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Carter fears Florida vote trouble BBC — Permalink Voting arrangements in Florida do not meet "basic international requirements" and could undermine the US election, former US President Jimmy Carter says. He said a repeat of the irregularities of the much-disputed 2000 election - which gave President George W Bush the narrowest of wins - "seems likely". | |
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Jon Henke: So, of course, Jimmy Carter speaks up... [quote] "A fumbling attempt has been made recently to disqualify 22,000 African...[end quote] Joe Gandelman: The BBC reports: [quote] Voting arrangements in Florida do not meet "basic international requirements" and could undermine the US election, former US President Jimmy Carter says.[end quote] Taegan Goddard: Carter Predicts Voting Problems — Former President Jimmy Carter told the BBC that "voting arrangements in Florida do... |
H.D. Miller: Who knew then just how accurate it was. [snipped quote] As others have pointed out, Carter's laying the groudwork for a legal challange should Florida's vote be close again. Matt Davis: You know, places like Florida. It would appear that the recommendations that Jimmy and Gerald Ford assembled after the 2000 vote fiasco have not been implemented. Steve Gilliard: Carter:Florida is cheating — Florida is cheating Carter fears Florida vote trouble [snipped quote] You don't need Diebold to cheat. |
| Also: Bill @INDCJournal, Stephen Green, Susanna Cornett, David Cohen | |
No French or German turn on Iraq By / Financial Times — Permalink French and German government officials say they will not significantly increase military assistance in Iraq even if John Kerry, the Democratic presidential challenger, is elected on November 2. | |
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David Cohen: JE COMPRENDS, JACQUES — No French or German turn on Iraq (Jo Johnson, Betrand Benoit and James Harding, Financial... Baldilocks: The problem with that, Senator, is that just today, France and Germany told you to kiss their collective rosy-reds... Daniel Drezner: It's not like I'm thrilled with the Bush administration's handling of the war, but I'd like to see Kerry's response to... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "BRINGING ALLIES TO US" — Yet another indication that John Kerry's plans regarding Iraq rest on hopes unlikely to be... Bill @INDCJournal: Living in a Patronizing Dreamworld — Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill pimps John Kerry's grand Iraq strategy to... Charles Johnson: Time for plan B: No French or German turn on Iraq. (Hat tip: dustyroadguy.) |
Bush Maintains Lead in Post-ABC News Poll By / WaPo — Permalink President George W. Bush maintains a clear lead over Democrat John F. Kerry and continues to be perceived by most voters as the candidate best able to deal with Iraq and the war on terrorism, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Finally, look at this chart from the WashingtonPost/ABC poll today: If the 2004 presidential election were being held... PoliPundit: Polls — Gallup: 52-44 ABC/WaPo: 51-45 The internals are much more damning for Kerry than the head-to-head. Taegan Goddard: Update: The new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Bush leading 51% to 45% among likely voters and 51% to 44% among registered voters. |
Hindrocket: Bush's Lead Holds Going Into Debates — New Gallup and Washington Post/ABC polls released today show President Bush continuing to lead John Kerry. Ace: ABCNews/WaPo Poll: Bush by 6 — Awesome: "Bush currently receives 51 percent among likely voters while Kerry gets 45 percent and independent Ralph Nader receives 1 percent. |
Still Seeking a Fair Florida Vote By / WaPo — Permalink After the debacle in Florida four years ago, former president Gerald Ford and I were asked to lead a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes in the American electoral process. After months of concerted effort by a dedicated and bipartisan group of experts, we presented unanimous recommendations to the president and Congress. | |
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Avedon Carol: Chris Bowers at MyDD has more on shenanigans in Ohio. No Capital worries about elections in both the US and Iraq. The Poor Man: If all fiction was science fiction. Classic. [Via Electrolite. ] Jimmy Carter is shrill. Other priorities. Kos: Jimmy Carter: Florida conditions suck — Katherine Harris' legacy lives on: [snipped quote] There you go. Democracy, Bush family style. |
Jane Galt: Memo to Jimmy Carter — RE: Appearing to side with the UN against the US Making nasty accusations against your own... James Martin Capozzola: In today's Washington Post ("Still Seeking a Fair Florida Vote") President Carter writes: "[S]ome basic international requirements for a fair election are missing in Florida. Orrin Judd: BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE (via Kevin Whited): Still Seeking a Fair Florida Vote (Jimmy Carter, September 27, 2004, Washington... |
| Also: John J. Miller | |
Strong Charges Set New Tone Before Debate NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - The presidential campaign is entering a pivotal two-week period at a boil, with Senator John Kerry and President Bush battling over the Iraq war and the threat of another domestic terrorist attack, making emotion-charged arguments to set the groundwork for their first debate, on Thursday. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Why This Week's Debate Can Decide The Election — Here's why the upcoming debates can decide the election — especially the one this week, which can be winner take all. Orrin Judd: ABBIE HOFFMAN SHOULD HAVE LIVED TO SEE THIS: Strong Charges Set New Tone Before Debate (ADAM NAGOURNEY and ROBIN TONER,... Atrios: Nagourney grr In Wisconsin on Sunday, Mr. Kerry seized on reports of an interview the president gave to Bill O'Reilly on... |
Scott Rosenberg: That's President Bush's communications director, Nicolle Devenish, in this morning's New York Times. Now, maybe Bush doesn't blink. Tom Maguire: Meanwhile, Over At "All The News" — Adam Nagourney warns us that both sides are making stong charges before the upcoming debate. Hugh Hewitt: So this is where he is today, via the New York Times: "Mr. Kerry, arriving in Wisconsin on Sunday for four days of... |
Report: Top Bin Laden deputy caught in Pakistan Jerusalem Post — Permalink Top Bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri has been caught in Pakistan, according to a report from the region quoted on Israel Radio Monday. Pakistani forces operating against al Qaida strongholds in the country report capturing the Egyptian national, who was... | |
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Joe Gandelman: Has Osama bin Laden's brutal right hand man been caught — and, if so, when will it be officially announced and will... Orrin Judd: SHHHHHH, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE DEBATE: Report: Top Bin Laden deputy caught in Pakistan (THE JERUSALEM... Allah: "Top Bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri has been caught in Pakistan, according to a report from the "region quoted on Israel Radio Monday." |
Betsy Newmark: How nice if this turns out to be true. Charles Johnson: Ayman al-Zawahri Captured? Report: Top Bin Laden deputy caught in Pakistan. |
Kerry appeals for end to election advertising war AFP — Permalink SPRING GREEN, United States (AFP) - Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry appealed for an end to the TV advertising war that has marked his election battle against President George W. Bush . | |
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H.D. Miller: Waaaaaaaaah! John Kerry is getting desperate. David Cohen: NO MAS — Kerry appeals for end to election advertising war (afp, 9/27/04) [snipped quote] There's so much here my head is going to explode. |
Allah: In this case, it means whining about "scare tactics" — which is rich for oh so many, many, many reasons — and proposing an end to all television "attack" ads. Ace: Kerry is whining yet again, this time about advertisments. Apparently Bush's work and his don't, or else he wouldn't be making this cynical call to pull them off the air. |
Is CIA at war with Bush? By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink A few hours after George W. Bush dismissed a pessimistic CIA report on Iraq as ''just guessing,'' the analyst who identified himself as its author told a private dinner last week of secret, unheeded warnings years ago about going to war in Iraq. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Robert Novak Confuses Again — Novak Now I'm totally confused: I thought Robert Novak didn't believe in revealing key sources. Tim Dunlop: Nowhere man — Laura Rozen rightly notes this interesting piece by Bob Novak in which he reveals the identity of the CIA... James Joyner: Is CIA at War with President Bush? Bob Novak asks, "Is CIA at war with Bush?" [snipped quote] No kidding. |
Orrin Judd: BUSH VS. THE SPOOKS: Is CIA at war with Bush? Laura Rozen: If someone finds a link, please forward it and I will add it here. Update: Here it is. |
France seeking to put pullout on agenda IHT — Permalink WASHINGTON France said Monday that it would take part in a proposed international conference on Iraq only if the agenda included a possible U.S. troop withdrawal, thus complicating the planning for a meeting that has drawn mixed reactions. | |
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Allah: According to this piece, France refuses to participate in any international conference on Iraq unless total U.S. withdrawal from the country is on the table. Hindrocket: Our Helpul French Allies — Steven Den Beste, one of the best bloggers ever, wrote to point out this article in the... |
Charles Johnson: France Advocates Retreat — France? Advocating surrender? Who could imagine? France seeking to put pullout on agenda. |
No Assault Rifle for Kerry, After All By / NYT — Permalink Senator John Kerry's campaign said yesterday that Mr. Kerry did not own a Chinese assault rifle, as he was quoted as saying in Outdoor Life magazine, but a single-bolt-action military rifle, blaming aides who filled out the magazine's questionnaire on his behalf for the error. | |
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Orrin Judd: THE COMMON TOUCH (via David Cohen): No Assault Rifle for Kerry, After All (JODI WILGOREN, 9/27/04, NY Times)... Mike Hendrix: And of course, once this onerous-to-liberals factoid got out, the scrambling for some underling to blame for it got... James Frederick Dwight: The always reliable New York Times, America's paper of record, published the Kerry campaign's response to Kevin's questions. |
H.D. Miller: NY Times: Kerry Doesn't Really Own Assualt Rifle — I was sort of right. He didn't need a rifle to shoot himself in the foot. Glenn Reynolds: KERRY ASSAULT WEAPON UPDATE: Now he's blaming his aides for the whole story. Those pesky aides and speechwriters sure do get him in a lot of hot water. Michelle Malkin: The story in the New York Times about John Kerry's Chinese assault rifle fraud is so pathetically funny that I have to... |
| Also: Bill @INDCJournal | |
NBC: O'Brien will succeed Leno on 'Tonight' in 2009 AP — Permalink NBC announced Monday that Conan O'Brien will take over from Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show." But he'll have time to write his jokes — the planned succession won't happen until 2009. | |
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James Joyner: Conan O'Brien will Succeed Jay Leno on 'Tonight' Show — NBC: O'Brien will succeed Leno on 'Tonight' in 2009 (Hollywood... Jeff Quinton: O'Brien to replace Leno — Hollywood Reporter "An online news report Monday said that NBC will announce that Conan... |
Joe Gandelman: Seriously, we're sure President Alan Keyes will go on the show....) UPDATE: This guy has truly paid his dues. |
If Howard Dean Were the Candidate ... By / Time — Permalink Political punditry is harder than it looks. That's what a lot of Democratic voters must be thinking right about now. Last winter Democratic-primary voters played political consultant. They tried to step inside the minds of swing voters and figure out which Democratic presidential candidate could beat George W. Bush. | |
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Orrin Judd: HE WOULDN'T HAVE CARRIED HIS HOME STATE EITHER (via Robert Schwartz): If Howard Dean Were the Candidate ...: Flip-flops wouldn't be the issue; Iraq would. Stephen Green: Time's Peter Beinart argues that Howard Dean would have been a better candidate than John Kerry: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing to find out why. |
Mathew Gross: Second-Guessing — Peter Bienart wishes Dean were the nominee in the latest issue of Time. PoliPundit: The Dean Scenario — Peter Beinart examines what might have happened if Howard Dean had been the Democrat nominee. |
The Kidnap Weapon By / NYT — Permalink The Zarqawi terrorist network in Iraq has developed a powerful new weapon. It requires no munitions and no suicide zealots, runs no risk to terrorists of death or capture and provides cash to finance other operations. The weapon is publicized kidnapping. | |
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James Joyner: The Kidnap Weapon — Bill Safire argues that we've seen the arrival of "The Kidnap Weapon," a new political force to be... James Martin Capozzola: Safire, that slippery sap of sycophancy, was as insufferable as ever, and he gives a repeat performance in today's New... Betsy Newmark: William Safire chastises John Kerry for playing into the terrorists hands by referring to the kidnappings in a new campaign ad. |
Jeff Jarvis: The kidnap weapon; the media target : William Safire said today just what I said Saturday about examing our role and... Cori Dauber: I believe he's wrong that this is a strategy designed to manipulate the election. |
Tribe's apology marks third instance of HLS citation woes in past year Harvard Crimson — Permalink Harvard constitutional law scholar Laurence H. Tribe '62 apologized yesterday for not properly crediting another professor's work in his popular 1985 book God Save This Honorable Court, one day after a conservative political magazine accused him of plagiarism. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Well, Laurence Tribe has acknowledged his plagiarism. It hasn't been a good time for Harvard professors, particularly at the Law School. Stuart Buck: Tribe Admits Wrongdoing — Laurence Tribe has already admitted that he failed to use proper attribution in his 1985 book God Save This Honorable Court. |
Greg Ransom: If there was this much nuance in the past, I don't recall it. UPDATE: Tribe admits he did it, apologizes. Jesse Panuccio: Problems with plagarism among our professors continue here at HLS. |
Iraqi Judge Drops Case Against Leading Exile Figure By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 27 — A senior Iraqi judge said today that he had closed a case brought against Ahmad Chalabi, the former exile once backed by the Pentagon, who had been suspected of involvement in a counterfeiting operation. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Chalabi Wasabi — The case against Ahmed Chalabi has been dropped. KJL: IRAQI CASE AGAINST CHALABI DROPPED |
Edward _: Note to Allawi: Forget Kerry, Watch Chalabi — With all the bickering about whether the Kerry camp is undermining Iraqi... |
Memo to Bloggers: Heal Thyselves By / Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 4 issue - Things are quiet on the Where Is Raed blog these days. Quite a contrast to the weeks preceding the Iraqi war, when self-described "accidental journalist" Salam Pax (a pseudonym) became an international celebrity by providing a view of what it was like to live in a country awaiting invasion. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: But he has one in Newsweek today that Instapundit pointed me towards. |
Glenn Reynolds: STEVEN LEVY calls bloggers "a nation of ankle-biters." (What's next? Cracks about pajamas?) But he also misrepresents the quote of mine that he uses. |
Rock bottom, "diversion," the debates, &c. NRO — Permalink The Kerry campaign has reached rock bottom. I'm not talking about its standing in the polls — I don't care about that, so much. I'm talking about its moral status. Its behavior during Prime Minister Allawi's visit to the United States was appalling. | |
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H.D. Miller: Policy of Defeat Daily Update — Here's Jay Nordlinger writing about the Kerry campaign's disgraceful response to Iyad Allawi. Allah: UPDATE: Echoing Althouse, Jay Nordlinger of NRO says the Allawi debacle is "rock bottom" for the Kerry campaign. |
Betsy Newmark: Jay Nordlinger has this goody in his Impromptus today. "So, do you know who's prepping John Kerry for debate? |
CNN producer abducted in Gaza CNN — Permalink GAZA CITY (CNN) — A group of armed men abducted a CNN producer in Gaza City on Monday. The men kidnapped producer Riad Ali after stopping a taxi he was riding in with CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman and a CNN camerawoman. | |
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Jan Haugland: Palestinian media critics? CNN producer Riad Ali has been kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza city. Jeff Jarvis: Now a CNN producer has been kidnapped in Gaza. I fear this weapon of terrorism will spread everywhere. |
Roger L. Simon: There are few details of the event so far, but one jumped out at me. Unlike many kidnappers, this group did not bother to wear masks. |
For Police Recruits, Risk Is Constant Companion By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD — When the first mortar shell hit, the recruits cheered defiantly. They were seated in the bleachers of an indoor basketball court at the Police Sports Club, about 800 prospective members of the new Iraqi police. | |
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David Allan Pell: Here is a great piece on four friends who have signed up to join the new Iraqi police force. Bill @INDCJournal: UPDATE: Also, the WaPo has an excellent, gut-wrenching article about the continuing demand for positions within the... |
Bird Dog: Everyday Iraqi Heroes — The Washington Post has a piece on four lifelong friends applying for jobs with the police force in Baghdad. Cori Dauber: Proving once again that it's the best paper in the country, the WaPo steps in to fill the gap. But the article's virtually useless. |
Post-Totalitarian Stress Disorder By / Opinion Journal — Permalink The past two weeks continued to be tumultuous in Iraq. More hostages taken, more hostages beheaded, more suicide bombings, more sabotage, more fighting, all unfolding against the background of an increasingly bitter U.S. presidential election campaign and a... | |
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Betsy Newmark: Arthur Chrenkoff has a great roundup of good news from Iraq. It's a nice switch from the constant gloom and doom in most media. FrancoAlemán: It's undeniable that the place is full of problems, but bad things are not the only ones happening there, not by a long... Cori Dauber: But since you aren't getting that from the mainstream media, you need to get that from Chrenkoff. |
Joe Gandelman: And Arthur Chrenkoff has it here. Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: On a related point, see the indispensable Arthur Chrenkoff. Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Iraq, Part 11 — Update: Also available from the "Opinion Journal", appropriately titled "Post-Totalitarian Stress Disorder" and from the Winds of Change. |
An Agile Pilot Who Flew Under the Radar LAT — Permalink HOUSTON — On a temperate, crystal-clear Texas day in April 1972, Lt. George W. Bush took what turned out to be his last flight as a National Guard pilot. Over the next 18 months of his tour, the man who is now America's commander in chief paid little... | |
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Xan @Corrente: Finishing in a Flurry — Nothing much in this LA Times piece today that regular readers here, or of Paul Lukasiak's tireless work, are not already familiar with. Barbara O'Brien: There's a nice account of Bush's National Guard years in today's Los Angeles Times. Highly recommended. | </DIV Greg Ransom: THE LEFT ANGELES TIMES does its run-up-to-the-election hit piece on Bush's Guard service. |
Patterico: L.A. Times Gives Bob Mintz Yet Another Free Pass — The Los Angeles Times has a long piece on Bush's National Guard... Kevin Hayden: It doesn't mention drug use allegations and skims over his partying a bit briefly. But it's nice work, overall. |
L.A. Times May Break Tradition, Make Choice for President By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK The Los Angeles Times, which has not endorsed a candidate for president since the 1972 election, may change its policy this year under new editorial/opinion editor Michael Kinsley. | |
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Charles Johnson: LA Times: Kinsley Wants to Endorse a Candidate — The Los Angeles Times may break with tradition and endorse a candidate for president this year. Taegan Goddard: L.A. Times May Break Tradition, Make Endorsement — [snipped quote] Editor and Publisher reports. |
Kevin Roderick: Kinsley wants LAT to endorse — Michael Kinsley, The Times' editorial page and opinion über-editor, told Editor and... |
Bush apparently leads Kerry in pre-debate poll CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Headed into their first face-to-face debate, President Bush appears to be leading Democratic Sen. John Kerry among likely voters, with a clearer edge among registered voters. | |
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Ace: The CNN/USAT/Gallup poll shows Bush ahead by 8 with likelies and, oddly enough, ahead by 11 with registered voters. |
KJL: "BUSH APPARENTLY LEADS KERRY..." CNN headline questions its own poll. |
Free to Clone By / NYT — Permalink This election year, the debate over cloning technology has become a circus — and hardly anybody has noticed the gorilla hiding in the tent. Even while President Bush has endorsed throwing scientists in jail to stop ''reckless experiments'' (and has tried to... | |
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Orrin Judd: WE KNOW ABOUT FIRE, BUT MURDER IS SPEECH TOO? (via Flag of the World): Free to Clone (BRIAN ALEXANDER, 9/26/04, NY Times... Ramesh Ponnuru: SO MUCH FOR restrictions on experiments on human beings: This guy's theory makes them unconstitutional. |
Christopher Kanis: OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MAY NOT BE USELESS AFTER ALL — While it's true that the First Amendment is no longer an obstacale... |
Debate Preparation Began With a Professor at Yale By / NYT — Permalink People may think they have heard enough about the things that President Bush and Senator John Kerry have in common - Yankee ancestry, distant relatives, Skull and Bones. | |
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Susan Q. Stranahan: If you harbor any hope that Thursday may indeed be classic point-and-thrust oratory by two well-trained debaters, don't hold your breath. Taegan Goddard: Bush and Kerry Shared Debate Coach — While students at Yale University, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry "shared the... |
Alexander K. McClure: This is our supposedly stupid President in action…according to the New York Times… ""He actually gave me a... Betsy Newmark: Both Bush and Kerry took a class on American oratory from the same professor at Yale. |
Kerry Can't Take Oregon for Granted By / LAT — Permalink Yet the double-digit lead Kerry rode in polls here earlier this summer has narrowed sharply, reflecting his general slide in national polls but also the unease many Oregonians express about Kerry's credentials as a commander in chief. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Oregon Is Wavering From The Kerry Column — Yet another sign that the camp of John Kerry has its work cut out for it:... Orrin Judd: EVERYTHING WEST OF IL: Kerry Can't Take Oregon for Granted (Sam Howe Verhovek, September 27, 2004, LA Times)... Betsy Newmark: The LA Times says that Kerry can't count on Oregon. I don't think Bush will win Oregon, but Kerry will have to spend resources there to keep it in his column. |
Hugh Hewitt: It doesn't help to have Kerry supporters provide money quotes like "'I voted for Nader, and I wound up with an... Captain Ed: LA Times: Oregon In Play — Today's Los Angeles Times makes a startling admimssion that Oregon, one of the more liberal... Greg Ransom: MARK HATFIELD'S OREGON — IN PLAY FOR BUSH-CHENEY. Bush leads Kerry 47% - 43% in Oregon (Mason-Dixon). |
Election Heightens Terrorism Offensive WaPo — Permalink Agencies across the federal government are launching an aggressive and unusually open offensive aimed at thwarting terrorist plots before and during the presidential election in November. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: But I'm not entirely convinced that they aren't still stuck on point one: If we could just unleash all the lovely,... Cori Dauber: THE WARNING DILEMNA — The Post has a story up detailing steps the government is about to take in response to worries... |
Jeff A. Taylor: Shock the Vote — Why are we back to the "pre-election" terror canard? |
Iran, Israel and the Bomb Honest Reporting — Permalink Columnist Jonathan Power misrepresents the nuclear threat from the Mideast. Last week, Iran rejected a call from the International Atomic Energy Agency to cease its uranium enrichment activities, and this week it test-fired a newly-upgraded missile that can reach Israel and US troops in the Mideast. | |
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Charles Johnson: Iran, Israel and the Bomb — Honest Reporting has an exposé of another bit of outrageous distortion in mainstream... |
Ted Belman: IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE BOMB — Honest Reporting (This article contained many links. It can be viewed here.) |
Flirting With Disaster By / Slate — Permalink There it was at the tail end of Brian Faler's "Politics" roundup column in last Saturday's Washington Post. It was headed, simply, "Quotable": "I wouldn't be surprised if he appeared in the next month." | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Over at Slate Christopher Hitchens lights into "the vile spectacle of Democrats rooting for bad news in Iraq and Afghanistan." |
Kevin Raybould: And what's really going on in a Hitchens column is generally nothing. This column is a perfect example. |
Key Bush Assertions About Iraq in Dispute By / Reuters — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - Many of President Bush's assertions about progress in Iraq — from police training and reconstruction to preparations for January elections — are in dispute, according to internal Pentagon documents, lawmakers and key congressional aides on Sunday. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Via Kevin Drum I see the president has stopped talking platitudes about the upcoming Iraqi elections and started... The Talking Dog: The reality, of course, is that we are killing around twice as many innocent civilians as the insurgents, and once in a... Oliver Willis: Key Bush Assertions About Iraq in Dispute [snipped quote] We all know, Words Speak Louder Than Facts. |
Kevin Drum: Reuters, however, reports that "many of these assertions have met with skepticism from key lawmakers." Kevin Hayden: This Is Not Really News Anymore, Is It? Key Bush Assertions About Iraq in Dispute. |
Sprawl May Harm Health, Study Finds By / WaPo — Permalink People who live in sprawling communities tend to suffer more health problems, according to the first study to document a link between the world of strip malls, cul-de-sacs and subdivisions and a broad array of ailments. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Sprawl is good for you : A new "study" argues that suburban sprawl is bad for your health. What a hock of hooey. |
John J. Miller: BURBARIANS — The suburbs are bad for your health. So says a new study highlighted in today's Washington Post. |
Look for Substance, Not Sizzle By / NYT — Permalink With President Bush and John Kerry set to debate on Thursday, American political journalism is proclaiming that the occasion is a crucial "test" for Mr. Kerry, and perhaps for Mr. Bush. Indeed. But it's also a test for journalists. | |
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Susan Q. Stranahan: While cooler heads are urging the news media not to hone in on the hype and hyperbole of Thursday's... |
Jeff Jarvis: First Safire (below), now Adam Clymer (an ex-neighbor) on today's Times op-ed argues that mud-slinging is distracting from the real work of the campaign and those covering it. |
Army May Reduce Length of Tours in Combat Zones NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - Fearing a sharp decline in recruiting and troop retention, the Army is considering cutting the length of its 12-month combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, senior Army officials say. | |
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Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Consider the following story from the NY Times: [quote] "Fearing a sharp decline in recruiting and troop retention, the Army...[end quote] |
David Allan Pell: + Service in Iraq is also presenting some difficulties when it comes to the recruitment and retention of U.S. soldiers. |
Blogging Sells, and Sells Out LAT — Permalink By most accounts, blogs — web logs to the uninitiated — scored a major coup last week when CBS News admitted that it couldn't vouch for the authenticity of memos supposedly written by George W. Bush's commander in the Texas Air National Guard. | |
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Nick Confessore: Billmon of the excellent blog Whiskey Bar is leading what I expect will be a broader wave of angst over whether blogs are becoming too commercialized and professionalized. James Joyner: Whiskey Jar proprieter billmon has a controversial piece in yesterday's LAT entitled, "Blogging Sells, and Sells Out." Michael Froomkin: Take Two, They're Small — Having just read Billmon's lament that blogs are selling out, it was something of a shock to... |
Captain Ed: ABC's Hack Job On Blogs — A number of bloggers took the New York Times Magazine to task for a slanted and superficial... Matt Stoller: Billmon, Kaput — Billmon quits with a bang. Steve Gilliard: The party's over — Here lies blogs, says Billmon Blogging Sells, and Sells Out By Billmon, Billmon is the author of Whiskey Bar, online at www.billmon.org. |
| Also: Kos, Tbogg, Joe Gandelman, Mathew Gross, Meteor Blades, Chris Bowers, Roger Ailes, Richard TPD, Xan @Corrente, Jeralyn Merritt, Skippy, Steve Bainbridge, Susan Madrak, Ed Cone, Oliver @LiquidList, Matthew Yglesias, Kevin Drum, Digby | |
CNN Producer Seized by Armed Men in Gaza By / Reuters — Permalink GAZA (Reuters) - Armed Palestinians seized an Israeli Arab producer for the CNN television network from a car in Gaza City on Monday after asking for him by name. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Eyeless in Gaza - The Sequel — Riad Ali, a CNN producer for two years, has been abducted in Gaza today by armed gunmen. |
Charles Johnson: Activists Extend Hospitality to CNN Producer — A CNN producer has been kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. Wait. |
The Autonomist Manifesto (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Road) By / NYT — Permalink When you drive into San Diego on Interstate 15, you can see the highway of the future. In fact, you can see two different versions of it in the same lanes. In the center of each of the express lanes are faint black smudges, each a couple inches in diameter, spaced at intervals 1.2 meters apart. | |
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Jane Galt: The New York Times magazine had a wonderful piece on this yesterday, which explodes many of the myths of smart growth:... Chef: More Tolls, Less Gridlock — I spent about 8 hours in the airport today, reading the Sunday NY Times from cover to... |
Jesse Walker: Lord, Mr. Ford, I Just Wish That You Could See What Your Simple Horseless Carriage Has Become — Writing in The New York... |
State GOP wrestling for identity By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink Reeling from scandal and election defeats, the Illinois GOP is locked in an ideological civil war the Republican right blames on a party leadership that has strayed from core beliefs and values. | |
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Charles Kuffner: According to this Chicago Tribune poll, they're really really really bad. [snipped quote] Wow. ArchPundit: The Most Bizarre Poll I've Ever Seen — Okay, the polling series isn't quite done (twins turned 2 yesterday so it's been... |
Taegan Goddard: But a Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll of Republican voters in the state "suggests it may be the most conservative elements of the party who are out of step." |
Taliban Fighter Who Was Freed From Guantánamo Prison Is Killed By / NYT — Permalink KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 26 - A senior Taliban commander who had been released from the American detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was killed Saturday in Uruzgan Province, Afghan officials reported Sunday. | |
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Charles Johnson: He promptly rejoined the Taliban and started killing in the name of Allah again: Taliban Fighter Who Was Freed From Guantanamo Prison Is Killed. |
Kate O'Beirne: Note this morning's New York Times story about the late Maulavi Ghaffar. |
Gimme an 'O'. . . By / American Prospect — Permalink The Democratic National Committee and operative Howard Wolfson certainly took a lot of heat for "Operation Fortunate Son," the tough public-relations campaign they initiated to put the questions about President Bush's National Guard service on the front burner. | |
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Mathew Gross: Osama-Rama — Tomasky makes the point I made about five days ago: [snipped quote] As I wrote: [snipped quote] I agree with both of us. |
Atrios: Operation Fortune Son — Tomasky tell us that it appears to be working and suggests that Kerry go after Bush on his... |
A Slow Journey From Isolation By / WaPo — Permalink Peace came to Michael Shackelford last year inside a psychiatric ward. He was 16 and his mother had just discovered his relationship with another young man. Feeling alone and frightened, and unable to imagine his future as a gay teenager in rural Oklahoma,... | |
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Matthew Yglesias: "Real" America — Let me second Belle Waring's last point about The Washington Post's series "Young and Gay in Real... |
Belle Waring: I suggest putting it all into perspective by reading a series of articles on being a 17-year-old gay boy in rural Oklahoma (Part I, Part II; Part III is forthcoming). |
Agencies Postpone Issuing New Rules Until After Election By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - After a case of mad cow disease surfaced in Washington State late last year, federal regulators vowed to move swiftly to adopt rules to reduce the risks of further problems and restore confidence in the nation's meat industry. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: Slow Down, There Fella' The New York Times today reports ("Agencies Postpone Issuing New Rules Until After Election,"... |
Tom Tomorrow: Politics 101 — From this morning's Times: [snipped quote] Translation: Federal regulators wanted the cattle industry to... |
Bush Benefiting From Divided Nation's Unity on Security By / LAT — Permalink Has Sept. 11 tipped the 50-50 nation toward the GOP? Less cryptically, is a political environment centered on national security issues allowing the Republican Party to break the partisan deadlock that has characterized U.S. politics for the last decade? | |
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McQ: The stakes for kerry in thursday's debate — Ron Brownstein asks a question that seems to have a pretty obvious answer: "Has Sept. 11 tipped the 50-50 nation toward the GOP? |
Orrin Judd: 9-11 CAN'T EXPLAIN 1994: Bush Benefiting From Divided Nation's Unity on Security (Ronald Brownstein, September 27, 2004,... |
Israel Threatens Syria Over Militants By / Reuters — Permalink JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel accused Syria on Monday of "directing terrorism" and said it could face pre-emptive strikes against militants on its territory, but stopped short of saying it killed a Hamas leader in Damascus. | |
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Captain Ed: Israel gave notice to the closest such nation this morning, warning Syria that its friends will get them more trouble in... |
Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: But now that Israel is performing pre-emptive strikes in Damascus and pumping out the Bush/Rumsfeld-school rhetoric ([snipped quote]) there is significantly greater cause for alarm. |
CBS Tries to Clear Up Signals on Future of 'Evening News' By / NYT — Permalink Dan Rather's acknowledgment that he erred in broadcasting a recent "60 Minutes'' report about President Bush's National Guard service has further complicated two of the most delicate questions in television news: when will Mr. Rather relinquish the anchor chair of "The CBS Evening News,'' and to whom? | |
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James Joyner: CBS Tries to Clear Up Signals on Future of 'Evening News' (NYT) [snipped quote] It has been years since I regularly... Ace: Drudge: CBS Plans Spring Retirement for Rather — Via Drudge, this NYT piece mentioning easing Document Dan out by May. |
Acidman: But that's how the corporate mindset works. Take CBS news, for example. They should have fired Dan Rather two weeks ago. |
October Surprises NRO — Permalink Five weeks and counting. Karl Rove insists that Republicans will pick up Senate seats this year, and Democratic senator Jon Corzine of New Jersey says control of the chamber is up for grabs. We'll know the truth in five weeks. | |
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PoliPundit: The Senate — NRO's John J. Miller analyzes Senate races and sticks to his prediction that the GOP will gain 2 seats this year. |
Orrin Judd: BETTER TIE DOWN JUMPIN' JIM (via AWW): October Surprises: Five weeks and counting. |
Kerry campaign shifts gear into attack mode By / Boston Globe — Permalink WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The perception of a Democratic presidential campaign in disarray remained so widespread Wednesday morning that Senator John F. Kerry got unsolicited advice from a woman attending a town hall meeting on Social Security: Beef up your rapid-response team, the retired lawyer suggested. | |
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Howard Kurtz: The Boston Globe poses the question: "The perception of a Democratic presidential campaign in disarray remained so... |
Hugh Hewitt: Read the Boston Globe's story on the Kerry campaign that begins with these two paragraphs: "The perception of a... |
Foreign Tax Havens Costly to U.S., Study Says By / NYT — Permalink America's biggest corporations are increasingly funneling profits earned in the United States to tax havens around the globe, depriving the United States Treasury of anywhere from $10 billion to $20 billion in lost tax revenue each year, according to a new study. | |
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Steve M.: The New York Times reports: America's biggest corporations are increasingly funneling profits earned in the United... |
Nathan Newman: How about they let corporations cheat taxpayers of $10 to $20 billion per year by pretending that they produced most of... |
TVs in Iraq Tuned to Real-Life Horror By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - In an outdoor food market under the fierce midday sun, a crowd of men and boys were watching video footage of a truck bomber seated behind the steering wheel, smiling and murmuring his last words before crashing into U.S. military vehicles on an overpass. | |
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Christopher Kanis: Stories like this one don't help. Third, what specific criteria do you recommend that we should use over the coming... |
Jack Cluth: Not exactly "Debbie Does Baghdad", eh? TVs in Iraq Tuned to Real-Life Horror Welcome to Bizarro World. |
Stolen Honor By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink The new documentary "Stolen Honor" documents how a young John Kerry jumpstarted his political career by denouncing American soldiers — and how the Vietnamese used his actions to torture, demoralize and threaten American Prisoners of War. | |
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The Big Trunk: Today's Frontpage features a column summarizing the new documentary: "Stolen Honor." |
Greg Ransom: JOHN KERRY and America's Vietnam POWs. |
Iraq Uprising Growing, Powell Says By / WaPo — Permalink Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday that the insurgency in Iraq is getting worse and that the U.S. occupation there has increased anti-American sentiment in Muslim countries, but he said successful elections in Afghanistan and Iraq would turn the situation around. | |
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Eugene Oregon: During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Colin Powell admitted that things are getting worse in Iraq but that "the... |
Steve Soto: Bushies Still Can't Get Their Act Together on Iraq — Here's another example of the Bush Administration not speaking with one voice on Iraq. |
Kerry Rips Bush on 'Mission Accomplished' Remark Reuters — Permalink MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry ripped into President Bush on Sunday for saying he had no regrets over his "Mission Accomplished" speech on Iraq and would do it again. | |
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Chris Bowers: Since it makes for a good one-liner and harps on the new "Bush is Out of Touch" meme, which seems to have real... Charles Johnson: Kerry Meltdown Watch — Kerry Rips Bush on 'Mission Accomplished' Remark. |
Oliver Willis: George Bush Likes Playing Dress-Up — As the self-appointed president of fantasy world, it comes as no surprise that George Bush heartily endorses dressing up. Atrios: Big John Swings — Link: [quote] Kerry, arriving in Madison, Wisconsin for debate preparations, called the statement "unbelievable."[end quote] |
Pakistan Reports Top Al Qaeda Operative Killed By / AP — Permalink KARACHI, Pakistan — Paramilitary police killed a suspected top al Qaeda operative, wanted for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, during a four-hour shootout Sunday at a southern Pakistan house, the information minister said. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: HE WON'T BE MISSED — This is delightful news: "Security forces on Sunday killed a Pakistani fugitive accused of... James Joyner: Daniel Pearl's Kidnapper Killed in Shootout — Pakistan Reports Top Al Qaeda Operative Killed (WaPo-AP) [snipped quote] A classic win-win scenario. |
Jeff Quinton: Pearl Kidnapper Killed AP/WaPo: [snipped quote] (Via James Joyner.) Other blogging: Rusty Shackleford |
Still no votes in Leipzig By / Guardian — Permalink There were few pleasures to be had following Bob Dole's doomed presidential campaign in 1996, but one was the unique brand of anti-charm adopted by the candidate. I was once on the receiving end of it myself, during a stop in New Hampshire. | |
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Tim Blair: GET OUT THE (INTERNATIONAL) VOTE — The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland feels left out: [snipped quote] It ain't gonna happen. |
Sir George: This Guardian article tries to make the point that since the US Presidential race affects Europeans; Europeans should be allowed to vote in US elections. |
Bare forests left Haiti exposed By / Miami Herald — Permalink DIBEDOU, Haiti - The Sot is usually a gurgling little creek, just a few inches deep, that doesn't even provide enough water for the dozen families living near it. They walk 30 minutes to the Branle River to get water and wash their clothes. | |
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Bird Dog: The Miami Herald has more on this environmental nightmare. So when a major tropical storm like Jeanne hit the country, devastation is a given. Hugh Hewitt: Here is a longer story on the island country's bare forests that leads to the flooding. |
Randy Paul: Deforestation in Haiti — This pretty much explains the magnitude of the crisis in Haiti: [snipped quote] This satellite... |
Bush: Would Give 'Mission Accomplished' Speech Again By / Reuters — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said he had no regrets about donning a flight suit to give his "Mission Accomplished" speech on Iraq in May 2003 and would do it all over again if he had the chance, according to excerpts from an television interview released on Sunday. | |
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Dwight Meredith: From AmericaBlog, by way of Atrios, I learned that in a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly, President Bush was asked... Charles Johnson: The al-Reuters wire service quotes President Bush in their headline and first paragraph as having said "Mission... |
Matthew Yglesias: But I never really thought he would stoop to this: "When asked by Fox News if he still would have put on a flight suit... |
Scholars Gather to Deconstruct Jacko AP — Permalink NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Michael Jackson (search), frequently savaged in the tabloid press, was picked apart by more rarified critics as scholars gathered for a conference on the pop star at Yale University. | |
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Joanne Jacobs: Deconstructing Michael Jackson — Scholars gathered at Yale to discuss the "sexual, racial and artistic aspects" of Michael Jackson and his music. |
The Big Trunk: Jacko 101 — Via an academically attuned Fox News headline writer, the AP reports from New Haven: "Scholars gather to deconstruct Jacko." |
You Say Yusuf, I Say Youssouf... By / Time — Permalink The Yusuf Islam incident earlier this week, in which the former Cat Stevens was denied entry into the U.S. when federal officials determined he was on the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, started with a simple spelling error. | |
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Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Kat Stevens Update — From Time via discourse.net: [snipped quote] Gosh, that's reassuring. Joe Gandelman: Bad speling (we must fire Dan Quayle from working on this blog) is at the root of the Cat Stevens fiasco. KJL: HOW DO YOU SPELL DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN? How Cat Stevens got on the plan: a spelling error. |
Chris Bertram: The latest reports suggest that what happened was basically a mistake — a spelling mistake , in fact. Michael Froomkin: My high school classmate Sally Donnelly, or someone with the same name employed by TIME magazine, writes in You Say... |
On the stump, the art of distortion By / Boston Globe — Permalink BANGOR — As he often does at campaign events, President Bush got his biggest rise out of the crowd in Bangor Thursday afternoon when he said he was simply paraphrasing Senator John F. Kerry's statements. | |
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Oliver Willis: I truly believe that President Bush can't help himself. He just lies. |
Taegan Goddard: The Art of Distortion — "Distorting an opponent's words and selectively using facts and figures is nothing new in politics," the Boston Globe reports. |
Plans: Next, War on Syria? Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 4 issue - Deep in the Pentagon, admirals and generals are updating plans for possible U.S. military action in Syria and Iran. The Defense Department unit responsible for military planning for the two troublesome countries is "busier than ever," an administration official says. | |
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Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST — Why is the United States busily war gaming Syria? Orrin Judd: HE'S GOT A LITTLE LIST AND THEY'LL NONE OF THEM BE MISSED: Plans: Next, War on Syria? |
Jeralyn Merritt: Considering the source is Newsweek, Plans: Next, War on Syria? is pretty frightening: [snipped quote] While some Bush... Laura Rozen: And Newsweek asks, if the US is going to war in Syria next. |
Whoever Wins, More Taxes May Be the Only Way Out By / NYT — Permalink IT'S often forgotten that President Ronald Reagan signed a bill to raise taxes in the early 1980's after first cutting them. President George H. W. Bush abandoned his "read my lips" pledge and raised taxes in 1990. Could Republicans soon be in a similar position again? | |
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Steve M.: (Source.) |
Libertarian: The winning party will have to raise taxes (or cut benefits drastically): "President Bush has called for freezing the... |
Why the 9/11 fund was a mistake By / Boston Globe — Permalink THE FUND established by Congress to compensate the families of those who died on Sept. 11 closed its books earlier this year. According to Kenneth Feinberg, the special master appointed to administer the fund, all but a handful of the families eligible to apply for an award did so. | |
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Christopher Kanis: Good column from Jeff Jacoby explaining Why the 9/11 fund was a mistake. KJL: THE 9/11 FUND WAS A MISTAKE — That's Jeff Jacoby's column today |
James Joyner: 9/11 Fund Was a Mistake — Jeff Jacoby, writing in the Boston Globe, explains "Why the 9/11 fund was a mistake." |
President's Radio Address White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, I was honored to welcome the Prime Minister of a free and sovereign Iraq to the White House. In less than three months, Prime Minister Allawi and his government have accomplished a great deal, despite persistent violence in parts of Iraq. | |
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DeLong: But here is what Bush had to say about it in today's radio address: (emp add) "We're making steady progress in... |
Michael Froomkin: But here is what Bush had to say about it in today's radio address: (emp add)We're making steady progress in... |
Bob Schieffer CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Bob Schieffer, broadcast journalism's most experienced Washington reporter, has been anchor and moderator of Face The Nation, CBS News' Sunday public affairs broadcast, since May 1991. He also serves as CBS News' chief Washington correspondent. | |
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Dean Esmay: Interview With Bob Schieffer — Citizen Journalist Bill of INDC Journal has a brief interview with CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer on memogate. |
Bill @INDCJournal: A Very Brief Interview with Bob Schieffer bob2.jpg *** Exclusive *** Bob Schieffer was kind enough to grant me a brief,... |
Insiders Worked Both Sides of Gaming Issue By / WaPo — Permalink Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations consultant Michael Scanlon quietly worked with conservative religious activist Ralph Reed to help the state of Texas shut down an Indian tribe's casino in 2002, then the two quickly persuaded the tribe to pay $4.2 million to try to get Congress to reopen it. | |
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Jesse Walker: Today's Washington Post includes a detailed demonstration of how the system works. |
Charles Kuffner: Weekend scandal roundup — The WaPo updates us on the Scanlon/Abramoff/Ralph Reed casino-swindling scandal. |
Election Diary: Bush bloggers capture stealth media By / Independent — Permalink My colleagues in American TV News are in a right old tizz over the Dan Rather debacle. Rather claimed he had documentary evidence that Bush was given preferential treatment in the National Guard during Vietnam. | |
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Allah: That task falls to the Independent, which seems more than happy to pitch in: "The real story, however, is not Rather,... |
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: A different perspective on the blogosphere here, from The Independent. |
CBS explodes liberal media bias myth By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink If ever a story should destroy the myth of liberal media bias, it is the flap over Dan Rather's flub. For CBS, the admission that it cannot verify the authenticity of documents used in a story about President Bush's National Guard service is a serious matter to be sure. | |
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Greg Ransom: HOW BLEEPIN' STUPID / dishonest can a leftist academic get? This bleepin' stupid. Professor Stephen Bainbridge comments. Skippy: as the sfchron (link via atrios) points out, the cbs fiasco was not nearly as important as other recent press... Atrios: Priorities — From the SF Chron: Just four months ago, lest we forget, the New York Times issued its own mea culpa,... |
Steve Bainbridge: In today's SF Chronicle, for example, we find a Berkeley professor opining on Rathergate:If ever a story should destroy... Betsy Newmark: Only a Berkeley professor could come up with this argument. |
Beate Ruhm von Oppen Guardian — Permalink Beate Ruhm von Oppen, who has died aged 86, was a historian and translator, who came to Britain before the war from Nazi Germany, but spent most of her adult life in the United States. | |
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Patrick Belton: ACADEMIC, CHORISTER, SPY: Robin Burk remembers Beate Ruhm von Oppen, her former teacher. |
Robin Burk: Beate Ruhm von Oppen was far better known in international circles. |
'De Gaulle option' may be our best Iraq exit strategy Seattle Times — Permalink Each prosecuted that war — Johnson reluctantly, Nixon because he thought he could do better. Both failed and were destroyed by the war. This does not have to happen to Kerry. There is an alternative. However, it is an alternative that he seems determined to exclude. | |
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Bird Dog: Advice From a Paris-Based Pundit: Be Like the French and Lose — Of course, William Pfaff doesn't call it that, but that is the message. |
Charles Johnson: The French Strategy — In the Seattle Times, columnist William Pfaff says that if John Kerry is elected he'll have a... |
Battling for Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD — Helping organize, train and equip nearly a quarter-million of Iraq's security forces is a daunting task. Doing so in the middle of a tough insurgency increases the challenge enormously, making the mission akin to repairing an aircraft while in flight — and while being shot at. | |
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Bill Hobbs: Tangible Progress — General David H. Petraeus reports from Iraq on the "tangible progress" being made in rebuilding... Matthew Yglesias: The Op-Ed You Actually Need To Read David Petraeus is forced to spin for his political masters. Daniel Drezner: And in Sunday's Washington Post, General David Petraeus lays out a forceful program of reconstituting Iraq's security... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS ON IRAQ — This article is quite informative on the reconstruction efforts: [snipped quote] The... Dean Esmay: "* Update * General David H. Petaeus has a great piece in the Washington Post about impressive progress on building up Iraq's native security forces that shouldn't be missed. Deacon: David Petraeus, head of the Multinational Security Transition Command in Iraq, reports that "tangible progress" is... |
| Also: James Joyner, Glenn Reynolds, Orrin Judd, Cori Dauber, Bill @INDCJournal | |
A Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States By / NYT — Permalink COLUMBUS, Ohio - A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows. | |
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Kos: And because he read this NY Times piece: "A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added... Susan Q. Stranahan: In our country, we call it "reporting". And that's exactly what The New York Times did with Ford Fessenden. Hesiod: REGISTERING DISAPROVAL: I think George W. Bush and the Republican party will be in for a very rude awakening on election day. |
Charles Kuffner: New voters — You've probably seen this NYT artlce about new voter registrations in swing states like Ohio and Florida, but in case you haven't, you should read it. Kevin Raybould: More Reason for Rove to Be Panicking — In at least two key states, the Democrats are doing a much better job at... Tom Tomorrow: A small piece of good news — Seriously: [snipped quote] Republicans want to psyche you out, make you think that this election is already over, that a Bush victory is inevitable. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard, Steve M., Ampersand @Amptoons | |
Violence in Iraq Belies Claims of Calm, Data Show By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, Sept. 25 — Less than four months before planned national elections in Iraq, attacks against U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and private contractors number in the dozens each day and have spread to parts of the country that had been relatively peaceful, according to statistics compiled by a private security firm working for the U.S. government. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: Anyone who doesn't know it isn't capable of learning. Yesterday's Washington Post: Iraq is descending into chaos. Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan links to this Rajiv Chandrasekaran report in the Washington Post: "Less than four months before... Andrew Sullivan: ATTENTION STEYN: Here's more troubling data on the tenacity of the Iraq insurgency, as compiled by a private security... |
Orin Kerr: The country is suffering about 70 hostile attacks a day, and 900 U.S. soldiers have died since the declared end of the... Mark Kleiman: One group says that things are going well in Iraq; the other thinks otherwise. James Joyner: Three stories were featured above the fold on page A01: a) "Violence in Iraq Belies Claims of Calm, Data Show," a piece... |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Kevin Drum, DemFromCT, Cori Dauber, Juan Cole | |
The Media, Losing Their Way By / WaPo — Permalink We don't yet know who will win the 2004 election, but we know who has lost it. The American news media have been clobbered. In a year when war in Iraq, the threat of terrorism and looming problems with the federal budget and the nation's health care... | |
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Brian Montopoli: Go to comments — September 27, 2004 Blog Report Grumpy Old Men and Gentle Light Jazz David Broder incurs the wrath of... Hugh Hewitt: David Broder is still out there grumbling about the Swift Boat Vets and ignoring Christmas-not-in-Cambodia . Deacon: Clueless in D.C. This piece by David Broder of the Washington Post, "The Media, Losing Their Way," couldn't be more clueless if Richard Cohen had written it. |
Matthew Yglesias: It's hard to be witty while saying that Osama bin Laden really, really wants you to vote for Bush. David Broder. John Hawkins: Emperor Broder Sneers At The Internet "Journalists" — Poor David Broder is looking out over the scorched earth left... Andrew Sullivan: Alas. BRODER'S HARRUMPH: Much of David Broder's worrying about the decline of the mainstream media is well-taken. |
| Also: Nick Gillespie, David Adesnik, Melanie @AmStreet, Avedon Carol, Allah, Charles Johnson, Todd Zywicki, Michelle Malkin, Greg Ransom, Joe Gandelman | |
Syria brokers secret deal to send atomic weapons scientists to Iran By / Telegraph — Permalink Syria's President Bashir al-Asad is in secret negotiations with Iran to secure a safe haven for a group of Iraqi nuclear scientists who were sent to Damascus before last year's war to overthrow Saddam Hussein. | |
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FrancoAlemán: And this disturbing possibility may well be what's exactly happening, according to London's Daily Telegraph: "Syria's... Jonah Goldberg: SYRIA AND IRAN SITTING IN A TREE — Or something like that. Jesse Taylor: That's The Anthem, Get Your Damn Hands Up — I understand that I'm risking conservative blogger charges of treason... |
JoelL @SouthernAppeal: Shocking news about the continuing threat from Saddam's WMD program. The Telegraph reports that Syria has been harboring Saddam's key WMD scientists. Andrew Stuttaford: MORE NUKES — From the Daily Telegraph: [snipped quote] If (the usual caveat) this story proves to be accurate, it... Betsy Newmark: Captain Ed links to a story in the London Telegraph which says that Saddam sent a group of Iraqi nuclear scientists to Syria before the war started. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, Ace, Allah, Captain Ed | |
Quick. Change the Brand. In Five Weeks. By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Senator John Kerry tried reintroducing himself last week with a new speech against the Iraq war, but he promptly ran into an old problem. To Democrats, it was a fresh, tough speech that put him in good position to challenge President Bush in this week's debate. | |
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Stephen Green: But this has got to be the strangest one yet - John Tierney in yesterday's New York Times: "So how can the ever-patrician Mr. Kerry appeal to poor and working-class voters? Orrin Judd: NO AD CAMPAIGN CAN SELL AN EDSEL: Quick. Change the Brand. In Five Weeks. Betsy Newmark: UPDATE: The Telegraph's story seems even scarier when paired with this column by the former head of Saddam's nuclear centrifuge program. |
Steve M.: And if Bush isn't winning, why did I spend the morning reading article after article after article in my New York Times... Glenn Reynolds: Go away! Call me crazy, but stuff like this isn't going to help with the Kerry rebranding effort. |
Syria blast kills Hamas militant BBC — Permalink A car bomb in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has killed a senior member of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil died after the bomb exploded in his car, completely destroying it. Hamas has accused Israel of the killing and vowed to retaliate with attacks inside Israel. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: At any rate, for a good example check out this Instapundit post about Israel's covert killing of Hamas dude Izz El-Deen... Fred Lapides: The Israeli authorities had vowed to hit Hamas leaders "wherever they are" after suicide bomb attacks in August in... Jan Haugland: Hamas leader killed in Syria — A car explosion in Damascus, Syria just killed Hamas leader Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil. |
H.D. Miller: Ironic — Live by the car bomb, die by the car bomb. "A car bomb in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has killed a senior member of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Glenn Reynolds: THIS DOESN'T SEEM ALL THAT TRAGIC, TO ME: "A car bomb in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has killed a senior member of Palestinian militant group Hamas. |
Saddam, the Bomb and Me By / NYT — Permalink While the final report from Charles A. Duelfer, the top American inspector of Iraq's covert weapons programs, won't be released for a few weeks, the portions that have already been made public touch on many of the experiences I had while working as the head of Saddam Hussein's nuclear centrifuge program. | |
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FrancoAlemán: In yesterday's New York Times, Obeidi explains the state of Saddam's nuclear program before the war: "What was really going in Iraq before the American invasion last year? Captain Ed: The Times allows Dr. Mahdi Obeidi to speak for himself, which he already has done in a book, The Bomb In My Garden. Orrin Judd: Saddam, the Bomb and Me (MAHDI OBEIDI, 9/26/04, NY Times) "Iraq's nuclear weapons program was on the threshold of... |
Gary Farber: A succinct explication of the latter days of Saddam's weapons' program. [snipped quote] And thus the success at the myth bomb. Damian Penny: However, Mahdi Obeidi, a scientist who worked on Saddam's nuclear program, says UN sanctions (the "genocidal American... Allah: Shell game UPDATE: In an op-ed to be published in today's New York Times, the former head of Saddam's centrifuge program says we ignore Iraqi nuclear scientists at our peril. |
We're Dodging the Draft Issue By / Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 4 issue - It's a potentially lethal issue—the kind that could make young voters swarm to the polls and their nervous parents change their minds about supporting President Bush. Republicans are peeved over Democratic claims that the president will impose a draft if he's re-elected. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Draft Dodging — Jonathan Alter writes in Newsweek that the Bush Administration has no plans for a draft. Lorie Byrd: Furthering The Draft Scare — Here is another example of why the mainstream media will either have to change or die. |
Betsy Newmark: Particularly, when liberal columnists write columns like Jonathan Alter in Newsweek. |
Election May Hinge On Debates By / WaPo — Permalink For Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), stuck in second place with just five weeks left in the presidential campaign, the debates that begin this week may be the best chance remaining to close the sale with voters and beat President Bush. | |
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Taegan Goddard: The Washington Post sets up the challenge for Sen. John Kerry: "Beating Bush in these debates — the first on Thursday... DemFromCT: Sunday Morning Talk Show Open Thread - The Debate Debate — Note this story regarding the debates, and Chris Bowers'... |
Hugh Hewitt: The expectations game for Thursday's big debate gets underway in the Washington Post this morning, with a piece intended to drive down Kerry's expectations and elevate Bush's. |