel about are the Purple Hearts. |
Kerry Fires at Vietnam 'Smear' WaPo — Permalink Images: U.S. soldiers on patrol; a long-haired worker; President Bush speaking; torn pages with the words "smears" and "lies"; John McCain against an American flag; split screen of Bush with Kerry as a rifle-carrying officer in Vietnam. | |
|
Orrin Judd: RACING FROM THE KITCHEN: Kerry Fires at Vietnam 'Smear' (Howard Kurtz, 8/22/04, Washington Post: Ad Watch)... |
William J. Dyer: Update: WaPo's Howard Kurtz, in his "Ad Watch" column, notes (boldface mine): [quote] There is no evidence that the Bush campaign "supports a front group" that produced the attack ad.[end quote] |
NBC: BUSH 'NOT WELCOME' SIGHT FOR OLYMPIC SECURITY PLANNERS Drudge Report — Permalink NBC's Jim Lampley on Bush's possible visit for Iraqi soccer game: "Within the last 24 hours, the online newsletter the Drudge report published a story indicating that president George W. Bush may attend an Iraqi soccer game here in Greece. | |
|
Tbogg: First Athens isn't too keen on his showing up uninvited at the Olympics. |
KJL: UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED — NBC coverage of possible Bush visit to Olympics |
Critics: Fla. Absentee Ballot Confusing AP — Permalink WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Palm Beach County has introduced an absentee ballot that requires voters to indicate their choices by connecting broken arrows, sparking criticism that it is even more confusing than the infamous "butterfly ballot" used in the 2000 election. | |
|
Jeff Quinton: Absentee Ballot Criticized in Palm Beach AP: "Palm Beach County has introduced an absentee ballot that requires voters... |
Jesse Taylor: Ballot Design — Note to Theresa Lepore: There are easy ways to design a ballot, and hard ways to design a ballot. |
Bush Health Care Plan Seems to Fall Short By / WaPo — Permalink If the Republican-controlled Congress enacted President Bush's entire health care agenda, as many as 10 million people who lack health insurance would be covered at a cost of $102 billion over the next decade, according to his campaign aides. | |
|
Kevin Hayden: As Bush tries on his new flightsuit of compassion, he looks at nearly 44 million Americans who can't afford healthcare... Gary Farber: GOOD NEWS ON HEALTH INSURANCE! This is very comforting: [snipped quote] Clearly we need more good news like this. |
Meteor Blades: And then there's the failure of Bush to deal with the health insurance crisis: "Gap Grows Between Hard Data,... |
3,000 Jobs; 500,000 Seekers LAT — Permalink This California gold rush — applications were mailed from across the country — is hard evidence of an unusually tough job market that continues to disappoint nearly three years into an economic recovery. | |
|
Gene @HarrysPlace: Economic recovery, Bush style — When 3,000 good-paying temporary jobs (without benefits) became available at the ports... |
Meteor Blades: And there's the failure to deal effectively with the economy: "3,000 Jobs; 500,000 Seekers Bush administration spin... |
GOP Senators Propose End Of CIA CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) Senate Intelligence Committee Republicans proposed removing the nation's largest intelligence gathering operations from the CIA and the Pentagon and putting them directly under a new national intelligence director. | |
|
Mathew @Centerfield: Read the full article here. I am posting this mostly for the comment section, as I have not wrapped my head around it, just yet. |
Laura Rozen: Sen. Pat Roberts hasn't shared his intel reform plan with the Democrats, nor with the White House yet, but he did run a... |
Jewish-run centre burned in Paris BBC — Permalink French President Jacques Chirac has condemned an attack on a Jewish-run soup kitchen in Paris. Swastikas were daubed on the walls of the kitchen which was then set alight in the early hours of Sunday morning. | |
|
Patrick Belton: Le Monde reports that slogans left include 'without the Jews, we will all be happy', along with swastikas; BBC also reports. Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: Make that deux fois. (via Instapundit) For the francophone, Le Monde coverage of the "social center" burning is here. |
Jan Haugland: New anti-Semitic attack in France — Vandals attacked a Jewish run soup kitchen in Paris, writing swastikas on the walls and putting the center on fire. |
Winter in Cambodia? By / US News — Permalink This month the Kerry Campaign abandoned one claim that John Kerry had made for years about his Vietnam War service and put another into question. The claim that has been dropped: that Kerry was in Cambodia at Christmastime in 1968. | |
|
Greg Ransom: MICHAEL BARONE — "On the Christmas story .. perhaps Kerry was just confused about dates, or perhaps he convinced... Steve Bainbridge: Michael Barone summarizes the flap:This month the Kerry Campaign abandoned one claim that John Kerry had made for years about his Vietnam War service and put another into question. Bird Dog: Michael Barone, as usual, offers a clear-headed perspective: "The Kerry camp has provided no documentation of Kerry's... |
Joe Gandelman: Is There Some Backlash On The Swift Boat Vets? William Voegeli: Michael Barone summarizes the controversy about Kerry's Merry Christmas: "In a 1979 review of the movie "Apocalypse Now"... Glenn Reynolds: MICHAEL BARONE'S LATEST COLUMN looks at the Christmas in Cambodia story: "This month the Kerry Campaign abandoned one... |
| Also: The Big Trunk, Charles Johnson, Betsy Newmark, Hugh Hewitt, William J. Dyer | |
Transcript for August 22 MSNBC — Permalink PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS." GUESTS: Sen. George Allen, R-VA, Chairman, National Republican Senatorial Committee; Sen. Jon Corzine, D-NJ; Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; | |
|
Greyhawk: A good day for TV sales, as a few folks likely threw bricks at theirs yesterday: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. |
Roger Ailes: Kerry-Edwards Senior Adviser Tad Devine did a great job of taking on Pumpkinhead Russert and chinless Ken Mehlman on NBC News's Press the Meat. |
Never give up, Dean urges By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean told a group of party activists in Houston to stay persistent and not lose hope even if they believe they are outnumbered in their home state. | |
|
Byron L: Meanwhile, Dean stumped in Houston yesterday for Richard Morrison. |
Charles Kuffner: Dean in town — Howard Dean is visiting Houston this weekend to help raise some campaign funds for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Richard Morrison. |
Kerry in a Straitjacket By / Time — Permalink John Kerry suffered a small embarrassment last week that illuminated a big problem in his campaign. The embarrassment involved the not exactly riveting issue of troop redeployments. | |
|
Dale Franks: Lack of Substance — Joe Klein, writing in Newsweek opines that John Kerry's campaign is suffering from a lack of substance about issues that matter in the here and now. |
Charles Johnson: Flipper in a Straitjacket — Joe Klein of TIME Magazine notices that John Kerry doesn't always hold consistent opinions: Kerry in a Straitjacket. |
Sunday, August 22 Edition Fox News — Permalink Sen. John Kerry (search) accused President Bush of relying on front groups to challenge his record of valor in Vietnam, asserting, "He wants them to do his dirty work." Fighting back, Kerry said if Bush wants to "have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: 'Bring it on." | |
|
Tim Dunlop: Moving swiftly along — Bit of a hat-tip to Chris Wallace, the anchor of the Fox News Sunday program, who did a pretty... |
Wind Rider: John Hurley (this one, not this one 1) , defending Kerry, and Van Odell from the SwiftVets were interviewed on Fox News... |
Cut-and-Paste Propaganda Infiltrates Opinion Pages By / WaPo — Permalink Reader, beware! Some of America's newspapers have become unwitting conduits for campaign propaganda. Thanks to some nifty Internet technology, the campaigns of President Bush and John F. Kerry are making it easy for their supporters to pass off the campaigns' talking points as just another concerned citizen's opinion. | |
|
Zachary Roth: Instead, we were pointed by a reader to a Washington Post piece that appeared yesterday, in which Paul Farhi wrote:... David Neiwert: Paul Farhi in the Washington Post recently offered this report: Thanks to some nifty Internet technology, the campaigns... |
Nick Confessore: But this Paul Farhi piece in the Washington Post suffers from the same disease as this New York Times article about the... Max B. Sawicky: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER — Today the Post clues into the "strong and getting stronger" campaign, reported here and by Atrios last friggin' Tuesday. |
Obama holds 41-point lead over Keyes By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink Alan Keyes said it would be an uphill climb when he agreed this month to be the emergency candidate for Illinois Republicans in the U.S. Senate race, but he may not have realized just how steep the ascent will have to be. | |
|
ArchPundit: The Wizard of Oz — From Keyes on Fox [snipped quote] Obscure State Senators don't have 62% favorability ratings. Orrin Judd: KEYES 11, OBAMA 0: Obama holds 41-point lead over Keyes Democrat solid among blacks, independents Advertisement By Bob... |
Kos: IL-Sen: 'Alan who? Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV. 8/13-16. MoE 4%. (5/21-24 results) [snipped quote] I'm dreaming of coattails in the state's three hottest House races. Jeralyn Merritt: A new Chicago Tribune poll has him biting the dust—and bringing down local Republican candidates. |
Al-Qaida said to recruit in Latin America AP — Permalink MONTERREY, Mexico - Governments throughout Mexico and Central America are on alert as evidence grows that al-Qaida members are traveling in the region and looking for recruits to carry out attacks in Latin America — the potential last frontier for international terrorism. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Al-Qaeda targets Latin America — There are growing concerns that al-Qaeda terrorists are increasingly looking to Latin... |
Joe Gandelman: The AP reports: "MONTERREY, Mexico - Governments throughout Mexico and Central America are on alert as evidence grows... |
Arsonists Destroy Jewish Center in Paris By / AP — Permalink PARIS - Arsonists destroyed a Jewish community center in eastern Paris in a pre-dawn attack Sunday and left behind anti-Semitic graffiti, police said. No one was hurt as flames tore through the center located on the first floor of a six-story building. | |
|
Gary Farber: Darn Jews. [snipped quote] I'm willing to volunteer for the moon colony, but you go first, without a vacuum suit, okay? Roger L. Simon: Arsonists have destroyed a Jewish center in Paris, leaving behind anti-Semitic graffiti. Charles Johnson: French Antisemitism Watch — Arsonists Destroy Jewish Center in Paris. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "ANTI-SEMITISM SCARCELY EXISTS IN THE WEST" — You would think that after enough of these reports, Noam Chomsky would be... Allah: UPDATE: Meanwhile, in Deutschland. . . . |
The Making of an X Box Warrior By / NYT — Permalink It was only a virtual Baghdad, baking under a virtual sun. As in real life, though, troops were dodging gunfire. I was at the Institute for Creative Technologies in Marina Del Rey, Calif., playing a new X box video game called Full Spectrum Warrior. | |
|
Nathan Hallford: The New York Times Magazine looks at this process of using an Xbox to train soldiers for combat in Iraq. |
Phillip Carter: "All but war is a simulation" — Clive Thompson has a really interesting article in this week's Sunday NYT magazine on... |
Big lies for Bush Boston Globe — Permalink IMAGINE IF supporters of Bill Clinton had tried in 1996 to besmirch the military record of his opponent, Bob Dole. After all, Dole was given a Purple Heart for a leg scratch probably caused, according to one biographer, when a hand grenade thrown by one of his own men bounced off a tree. | |
|
John Cole: 'Kerrying' the DNC's Water — This appeared in yesterday's Boston Globe: "IMAGINE IF supporters of Bill Clinton had... Kieran Healy: I expressed some surprise but he just said "Standard medal-issuing procedure, Sir," adding that his job had been made... Paul Glastris: (In fact, the Boston Globe makes this point in its Sunday editorial.) But of course that's not the end of it. |
Liz Cox Barrett: Go to comments — August 23, 2004 Blog Report One of These Things Is Not Like the Other For members of the mainstream... Susan Madrak: GO TAKE YOUR VIAGRA, BOB — Bob Dole is a limp-dicked old party hack who should be ashamed of himself. Mathew Gross: The Boston Globe got it wrong today: [snipped quote] But this is the Bush family— the dogs ain't gonna be called off. |
| Also: Richard TPD, Digby, DemFromCT, Atrios, Josh Marshall, Larre @LeftCoaster, Harley | |
Was 9/11 Supposed to Be 9/18? By / WaPo — Permalink In the spirit of the 9/11 commission's call for greater "imagination" in intelligence analysis, there is a strong case to be made that the original al Qaeda plan was not to attack New York and Washington on Tuesday, September 11, but rather a week later, on Tuesday, September 18 — the day on which Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, fell in 2001. | |
|
Mike Rappaport: Was 9/11 intended for 9/18? An interesting and sinister theory about 9/11. (Hat tip: Volokh Conspiracy). Stephen Pollard: 9/18 — An interesting theory: that 9/11 was originally intended to be 9/18 - Rosh Hashanah. Orin Kerr: In today's Washington Post, retired Foreign Service Officer Kenneth M. Quinn offers a theory that the attacks of 9/11/01... |
Eszter Hargittai: Some light shed on crazy 9/11 rumors — Kenneth Quinn has an interesting piece in WaPo about whether 9/11 was supposed to be 9/18 according to original plans. Gene @HarrysPlace: Here's an intriguing theory: The 9/11 attacks were originally planned for 9/18— which in 2001 fell on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Betsy Newmark: Here is an interesting theory that the 9/11 attacks were originally scheduled to take place a week later on 9/18 which would have been Rosh Hashanah. |
Marching to November By / Weekly Standard — Permalink FOR THE PAST couple weeks Republican activists have bent themselves to the task of proving that John Kerry, who was awarded five medals during four months of service in the Vietnam war, isn't a war hero, and the marvelous intensity of their exertions started me thinking. | |
|
Harry @HarrysPlace: If you are going to spend anytime reading up on this phase of the campaign then Totten's suggested article by Andrew... Michael Totten: Andrew Ferguson in The Weekly Standard has written what I think is the very best piece on this subject. Orrin Judd: IT'S NOT THE 4.5 MONTHS, IT'S THE SUBSEQUENT 35 YEARS: Marching to November: The politics of chest-thumping. |
Matt Stoller: The Weekly Standard hit on this in an overly partisan and somewhat stupid article (um, Ferguson, evangelicals love Bush,... DeLong: I still find this very odd: The Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson writes: [snipped quote] So why didn't the grownup Republicans do something about it? Jesse Taylor: Psychomolology — The Weekly Standard posts a less hyperbolic version of Ken Layne's post from last week about the... |
| Also: Richard TPD, Oliver Willis, Kevin Drum, DemFromCT, Harley | |
Republican smear machine can't stand up to the facts Facing the future of higher education Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink John H. Hinderaker and Scott W. Johnson had a jolly good time in a Wednesday commentary "fact-checking" Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's statements about operating his Swift boat in Cambodian waters. | |
|
Atrios: More Like This — A newspaper editor takes the time to fact-check an op-ed published in the paper. Hindrocket: A Further Response to Jim Boyd — In today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, Strib editorial board member Jim Boyd writes that... |
Vox Day: He won't show — After the Star and Sickle ran a hit piece defending Krazy John against the Powerline duo of Hindrocket... The Big Trunk: Boyd's column is "Republican smear machine can't stand up to the facts." |
Austin Powers Opinion Journal — Permalink What would you say if we told you we have a way to add as many as eight new Republican senators to Congress? We could also add eight right-leaning votes to the Electoral College. It's simple, it's fun, and it's perfectly constitutional: Texas should divide itself into five states. | |
|
Gail Heriot: Such is the tongue-in-cheek (well ... maybe not so tongue-in-cheek) recommendation of Vasan Kesavan and Michael Paulsen in today's OpinionJournal. The Big Trunk: Today OpinionJournal has posted the column from this past week's Wall Street Journal that we referred to in our post: "Austin Powers." William J. Dyer: Which brings me, through uncertain logic, to a bit of whimsy published in Sunday's edition of the WSJ's OpinionJournal... |
Glenn Reynolds: THOSE TRICKY REPUBLICANS: A strategy to lock down the Senate, co-authored by my law school classmate Michael Paulsen. Michael DeBow: Messin' with Texas: It seems that Texas could split itself into five states, without the necessity of Congressional action. |
Kerry: Slo-Mo on Swifties By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — It's easy for the Bushes to stay gallant. They delegate the gutter. There are always third-party political assassins, ostensibly independent, to do the dynasty wet work. | |
|
Paul Glastris: As Maureen Down puts it: "The White House must tear down [Kerry's] heroism before it can tear down his patriotism." Richard TPD: Quote of the Day — From the never-to-be-misunderestim ated Maureen Dowd: [snipped quote] Ouch. Atrios: MoDo — Indeed. "It makes sense for W. to use surrogates to do his fighting, just as he did when he slid out of Vietnam... |
Steve M.: It's a plausible outcome that matches some of our stereotypes about liberal values: an aversion to human suffering, an... Leah A: Here are a few more highlights; you can and should read the whole thing here, but after having spent the week doing... Laura Rozen: And check out Dowd: "It makes sense for W. to use surrogates to do his fighting, just as he did when he slid out of... |
Kerry Urges Bush to Demand Attacks Stop AP — Permalink EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. Aug. 21, 2004 — Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Saturday night urged President Bush to "stand up and stop" what he called personal attacks on him over his combat record in Vietnam. | |
|
Paul Glastris: A series of suspicious-if-not-quite direct connections, and one spot-on one, have been established between SBVFT and the Bush campaign. Charles Johnson: After inviting George W. Bush to Bring ... It ... On, John F. Kerry is now begging him to Make ... Them ... Stop. Kevin Drum: UPDATE: More evidence to support Kerry is buried in this AP story: "Kerry also picked up support from Wayne D... |
Sir George: In other Kerry news, or more accurately the same news story with different ending twists, they mentioned some new vets coming out for Kerry. Josh Marshall: Today at a rally, John Edwards said, among other things, "This is a moment of truth for George W. Bush. |
I Still Have Work to Do By / NYT — Permalink Trenton — Ten days ago, I made a very difficult personal decision to announce my sexuality and resignation as governor of New Jersey. I also apologized to my wife for my failure to respect the covenant of our marriage, and to the citizens of New Jersey for allowing my professional decisions to be distracted by my personal life. | |
|
Taegan Goddard: However, in a New York Times op-ed yesterday, McGreevey dug in. "While I see the merits of both sides of the debate, I stand firm with my decision. Jeralyn Merritt: McGreevey Explains His Decision — New Jersey Governor James McGreevey explains his decision to remain in office until November in an op-ed in today's New York Times. Jeff Jarvis: McGreevey speaks (sort of) : NJ Gov Jim McGreevey writes an op-ed in the Sunday Times. |
Roger L. Simon: He has an oped today in the NYT in which he again wraps his personal angst and political activites in the mantle of the Gay Rights Struggle. Cori Dauber: He's still pretending, though, that his resignation was not something forced by the politically untenable situation his... |
'The Scream' stolen from museum AP — Permalink OSLO, Norway (AP) — Armed men stormed into an art museum Sunday, threatened staff at gunpoint and stole Edvard Munch's famous paintings "The Scream" and "Madonna" before the eyes of stunned museum-goers. | |
|
Gary Farber: BRING ME BACK! (And get me an aspirin!) Jan Haugland: Here's CNN. PS 3: The WebMuseum in Paris has a nice page with many pictures of Edvard Munch paintings. |
Damian Penny: Thomas Crown wanted for questioning — Edvard Munch's The Scream was stolen from an Oslo museum earlier today. |
The RAF's Guinea Pig heroes near final scramble By / Observer — Permalink To join the Guinea Pig Club, the boast of its members goes, you had to serve in the RAF in the second world war and suffer disfiguring injuries from being boiled, mashed or fried by enemy fire. | |
|
Christopher Kanis: THE TOWN THAT DIDN'T STARE — Spotted this one over at The Corner. It's a good one. |
Andrew Stuttaford: THE TOWN THAT DIDN'T STARE — For a story of courage, stoicism and kindness, go here. |
Armed Robbers Steal Munch's 'The Scream' in Oslo Reuters — Permalink OSLO (Reuters) - Armed robbers stole "The Scream" and another masterpiece by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch on Sunday in a bold daytime raid on an Oslo museum packed with terrified tourists. | |
|
Moe Lane: Armed Robbers Steal Munch's 'The Scream' in Oslo: [snipped quote] mdf668676 Now, aside from an uncontrollable urge to... |
Betsy Newmark: Arrgghhhh! Why can't the Norwegians keep ahold of their classic art treasures? |
Inheritance tax to rise to 50 per cent By / Telegraph — Permalink Inheritance tax for middle class families is to soar under government plans that would come into effect after the next general election. The scheme, which is being prepared in Downing Street for inclusion in Labour's manifesto, would raise an extra... | |
|
Andrew Stuttaford: Now it seems that he is looking at increasing the death tax paid by some better off Britons, all in the name of 'fairness', whatever that is supposed to mean. |
Gabriel Syme: The front page announces that inheritance tax is to rise to 50 per cent for those whose inheritance exceed a limit set... |