meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
McCain Allies Want Reform (and Money) NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 7 - In a small office a few miles from Capitol Hill, a handful of top advisers to Senator John McCain run a quiet campaign. They promote his crusade against special interest money in politics. They send out news releases promoting his initiatives. | |
|
Steve Soto: His 2008 campaign front group is not only paying McCain's campaign advisors-in-waiting salaries already while... Dr. Steven Taylor: Money for Speech for Me, But Not for Thee — If one wishes to understand the farce that is campaign finance reform, look... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Not as Senator McCain does: [snipped quote] The problem here may not be whether Senator McCain is strictly adhering to the rules of the very legislation he worked so hard to pass. |
Captain Ed: Screaming Hypocrisy: NYT — The New York Times has signaled that Senator John McCain can expect no media blackout of his... Tom Maguire: Our real fun from the article was this paragraph, presumably planted by a hacker from The Onion: [snipped quote] Boxing and baseball and movies, oh my. Scott Sala: Raising McCain — John McCain is taking some serious heat for his Reform Institute in what appears to be massive hypocritical padding of his pockets. |
| Also: Ufrh4 @Centerfield, Orrin Judd, Taegan Goddard, Michelle Malkin | |
Thousands Answer Hezbollah Call in Beirut By / AP — Permalink (03-08) 13:40 PST BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Nearly 500,000 pro-Syrian protesters waved flags and chanted anti-American slogans in a central Beirut square Tuesday, answering a nationwide call by the militant Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group for a demonstration to counter weeks of massive rallies demanding Syrian forces leave Lebanon. | |
|
David Allan Pell: Heeding a call made by Hezbollah, about 500,000 protestors hit the streets of Beirut to protest "in favor" of Syria's role in Lebanon. Damian Penny: Marching for tyranny — The Associated Press says 500,000 people attended the Hezbollah-sponsored pro-Syria demonstration in Beirut today. Charles Johnson: (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) UPDATE at 3/8/05 7:55:44 am: Here's the ironic sentence of the day, from ABC News. |
Glenn Reynolds: MORE: Sounds possible: "At least one opposition leader said the pro-Syrian government pressured people to turn out... Gene @HarrysPlace: The Associated Press reported: Organizers handed out Lebanese flags and directed the men and women to separate sections of the square. Jeralyn Merritt: 500,000 Answer Hezbollah Call, Protest in Lebanon — President Bush says Democracy is coming to the Middle East, while... |
| Also: Smash | |
In The Northwest: Teresa Heinz Kerry hasn't lost her outspoken way By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer — Permalink What made Teresa Heinz Kerry so refreshing to some voters, and threatening to others on the 2004 campaign trail, is summed up when THK talks about her speech to last year's Democratic convention: "Nobody told me what to do," she told a Saturday fund-raiser here. | |
|
Vanderleun: Proving once again that nothing keeps you out of the asylum better than infinity money, her hyper-kenetic ways were on... Greg Ransom: "THE BILLIONAIREHEAD" — Teresa Heinz Kerry flies into Seattle on her jet and lets everyone know what she would do if she were queen. Jeff Goldstein: If instead of a pampered heiress still protesting the 2004 presidential election Teresa Heinz (formerly Heinz-Kerry)... |
John Hawkins: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has the latest on the election from the woman who almost became the loopiest first lady... Charles Johnson: THK: Fearful, Distrusting — Billionairehead Teresa Heinz Kerry is very concerned about "hacking into the mother machines." James Joyner: Teresa Heinz Kerry: Election Was Hacked — Teresa Heinz Kerry hasn't lost her outspoken way (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)... |
Social Security Stance Risky, Democrats Told By / WaPo — Permalink The opening round of the Social Security debate has played out just the way Democrats had hoped, with President Bush on the defensive, Republicans in Congress divided and Democrats united in their opposition to the centerpiece of Bush's plan, voluntary personal accounts. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Is that articles like this one come out warning Democrats not to allow themselves to once again be outflanked and... Steve M.: Excuse me — why am I reading this in The Washington Post? Why the hell is this out there for public consumption? Max B. Sawicky: The occasion for my pique is a story today with political advice for Democrats to show direction, conviction, and a larger public purpose. |
Steve Soto: Democrats: Be Clear On Social Security - It's A Moral Values Question — Dan Balz of the Washington Post has a... Josh Marshall: Are Democrats pursuing a shortsighted policy by simply opposing the president's drive to phase out Social Security, as a few are now suggesting? Tom Maguire: Something v. Nothing — Who said this about the matchup pitting the Party of New Ideas against the Party of No Ideas:... |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
Harvard Rejects Applicants It Says Hacked Reuters — Permalink BOSTON (Reuters) - Harvard Business School said on Tuesday it is rejecting applications from 119 would-be students who it says hacked into a Web site to learn if they were accepted at the Ivy League university ahead of the official notification. | |
|
Philip Greenspun: Business schools redefine hacking to "stuff that a 7-year-old could do" — When universities created business schools in... James Joyner: Harvard Rejects B-School Applicants for Backspacing — Harvard Rejects Applicants It Says Hacked (Reuters-Boston Globe)... |
Greg @BeggingToDiffer: PATIENCE, YOUNG APPLICANT — Reuters is reporting that Harvard Business School is denying admission to 119 applicants... |
President Discusses War on Terror White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. Please be seated. It is great to be back to this fine university. Many great military leaders of the 20th century, from Dwight Eisenhower, to Colin Powell, studied on this campus. | |
|
Tacitus: No, scratch that — he said, "the trumpet of freedom has been sounded, and that trumpet never calls retreat." So which is it? Orrin Judd: THE DESIGN: President Discusses War on Terror (George W. Bush, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair,... |
Hindrocket: A Moment of Triumph — President Bush gave another excellent speech at the National Defense University today. |
Italy didn't plan safe escape for hostage By / Washington Times — Permalink Italian security forces failed to make arrangements for safe passage out of Iraq for a freed Italian reporter, whose car was fired on by U.S. troops, killing intelligence agent Nicola Calipari who brokered the reporter's release, according to an internal Pentagon memo. | |
|
Steve M.: Now, Rowan Scarborough insists in today's Washington Times that Mistaken shootings of civilians resulted in "few deadly... The Big Trunk: Rowan Scarborough's Washington Times article quotes an internal Pentagon memo on the shooting: "Italy didn't plan safe escape for hostage." Orrin Judd: DEAD IF YOU DO... Italy didn't plan safe escape for hostage (Rowan Scarborough, 3/08/05, THE WASHINGTON TIMES)... |
Charles Johnson: Italy Didn't Plan Safe Escape for Sgrena — The Washington Times has a report on an internal Pentagon memo that says... Roger L. Simon: Do we believe them? Meanwhile, the Washington Times asserts "Italy did not plan safe escape for hostage." Betsy Newmark: It sounds as if it's Italy's fault for the shooting on the released hostage's car. [snipped quote] Hello? |
Is Bush Right? By / WaPo — Permalink In countries where President George Bush and his policies are deeply unpopular, online commentators are starting to think the unthinkable. "Could George W. Bush Be Right?" asked Claus Christian Malzahn in the German newsweekly Der Spiegel. | |
|
Gene @HarrysPlace: Robert Fisk, an icon of the anti-imperialist Left, knows where he stands. Orrin Judd: NOT FALSE: Is Bush Right? |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: Jefferson Morley also bandwagons: "Given Bush's insistence that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq would lead to a... Smash: Jumping the Bandwagon — JEFFERSON MORLEY notices a trend. [snipped quote] There is an exception, of course. |
Massive turnout at pro-Syria rally CNN — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Tens of thousands of pro-Syrian protesters have been mounting a rally in a square in front of the U.N. building in central Beirut in a massive counterpoint to recent anti-Damascus rallies. | |
|
Atrios: Democracy's Messy — Is it okay now to acknowledge that things in Lebanon are a bit messier (and, in fact, quite worrisome) than the 101st Fighting Keyboarders have been saying. Roger L. Simon: Color Me Nervous — Who wouldn't be when confronted with the pictures of the giant crowds generated by Hezbollah in Lebanon today? |
Philip Greenspun: Syria is able to control Lebanon with 14,000 soldiers — Syria and Lebanon have been in the news lately. Ed Cone: Duncan Black: [snipped quote] — Well, of course it's okay to acknowledge that the world is complex and dangerous, and... |
Cronkite Says Schieffer Was Better Choice as CBS Anchor By / WaPo — Permalink Just 48 hours before Dan Rather steps down under a cloud as anchor of the CBS newscast he's helmed for 24 years, the guy he squeezed out said Rather should've been replaced years ago. After nearly a quarter of a century, Walter Cronkite landed the final punch. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Cronkite: Picking Rather Was A Poor Choice — If news legend Walter Cronkite is smiling these days it's probably because... Garrett M. Graff: Lisa de Moraes has the full blow-by-blow in the Post this morning, complete with Batman-esque sound effects. Taegan Goddard: Cronkite Gets the Last Word — "Just 48 hours before Dan Rather steps down under a cloud as anchor of the CBS newscast... |
James Joyner: I just don't see how the Big 3 will ever get their news audience back. Update (1102): WaPo's Lisa de Moraes has more. Betsy Newmark: While I'm quite happy to read his criticism of Dan Rather, it does seem rather egregious to make such insulting comments right before Rather's stepping down from the nightly news. Greg Ransom: WALTER CRONKITE jabs a stick in Dan Rather's eye, saying he would have liked to have seen him leave CBS News "a long time ago." |
Cronkite: News industry 'vastly different' CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Twenty-four years after taking over the job from Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather will anchor his final "CBS Evening News" broadcast on Wednesday. Rather's departure comes in the wake of a controversial "60 Minutes Wednesday" segment on President Bush's National Guard service that aired in September 2004. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Cronkite is sure to be blasted for being honest — and some who will blast him will do so because they don't like... James Joyner: Walter Cronkite: We're Not Entertainers — The legendary former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite has some interesting observations in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Garrett M. Graff: The former anchor's comments had everyone atwitter when we were at Fox this morning. |
Captain Ed: While Uncle Walter made some unenthusiastic attempts at excusemaking, but declined the laughable assertion that the... Brian Stelter: CBS Should Have Replaced Rather With Schieffer "A Long Time Ago," Cronkite Says danrather2.jpgWolf Blitzer interviewed Walter Cronkite on CNN Monday afternoon. Taegan Goddard: CNN has a transcript of the stunning interview with Cronkite. Link | Related News |
New Polling Shows Deep Fractures Among Lebanese, A Zogby International/Information International Poll of Lebanon Zogby — Permalink Note: The following analysis of the current situation in Lebanon is written by Dr. James J. Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute and Zogby International Senior Analyst. Dr. Zogby's analysis is based on recent Zogby International/Information International polling conducted inside Lebanon. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Well, no. A new Zogby poll shows that rather a lot of Lebanese doubt Syria is to blame for the assassination. 22 percent... Kevin Drum: What's more, as the Zogby poll below shows, this isn't really a surprise since there's no consensus on who was responsible for the assassination. |
James Joyner: Commenter JakeV noted that, indeed, John Zogby has surveyed the population of Lebanon. |
TERESA'S BACK: ELECTION WAS HACKED! Drudge Report — Permalink Teresa Heinz Kerry is openly skeptical about results from November's election, the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reports, particularly in sections of the country where optical scanners were used to record votes. "Two brothers own 80 percent of the machines used in the United States," Heinz Kerry said. | |
|
Scott Sala: Teresa Heinz Theory — John Kerry's wife, Teresa, who recently kicked his name off her hyphenated latter moniker, donned... James Joyner: Not very internationalist to be making fun of Third World countries. . . . Hat tip: Drudge |
K. J. Lopez: OF COURSE — Don't let today go by without giving thanks that the First Lady is Laura Bush and not Ms. Heinz with her wacky theories. |
Leave Personal Accounts on the Table By / Human Events — Permalink The debate on Social Security and personal accounts is about extending and democratizing our capitalistic system so that every worker can become an owner. But the arcane debate over "actuarial solvency" was taken to a new level of absurdity on "Meet the Press" Sunday when Sen. Richard Durbin (D. | |
|
Josh Marshall: Now, he's telling the president to put privatization to a party-line vote. Let the Democrats block it. |
PGL: Update: Has Jack Kemp told us how government spending will magically fall in 2018 as he writes: "The raid on Social... |
Group Tied to McCain Got Cable Donation By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - A senator promotes a government policy sought by a corporation while a tax-exempt group closely tied to him solicits and gets $200,000 from the same company. Campaign finance watchdogs say that creates the appearance of a conflict of interest. | |
|
Steve Soto: Mr. McCain Soils Himself — It seems that Mr. Straight Talk Express likes his quid-pro-quo money from special interests just as much as any other Senator does. |
Steve Antler: Sooner or later you see it all... Yeah, let's get the money out of politics! Uh, wait... |
The Debt-Peonage Society By / NYT — Permalink Today the Senate is expected to vote to limit debate on a bill that toughens the existing bankruptcy law, probably ensuring the bill's passage. A solid bloc of Republican senators, assisted by some Democrats, has already voted down a series of amendments that... | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: Regarding the bankruptcy bill itself, Krugman the Incomparable gets it right in today's New York Times: "... over the... Avedon Carol: Krugman comes right out and says the bankruptcy bill, like the other Republican programs, is all part of a coherent larger pattern to create The Debt-Peonage Society. Steve Soto: Any Democrat Who Votes For The Bankruptcy Bill Should Forget About 2008 — Read Krugman this morning on the bankruptcy... |
Ogged @Unfogged: Risk, Reward — The first comment to John Quiggen's post on bankruptcy, in which he muses about the reinstitution of... Max B. Sawicky: Krugman does a good job today, coining the phrase "debt-peonage society." Mine — "Disownership Society" — is better. Ed Cone: More on the morally bankrupt bankruptcy bill, from Krugman: "Warren Buffett recently made headlines by saying America is... |
| Also: Lambert @Corrente, John Quiggin | |
Tough Love or Tough Luck? By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush has shocked even his most cynical critics by nominating the combative neoconservative John Bolton to one of our most complex and sensitive diplomatic posts: U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. | |
|
Eugene Oregon: For example, as I mentioned in my Daily Darfur post, Susan Rice and Mark Leon Goldberg both wonder what effect his... K. J. Lopez: See her op-ed re: John Bolton today, in which, among other things, this is meant to be a criticism: "He described the... |
Orrin Judd: WHY NOT A SUPPORTER OF CORRUPTION AND SEX CRIMES? : Tough Love or Tough Luck? |
Bush Touts Democracy's Spread in Mideast By / WaPo — Permalink Citing hopeful signs from Lebanon to Afghanistan, President Bush said Tuesday that democracy is beginning to spread across the Middle East and that authoritarian rule is "the last gasp of a discredited past." Bush demanded anew that Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon and allow free elections. | |
|
David Allan Pell: President Bush was out talking up the march of freedom again and this time he's handed down a deadline for the Syrians... |
Kevin Drum: Our first data point arrived today, and it looks like Hezbollah is still able to turn out a crowd: [snipped quote] That's... |
Mideast Strides Lift Bush, But Challenges Remain By / WaPo — Permalink A powerful confluence of events in the Middle East in recent weeks has infused President Bush's drive to spread democracy with a burst of momentum, according to supporters and critics alike, and the president now faces the challenge of figuring out how to capitalize on it in a region long resistant to change. | |
|
Hindrocket: Today the Washington Post, which is, in my view, the most respectable voice of the Democratic Party, noted the successes... Noam Scheiber: FOURTH UPDATE: More evidence on the Democratic side (capital "D") of the equation from today's Washington Post: "The debate in Washington has shifted as well. James Joyner: Mideast Strides Lift Bush, But Challenges Remain — Peter Baker has an "Analysis" piece entitled, "Mideast Strides Lift Bush, But Challenges Remain." |
Dale Franks: Always good to hear from the lace-panty boys in Foggy Bottom — The Washington Post's Peter Baker reports that, while... Aaron @LiquidList: War: Truth in the Middle East — Promoting democracy in the Middle East is one thing, and don't get me wrong, it's a great thing to champion through action. Betsy Newmark: Peter Baker in the Washington Post acknowledges that things have been going Bush's way in the Mideast but warn against Bush taking credit. |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
2 plans floated for Social Security By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — A pair of Senate Republicans offered separate plans Monday to overhaul Social Security, trying to turn President George W. Bush's ideas into legislation that might be able to pass a recalcitrant Congress. They join the crop of several Social Security ideas. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: LIFE EXPECTANCY. Chuck Hagel's new privatization bill will [snipped quote] This is one of those ideas that's a lot less reasonable than it sounds. |
Josh Marshall: Two new Social — Security plans from Senators Hagel and Bennett, reports the Associated Press. |
The Cellblock Voting Bloc By / LAT — Permalink For Democrats, allowing felons to exercise the franchise isn't a matter of justice, it's a way to get votes. In 1994, when the rest of the country was sweeping Republicans into office, Washington, D.C., went another way. | |
|
Kevin Drum: That is, until I opened up the LA Times today and saw that National Review's Jonah Goldberg had an entire op-ed on the subject. Jonah Goldberg: THE CELL BLOC — Here's that piece I said I was doing on felon re-enfranchisement. |
Matt Welch: I Fought the Mob and the Mob Lost — Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Jonah Goldberg dances around the politics of giving freed ex-felons the vote — Marion Barry! |
The reality behind 'Easongate' IHT — Permalink LONDON With Eason Jordan's resignation from CNN, newly powerful bloggers reveled in their unseating of another mainstream-media powerhouse. The term "Easongate" briefly entered the English language. And world attention was distracted from the serious issue of journalists' safety. | |
|
Rebecca MacKinnon: Journalists who die in Iraq, continued... David Schlesinger, global managing editor and head of editorial operations for... |
Greg Ransom: "EASONGATE" and the "targeting" of journalists by U.S. troops — the managing editor of Reuters weighs in: ... |
Massive Pro-Syrian Demonstration Held in Beirut By / AP — Permalink BEIRUT — Hundreds of thousands pro-Syrian protesters waved flags and chanted anti-American slogans in a central Beirut square Tuesday, answering a nationwide call by the militant Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group for a demonstration to counter weeks of massive rallies demanding Syrian forces leave Lebanon. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Here Comes Hezbollah — The fly in the ointment, of course, arises when it turns out that Hezbollah's pro-Syria rally is a lot bigger than the earlier anti-Syria rallies. |
Julian Sanchez: From the Washington Post's coverage of the Hezbollah-run pro-Syria protests in Lebanon: [quote] "We have come here to affirm...[end quote] |
Man Ticketed For Selling Girl Scout Cookies With Daughter wnbc.com — Permalink NEW YORK — A Long Island man was ticketed in Brooklyn for selling Girl Scout cookies with his 13-year-old daughter. Hoi Louis was in Williamsburg delivering the cookies with his daughter over the weekend. | |
|
K. J. Lopez: WELL, I KNOW NYC COPS have better things to do than ticket Girl Scouts (even on Long Island—think of what Derb could be doing in his new home office or treehouse). |
Michelle Malkin: NABBED: SELLING COOKIES WITHOUT A LICENSE — Cops in New York crack down on a father-daughter duo for possession and distribution of...Girl Scout cookies. |
SUDAN: Funding shortfall may affect peace efforts in the south, UN official warns Reuters — Permalink NAIROBI, 8 March (IRIN) - Inadequate funding could undermine efforts to consolidate peace in southern Sudan following the signing in January of an accord that ended more than two decades of civil war there, a top UN official warned on Friday. | |
|
Norbizness: (2) Inadequate funding could undermine efforts to consolidate peace in southern Sudan following the signing in January... |
Eugene Oregon: Jan Egeland says that there is no money to implement the North-South peace accord and no security in Darfur [quote] "The...[end quote] |
Lebanese say spies, not troops, are the problem Times of London — Permalink SYRIA may be preparing to withdraw its troops, but it has yet to make any move to dismantle the real intrument of its power in Lebanon: its pervasive military intelligence network. | |
|
Jonah Goldberg: Anyway, I found a small bit of corroboration at the end of a piece about the Mukhabarat in the Times of London |
Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, the Lebanese say that Syrian agents — not troops — are the real problem. More on this, here. |
Chechen Rebel Leader Killed, Russia Says By / AP — Permalink ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia — Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has been killed, a spokesman for Russian forces said Tuesday. Col. Ilya Shabalkin said Maskhadov was killed during a "special operation," but he did not elaborate. | |
|
Orrin Judd: ONE FOR PUTIN: Chechen Rebel Leader Killed, Russia Says (SERGEI VENYAVSKY, 3/08/05, Associated Press) "Chechen rebel... |
K. J. Lopez: MORE BREAKING — "Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has been killed, a spokesman for Russian forces said Tuesday." |
Giving Wolfowitz His Due By / NYT — Permalink Let us now praise Paul Wolfowitz. Let us now take another look at the man who has pursued - longer and more forcefully than almost anyone else - the supposedly utopian notion that people across the Muslim world might actually hunger for freedom. | |
|
Jeff Jarvis: A sheep in Wolfie's clothing : For his column today, David Brooks may lose his title as the conservatives liberals like... Edward _: In a column stuffed with the sort of sentiments normally reserved for love-struck teenagers' diaries, David (I really am... Jonah Goldberg: IN PRAISE OF WOLFOWITZ — David Brooks commits the grave sin of saying nice things about the man. |
Greg Piper: David Brooks gives the intellectual hawk his due and Jeff Jarvis seconds the congratulations to a man who has been "an... Andrew Sullivan: SECONDING BROOKS: I'm with David on the assessment of Paul Wolfowitz. Orrin Judd: THAT'S WHEN THEY FELL FOR...LEADER OF THE PACK: Giving Wolfowitz His Due (DAVID BROOKS , 3/08/05, NY Times)... |
Necrophilia among ducks ruffles research feathers By / Guardian — Permalink The strange case of the homosexual necrophiliac duck pushed out the boundaries of knowledge in a rather improbable way when it was recorded by Dutch researcher Kees Moeliker. | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: Also in the Guardian: The necrophiliac duck. Plus breaking news — Tut's death ruled not a homicide. | bar.jpg |
Richard Schwartz: Victim of Fowl Play — There is no reason for this ignoble story to be in a blog except for the chance to come up with a groaningly awful headline. |
McCollum passes on Senate bid, will seek 4th term to U.S. House Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said Monday that she will not run for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat in 2006 but that she will seek a fourth term to the U.S. House. | |
|
Alexander K. McClure: 2006 Minnesota Senate — Representative Betty McCollum has announced that she will not seek the nomination of the DFL in 2006 for the open Senate seat. |
Mitch Berg: Blah, District Four Style — Betty McCollum, my "representative" in Congress, bowed out of the Senate race. |
Huge Beirut protest backs Syria BBC — Permalink Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, to applaud Syria's role in the country and reject Western "interference". Crowds chanted "Beirut is free" and "America get out", as people streamed into a central square. | |
|
Captain Ed: UPDATE: The BBC now reports that the counterprotests have drawn "tens of thousands" to Beirut to proclaim their love of Syrian rule in Lebanon. |
Jeff Goldstein: Shannon Elizabeth comments on her pending divorce and the Hezbollah-orchestrated pro-Syrian rally in Lebanon —... |
Pryor avoids new hearing on his judicial nomination Headline By / al.com — Permalink WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has decided against holding a new hearing on Mobile native Bill Pryor's nomination for a lifetime federal judgeship, a committee aide confirmed Monday. | |
|
Shannen Coffin: PRYOR — Reports are that Arlen Specter has changed his mind and will not require Judge William Pryor to stand trial... |
Steve Dillard: "Pryor avoids new hearing on his judicial nomination Headline": The Mobile Register has this report, which notes, inter... |
Brad back in family home By / The Sun — Permalink BRAD Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are secretly trying to mend their broken marriage. The stars, who split up in January, are seeking guidance from a counsellor. © 2005 News Group Newspapers Ltd. "The Sun", "Sun", and "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. | |
|
S.Z.: Corner Chat Let's take a moment and see what the kids at the NRO Corner are talking about this morning: THIS ONE'S FOR... |
Jonah Goldberg: THIS ONE'S FOR KATHRYN — Brad and Jen are trying to work it out. |
Looking Out for No. 2 By / Slate — Permalink A few feet from my office, Yale Law School every day violates our nation's civil rights law by needlessly discriminating on the basis of sex. And people walk by this violation day after day and never say a word. There are two single-use restrooms side by side. | |
|
Ann Althouse: Yale lawprof Ian Ayres is feeling put out by single-sex bathrooms at his institution. |
Ian Ayres: This piece in Slate argues the answer is no. [By the way, I formally disavow the title that Slate chose for the article — maybe my least favorite publication title ever. |
Conservatives Draft a 'Bioethics Agenda' for President By / WaPo — Permalink Frustrated by Congress's failure to ban human cloning or place even modest limits on human embryo research, a group of influential conservatives have drafted a broad "bioethics agenda" for President Bush's second term and have begun the delicate task of building a political coalition to support it. | |
|
Ronald Bailey: "Conservatives Draft a 'Bioethics Agenda' for President," reads the Washington Post headline today. Chris Mooney: Today the Washington Post exposes fissures among conservatives previously allied in the push to ban cloned embryo research. |
Virginia Postrel: An "Offensive Bioethics Agenda" The WaPost reports that Leon Kass and friends are promoting what they call an "offensive bioethics agenda." Orrin Judd: BABY STEPS: Conservatives Draft a 'Bioethics Agenda' for President (Rick Weiss, March 8, 2005, Washington Post)... |
ITALY MAY END RANSOM DEALS By / New York Post — Permalink Italy may abandon its secret, controversial policy of paying huge ransoms for hostages held in Iraq, in the aftermath of last week's tragedy following the release of an Italian journalist. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: Lucia Annunziata, former president of Italian state television RAI, "said yesterday government sources estimate Italy... |
Betsy Newmark: Now Italy is thinking about stopping its policy of paying ransoms for hostages in the Mideast. |
McCartney sisters will join Bush in celebration Times of London — Permalink THE sisters and the fiancée of a Catholic man said to have been murdered by the IRA will be fêted by President Bush in the White House on St Patrick's Day as part of a strategy calculated by Washington to isolate Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader. | |
|
Henry Farrell: Driving Out the Snakes — Via Armed Liberal, I see that George W. Bush appears to be on the verge of taking action to... Orrin Judd: DRIVING THE SNAKES FROM THE ST. PATRICK'S CELEBRATION: McCartney sisters will join Bush in celebration (David Sharrock... |
Armed Liberal: Bush (Rightly) Follows Henry Farell's Lead — Commenter John Thacker points me to a London Times article showing Bush doing a smart and moral thing. |
Mayoral Candidates Opt for Ground Game on Last Day LAT — Permalink Months of rancorous campaigning in the Los Angeles mayoral race drew to a close Monday, with candidates scattering across the city in a final burst of handshakes and personal appeals to voters who will head to the polls today. | |
|
Kevin Roderick: Final campaign wraps in the Times, Daily Breeze and Daily News. Daniel B. Wood of the Christian Science Monitor gets in on the last day too. |
Taegan Goddard: L.A. Voters Head to Polls — [snipped quote] the Los Angeles Times reports. |
Terror Suspects Buying Firearms, U.S. Report Finds By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 7 - Dozens of terror suspects on federal watch lists were allowed to buy firearms legally in the United States last year, according to a Congressional investigation that points up major vulnerabilities in federal gun laws. | |
|
Steve Soto: How about this one? Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Exploding Heads At Cato — Warning: Libertarians may experience cognitive dissonance. [snipped quote] Love guns? |
Jon @ThinkProgress: The NRA: A Terrorist's Best Friend — Just to recap: Today, a man with clear ties to terrorism can stroll into a gun... Susan Madrak: WTF? Yeah, how 'bout this? |
Was Bush right after all? By / Independent — Permalink Trucks carrying Syrian soldiers began to file out of Beirut yesterday. As they departed, Syria's President, Bashar Assad, under intense pressure from the US, promised to withdraw all 14,000 troops to eastern areas of Lebanon by the end of this month. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . And more grudging admissions: "Trucks carrying Syrian soldiers began to file out of Beirut yesterday. Norm Geras: Hell freezes over (updated) Well, maybe not quite, but the front page of the Independent today has this headline: "Was Bush right after all?" Ace: And speaking of Robert Fisk, check out the cover of the Independent, the rag that pays Fisk to write the same column... |
Damian Penny: The story you thought you'd never read in The Independent — The front-page story in Robert Fisk's newspaper: "Was Bush right after all?" Dean Esmay: The Independent is now asking, Was Bush Right After All? Of course he was. Jan Haugland: It must be infectous — Now it's Rupert Cornwell in The Independent (yes, that is Robert Fisk's rag) catching the meme: Was Bush right after all? |
| Also: Michael J. Totten, Dr. Frank, Orrin Judd, Clayton Cramer, Betsy Newmark, Glenn Reynolds, Jonah Goldberg | |
At Heart of Social Security Debate, a Misunderstanding By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 7 - The Social Security trust fund "had plenty of money in it," Anne Cash, a 70-year-old retired federal worker, declared furiously at a town meeting in North Philadelphia last month. | |
|
Tom Maguire: Pretty Phoney, Says The Times The NY Times debunks some widespread myths about the Social Security Trust Fund, in an article that they admit spins favorably for Bush. Josh Marshall: As Timesman David Rosenbaum puts it ... [snipped quote] In other words, it's all a big misunderstanding. |
Orrin Judd: YET WE LET THEM VOTE: At Heart of Social Security Debate, a Misunderstanding (DAVID E. ROSENBAUM, 3/08/05, NY Times)... |
PLAYGIRL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OUTS HERSELF -- AS REPUBLICAN Drudge Report — Permalink When it comes to sex and politics, Democrats are the more liberal, right? Not so fast. Playgirl editor-in-chief Michele Zipp explores "down and dirty" politics and examines sexuality on both sides of the aisle. | |
|
Lorie Byrd: I just heard Rush Limbaugh talking about it though, so I am linking here for those interested. Michele Catalano: Playgirl EIC Outs Herself as an Idiot PLAYGIRL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OUTS HERSELF — AS REPUBLICAN Also known as: Worst reason ever for party affiliation. Ed Driscoll: Michele Zipp, their editor-in-chief admits (gasp!) that she's a Republican: [snipped quote] All I can add is that, hey, it's not your mother's GOP anymore. |
Nick Gillespie: Playgirl Flash — It's a little early in the morning for this—indeed it may always be a little too early in the morning... K. J. Lopez: REPUBLICAN PLAYGIRL — Somewhere some Republican strategist is wishing this revelation waited until a tight election. |
Critic of U.N. Named Envoy WaPo — Permalink President Bush named Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton yesterday as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a surprise choice that would send an outspoken critic of the world body's effectiveness to its inner councils. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: I think it's a great move to name John Bolton to the United Nations. No one can argue that the United Nations has enhanced its reputation in the past year. |
Michelle Malkin: And from the Washington Post: [snipped quote] A jolt of Bolton is just what the doctor ordered. |
White House admits 1st blogger to briefing AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — With an official credential hanging from his neck, a young man stepped into the White House briefing room Monday as perhaps the first blogger to cover the daily press briefings. He found the surroundings to be dilapidated and cramped and concluded that his morning at the White House was "remarkably uneventful." | |
|
Skippy: the sfchron: [snipped quote] we can't wait for garrett's first question. "yes, scott, does dick cheney prefer blogger or... Kate @OTB: Garrett Graff's First Day — A blogger's first day in the White House press corp. [snipped quote] Or read his own report, at DCFishbowl |
Lambert @Corrente: "(AP via the Post Intelligencer)" Now, there are two words I don't see in that story. They are: "gay escort." I wonder why? |
Bush to Nominate Bolton as U.N. Ambassador WaPo — Permalink President Bush has chosen Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a longtime critic of the United Nations and a hard-liner on Taiwan-China relations and arms control, to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. | |
|
Christy @ThinkProgress: John Bolton: The Anti-Diplomat [President Bush today named neoconservative, unilateralist hawk John Bolton as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. James Joyner: Other takes: Bush to Nominate Bolton as U.N. Ambassador (WaPo) Hawkish Bolton Nominated as U.N. Ambassador (Reuters) BobcatJH: Bizarro America: New U.N. ambassador hates the U.N. From the diaries—Chris Today we learn this: "President Bush has... |
Brooke @ThinkProgress: John Bolton: Jesse Helms Protégé [President Bush today named neoconservative, unilateralist hawk John Bolton as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Jon Henke: John Bolton: The Anti-Diplomat — It looks like the President isn't easing off the pressure... "Undersecretary of State... Orrin Judd: LONGING FOR A DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION...: Critic of U.N. Named Envoy (Glenn Kessler and Colum Lynch, March 8, 2005,... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Frederick Maryland, Jo Fish, Pejman Yousefzadeh, James Martin Capozzola, David Allan Pell, Rich Lowry, Jan Haugland, DavidNYC @DailyKos, Mipe @ThinkProgress | |
Blogged Down By / American Prospect — Permalink During one especially hectic week in mid-February, the Internet took three scalps in what appeared to be unrelated events. Liberal bloggers forced Talon News White House correspondent James D. Guckert, a k a "Jeff Gannon," to resign after it was revealed that... | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: The American Prospect blogs down — Here, in one place, is the fever swamp view of the blogopshere, including this... Deacon: Power Line exposed — Garance Franke-Ruta, writing for the American Prospect about the role of bloggers in the Eason Jordan affair, exposes the blogosphere for what it is. Michelle Malkin: BAD PROSPECT — Garance Franke-Ruta has a ridiculous article in the American Prospect arguing a la Dan Rather that the... |
Tom Maguire: Meanwhile, Back At The Grassy Knoll — Following in the trail blazed by Sidney Blumenthal and Hillary Clinton, Garance... Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE ON THE AMERICAN PROSPECT YAWNER — Paul Miringoff has an excellent analysis of the American Prospect article discussed here yesterday. Chris Bowers: Of scalps, citizen bloggers, and competing online noise machines — In easily the best article I have ever read on... |
| Also: Matt Welch, Blackfive, Digby, Kevin Drum, Tom Tomorrow, Stirling Newberry | |
Changes in Mideast blunt Bush's critics By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — A dramatic string of positive developments in the Middle East in recent weeks seems to have deflated fierce criticism of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq. | |
|
Norm Geras: See also this: [snipped quote] Update at 1.35 PM: For a thorough analysis of the Independent's position on 'the question in question', see this post by Scott Burgess. Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: Et tu, Teddy. I'm telling you - Howard Dean could be next. [And give him the last laugh?-ed. You're right. ] Mitch Berg: Then, on the Sunday talkies, Ted Kennedy and Bill Richardson both credited the President's policies in the Middle East with the explosion of democratic agitation in the region. |
Jan Haugland: Iraq critics growing silent — I think somebody should check if hell just froze over: A dramatic string of positive... McQ: More Grudging Credit — This time from a very unlikely person: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy, one of the most strident... Baldilocks: Wind Changes Direction — Read this link, please, and tell me if I cut and pasted the following correctly. |
| Also: Brian Keegan, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Italians kept U.S. forces in dark By / Washington Times — Permalink ROME — Italian agents likely withheld information from U.S. counterparts about a cash-for-freedom deal with gunmen holding an Italian hostage for fear that Americans might block the trade, Italian news reports said yesterday. | |
|
Blackfive: And folks like Katie Couric and the MSM are playing right along... Update: Al of Life With Al notes that LGF pointed to... Damian Penny: Why Sgrena was shot — It won't change the mind of anyone who believes the Americans deliberately tried to kill Giuliana... Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: The story's already looking more like Italian ineptitude rather than American conspiracy: [snipped quote] But it'll get the usual attention from the usual suspects. |
John Hawkins: In this case, we're already starting to hear that the Italians may not have alerted the CIA about the car carrying... Jeff Goldstein: More: The Washington Times; Mickey Kaus; The Moderate Voice; Roger Simon, Michelle Malkin, Wizbang, Baldilocks,... Jan Haugland: PS 2: The Italians may have kept crucial information away from the US forces: Italian agents likely withheld information... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Captain Ed, Roger L. Simon, The Big Trunk, Michelle Malkin, Charles Johnson, Orrin Judd | |
Bush Picks Critic of U.N. to Serve as Ambassador to It By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 7 - President Bush is nominating Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a blunt-spoken hawk with a history of skepticism toward the United Nations, to be the United States ambassador to the organization, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. | |
|
Jeff Goldstein: Do they think they'll gain anything by opposing a guy who puts America's interests first? Fighting Bolton is catering to the Democrat's base. Michelle Malkin: "BRINGING THE U.N. KICKING AND SCREAMING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY" — Our reaction to the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the U.N.? |
Andrew Sullivan: A GREAT PICK: Sending John Bolton to the U.N. strikes me as an inspired choice. James Martin Capozzola: [Post-publication addendum: See also "Bush Picks Critic of U.N. to Serve as Ambassador to It," by Brian Knowlton, the... |
Marxism of the Right By / The American Conservative — Permalink Free spirits, the ambitious, ex-socialists, drug users, and sexual eccentrics often find an attractive political philosophy in libertarianism, the idea that individual freedom should be the sole rule of ethics and government. | |
|
Perry de Havilland: There is an interesting article in The American Conservative by Robert Locke called Marxism of the Right, by which he is referring to libertarianism. Tim Cavanaugh: Robert "Rise of the Coloured Empires" Locke shoots back with "Marxism of the Right," a Dr. Zaius-style laundry list... Orrin Judd: NOT THE CHOOSING BUT THE CHOICE MADE: Marxism of the Right (Robert Locke, March 14, 2005, The American Conservative) "[L]ibertarianism is basically the Marxism of the Right. |
Steve Bainbridge: The problem is illustrated by a vociferous attack launched against libertarians in The American Conservative by Robert... Dale Franks: Those Shifty Libertarians — Robert Locke offers us his characterization of libertarians in The Amercan Conservative. |
A CU prof deserving of sympathy By / Denver Post — Permalink Betsy Hoffman's self-serving and phony warning about "McCarthyism" at CU - in the middle of what should be an impartial investigation of Ward Churchill - was disgraceful. But if the University of Colorado president needs a genuine case of discrimination at her school, here's one: | |
|
Stephen Green: Late Night Rambling — Ed Driscoll forwarded me an opinion piece I probably would have missed: [snipped quote] As regulars here know, I'm no fan of evangelical Christianity. Betsy Newmark: If this story is half as bad as it is represented then Colorado University has much more serious problems than just Ward Churchill. Jeff Goldstein: Turns out I looked so unlike an Indian that until my hair grew back I took to wearing a Poarch Creek porcupine roach... |
Greg Ransom: In related news, one of the best teachers at CU is being fired because he fails to toe the leftist party line of his UC... Ed Driscoll: Ward Is Merely The Tip of the Iceberg — Betsy Nemark links to a Denver Post story about Phil Mitchell, another professor under siege at Colorado University. Michelle Malkin: His column today is about a conservative University of Colorado professor, Phil Mitchell, who is being forced out after... |
Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink The war in Iraq was hardly a month old in April 2003 when an Army general in charge of equipping soldiers with protective gear threw the brakes on buying bulletproof vests. | |
|
Norbizness: "I was shocked to find that the south has only received five percent of what it needs to implement the [2005] Work Plan... Cori Dauber: Delay in Armor — From yesterday's Times (what can I say, I'm a day behind) a long and detailed piece on how the delays... Steve M.: New York Times today ***** (That's just a small detail in a very good story about how the Pentagon botched the... |
Avedon Carol: Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq - you know how furious it makes me that the administration has been so callous about wasting the lives of our troops. Jon @ThinkProgress: These include pearls of wisdom like, "While we would all like to be faster and more responsive, it was fairly responsive." Riggsveda @Corrente: Supporting the War, Not The Warrior — Piggybacking on Lambert's post from last night on the inability of the Pentagon... |
| Also: Armando @DailyKos, Susan Madrak, Stirling Newberry | |
The eye doctor never saw it coming By / Telegraph — Permalink I don't suppose Bashar al-Assad has much in common with Eric Clapton - though, come to think of it, "Layla" is a Lebanese name, and there must be a few of them among the smouldering, raven-tressed, black-eyed Beirut babes so fetchingly demanding their nation's freedom on the covers of this week's Economist, Newsweek, Weekly Standard et al. | |
|
Stephen Green: More People Power — The writing is on the wall for Baby Assad: [snipped quote] That's from Mark Steyn's latest, and I suggest you read the whole thing. The Big Trunk: "I shot the Sharif" — Mark Steyn has uncorked a classic column that plays on the Queen's reception honoring the British... |
Betsy Newmark: Mark Steyn shows what fun you can have with an extended metaphor. [snipped quote] Now who else would have thought of that? |
University of Colorado President Resigns By / AP — Permalink DENVER Mar 7, 2005 — University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman announced Monday that she is resigning amid a football recruiting scandal and a national controversy over an activist professor who compared victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to a notorious Nazi. | |
|
James Joyner: University of Colorado President Resigns Amid Scandals — Steven Taylor has a roundup of information on yesterday's resignation of Colorado University President Elizabeth Hoffman. Michelle Malkin: Related: Hoffman resigns. |
Charles Johnson: UC President Resigns — The president of the University of Colorado (where Ward "Little Eichmanns" Churchill continues to have a job) is resigning. Stephen Green: UC Blues — My home state university's scandals have claimed their first victim: [snipped quote] Hoffman's administration... |
Unity on the right gets rocky By / Boston Globe — Permalink A COUPLE of weeks ago, a panel gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss the state of a troubled marriage: the alliance between libertarians and conservatives. | |
|
Steve Bainbridge: On the one hand, self-described "libertarian-conservative " Cathy Young (a contributing editor of the sensible libertrian... Pejman Yousefzadeh: SAVING THE LIBERTARIAN-CONSERVATIVE MARRIAGE — Cathy Young has an excellent essay on the subject that I concur with and encourage others to read. |
Dale Franks: Libertarians and Conservatives — Reason's Cathy Young comments that the loose affiliation between conservatives and libertarians appears tobe fraying, and for good reason. |
CU President Hoffman resigns Rocky Mountain News — Permalink Embattled University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman announced this morning in a letter to the Board of Regents that she will step down from her post effective June 30. "I have spoken many times about my view of principled leadership. | |
|
Greg Ransom: ELIZABETH HOFFMAN is out at CU. Tenured hater Ward Churchill still has his job. David Kopel: University of Colorado President Resigns: University of Colorado President Betsy Hoffman has just announced her... |
Jeralyn Merritt: C.U. President Hoffman Resigns — University of Colorado President Elizabeth (Betsy) Hoffman has resigned. K. J. Lopez: UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO'S (HOME OF WARD CHURCHILL) president is resigning. |
Shootings by U.S. at Iraq Checkpoints Questioned WaPo — Permalink The deadly shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops at a checkpoint near Baghdad on Friday was one of many incidents in which civilians have been killed by mistake at checkpoints in Iraq, including local police officers, women and children, according to military records, U.S. officials and human rights groups. | |
|
Cori Dauber: Nonetheless, the incident has raised, once again, the question of civilian deaths at US military checkpoints. The Big Trunk: The Washington Post's article contrasts the conflicting accounts of the shooting: "Shootings by U.S. at Iraq checkpoints questioned." Captain Ed: The Washington Post provides a look at why Sgrena's car likely got shot in an otherwise rather hostile article by... |
James Joyner: WaPo ("Shootings by U.S. at Iraq Checkpoints Questioned") has more such incidents. There is little doubt that young soldiers can get trigger happy. Michelle Malkin: The Washington Post has differing details: "The military has responded that in a time of widespread suicide bombings,... Scott Sala: And there is new evidence that Italy did not coordinate their rescue with the US, making the likelihood of such a regrettable incident possible. |
Greenspan's Warning on Deficit Ignores His Role in Its Growth By / LAT — Permalink Is he kidding? That's the only possible reaction to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan's conclusion last week that the massive federal budget deficit accumulated under President Bush was "unsustainable." | |
|
Howard Kurtz: Ron Brownstein takes a whack at the Fed maestro in his LAT column: "Is he kidding? Armando @DailyKos: Brownstein: Greenspan is a Hack — Via Alterman, Ron Brownstein sez Greenspan is a hack: [snipped quote] Good for Brownstein. |
Atrios: So, it's nice to see him call Greenspan out. |
Clinton Vies With Bush For Hawkishness on War By / New York Sun — Permalink Exhibiting a knack for political repositioning that has some Republicans tremulous about 2008, Senator Clinton nearly matched President Bush's hawkishness in her remarks to the Jewish Community Relations Council yesterday morning, hours before she enthusiastically denounced his position on abortion at New York University in the afternoon. | |
|
James Joyner: Clinton Vies With Bush For Hawkishness on War — Speaking of Sen. Clinton... Clinton Vies With Bush For Hawkishness on... Taegan Goddard: Clinton Vies With Bush For Hawkishness — "Exhibiting a knack for political repositioning that has some Republicans... |
Mitch Berg: First, it was Hillary Clinton [1], who drew brickbats from the MoveOn crowd for breaking ranks with the far left on the war. Mathew Gross: Just What We Need! Via Political Wire, Clinton Vies With Bush For Hawkishness on War. |
For One Ed, Strong Op By / WaPo — Permalink Commentator Susan Estrich says she's just trying to get more columns by women into the Los Angeles Times. Michael Kinsley, who runs the newspaper's opinion pages, agrees that's a worthy goal. | |
|
John Hawkins: There's A Reason Why More Men Than Women Are Published On The Opinion Pages & It's Not Sexism — Many conservatives... Roger Ailes: So here's how I score the flyweight bout Estrich vs. Kinsley (scoring in italics): [snipped quote] Final score: Estrich, negative 25. |
Kevin Roderick: Estrich v. Kinsley is back — Most of Howard Kurtz's Media Notes column in today's Washington Post is about the public... Betsy Newmark: Howard Kurtz looks at the Estrich-Kinsley spat over having more female commentators on the LA Times editorial page. |
Climate Change By / TNR — Permalink Two years is a long time in the history of the Internet—especially in the Arab world. Consider the following statement made by Jonathan Alterman, director of the Center for Strategic & International Studies's Middle East Program, in April 2003: | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE INTERNET AS A DESTABILIZING FORCE — Joseph Braude notes the power of blogging and the Internet to shake things up... |
Josh Chafetz: And, in TNR, Joseph Braude looks at the increasingly destabilizing influence of the Internet in Arab countries. |
Hezbollah To Protest U.S. Stance On Lebanon By / WaPo — Permalink BEIRUT, March 6 — The leader of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim movement that for weeks has stood on the sidelines of Lebanon's political upheaval, called Sunday for national demonstrations against what he characterized as foreign influences seeking to expel Syria, a key sponsor of the party, from the country. | |
|
Charles Johnson: Hizballah to Protest Tomorrow in Beirut — The Hizballah terror gang and their masters in Tehran are not pleased with events: Hezbollah To Protest U.S. Stance On Lebanon. Daniel Drezner: Scott Wilson explains in the Washington Post about Hezbollah's decision to maintain its support for Syria: "The leader... Joe Gandelman: Hezbollah Versus Lebanon's People — Forget the demonstrations that toppled the Lebanese government demanding that... |
David Adesnik: AN IMPORTANT PREDICTION: The first sentence of this WaPo story on Lebanon reads as follows: "The leader of Hezbollah,... Juan Cole: Hizbullah has sided with Syria and Shaikh Nasrallah has called for a big pro-Syrian demonstration by Shiites on Tuesday. Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Shaking the Tree — So I'm guessing that nobody in the White House was thinking about how disastrously this whole Lebanon thing could backfire. |
| Also: Betsy Newmark | |
Blog Tool Writing Its Own Story of Success By / LAT — Permalink The weblog has now reached the point in the cultural life cycle where the word is on everybody's lips, even if most people aren't sure what it is. Perhaps the best way to illuminate the phenomenon is by introducing Ben and Mena Trott, both 27, respectively the chief technical officer and president of the San Francisco company Six Apart. | |
|
Kevin Roderick: Movable Type in the news — Michael Hiltzik's "Golden State" column in today's Times tells the story behind Movable... |
Virginia Postrel: Born of the Dot-Com Bust "The key to making an invention useful is turning a technology into a tool," writes the LAT's... |
Bush names hardliner as UN envoy BBC — Permalink President George W Bush has named Undersecretary of State John Bolton as his choice to be US ambassador to the United Nations. Mr Bolton, currently the US top arms control expert, is known to be a harsh critic of the UN. | |
|
Dave Johnson: The UN Ambassador — President Bush has nominated "hardliner" John Bolton to be Ambassador to the United Nations. |
Cookie Jill: "- the beebs" and he was a good friend of jesse helm's [quote] in january 2001, jesse helms endorsed bolton: "john bolton is...[end quote] |
N. Koreans Fleeing Hard Lives Discover New Misery in China By / WaPo — Permalink TUMEN, China — After five days of hiking in the biting cold, Lee Shanyu made her escape from the other bank of the Tumen River, where the tortured land of North Korea ends in a row of barren brown hills crusted with frost. | |
|
Richard Reeb: Escaping Hell and Finding Hades — This is by now a familiar tale of the desperate victims of communist tyranny in North Korea who have nowhere to go but Communist China. |
Mark Krikorian: Today's Post has a story on North Koreans living illegally in China which refers to the "quirky" rule of madman Kim Jong Il. |
'My truth' By / CNN — Permalink I'm still in the dark. Friday was the most dramatic day of my life. I had been in captivity for many days. I had just spoken with my captors. It had been days they were telling me I would be released. I was living in waiting for this moment. | |
|
Jan Haugland: The BBC has an interview with freed communist journalist Giuliana Sgrena, and CNN carries a translation of Sgrena's article about the incident called "My truth." Michelle Malkin: "The automobile was traversing onto a route — the road to the airport — where soldiers have been killed in shootings and by roadside bombs." The Big Trunk: Her truths — CNN has posted the account of the kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena that was published... |
Glenn Reynolds: By her own admission just before it was fired on at the checkpoint the car was going so fast that it nearly lost control. Joe Gandelman: So we have contradictions within contradictions... UPDATE III: CNN's website is running this translation of her March 6, article. Captain Ed: Stripped of the dramatics with which she surrounds the narrative, this is Sgrena's recollection of the friendly-fire... |
| Also: Jeff Goldstein, Charles Johnson | |
Jailed 24 years, freed by DNA By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink JONESBORO, La. — In May 1981, when Michael Williams was 16, a jury here rejected his claim of innocence, deliberating for less than an hour before convicting him of the savage beating and sexual assault of his math tutor. | |
|
TChris: Innocent Man to be Released After 24 Years — With the exception of executing the innocent, it doesn't get any worse than this. |
David Allan Pell: It took 24 years (during which he was serving a life sentence in the Louisiana State Pen, performing hard labor and on... |
Labor's Divisions Widen As Membership Declines By / WaPo — Permalink LAS VEGAS — AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney last week won the latest round in a bitter internal clash over the future of the labor movement by insisting that more money go for future campaigns to unseat Republicans than for trying to shore up the federation's sagging membership. | |
|
Sebastian Holsclaw: Unions —Sebastian This is an interesting story about unions. Orrin Judd: HATING REPUBLICANS, LOSING POWER: Labor's Divisions Widen As Membership Declines (Thomas B. Edsall, March 7, 2005,... |
Captain Ed: Unions Choose Politics Over Membership — The AFL-CIO has decided to double its budget for electoral politics instead of... |
Hawkish Bolton Nominated as U.N. Ambassador Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday nominated United Nations critic John Bolton to be the new U.S. ambassador to the world body. "The president and I have asked John to do this work because he knows how to get things done. | |
|
Flamingo Jones: It's hard to imagine someone lamer than Michael Bolton, but leave it to George W. Bush to find him…. |
TChris: Bolton Nominated as UN Ambassador — President Bush today nominated John Bolton, a frequent critic of United Nations policies, to be the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. |
Karmic book hero: Spidey Chicago Tribune — Permalink NEW DELHI — He swings from buildings, wears a red-and-blue spider costume and shoots webs from his wrists. But this Spider-Man is Pavitr Prabhakar, not Peter Parker. Uncle Ben has turned into Uncle Bhim. Longtime crush Mary Jane is Meera Jain. | |
|
Daniel Drezner: The U.S. exports comic book heroes — Kim Barker has a story in today's Chicago Tribune on the adaptation of one comic... |
David Adesnik: SPIDER-MAN STILL IN INDIA: The South Asia correspondent for the Chicago Tribune reports from New Delhi on the debut of Spider-Man:India. |
Pew Finds Surge for Web as Source of Political News, As Newspapers Sink Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK A Pew Center study released today found that using the Internet to get news of politics during the 2004 presidential contest grew sixfold from 1996, while the influence of newspapers sank. In 1996, only 3% of those surveyed called the Web one of their two leading sources of campaign news. | |
|
James Joyner: Pew Finds Surge for Web as Source of Political News, As Newspapers Sink (E&P) "A Pew Center study released today... |
Daniel Drezner: Anick Jesdanun explains for the Associated Press: [snipped quote] Click here for Editor & Publisher's take on the report. |