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Beirut's Berlin Wall By / WaPo — Permalink BEIRUT — "Enough!" That's one of the simple slogans you see scrawled on the walls around Rafiq Hariri's grave site here. And it sums up the movement for political change that has suddenly coalesced in Lebanon and is slowly gathering force elsewhere in the Arab world. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Now comes news of a remarkable conversation David Ignatius of The Washington Post had with Walid Jumblatt, a leader of Lebanon's Druze community. Jan Haugland: "The Berlin Wall has fallen" — WaPo's David Ignatius has seen the growing revolution in Lebanon, and is surprised by the unity of its people against Syrian occupation. Cori Dauber: I was pointed to this David Ignatius column in the Post by Jim Geraghty, via Instapundit, and Geraghty, after noting... |
Jim Henley: David Ignatius reports that [quote] "It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq," explains Jumblatt.[end quote] Arthur Chrenkoff: We can see it." - Lebanon's Druze opposition leader Walid Jumblatt, talking to the "Washington Post"'s David Ignatius. Damian Penny: Tumbling dominoes — Walid Jumblatt, patriarch of Lebanon's Druze Muslims, says the recent Iraqi election is partly... |
| Also: Charles Paul Freund, Will Collier, Captain Ed, Glenn Reynolds, Deacon, Judith Weiss, Orrin Judd, Mitch Berg | |
Journalistic Malpractice By / WaPo — Permalink It's always necessary to do the math. By this I mean that journalists need to measure politicians' promises against underlying realities, as represented by numbers. But many reporters detest math. | |
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DeLong: (Robert Samuelson Edition) Outsourced to Jesse Taylor: "Pandagon: The Blind Criticizing The Blind's Fashion Sense:... Steve Soto: And there is a grass roots pushback against what the GOP is trying to do with this effort, so why not merge the moral... Jesse Taylor: The Blind Criticizing The Blind's Fashion Sense — When you're calling on journalists to be honest, it would help if you were, I don't know...honest? |
Dale Franks: Do the Math — Robert Samuelson writes that when it comes to fiscal policy impacts of Social Security Reform, you can't... Max B. Sawicky: THE OTHER SAMUELSON The one who isn't an intellectual giant of economics, who writes a column for the Post, scolds the mainstream media for innumeracy. Stephen Green: Robert Samuelson explains why I'm still not sold on Bush's Social Security reform plan: [snipped quote] Really, I should be easy to sell on SS reform. |
The Secret Genocide Archive By / NYT — Permalink Photos don't normally appear on this page. But it's time for all of us to look squarely at the victims of our indifference. These are just four photos in a secret archive of thousands of photos and reports that document the genocide under way in Darfur. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The Unspeakable Horrors Of Darfur Genocide — Nick Kristof brings the horrors of genoicide in the Sudan close to home... Roger L. Simon: So Nicholas Kristof deserves support for his strong oped in the NYT this morning - The Secret Genocide Archive. Captain Ed: Unfortunately, Kristof calls for the same kind of pointless actions that allowed Saddam Hussein to continue his... |
Jan Haugland: Evidence of genocide in Darfur — NYT Picture from genocide in Sudan Kudos to Nicholas D. Kristof for publishing... Richard Reeb: Why Not Deplore Abortion too? Nicholas Kristof begins his column on the Darfur genocide this way. Photos don't normally appear on this page. David Allan Pell: Being Anti Thug All the Time — Now that we've been re-educated on the reasons we entered Iraq (for those scoring at... |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds, Eugene Oregon, QD @SouthernAppeal | |
With a Hush and a Whisper, Bush Drops Town Hall Meeting with Germans DER SPIEGEL — Permalink During his trip to Germany on Wednesday, the main highlight of George W. Bush's trip was meant to be a "town hall"-style meeting with average Germans. But with the German government unwilling to permit a scripted event with questions approved in advance, the White House has quietly put the event on ice. | |
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Steve Soto: Germans Refuse White House Request For Bush To Appear At Stage-Managed Town Hall Event — Apparently the White House... Chris Bowers: Bush Administration Can't Export Propaganda Machine to Europe — Bumped—I'll be on MSNBC at 5pm eastern to talk about... |
Taegan Goddard: Bush Backs Out of Unscripted Town Hall Meeting — "During his trip to Germany on Wednesday, the main highlight of George... Ed Tracey: Bush cancels...when German event can't be scripted (From the diaries — kos) From today's Der Spiegel |
Could George W. Bush Be Right? By / DER SPIEGEL — Permalink Germany loves to criticize US President George W. Bush's Middle East policies — just like Germany loved to criticize former President Ronald Reagan. But Reagan, when he demanded that Gorbachev remove the Berlin Wall, turned out to be right. Could history repeat itself? | |
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Lorie Byrd: Bush and Reagan In Europe — I love the comparison of Bush to Reagan in this German article. Arthur Chrenkoff: I don't do it very often, but this piece by Claus Christian Malzahn in German weekly "Der Spiegel" bears quoting at some length. |
Glenn Reynolds: DER SPIEGEL: "Could George W. Bush be right?" [snipped quote] As the article notes, German foreign policy is based on differentiating itself from the United States. |
The New 65 By / Slate — Permalink Here's what we've learned from the Social Security debate so far. Republicans are right that the system is heading for bankruptcy. Democrats are right that personal retirement accounts, whatever their future merits, won't pay off the system's current debts. | |
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Tim Lee: Retirement Liberty — Kevin Drum and Will Saletan are arguing about the merits of raising the retirement age. Will says we should. Kevin Drum: RETIREMENT AGE....Will Saletan has a long, number-filled column today spelling out the reasons we should raise the retirement age for Social Security. |
Matthew Yglesias: Things That Make You Say: "Whatever" — Will Saletan wants to raise the retirement age. Kevin Drum says "no way". |
Iran jails blogger for 14 years BBC — Permalink An Iranian weblogger has been jailed for 14 years on charges of spying and aiding foreign counter-revolutionaries. Arash Sigarchi was arrested last month after using his blog to criticise the arrest of other online journalists. | |
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Marcus @HarrysPlace: Today one of them was sentenced to 14 years in jail. Why ? Scott Sala: Iranian Blogger Gets 14 years in Prison — As the blogosphere spent a day posting about the jailed Iranian bloggers,... |
Roger L. Simon: According to the BBC: An Iranian weblogger has been jailed for 14 years on charges of spying and aiding foreign counter-revolutionaries. |
The new youth craze: Self-mutilation By / Townhall.com — Permalink Have you heard of "cutting"? If you're a parent, you'd better read up. "Cutting" refers to self-mutilation — using knives, razor blades or even safety pins to deliberately harm one's own body — and it's spreading to a school near you. | |
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Sadly, No!: Yeah, that totally sounds like Christina Ricci's fault — According to Michelle Malkin, if teenagers are into cutting... Jesse Taylor: Opinions Actually Are Like Assholes... I want to thank Michele Catalano for writing that response to this remarkably stupid Michelle Malkin piece. |
Michele Catalano: Michelle Malkin does no better in laying the blame on Christina Ricci and Llamabutchers raises my hackles by suggesting... |
Blogging ... Blah, Blah, Blah By / Fox News — Permalink U.S. News & World Report reported last week that several senior Republican senators — upon hearing that "blogs" had uncovered the Dan Rather scandal, helped to defeat Tom Daschle and pushed for the resignation of CNN executive Eason Jordan — demanded that "blogs" be added to their official Web sites. | |
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Jim Henley: Radley's got a good column about how blogs aren't really all that and a bag of chips, in which he reiterates his point about how independent the political blogosphere isn't. |
Radley Balko: The Self-Loathing Blogger — My new Fox column pees in the blogospherian community pool. |
The Thompson Style: A Sense of Self, and Outrage By / NYT — Permalink Hunter S. Thompson died on Sunday, alone with a gun in his kitchen in Woody Creek, Colo. In doing so, he added heft to a legend that came to obscure his gifts as one of journalism's most influential practitioners. | |
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Ann Althouse: Just to take the NYT, in addition to the usual obituary, there are a number of extra articles, like "The Thompson Style:... |
Matt Welch: HST Obits Worth Peeking at: By Tom Wolfe, P.J. Corkery, Alexander Cockburn, Al Giordano, Ed Quillen, Nikki Finke, David Carr, and Christopher Hitchens. |
Trouble Between Friends?; The '06 Factor; A Fading Star? CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. ANNOUNCER: Another day of buddying up by President Bush in Europe. Will his next stop be the toughest, when he looks into the eyes of his old pal Vladimir Putin? | |
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Kevin Drum: After some blustering about how AARP is the "largest left liberal lobbying organization on the planet" and "we are going... |
Josh Marshall: Here's how the interview started... [snipped quote] Unfortunately, Woodruff didn't follow up, and the answer stood. |
Freedom? Why Europe's not bothered By / Telegraph — Permalink The first neighbourhood that I lived in when I arrived in London in the 1960s was Earl's Court. Needless to say, I had much opportunity to acquaint myself with the Australian accent. What struck me immediately was its uncanny resemblance to the speech of my own relatives in Boston. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Freedom's Just Another Word ... I want to say a little more about Robert Kuttner's op ed in today's Boston Globe and... Dale Franks: Janet Daley writes that if George Bush thinks his trip to Europe will rally Old Europe to his side in spreading democracy, then he's got another think coming. Peter Burnet: "A" FOR EFFORT, "D" FOR ACHIEVEMENT — Freedom? |
Roger L. Simon: Another Dark View of the Euro-American Dialogue... by Janet Daley is closer to Steyn than Bay (see below) and... Sims @SouthernAppeal: Janet Daley has written an absolutely wonderful op/ed in today's Telegraph (reg. req'd) comparing European and American ideas of freedom and democracy. |
Will Chris Rock Be Oscar Dyn-O-Mite? By / LA Weekly — Permalink At a time when Hollywood crybabies and their Big Media daddies are crumbling under pressure from conservatives, Chris Rock is, well, like a rock. That's why, at the Academy Awards this Sunday, you can count on the guy who may well be the funniest comedian... | |
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Roger L. Simon: Okay, there's no such thing as "rewrite," but it sure looks like it's going to be a loooong Oscar Night if the best... |
Kevin Roderick: Of course Rock will bash Bush — Nikki Finke reports in the LA Weekly that host Chris Rock will tone it down a little... |
Amid Low Rainy-Day Savings, Proposals for New Incentives WSJ — Permalink Do Americans spend too much and save too little? In October, personal savings as a percentage of disposable income, as calculated by the Commerce Department, dropped to 0.2%, the second-lowest level on record. (The measure has since rebounded, helped in part by a one-time Microsoft dividend.) | |
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Arnold Kling: For example, there is David Altig's Macroblog, which I had not heard of until today, when Altig was paired with Alex... Brian Keegan: Lots of good thinking about government policy related to saving at the WSJ Econoblog. |
Will Wilkinson: Alex Tabarrok (like his co-blogger, also at least as good an economist as Michael Kinsley) makes this sort of... Alex Tabarrok: David Altig and I are featured in this week's WSJ Econoblog on the topic of the "savings crisis," with sidetrips into... |
Judge Extends Stay Keeping Brain-Damaged Woman Alive Two More Days in Florida Right-To-Die Case By / AP — Permalink CLEARWATER, Fla. Feb 23, 2005 — A judge Wednesday extended a stay keeping brain-damaged Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place, saying he needed time to decide whether her husband, who wants to let her die, is fit to be her guardian. | |
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Michelle Malkin: The latest bombshell is Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer's decision to extend a stay keeping Terri's feeding tube in place. |
K. J. Lopez: TERRI SCHIAVO gets another extension |
Bush fails to close gap with European Union Financial Times — Permalink President George W. Bush on Tuesday night completed a two-day charm offensive in Brussels but failed to narrow the divide with European Union leaders over arms sales to China, tactics towards Iran or the future of Nato. | |
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Paul McLeary: Or, as the Financial Times puts it, "President George W. Bush ... failed to narrow the divide with European Union... |
Mimus Pauly: from the financial times: "president george w. bush on tuesday night completed a two-day charm offensive in brussels... |
French comic tries to justify criticism of Holocaust 'pornography' By / Independent — Permalink A flare-up of racial tension has been sparked off in France after a black stand-up comic, Dieudonné, was reported to have said that the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Holocaust were "remembrance pornography". | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Anyone laughing? Are there actually people in France who find this "comedian" funny? Norm Geras: Another day, another dose of poison — Drip, drip, drip... "A flare-up of racial tension has been sparked off in France... |
Joe Gandelman: A French "comedian" is sinking to the lowest depths for his "humor," doing an act containing seemingly anti-semitic statements. Pejman Yousefzadeh: "ANTI-SEMITISM SCARCELY EXISTS IN THE WEST" — Holocaust remembrance apparently qualifies as "pornography": [snipped quote] The good news is that this comic is being condemned. |
CBS News' Boss Hired Private Eye To Source Memos By / New York Observer — Permalink On Sept. 20 of last year, CBS announced that it was employing an independent panel to investigate how 60 Minutes Wednesday had ended up relying on shaky-looking memos in its segment about President Bush's past service in the Texas Air National Guard. | |
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Brian Stelter: Five days after CBS announced an investigation into the Killian memos last September, "the network hired a private... Stephen Green: Pretty damning stuff from the New York Observer: [snipped quote] Joe Hagan has written a fairly lengthy piece, but it's worth reading. |
The Big Trunk: Lucianne points out this interesting New York Observer story by Joe Hagan: "CBS News' boss hired private eye to source memo." Jonah Goldberg: CBS FORGOT TO MENTION — The private eye it hired to investigate the memos. |
Iraqi TV Airs Tape of Purported Confession of Captured Syrian Officer Who Siad He Trained Insurgents By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq Feb 23, 2005 — Iraqi state television aired a video Wednesday showing what the U.S.-funded channel said was the confession of a captured Syrian officer who said he trained Iraqi insurgents to behead people and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops. | |
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Charles Johnson: Iraqi TV Airs Syrian Confession — Iraqi TV has shown video of a captured Syrian officer, confessing that he trained... |
Jonah Goldberg: SYRIANS TRAINING INSURGENTS — An alleged Syrian officer confesses Since this appeared on a US-backed Iraqi TV station, I really, really hope it pans out as authentic. |
Bush Says United Front Is Essential to Curb Iran By / NYT — Permalink WIESBADEN, Germany, Feb. 23 - President Bush said today that he and the Germans, British and French had discussed a series of negotiating tactics to try to get Iran to give up its suspected nuclear weapons program, but he gave no indication that the United... | |
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Paul McLeary: Back in the reality-based community, the New York Times takes a decidedly more skeptical approach in an afternoon story,... |
Matthew Yglesias: America's Iran policy may be failing, but the president wants to make clear that it's not his fault |
Company's Work in Iraq Profited Bush's Uncle By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Iraq war helped bring record earnings to St. Louis-based defense contractor Engineered Support Systems Inc., and new financial data show that the firm's war-related profits have trickled down to a familiar family name — Bush. William H.T. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Bush Family Values: "Uncle Bucky" makes a packet on that armor we still don't have enough of — From actual reporting in... Susan Madrak: ALL IN THE FAMILY — Gotta love those Bush family ties: [snipped quote] Oh, come on. Half a million? That's chump change to these crooks. |
Howard Kurtz: Some Europeans worry that this really is the 'same old Bush.'" Another Bush scores in Iraq, reports the Los Angeles... |
Justices Accept Oregon Case Weighing Assisted Suicide By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 - In an action likely to reopen a national debate over whether doctors should be able to help terminally ill patients end their lives, the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear the Bush administration's challenge to the only state law in the country that authorizes physician-assisted suicide. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Controlled substances, assisted suicide, the Justice Department, and the courts — Summary: The assisted suicide case... Ann Althouse: Here's Linda Greenhouse's analysis of the Oregon assisted suicide case, which the Supreme Court announced yesterday it would hear. |
Jacob Sullum: National Medical Board — Yesterday the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Bush administration's appeal of a decision that barred it from overriding Oregon's assisted-suicide law. |
Romney's stance on civil unions draws fire By / Boston Globe — Permalink A national gay and lesbian Republican organization yesterday accused Governor Mitt Romney of "flip-flopping" on civil unions for same-sex couples, and other gay activists and Democrats complained that Romney was reinventing himself as a conservative to run for president. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Stick With The Segregation, Mitt — Mitt Romney, 2005: [snipped quote] A part of an article that says Romney's under fire... K. J. Lopez: "I'M NOT PULLING A JOHN KERRY" — Mitt Romney gets grief for an anti-civil-unions remark he made in South Carolina. |
Orrin Judd: CAN'T BE GOING BOTH WAYS: Romney's stance on civil unions draws fire: Activists accuse governor of 'flip-flopping' on... |
The Real Refugee Scandal By / Opinion Journal — Permalink So prolific in scandal has the United Nations become that it's getting hard to keep tabs. You can surf the channels, from rape by peacekeepers in the Congo, to theft at the World Meteorological Organization, to a Human Rights Commission crammed with despots;... | |
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Roger L. Simon: As if we hadn't heard enough repellent reports about the UN these days, Claudia Rosett has news today about their... Pejman Yousefzadeh: ABSENTEE — Claudia Rosett asks where the United Nations is in reference to the ongoing silent crisis regarding North... Cori Dauber: And it is not an image that currently lives up to reality particularly well. |
Hugh Hewitt: I will ask Claudia Rosett about this case today and how the bloggers might best use their platforms. Stephen Green: UPDATE: Related stuff from Claudia Rosett. K. J. Lopez: U.N. SCANDALS — From Claudia Rosett: [quote] If you believe in the U.N. charter's promise to promote "justice and respect...[end quote] |
Inside the Beltway By / Washington Times — Permalink Christopher C. Horner, policy counsel for the European Enterprise Institute in Brussels, has just flown back to Washington aboard United Airlines, its cabin treated to the popular movie "Sideways." | |
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Orrin Judd: EVEN DEMOCRATS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THIS ONE'S TOXIC: Vague attempts (John McCaslin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES) "First it was Iowa and Connecticut. |
McQ: Arrogance and condesension, thy name is Europe — A brief snippet of dialogue overheard in Brussels after the Bush... |
Bush Turns Heat on Syria, But to Wait on Sanctions By / Reuters — Permalink BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bush demanded Wednesday that Syria pull its security services as well as its army from Lebanon, echoing France's remarks that Syrian intelligence controlled the country. | |
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Captain Ed: Pressure Builds On Syria — President Bush kept the heat on Syria, Reuters reports, and he had plenty of help as well. |
Orrin Judd: UNDER PRESSURE: Bush Turns Heat on Syria, But to Wait on Sanctions (Lucy Fielder, 2/23/05, Reuters) "President Bush... |
Korn Guitarist Finds God, Leaves Band By / Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Billboard) - Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has parted ways with the hard rock act, citing a recent religious awakening. Welch broke the news Sunday on Bakersfield, Calif., station KRAB-FM. "I had it in my heart to come here and explain to you," Welch said. | |
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Michelle Malkin: Hope we hear more: [quote] NEW YORK - Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has parted ways with the hard rock act, citing a recent religious awakening.[end quote] |
Jesse Taylor: God Is Good ...And works in very direct, non-mysterious ways. Bless Him. |
In Defense of Citizen Journalism By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink Earlier this month, the Poynter Institute (where I work as a senior editor for Poynter.org) held its Web+10 Seminar. It was a fascinating exploration of what journalism will look like in the next 10 years. And a big chunk of the discussion was about what we're calling "citizen journalism." | |
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Jay Rosen: Steve Outing at Editor and Publisher, whose column is called Stop the Presses: "Too many people at leadership positions... |
Dan Gillmor: Defending Citizen Journalism — In the Web pages of Editor & Publisher, the trade journal for the newspaper industry, Steve Outing explains reality to a mostly hidebound business. |
Defining Limits of Eminent Domain By / WaPo — Permalink An attorney for a group of Connecticut homeowners told the Supreme Court yesterday that his clients have a constitutional right to stay in their houses even though their city says it needs the sites for privately developed offices, hotels and parking, in a case that could affect property rights across the country. | |
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Ken Masugi: NYT's Linda Greenhouse thinks Ms. Kelo will lose her house as a result; the Washington Post's Charles Lane is less partial in his assessment. |
Orrin Judd: KEEPING THE SEAT WARM FOR CHIEF BROWN: Defining Limits of Eminent Domain: High Court Weighs City's Claim to Land... |
Web Site Owner Says He Knew of Reporter's 2 Identities By / NYT — Permalink HOUSTON, Feb. 19 - The operator of an activist Republican Web site and news service said Friday night that he had known for two years that his White House correspondent went by two identities. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Among the revelations?—the citings of both a March 6, 2004 Free Republic post [in which Gannon appears in the comments]... |
SLZoll: This will, the critics hope, present the apologists with the nearly impossible task of proving a negative - no one has... |
A Turkmen Tome Gets Foreign Aid By / WaPo — Permalink MOSCOW — In Sicily, a reception was held recently to launch the Italian translation of a controversial book written by Saparmurad Niyazov, dictator and "president for life" of Turkmenistan. In Amsterdam, a Dutch translation of the book was unveiled at a party in a historic 17th-century house. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Corporate suckup watch — Companies interested in doing business in Turkmenistan are underwriting the translation into... Frederick Maryland: DaimlerChrysler From today's Washington Post: "In Sicily, a reception was held recently to launch the Italian... |
Captain Ed: Eurocorps Transform Into Vanity Publishers For Dictator — European corporations seeking to do business in Turkmenistan,... |
Appeal to Young on Pension Plan Gets the Attention of Their Elders By / NYT — Permalink CHESTER, Pa., Feb. 22 - Almost no one is a more outspoken advocate of President Bush's Social Security plan than Senator Rick Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership, who is campaigning across his state this week, trying to get young people to focus on their retirement. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Today's New York Times reports that — surprise! — seniors aren't too thrilled with the plan to privatize Social Security. |
Steve Soto: Even little Ricky Santorum found out yesterday that seniors are wise to what the GOP is trying to do here. |
Revealed: the rush to war By / Guardian — Permalink The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, warned less than two weeks before the invasion of Iraq that military action could be ruled illegal. The government was so concerned that it might be prosecuted it set up a team of lawyers to prepare for legal action in an international court. | |
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Norm Geras: It splashes it across the top half of its front page; it also devotes the lead editorial to it. |
Holden: read all about it in the guardian. |
Missing The Point At Harvard By / WaPo — Permalink From a general, human-interest perspective, I suppose it is exciting when the Harvard faculty gangs up on the Harvard president, as the Harvard faculty ganged up on Larry Summers yesterday — illustrating again the old saw about the emotions in academic battles running so high precisely because the stakes are so low. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Why Does It Matter? Anne Applebaum has the weirdest take yet on the topic du jour: [snipped quote] Of course it matters! K. J. Lopez: In the Washington Post today, columnist Anne Applebaum raises a dirty little (bleedingly obvious) secret—that are often... |
Betsy Newmark: Anne Applebaum puts her finger on what I believe is the real reason there may by a discrepancy between what women and men earn and achieve professionally. |
Pope Calls Gay Marriage Part of 'Ideology of Evil' By / Reuters — Permalink ROME (Reuters) - Homosexual marriages are part of "a new ideology of evil" that is insidiously threatening society, Pope John Paul says in a new book published Tuesday. In "Memory and Identity," the Pope also calls abortion a "legal extermination" comparable to attempts to wipe out Jews and other groups in the 20th century. | |
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David Allan Pell: The Pope Mobile Takes a Wrong Turn — The Pope is out with a new book in which he compares abortion rights to the extermination of the Jews during WWII. |
Orrin Judd: MORE: Pope Calls Gay Marriage Part of 'Ideology of Evil' (Philip Pullella, 2/22/05, Reuters) "Homosexual marriages are... |
Shiites in Iraq Back Islamist to Be Premier NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 22 - Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite doctor with an Islamist bent, was chosen Tuesday by the victorious Shiite alliance as its candidate to become Iraq's new prime minister. | |
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Steve M.: Juan Cole, citing this New York Times article, writes today: Current Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told the... |
Cori Dauber: But look at their second article this morning (with a headline slightly different in the online edition than the print... |
Paying the Price for Safety By / NYT — Permalink THE Air Transport Association, the lobbying group for the United States airline industry, is loudly protesting legislation backed by the Bush administration to increase a security fee by $3 per flight, to $5.50. | |
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Cori Dauber: Above all, we have to remember what it was like before the airport security was federalized — putting responsibility... |
Orrin Judd: WE'D AS SOON DIE ON VERY RARE OCCASSION AS PAY EVERY DAY: Paying the Price for Safety (JIM HALL, 2/23/05, NY Times)... |
Bloggers rally for jailed Iranians By / CNET.com — Permalink An online protest Tuesday of Iran's crackdown against bloggers made an impact—even on Iranian officials. So says a leader of the Committee to Protect Bloggers, the group that organized the effort to decry the jailings of Iranian bloggers Arash Sigarchi and Mojtaba Saminejad. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Instapundit points us to the plight of a jailed Iranian blogger. I will ask Claudia Rosett about this case today and how the bloggers might best use their platforms. Pejman Yousefzadeh: BLOGGERS OF CONSCIENCE DON'T STAND ALONE — Here is more on the effort of the Blogosphere to rally support and attention... Jeff Jarvis: To the barricades, bloggers : The Committee to Protect Bloggers is getting attention and that's good. |
Brian Micklethwait: Pressure on Iran — I reckon we ought to be a part of (better somewhat belated than never) this: [snipped quote] Notice... Mary Madigan: [Links thanks to Kesher Talk] UPDATE - Via Buzzmachine: This issue is getting attention. Glenn Reynolds: "BLOGGERS RALLY FOR JAILED IRANIANS:" Nice that people are noticing. I hope it does some good. |
Gannongate: It's worse than you think By / Salon — Permalink When the press first raised questions about why Jim Guckert had been awarded access to the White House press room for two years running while he worked for Talon News, critics charged that Talon, with its amateurish standards and close working ties to Republican activists, did not qualify as a legitimate news organization. | |
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SLZoll: See also Eric Boehlert's latest on the issue, which says: So the mystery remains: How did Guckert, with absolutely no... Tom Tomorrow: The plot thickens — Another G/G update at Salon: "Just how blatantly the White House press office looked the other way... |
Ed Cone: Eric Boehlert in Salon on "Jeff Gannon": "Just how blatantly the White House press office looked the other way in regard... Atrios: Day Pass — Boehlert finally nails down the issue of the WH "day passes." |
Romney's road show Boston Globe — Permalink PAST REPUBLICAN leaders have taunted Massachusetts for being a "boutique" state that should be sawed off from the mainland and allowed to drift out to sea. A new voice joined the chorus this weekend — that of our own governor. | |
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James Frederick Dwight: The humorless harpies on the Globe's editorial board whined foul: "Apparently the obvious needs to be restated: Massachusetts is one of the 50 United States. |
K. J. Lopez: BAYSTATEITRY — I kinda feel about Massachusetts this morning the way Jonah felt about some whining bloggers yesterday:... |
Dropping Report's Iraq Chapter Was Unusual, Economists Say By / WaPo — Permalink At the National Security Council's request, the White House excised a full chapter on Iraq's economy from last week's Economic Report of the President, reasoning in part that the "feel good" tone of the writing would ring hollow against the backdrop of continuing violence, according to White House officials. | |
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DeLong: Jonathan Weisman reports: "Dropping Report's Iraq Chapter Was Unusual, Economists Say (washingtonpost.com): [T]he... |
Steven Taylor: Today's Brouhaha in the Making — I will have to digest this before making full comment, but I am guessing this is going... |
Harvard Is Split on Summers By / WaPo — Permalink CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 22 — A deeply divided Harvard University faculty spent two hours debating the tumultuous tenure of President Lawrence H. Summers on Tuesday, in a meeting on his controversial recent comments about women in the sciences and engineering. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: The pseudo-controversy swirling around Lawrence Summers just keeps getting sillier. |
The Big Trunk: The captain speaks — Harvard President Lawrence Summers appears to have emerged from yesterday's "emergency" faculty meeting without serious harm: "Harvard is split on Summers." |
Harvard President Vows to Temper His Style With Respect NYT — Permalink CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 22 - With his faculty threatening open revolt, the president of Harvard, Lawrence H. Summers, promised Tuesday that he would temper his management style and begin treating people more respectfully. | |
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Tom Maguire: Regardless, critics of the Harvard President remain ascendant. |
K. J. Lopez: FOR THE GUINNESS BOOKS — How many times can one man apologize and keep his dignity? [snipped quote] (Or did he give the latter up in the second apology?) |
Boys, Girls Are Faring Equally, Study Finds By / WaPo — Permalink Contradicting both sides in the long-running debate on whether boys or girls have it better in America, the most comprehensive examination of the overall well-being of male and female children has found that the sexes are faring about equally. | |
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K. J. Lopez: From WashPost: "Contradicting both sides in the long-running debate on whether boys or girls have it better in America,... |
Joanne Jacobs: Equal wellbeing — Who has it easier: boys or girls? They do about the same, concludes a study of child wellbeing. |
Schwarzenegger Remarks on Women Anger Many By / AP — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO - Could Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have another "woman problem" on his hands? Schwarzenegger made headlines in recent months by deriding political opponents as "girlie men" and ridiculing a group of nurses at a women's conference. | |
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Acidman: let's do a "gender" thing — After reading this article, I was inspired, or at least roused from a drunken stupor, to... Betsy Newmark: The Associated Press thinks that Arnold has a "woman problem" because he criticized the nurses' and teachers' union. |
Ace: Schwarzenegger Accused of Being Anti-Woman — It's all very silly, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to ignore it:... |
American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 - An American student who was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the last 20 months was returned to the United States and accused by the Justice Department on Tuesday of plotting with members of Al Qaeda in 2003 to assassinate President Bush. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Saudi Tie Pops Up Again In Plot To Kill President Bush — The case of the American student accused of plotting to kill President George Bush gets curiouser and curiouser. |
Ace: I mean, it's not as if there are any imporant matters upon which the Democrats would be better advised to concentrate their attention. |
Shiite Alliance in Iraq Wants Islamist as the Prime Minister NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 22 - Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite doctor with an Islamist bent, was chosen Tuesday by the victorious Shiite alliance as its candidate to become Iraq's new prime minister. | |
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Juan Cole: Current Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told the NYT on Tuesday that he had heard that Iran had lobbied its Iraqi allies against allowing him to continue as prime minister. Steven Taylor: More Iraqi PM Politics — Via the NYT: Shiite Alliance in Iraq Wants Islamist as the Prime Minister Interestingly, the... |
Steve Soto: And this piece in Wednesday's NYT points out how close the whole shaky enterprise may come to unraveling in the days ahead. |
Eight teams now man GOP message machine The Hill — Permalink Building on a strategy developed during the Medicare prescription-drug debate, House Republicans have rolled out an unprecedented communications strategy, coordinating members and lobbyists to start selling the GOP's ambitious legislative agenda. | |
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Steve Soto: In the meantime, House Republicans jump into action with eight separate teams to push the GOP agenda, all armed with their own pollster to test message concepts. |
Steve in Sacto: Promoted by Laddy The Hill has a pretty good article outlining the hyper-organized House GOP message machine as it gears up for the 2005-2006 session. |
Bush Says Europe Should Not Lift Its China Arms Embargo By / NYT — Permalink BRUSSELS, Feb. 22 - A simmering dispute with Europe came to the forefront on Tuesday when President Bush said there was "deep concern" in the United States that lifting the European Union's arms embargo against China would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan. | |
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Tom Maguire: From the Wednesday Times: "Bush Says Europe Should Not Lift Its China Arms Embargo A simmering dispute with Europe... |
Steve Soto: No matter what spin Bush and the White House want to put on his European Vacation this week, he got handed his hat today over the issue of lifting the arms embargo to China. |
Poll Shows Doubts Over Bush Democracy Push By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush is calling on European leaders to support his campaign to spread democracy abroad at a time people in many of those countries have doubts whether that should be the U.S. role in the world, Associated Press polling found. | |
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Steve Soto: And as for Bush's call to Europe to help him spread democracy to the world, Europeans reject W as a dance partner. |
Leah A: What are European attitudes at the start of the president's adventure? Lucky us, the AP did a poll. |
The Blink Presidency Time — Permalink It should come as no great revelation that George W. Bush is a wantonly decisive President. He decides Ariel Sharon is good and Yasser Arafat is evil, even though seasoned diplomats tell him it is not wise to make such sweeping judgments. | |
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James Joyner: The Blink Presidency — Joe Klein applies pop psychology to President Bush in TIME: [snipped quote] The problem with all... Taegan Goddard: The Blink President — Joe Klein says President Bush [snipped quote] Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking Buy it from Amazon.com Link | Related News |
Steve Soto: Media Whore: See "Joe Klein" — Did Joe Klein get a set of kneepads from the White House for the holidays? |
Stocks Drop as Oil Surges, Dollar Slides By / Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks sank on Tuesday as oil prices jumped above $51 a barrel and the dollar slid on concerns that other central banks would follow South Korea 's lead in diversifying reserves out of U.S. assets. | |
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Libertarian Jackass: ASIAN CENTRAL BANKS Global Austrian Business Cycle Theory: It's not very interesting that South Korean thinks it might... |
Josh Marshall: AP: "U.S. "stocks sank on Tuesday as oil prices jumped above $51 a barrel and the dollar slid on concerns that other... |
Condemn-Nation By / Slate — Permalink I've witnessed some weird moments at oral arguments over the years, but I'm thinking absolutely nothing could compare with the sight I beheld today: In the midst of argument in Kelo v. New London—a critically important case about the government's right to... | |
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Jim Dallas: Oral arguments were yesterday, and the inimitable Dahlia Lithwick writes up the whole story in Slate. Betsy Newmark: Dahlia Lithwick has her report on the Connecticut eminent domain case that the SUpreme Court heard yesterday. |
Steve Bainbridge: New London = Old Moscow — In the Kelo case argued before the Supreme Court today, dealing with whether a city can take... |
Voters Split on Bush Job Approval, 49%-50% Zogby — Permalink "The President's approval ratings have been on a plateau since the election—the nation remains evenly-split on his performance in office," said pollster John Zogby. "What is interesting, though, is the growing majority of Americans who do not believe President Bush—and his administration—have properly conducted the war in Iraq. | |
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Steve Soto: Bush Approval Ratings Still Bad, But Public Even More Ignorant On Saddam And 9/11 Than Before — In some interesting... |
Taegan Goddard: America Still Split on Bush — "Americans are split down the middle on President Bush's job performance, with 49%... |
The Philosophy Gap By / American Prospect — Permalink Two articles in The Washington Post on Sunday, February 20, by two of the paper's best reporters, set the mind to roam yet again over the question of strategies for liberals and Democrats. First was Dan Balz's report on Howard Dean's first week as Democratic National Committee chairman. | |
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David Allan Pell: Your Favorite Position — Michael Tomasky on the Dems: ... They should begin by realizing that talking about "positioning" isn't enough. Joe Drymala: The Core — There's a healthy discussion going on at Pandagon and at Matt's house about this American Prospect article by Michael Tomasky. Ezra Klein: Also, you guys should read Tomasky's piece on progressivism's estrangement from philosophy. |
Ace: And... If I'm sending traffic to TAP anyway, I guess I should point out this article as well. Orrin Judd: THE URTEXTS ARE LIKE CRAZY AUNTS IN THE ATTIC: The Philosophy Gap: Another argument between the left and the center? Kevin Drum: CONSERVATISM vs. EXTREMISM...Over at the Prospect, Michael Tomasky argues that conservative are interested in... |
| Also: Will Wilkinson, Jesse Taylor, Matthew Yglesias | |
Atlanticist small talk is all that's left By / Telegraph — Permalink "The change for the moment is more in tone than substance," wrote Alec Russell, reporting on President Bush's European outreach in yesterday's Telegraph. You don't say. My colleague is almost right. | |
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Jan Haugland: The death of the west — I have read and linked to countless Mark Steyn columns in the past, but I honestly can't... Jesse Taylor: Exes Suck — Mark Steyn apparently understands that the "charm offensive" in Europe is bulls**t. Lexington Green: Why not? Mark Steyn puts it well. When the stakes are low, the rhetoric is most soaring. This gets lots of media coverage. |
Tom Maguire: And if the US Seventh Fleet ever has to battle a French-equipped China in a showdown over Taiwan, I don't see how what we smilingly call an "alliance" could survive. Deacon: Charming — The incomparable Mark Steyn has the right line on President Bush's "charm offensive" in Europe:... Dean Esmay: You can (and should) read it by clicking right here. After reading his entire column, I suddenly came to the same conclusion: there is no more "the West." |
| Also: Dale Franks, John Hawkins, Stephen Green, Tom Smith, Kevin Drum, Roger L. Simon, Glenn Reynolds | |
Iran Jails Editor for 14 Years for Insulting Leaders Reuters — Permalink TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian journalist was jailed for 14 years on charges ranging from espionage to insulting the country's leaders in an unusually heavy sentence in Iran, where tens of journalists have been tried in recent years. | |
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Mary Madigan: "A message left with the Iranian mission to the United Nations was not immediately returned...According to Reuters,..." Jeff Jarvis: UPDATE: Reuters has a story about the conviction and sentencing of an Iranian blogger: "An Iranian journalist was... McQ: One of them, Arash Sigarchi, was sentenced to 14 years in prison today: [snipped quote] Again, if you care too ... follow... |
Cori Dauber: And he noted that he used to be in touch with an Iranian who told him — you don't understand, we have freedom of speech in Iran. Jan Haugland: Iran sentences blogger/journalist to 14 years — Iran keeps targeting bloggers and journalists: An Iranian journalist... K. J. Lopez: MULLAHS JAIL EDITOR — "TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian journalist was jailed for 14 years on charges ranging from... |
| Also: Rebecca MacKinnon, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Rocket man gives up rebellion to put the Taliban on road to peace By / Telegraph — Permalink One of the Taliban's most senior and charismatic commanders has become a key negotiator as more and more members of the Islamic militia in Afghanistan give up the fight against the Americans. | |
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John Hawkins: Quagmire! By Mike Hendrix Anybody Remember the "graveyard of empires" and the "brutal Afghan winter"? Steve M.: Then England's Telegraph notes that a former Taliban commander is urging militants in Afghanistan to accept Hamid... Greyhawk: Looks Like I got dem ol' Harsh Afghan Winter Blues Again (Baby) Ed Morrisey alerts us to a London Telegraph report that the Taliban is all but done for in Afghanistan. |
Captain Ed: The Taliban, who once embodied the ideal of Islamofascism in their brutal tyranny over the Afghan people, have all but... Cori Dauber: But that reporter interviews the defector, someone the Reuters' guy never even mentions. Wow. Looking at, you know, both sides and stuff. McQ: Bringing them down from the mountains — Progress in Afghanistan: "One of the Taliban's most senior and charismatic... |
| Also: Norm Geras, Murray @SilentRunning, The Big Trunk, Stephen Green, Orrin Judd, Glenn Reynolds, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Bush: Attack on Iran 'ridiculous' AP — Permalink BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday that it is "simply ridiculous" to assume that the United States has plans to attack Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons program after discussing the issue with European allies. | |
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Steve Soto: First, in a typical bit of Bush doublespeak that always has our allies wondering what the f*ck is wrong with 51% of the... Frederick Maryland: "Simply Ridiculous" Notion Remains on the Table — Amid growing European speculation that the U.S. is preparing to... Kevin Drum: THAT WORD DOES NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS....President Bush today: [snipped quote] I don't get it. |
Mitch Berg: Bush in Europe: No attack on Iran planned, but we could do it if we had to: [snipped quote] The funny part? Libertarian Jackass: BUT, MR. BUSH, doesn't Iran have weapons of mass destruction? Typical Bush idiocy captured in a single paragraph: [snipped quote] Bombs away. |
Rangel: Don't Call it 'Islamic Terrorism' NewsMax.com — Permalink Top House Democrat Charlie Rangel said Tuesday that it was an act of discrimination to label groups like Hezbollah "Islamic terrorists." Asked about the refusal by some European governments to declare Hezbollah an Islamic terror group, Rangel told WWRL's... | |
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James Joyner: Meanwhile, Rep. Charlie Rangel explains to us why we shouldn't call Islamic terrorism "Islamic terrorism." [snipped quote] Riiight. Charles Johnson: Rangel: No Such Thing as Islamic Terror — Top House Democrat Charlie Rangel says it's "bigoted" to call groups like... Dave Johnson: Rangel: Don't Call it 'Islamic Terrorism', [snipped quote] But if you read the story it is NOT what Rangel said, of course. |
Damian Penny: Denial — Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) is miffed that people would call Islamic terrorists "Islamic terrorists". McQ: Charlie Rangel, call planet earth, please — Good grief: [snipped quote] Well hell, then I'm just going to commit an act... |
Man Accused of Plotting to Assassinate Bush AP — Permalink ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the Al Qaeda (search) terrorist network. | |
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Charles Johnson: Supporters of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, indicted today for conspiring to assassinate the President, actually laughed when the charge was read in court. Andrew Cochran: UPDATE: Indictment Link Fox News: American citizen who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as suspected terrorist charged... Lorie Byrd: Man Charged In Assassination Plot — I wonder how many more of these are never known to the public. |
Michelle Malkin: The accused would-be Bush assassin Ahmed Abu-Ali has many Muslim supporters, including 955 who have signed this petition on his behalf. Joe Gandelman: Man Accused Of Planning To Kill Bush — This plot sounds like it was a serious one and not just one "lone nut" but a... James Joyner: Ahmed Omar Abu Ali Charged With Plot to Assassinate Bush — Man Charged With Plot to Assassinate Bush (Fox News - AP) [snipped quote] I don't know what to make of such people. |
Kerry aides lurch to U.N. WorldNetDaily — Permalink The group looking to boot the United Nations out of the U.S. is now blasting the global body for hiring aides to former presidential candidate John Kerry to help improve its image. | |
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Kevin Aylward: I was preparing to send an email announcement about a new blog I'm administering sponsored by the United Nations... Michelle Malkin: THE U.N. HIRES HELP FROM JOHN KERRY — Didja hear about the U.N.'s new blog, run by former Kerry aides Peter Daou and Debra DeShong? |
Rickheller @Centerfield: The effort has already been called a failure by conservative critics of the UN. My take on the UN is that it's bad on peacemaking, but useful on peace-keeping. |
Silver anniversary for 'Miracle on Ice' AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) — They are middle-aged men now, their hair a little thinner, their bodies a little thicker, pursuing careers, one an oral surgeon, another a financial broker, one a horse rancher, another a university executive, spread across the country from Massachusetts to Minnesota. | |
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Mitch Berg: Miracle — Today is the 25th anniversary of the "Miracle On Ice". I am not a huge hockey fan; I'm fairly illiterate about the sport, really. Jeff Goldstein: F**k yeah!"— this despite having not yet seen Team America, and though he's not terribly happy with all the deficit spending and the poor performance of the dollar.* (h/t ASV) Pejman Yousefzadeh: IMAGE AND SACRED MEMORY FOR THE DAY — Do You Believe In Miracles? |
James Joyner: 'Miracle on Ice' 25th Anniversary 'Miracle on Ice' celebrates silver anniversary (Sports Illustrated) [snipped quote] It was indeed an historic occasion. Michele Catalano: Today marks the 25th anniversary of the greatest moment in all of sports history. lg_usa_all.jpg More on this later. |
Our Mission Remains Vital By / Opinion Journal — Permalink In the past year I have read many attacks on the United Nations—quite a few, but by no means all, in the pages of this newspaper. That pains me, because I have served the U.N. all my life. I have done, and am still doing, everything I can to correct its imperfections, and to improve and strengthen it. | |
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Dale Franks: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Wall Street Journal op/ed today is certainly a finely crafted piece, but what Mr. Annan doesn't say in it is just as important as what he does. |
Michelle Malkin: Hmmm? Update: Kofi Annan's puffery in the Wall Street Journal is here. Perhaps on the advice of his trusty Kerry spinners, he did not use the word "kerfuffle" once. |
Severed Penis Retrieved from Toilet, Reattached Reuters — Permalink ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A 44-year-old Anchorage man had his penis surgically reattached after it was cut off by an angry girlfriend and flushed down a toilet, local police said on Sunday. | |
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Ann Althouse: Surgical — and plumbing — wonders. Not for the faint-hearted. |
Kehaar: Shades of Lorena Bobbit — Is it just me, or are there more penis amputation stories in the news these days? |
High court to review assisted suicide law By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court stepped back into the right-to-die debate Tuesday, agreeing to hear the Bush administration's challenge to a unique state law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients die more quickly. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: In somewhat related news, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear challenge to Oregon's assisted suicide law. |
Orrin Judd: THE GOVERNOR IS SELF-EVIDENTLY WRONG: High court to review assisted suicide law (HOPE YEN, February 22, 2005, Associated... |
As Gonzo in Life as in His Work By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Hunter S. Thompson was one of those rare writers who come as advertised. The Addams-family eyebrows in Stephen King's book jacket photos combined with the heeby-jeeby horrors of his stories always made me think of Dracula. | |
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Ann Althouse: Tom Wolfe writes a tribute to Hunter S. Thompson, who shared his first-hand research for "The Hell's Angels, a Strange... Greg Ransom: Tom Wolfe thinks so. |
Orrin Judd: MORE LIKE GENERIC: As Gonzo in Life as in His Work: Hunter S. Thompson died as he lived. |
Dollar falls amid fears central banks diversifying By / NYT — Permalink The US dollar fell sharply on Tuesday after South Korea re-ignited fears that central banks are looking to diversify their foreign exchange reserves away from the greenback. | |
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Charles Johnson: Soros Undermines Dollar Overseas — Anti-American billionaire George Soros, having failed in his attempt to buy the... Kash: Developments in the Currency Markets — Some interesting developments in the foreign exchange markets in the last couple... |
Greg Ransom: SOUTH KOREA'S central bank is dumping dollars in an effort to diversify their foreign exchange reserves. |
Australia boosts Iraq deployment BBC — Permalink Australia is planning to send an additional 450 troops to Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard has said. He said the new soldiers would replace a departing contingent of Dutch troops and protect Japanese troops doing humanitarian work in southern Iraq. | |
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Ace: Quick Hits — Australia Boosts Iraqi Forces By 450: You are buying Australian wine, right? Pejman Yousefzadeh: As always, nation-states will behave in a manner that is commensurate with their best interests, and there is nothing... Cori Dauber: No doubt. But let's not forget the Australians, and the similar risks taken by John Howard. (Via Memeorandum.) |
Charles Johnson: But sanity and decency still prevail in at least one corner of the southern hemisphere: Australia boosts Iraq deployment. McQ: Always there — In case you don't know it, there is one country which has fought side by side in every war of any duration the US has fought since WWI. |
The Soldiers' Story By / Newsweek — Permalink Feb. 28 issue - "Gunner Palace," an intimate portrait of the soldiers serving in 2/3 Field Artillery in Baghdad, defies any expectations you bring to it. There are sights in Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein's eye-opening documentary that will confirm and confound both right and left. | |
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Blackfive: He raved about the film and it's historical importance. Long Live Wilf!!! Update: Gunner Palace in Newsweek. |
Judith Weiss: Here's an official MSM review and the director was subjected to an inane interview by Chris Matthews; I guess the movie's opening soon. |
Declaration of power Guardian — Permalink The nuclear arms race has entered a new phase. With North Korea declaring itself a nuclear power and Iran's repudiation of President Bush's "ban" on the development of new nuclear capabilities, it seems that the political map of the world is set to change. | |
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Scott Burgess: Today's offering will no doubt capture a receptive audience of educators, irresistibly luring them as it does with a... Jan Haugland: Kim Jong-Il dear leader for leftist Britons — British leftist rag The Guardian is eager to educate young Britons about... |
Natalie Solent: This Education Guardian lesson plan about nuclear proliferation by Lyndsey Turner has no less than four separate links... |
Hundreds killed in Iranian quake BBC — Permalink A strong earthquake has hit dozens of villages in southern Iran, killing at least 500 people and hurting many more. The 6.4-magnitude quake struck just before 0600 (0230 GMT) and was centred near Zarand in Kerman province, 740km (460 miles) from the capital, Tehran. | |
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Jan Haugland: Iran quake kills at least 500 — The death toll of an earthquake in southern Iran this morning is currently at 500, and many more are injured. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN — Not nearly as horrible as the Bam earthquake a few years ago, but horrible nonetheless. |
Santorum finds many minds made up on Social Security By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Permalink JOHNSTOWN — Sen. Rick Santorum launched a 10-stop tour of Pennsylvania yesterday to advocate for changes to the Social Security system, but landed — even at his very first stop — at the center of an already-roiling debate about the proposals. | |
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Steve M.: CONSERVATIVES: WE HATE OLD PEOPLE — So Rick Santorum held a town hall forum on Social Security yesterday, and,... |
Frederick Maryland: Santorum Tries to Calm the Restless Natives — Reporting on a 10-stop tour of his state by Pennsylvania Senator Rick... |
U.S. Citizen Accused of Discussing to Kill Bush By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Virginia man, arrested and held in Saudi Arabia, has been returned to the United States to face charges of supporting al Qaeda, and was accused of plotting in 2002 and 2003 to kill President Bush, court documents made public on Tuesday said. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: You scratch my back... UPDATE Yes, according to Reuters, the Virginian is a US citizen. |
Skippy: don't worry it wasn't skippy a u.s. citizen is under arrest for discussing the idea of killing awol, sez reuters:... |
Strong Earthquake Strikes Iran, Hundreds Dead By / Reuters — Permalink ZARAND, Iran (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake struck southeast Iran Tuesday, killing 400 people, injuring hundreds and turning remote mountain villages into rubble, officials said. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Sick Priorities — Sad news again from Iran. |
Joe Gandelman: Meanwhile, in Iran today, an earthquake killed at least 400 people. Mother Nature is angry. |
Partial recounts a totally bad idea By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Sometimes a decision made in the heat of partisan battle has reverberations for years to come. One such decision was the one of Al Gore's campaign to selectively challenge the results of the 2000 election in Florida by demanding hand counts of votes cast in three counties — Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. | |
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Paul @Wizbang: Partial recounts a totally bad idea BY JESSE JACKSON Sometimes a decision made in the heat of partisan battle has reverberations for years to come. |
James Joyner: Paul at Wizbang notes that this Chicago Sun-Times op-ed by Jesse Jackson is suspiciously like this TownHall piece by Michael Barone. |
High Court Won't Review Ban on Sex Toys By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to review the constitutionality of a state law banning the sale of sex toys, rejecting an appeal that said consumers have a right to sexual privacy. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Sweet [Ice Dong-free] Home, Alabama — From the AP: [snipped quote] First, let me state unequivocally that I disagree... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Alabama Sex Toy Ban Will Remain — The Supreme Court has refused to overturn a lower court ruling upholding Alabama's ban on sex toys. |
INSIDE THE SCARY TALE OF PARIS' PURLOINED PRIVACY New York Post — Permalink An Internet rogue apparently hacked into T-Mobile's heavily used Web site to access Paris Hilton's cellphone data, enabling the thief to splash the heiress's racy phone snaps, celebrity numbers and notes-to-self across cyberspace, experts said yesterday. | |
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Howard Kurtz: Here's a high-tech story made to order for the New York Post: "An Internet rogue apparently hacked into T-Mobile's... |
K. J. Lopez: Couldn't help but notice this from the Paris Hilton story in the NYPost today: One of her notes-to-self that was hacked into said "Get birth control kill pill." |
Language Barrier By / TNR — Permalink Since September 11, the U.S. government's bid to promote democracy and improve America's image in the Arab world has consisted largely of countering anti-American pan-Arab media with pro-American pan-Arab media. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Politics In The Vernacular — Joseph Braude writes about some problems in U.S. public diplomacy, focusing on the notion... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: BABEL — Joseph Braude points out a major problem with the U.S. government's Arabic outreach program: "The challenge of... |