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Bumper sticker evokes road rage St. Petersburg Times — Permalink TAMPA - Politics has always been divisive, splitting families and turning friend against friend. This week, though, a Tampa woman learned that simple Bush-Cheney bumper sticker can bring trouble, if not danger, from a total stranger. | |
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Charles Johnson: PEST Sufferer Snaps — Traumatized beyond healing by the 2004 election, disgruntled Tampa moonbat Nathan Alan Winkler could finally take no more: Bumper sticker evokes road rage. Baldilocks: Though I really wanted to do it just to start something, cooler parental heads prevailed, however. Good thing, too. McQ: Freedom of speech meets road rage — All over a bumper sticker: [snipped quote] Heh ...Joe Dirkin is the master of understatement. |
John Hawkins: Liberal Reality Catches Up To Their Rhetoric — To be honest, I'm surprised this sort of incident doesn't happen all the... C. D. Harris: Freedom Of Thought — What's so funny 'bout peace, love and felony in the third degree? Orrin Judd: STICKER SHOCK: Bumper sticker evokes road rage (SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER, March 10, 2005, SP Times)... |
| Also: Rickheller @Centerfield, Michelle Malkin, PoliPundit | |
Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming By / NYT — Permalink A core group of influential evangelical leaders has put its considerable political power behind a cause that has barely registered on the evangelical agenda, fighting global warming. | |
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Fred Clark: Climate change — It's good to see Rich Cizik's picture in The New York Times. Nathan Newman: GOP v. Religious Voters on Global Warming — Okay, this gets interesting, as the National Association of Evangelicals... Dave Johnson: Gonna Get Smeared Soon — Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming. |
Mipe @ThinkProgress: Our Exclusive Interview with Rev. Jerry Falwell — Last October, the National Association of Evangelicals released a... Jesse Taylor: Evangelicals are challenging the Bush team on global warming, declaring that stewardship of the Earth calls us to be socially and environmentally responsible. Tim Dunlop: I don't know, I suppose you shouldn't look a gift horse in the gob, but: "A core group of influential evangelical... |
| Also: McQ, Orrin Judd, Chris Mooney, Susan Madrak | |
New Interrogation Rules Set for Detainees in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - After clashing with Afghan rebels at the village of Miam Do one year ago, American soldiers detained the village's entire population for four days, and an officer beat and choked several residents while screening them and trying to identify local militants, according to a new Pentagon report that was given to Congress late Monday night. | |
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Cori Dauber: What he doesn't mention is that the actual frame of the Times article is made clear in their headline, "New Interrogation Rules Set for Detainees in Iraq." James Joyner: New Interrogation Rules Set For Detainees In Iraq (NYT p. 1 rss) "[...] The report finds that early warning signs of... Robin Burk: The NYT has an article up this morning ahead of his appearance, as does the WaPo. (h/t Kevin McCullough, who says a Pentagon report will also probably be out today.) |
Jeff Goldstein: Church Report Vindicates Military Leadership — From ABC News: [snipped quote] James Joyner characterizes the report's... Captain Ed: The New York Times has a preliminary look at the Church findings as well. Michelle Malkin: Captain Ed takes note of the New York Times' buried lead. |
Gender bias in IKEA instructions? CNN — Permalink Norway's prime minister says company should alter brochures that show only men assembling furniture. OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA is guilty of sex discrimination by showing only men putting together furniture in its instruction manuals, Norway's prime minister says. | |
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Michelle Malkin: MY REAL BEEF WITH IKEA — So, I'm sure you've all seen this P.C. run amok story getting lots of blog buzz today. Charles Johnson: IKEA Dhimmitude Watch — The IKEA furniture store chain uses only pictures of men in their instruction manuals, and the... Jonah Goldberg: Case in point: The Prime Minister of Norway is furious that the pictograms explaining how to build Ikea furniture are male-normative. |
Jan Haugland: Sex-discrimination in IKEA instruction manuals — One of the big stories in Norway today was the protests against... Captain Ed: IKEA, the Swedish furniture behemoth, has been targeted for allegations of gender bias because the manuals for their furniture show no women assembling them. McQ: The purpose of government: auditing brochures for gender bias — Gadzooks. Does the unwarranted intrusiveness ever end? |
Blocking Move By / TNR — Permalink At a town-hall meeting last month in Philadelphia, Rick Santorum, the stalwart conservative senator from Pennsylvania, was pitching President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, speaking the reassuringly nonideological language of insolvency dates and rates of return. | |
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Max B. Sawicky: RETURN THIS — Via Josh, essential reading on Social Security, from Jonathan Chait at TNR. Chait explodes the "higher rate of return" canard: . Yuval Rubinstein: Step Inside the World of Cokie Roberts (If You Dare) Via Josh Marshall, this article by Jon Chait on the ideological... |
Matthew Yglesias: Obstructionism and Conspiracies — Last time I was just a smidge slow in implementing the always-link-to-Jon-Chait. .. Josh Marshall: Your weekend Social — Security must-read ... 'Blocking Move: A Principled Case for Obstruction' by Jon Chait and just out from TNR. |
Cat Shoots Owner AP — Permalink BATES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said. | |
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Clayton Cramer: But then again, I don't have a cat quite this dangerous: [snipped quote] Still, it is a good reason to keep your guns properly secured. James Joyner: Cat Shoots Owner — Cat Shoots Owner (AP) [snipped quote] Serves the idiot right for leaving a loaded 9mm without the safety engaged laying on the counter. Rich Lowry: CAT SHOOTS BACK "BATES TOWNSHIP, Mich. Mar 10, 2005 — A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats... |
Steven L.: Link AP (Mich.) "A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said." DJ Drummond: Blue Meanies — Even the pets are mean in the blues states, it seems. |
Who Is a Journalist? By / Slate — Permalink In the Valerie Plame case, two well-known reporters have been sentenced to jail for refusing to rat out a confidential source or sources who told them the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA agent. | |
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James Joyner: Who Is a Journalist? - Anybody Who Wants to Be So argues Slate's Jacob Weisberg. Jay Rosen: Go, Jake... Who Is a Journalist? Anybody who wants to be. Garrett M. Graff: Two very interesting pieces today on journalism: one by Slate's Jacob Weisberg that asks, "Who is a journalist?" and... |
Captain Ed: Jacob Weisberg of Slate writes today that a journalist doesn't get made by an HR department or a university program, but... S.Z.: Also, Slate's Jacob Weisberg asks "Who is a Journalist," then answers, "Anybody who Wants to be." Tom Biro: Opened doors — On Wednesday evening, Slate's Jacob Weisberg wrote that in today's world, "anybody who wants to be" a journalist can do so. |
Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane AP — Permalink BRUSSELS, Belgium Mar 10, 2005 — A group of unarmed Iranians staged a protest aboard a Lufthansa jet at the Brussels airport Thursday, refusing to leave the plane and calling for the return of the monarchy in Iran, officials said. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: HOPE — From small gestures may large tyrannies be overthrown. (Thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi for the link.) Jonah Goldberg: IRANIANS PROTEST — A reader who sends me email about developments in Iran just sent me this: [snipped quote] Here's a wire story on it. |
James Joyner: Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane — Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane (AP) [snipped quote] I can hardly... |
UPDATE 1-Bush tries soothing seniors' Social Security fears By / Reuters — Permalink MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush enlisted the help of some grandfathers to try to soothe fears among senior citizens about his plan to create private accounts out of the Social Security retirement program. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Goodnight, moon — It's really grotesque to watch Bush "assuring Seniors that their benefits are safe" (Reuters). |
Skippy: reuters: [snipped quote] people disagreeing with awol in the same room? we bet brett bursey would have been proud. |
Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison Abuse By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Top commanders in Iraq put intense pressure on interrogators to extract useful intelligence information from prisoners, yet that does not explain the sexual humiliation and other abuse of prisoners under U.S. control, an investigation has concluded. | |
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Charles Johnson: US Review: Leaders Did Not Order Abuse — Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison Abuse. Edward _: A Few Bad Apples — By Edward So the bad apples have been isolated, there is no connection to the top brass, and... |
James Joyner: Update (0951): AP weighs in: Probe: Pressure on interrogators not excessive (CNN) Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison... |
Wisconsin death has Lefkow tie Chicago Tribune — Permalink Investigators early today said a man who shot himself in the head during a traffic stop in Wisconsin had a suicide note claiming responsibility for the slaying of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother last week. | |
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David Neiwert: Lefkow killings: Not terrorism — The Chicago Tribune is reporting that a suicide in Wisconsin may have uncovered the... Charles Kuffner: Apparently, he was a lone nutter with a grudge against a list of people, and he killed himself when pulled over for a routine traffic stop. K. J. Lopez: LEFKOW MURDER — A man in Wisconsin kills himself and leaves a suicide note claiming he killed that Chicago judge's husband and mother. |
Kevin Aylward: Man Admits To Lefkow Murders In Suicide Note — Hot off the presses of the Chicago Tribune:Investigators early today... Orrin Judd: SOME SUPERIOR PATROLLING: Wisconsin death has Lefkow tie: Source: Note blames judge for loss of 'his house, his job and... |
Bloggers Parse Pool Reportage On Bush Doings By / WSJ — Permalink WASHINGTON — In describing a mundane trip on Air Force One not long ago, Ron Hutcheson, White House reporter for Knight Ridder Inc. newspapers, made a small joke. "Flight and motorcade uneventful," Mr. Hutcheson wrote. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Pool Follies Christopher Cooper exposes the not-so-sordid and really-not-so-interesting underbelly of White House pool reports in the Wall Street Journal. Jay Rosen: For the full exchange see Rosen (Feb. 25), then Kurtz (March 3), then Rosen(March 4), then Kurtz (March 8), then today's... |
Garrett M. Graff: WSJ: Wonkette Has Made Pool Reports Boring — The front page of the WSJ's Marketplace section today examines how... |
Matthews of 'Hardball' Retreats from Speech After Muslim Protest By / New York Sun — Permalink A prominent talk show host has canceled a speech to a conference of Indian-American hoteliers after coming under pressure from Muslim organizations and human-rights groups, who said another speaker invited to the meeting has a record of condoning anti-Muslim violence. | |
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McQ: So when I found an article about Chris Matthews cancelling an upcoming speech to the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association, I thought, this is too good to be true. Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 3/10/05 7:38:14 am: In a story on a CAIR tantrum that caused Chris Matthews of "Hardball" to cancel a speech... |
Garrett M. Graff: Matthews Backs Out of Speech chrismatthews.jpgUnder pressure from Muslim groups, Chris Matthews (he of the not-so-huge... Brian Stelter: "Scheduling Conflict: Hardball Host Cancels Speech Amid Pressure From Muslim Groups — MSNBC Hardball host Chris... |
Pro-Syrian Lebanese Premier Reappointed By / WaPo — Permalink AMMAN, Jordan, March 10 — Only 10 days after the Lebanese opposition celebrated his resignation, the pro-Syrian legislator Omar Karami returned as Lebanon's prime minister Thursday in a sign of how swiftly the political winds have shifted over recent weeks of street protests. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Just think what would have happened at the height of Watergate if there had been massive demonstrations calling for... K. J. Lopez: THE CEDAR REV GOES ON — Chatting with Farid Ghadry, president of the U.S.-based Reform Party of Syria, this morning... |
McQ: Additionally, Aoun charged, the rally wasn't spontaneous, but instead an "elaborately staged affair": "This was not a... Bill @INDCJournal: Its immediate result is by no means assured or easy, but of course it was ... |
Bush: Social Security wobbly, personal accounts are safety net By / AP — Permalink LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two grandpas and their granddaughters joined President Bush on Thursday in making his case that Social Security was on wobbly footing and private investment accounts would help provide a safety net for future retirees. | |
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PGL: Update: Joshua Marshall listens to President Bush trump even the Andrew Roth school of funny finance: "Bush: Social Security wobbly, personal accounts are safety net" |
Josh Marshall: The latest free-form policy improvisation from our president. |
Judge Orders Arrest of Michael Jackson AP — Permalink SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) - An angry judge issued an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson on Thursday after he failed to show up for his child molestation trial on time and his attorney announced the singer was being treated for a serious back problem. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Michael Jackson Nearly Arrested Due To Tardiness — For accused child molester Michael Jackson today almost became a day when he would have gotten the advice "Don't drop the soap." K. J. Lopez: THREE MINUTES LATE — This ridiculous Michael Jackson circus this morning (he walked into court in pajama pants if you... |
Jeralyn Merritt: The judge has issued an arrest warrant and given Jackson one hour to appear or he will forfeit the $3 million bail. |
U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - After years of campaigning against Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim party in Lebanon, as a terrorist pariah, the Bush administration is grudgingly going along with efforts by France and the United Nations to steer the party into the Lebanese political mainstream, administration officials say. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Rich Lowry has some interesting inside dope about Hizbollah in Lebanon. "2. Hizbollah is not an independent actor. Tim Dunlop: U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role By STEVEN R. WEISMAN March 10, 2005 "After years of campaigning... Roger L. Simon: Not to feel too relaxed, I noticed the link to this morning's Syria coverage in the NYT on LGF. |
Matthew Levitt: Contraty to press reports that the U.S. position on Hizballah has shifted toward that of France and other countries... Matthew Yglesias: Meanwhile, today's New York Times reports that "After years of campaigning against Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim... Charles Johnson: NYT Claims US is Softening Toward Hizballah — I suspect the New York Times of trying to create a show of support for... |
| Also: Kevin Drum, Orrin Judd, Rich Lowry, Atrios | |
May No More NRO — Permalink Department stores are on the outs, like the MSM. Many years ago, press critic A. J. Liebling remarked that the news we receive is dependent on the whims of downtown dry-goods merchants. | |
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Kevin Roderick: On the demise of department stores — May Co.Taking off from the news that Robinson's-May will soon vanish from the... |
Glenn Reynolds: CATHY SEIPP LOOKS AT the demise of department stores. I wouldn't mind, if they were replaced by Samuel's. |
The enemy within By / Guardian — Permalink In the heat of the battle over the Florida vote after the 2000 US presidential election, a burly, mustachioed man burst into the room where the ballots for Miami-Dade County were being tabulated, like John Wayne barging into a saloon for a shoot-out. | |
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Steve Clemons: John Bolton as Political Operator, Ideologue and Neo-Primitive — Sidney Blumenthal's column today exposes the... Orrin Judd: THE ANTI-AMERICANIST ON THE GRASSY KNOLL (via Daniel Merriman): The enemy within: How an Americanist devoted to... |
Mark Leon Goldberg: RISE OF THE NEO-PRIMS? Sidney Blumenthal unpacks the Bolton nomination in the Guardian today. K. J. Lopez: WHY DO I LINK TO THESE THINGS — Sidney Blumenthal vents on John Bolton in the Guardian. |
Berlusconi signals shift in 'hostages' policy By / Independent — Permalink Any Italians rash enough to go walkabout in Iraq are now on their own, prime minister Silvio Berlusconi told the Senate yesterday, in his first official pronouncement on the killing of Nicola Calipari last Friday. | |
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Baldilocks: The Answer — For all the who-done-what and why in the Sgrena uproar, the simple question of 'why' is answered:... |
Orrin Judd: EVEN THE ITALIANS TIRE OF BEING SUCKERS: Berlusconi signals shift in 'hostages' policy (Peter Popham, 10 March 2005, Independent uk) [snipped quote] Bold? |
U.S. Quits Pact Used in Capital Cases By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration has decided to pull out of an international agreement that opponents of the death penalty have used to fight the sentences of foreigners on death row in the United States, officials said yesterday. | |
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Mark Krikorian: SOVEREIGNTY WATCH — Kudos to the administration for withdrawing from part of a treaty that gives the World Court... Captain Ed: US Quits The Consular Notification Provisions Of Vienna Convention — In a surprise move, the Bush administration... James Joyner: U.S. Quits Pact Used in Capital Cases (WaPo) "The Bush administration has decided to pull out of an international... |
Barbara O'Brien: Writes Charles Lane at WaPo, "In a two-paragraph letter dated March 7, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informed... Ken Masugi: It now develops that we're pulling out of the dubious treaty that caused this terrible problem (which we're still stuck with, of course). Eugene Oregon: He Hates These Cans — I think that George Bush just hates treaties [snipped quote] Let's see, so far the Bush... |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt | |
Adviser: Accounts won't wait USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — The top White House economic adviser rejected as "absolutely a non-starter" bipartisan proposals that the administration put aside its drive to create individual investment accounts in Social Security and focus first on extending the system's solvency. | |
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Dan Froomkin: But Susan Page and Andrea Stone write in USA Today: "The top White House economic adviser rejected as 'absolutely a... |
PGL: I'll skip my usual Barro-Becker sermon of why this is funny finance and just go to this story highlighted by the same... |
JON CARROLL By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink So today I am enjoying the words of Judge David Sentelle of the Washington, D.C. , Court of Appeals. He was asked to take on the case of Judith Miller of the New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, who are refusing to reveal confidential sources that might lead prosecutors to the person who leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame. | |
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Captain Ed: So will bloggers, explains Jon Carroll in today's San Francisco Chronicle, in writing about Apple's lawsuit and the... |
Jay Rosen: To Liberate From the White House the White House Press — Dan Weintraub, who covers politics at the Sacramento Bee,... |
A Gardener of Color In a Mostly White World By / WaPo — Permalink By tomorrow, Sherry Santifer will have entered close to 60 pots of forced bulbs in the Philadelphia Flower Show. It is a quest that starts alone in a chilly greenhouse, where the bulbs are potted up, and ends under the very public spotlight of the most prestigious flower show in the land. | |
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Roger Clegg: Well, the Washington Post's "Home and Garden" section today descends to self-parody with an article about the appalling shortage of minority ... horticulturalists. |
Radley Balko: Via NRO, the Washington Post today descends into self-parody with an article in the Home & Garden section that bemoans the dearth of — ready for this? — minority horticulturists. |
Congressman leaves GOP's nomination up for grabs in '06 Arizona Republic — Permalink U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, widely considered the Republicans' top contender to defeat Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2006, decided Wednesday to stay in Congress instead of running for Arizona's top statewide office. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: AZ-Gov: Hayworth skips race — The GOP's preffered opponent for Democratic Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Rep. J.D. Hayworth, has passed on the race. Taegan Goddard: Hayworth Won't Run for Governor — Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), [snipped quote] the Arizona Republic reports. Link | Related News |
James Joyner: J.D.Hayworth Not Running for Arizona Governor — Hayworth to skip governor's race (Arizona Republic) |
Lefkow tie to suicide is probed Chicago Tribune — Permalink A man who shot himself in the head after a traffic stop in Wisconsin on Wednesday was found wearing a suicide note that included an admission that he shot Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother, investigators handling the case said. | |
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Tom Maguire: Judge Lefkow Case - A Major Break — The Chicago Tribune has a major story taking the Judge Lefkow case in a new... |
Glenn Reynolds: SHOCKINGLY, MATT HALE MAY BE INNOCENT: A bizarre twist in the Lefkow murder case. |
New Social Security deal on table By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Sen. Robert Bennett, the chief deputy majority whip and one of the wisest Republican heads in Washington, has quietly entered the Social Security maelstrom with a thoughtful compromise that puts his party at a crossroads. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Details are hard to come by regarding the new Social Security "plans" from Senators Robert Bennett and Chuck Hagel... |
Josh Marshall: Robert Novak, of the money lobby, reveals the "thoughtful compromise" on Social Security. |
Anger as Lebanon reappoints pro-Syrian leader By / Times of London — Permalink The Lebanese President today reappointed Omar Karami as Prime Minister, ten days after the staunch pro-Syrian was forced to step down amid mass protests. Britain quickly expressed its concern. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said he hoped it was only a temporary move. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: The Lebanese saga, chapter the next — As Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, emboldened by a massive pro-Syria... |
Daniel Drezner: Jenny Booth reports in the London Times that the opposition has already rejected joining a unity government. |
Clinton Seeks Ratings on Children's Media By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday sharply criticized the sex and violence in video games and other entertainment directed at children, calling the prevalence of such images an epidemic. | |
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Ace: Senatrix Clinton: Protecting the Children, 24/7 — Democrats are always staunch defenders of a near-absolute right to... |
Orrin Judd: IN THE KINGDOM OF THE MORALLY BLIND...: Clinton Seeks Ratings on Children's Media (RAYMOND HERNANDEZ, 3/10/05, NY Times)... |
Six men who'll shape the future By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — Stanford professor John Cogan has President Bush's ear. Public-relations legend Bill Novelli of the AARP needs to repair his own PR. Powerful and prickly House Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas is thinking legacy. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Ford Watch Susan Page profiles six key players in the Social Security battle for USA Today. |
Josh Marshall: An interesting set of choices. In USA Today, Susan Page has a list of "Six men who'll shape the future." |
Lebanon's Pro-Syrian PM Reappointed Voice of America — Permalink Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud has renamed pro-Syrian Omar Karami as prime minister, just two weeks after he resigned the post following massive opposition protests against Syrian influence in Lebanese politics. | |
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Daniel Drezner: There are going to be more protests in Lebanon — That's not a particularly powerful prediction given this Voice of... |
Stephen Green: Takin' It To The Streets — This can't be good: "Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud has renamed pro-Syrian Omar Karami as... |
The Arab spring By / Boston Globe — Permalink ''IT IS time to set down in type the most difficult sentence in the English language. That sentence is short and simple. It is this: Bush was right." Thus spake columnist Richard Gwyn of the Toronto Star, author of such earlier offerings as ''Incurious... | |
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Glenn Reynolds: I SAID NOT TO GLOAT, but at first it sounds as if Jeff Jacoby wasn't listening: "The Axis of Weasel is crying uncle, and much of the chorus is singing from the same songsheet. |
Jonah Goldberg: BUSH WAS RIGHT — Jeff Jacoby on the Arab spring. |
S. Korean Group Sponsored DeLay Trip WaPo — Permalink A delegation of Republican House members including Majority Leader Tom DeLay accepted an expense-paid trip to South Korea in 2001 from a registered foreign agent despite House rules that bar the acceptance of travel expenses from foreign agents, according to government documents and travel reports filed by the House members. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: Jesus, how many times can this guy make a mockery of ethics before House GOoPers start worrying about their own private Rostenkowski moment? Byron LaMasters: Tom DeLay and Foreign Money — Instead of writing about it, just read this Washington Post article and this Kos Diary (recommend it, too!) Kevin Drum: TOM DELAY WATCH....Yet another ethics investigation against Tom DeLay? He sure takes an awful lot of trips from people he doesn't realize are lobbyists, doesn't he? |
Charles Kuffner: The Daily DeLay weighs in as well. Meanwhile, the WaPo reports on some more questionable travel by The Hammer. Betsy Newmark: Why are experienced Congressmen, including Tom Delay making a mistake like this? Going on a trip sponsored and paid for by a foreign group is just stupid. |
Misdemeanor Nation vs. Felony Nation By / TCS — Permalink In the world where the enfranchisement of felons seems like a good idea, no crime is ever really that bad. No sin can ever disqualify a man from full civic participation. A little time in the hoosegow squares all accounts. | |
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Orrin Judd: A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT: Misdemeanor Nation vs. Felony Nation (Douglas Kern, 03/09/2005 , Tech Central Station)... |
Glenn Reynolds: DOUG KERN thinks we're blurring the line between misdemeanors and felonies. |
Surprised? By / TCS — Permalink Sam Donaldson — who had served as the White House correspondent during the Reagan Administration — was one of the co-hosts of the broadcast, and at one point during the coverage, he had a chance to interview his old rhetorical sparring partner — former President Ronald Reagan. | |
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James Joyner: Middle East Peace Should Not Surprise — So argues Pejman Yousefzadeh in an interesting piece at Tech Central Station. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: MY TECH CENTRAL STATION COLUMN IS UP — No surprises found here. |
UN Envoy Says Deaths in Darfur Underestimated By / Reuters — Permalink UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior U.N. envoy said on Wednesday that far more people had died in Sudan's Darfur region than the 70,000 previously estimated and chastised African nations for not sending enough peacekeepers. | |
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Charles Johnson: UN Envoy Says Deaths in Darfur Underestimated — It might be time for another strongly-worded resolution from Kofi... |
K. J. Lopez: MORE ON SUDAN — Reuters: "A senior U.N. envoy said on Wednesday that far more people had died in Sudan's Darfur... |
What would Falwell do? By / Salon — Permalink The Bush administration is going to hell. That, at least, could be the take-away message from a Tuesday press conference religious leaders from five major Protestant denominations held at the National Press Club. | |
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Amy Sullivan: For more details on how this happened, check out Salon today. The grand result of all this is a public square in which religion is defined and monopolized by the right. |
Jesse Taylor: About damn time. Amy Sullivan writes on (three guesses...) religion and the Democratic Party in Salon today. |
U.S. Says It Has Withdrawn From World Judicial Body By / NYT — Permalink Prompted by an international tribunal's decision last year ordering new hearings for 51 Mexicans on death rows in the United States, the State Department said yesterday that the United States had withdrawn from the protocol that gave the tribunal jurisdiction to hear such disputes. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: According to Adam Liptak in the New York Times, the withdrawal from the protocol came about because last year the ICJ... James Joyner: U.S. Withdraws from ICJ Death Penalty Protocol — U.S. Says It Has Withdrawn From World Judicial Body (NYT) "Prompted... Orrin Judd: YUP, HE CHANGED THE TREATY: U.S. Says It Has Withdrawn From World Judicial Body (ADAM LIPTAK, 3/10/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] You knew that was coming. |
Mimus Pauly: adam liptak of the new york times writes that the "u.s. says it has withdrawn from world judicial body": "prompted by... Jonathan H. Adler: Then again, the NYT is reporting that the U.S. is withdrawing from the ICJ. |
It is not democracy that's on the march in the Middle East Guardian — Permalink For weeks a western chorus has been celebrating a new dawn of Middle Eastern freedom, allegedly triggered by the Iraq war. Tony Blair hailed a "ripple of change", encouraged by the US and Britain, that was bringing democracy to benighted Muslim lands. | |
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Norm Geras: Entirely predictably, since he can be relied upon to favour the more unsavoury political option, Seumas Milne today goes... |
Susan Madrak: POWER STRUGGLE — What's happening in the Middle East is a lot more complex than "spreading democracy." |
G.O.P. Senators Balk at Tax Cuts in Bush's Budget By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - President Bush's plan to extend his tax cuts over the next five years ran into resistance in the Senate on Wednesday as Republican leaders offered a budget for 2006 that would undo more than a fourth of the cuts that Mr. Bush has requested. | |
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Steve M.: OH, AND KEEP THE BATHWATER — IT HAS CHAMPAGNE IN IT The headline: G.O.P. Senators Balk at Tax Cuts in Bush's Budget At last! |
Riggsveda @Corrente: Next to the above good news we find more: Senate Republicans are putting the reins to Bush's planned $100 billion tax cuts. |
Increments That Kill WaPo — Permalink IT'S BEEN A YEAR since the world woke up to the mass killings in the Darfur region of Sudan, and six months since the Bush administration termed them "genocide." | |
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Eugene Oregon: The Washington Post has this editorial "IT'S BEEN A YEAR since the world woke up to the mass killings in the Darfur... |
Cori Dauber: Here We Go Again — Rwanda Redux. |
Rice Denies U.S. Involved in Chavez Coup By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The United States "was not involved in any way" in a short-lived coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez but wants assurances that he is committed to democracy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday. | |
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Tbogg: Our Dominatrix of State, Condoleezza Rice, makes a firm no-doubt-about-it denial with a few qualifiers thrown in... |
Susan Madrak: I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW — TBogg relates how Condi has reassured us there's no assassination plot in Venezuela:... |
Dan Rather signs off with 'courage' AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) — Dan Rather echoed a word he once used every night to sign off the "CBS Evening News" — courage — in ending the program for the final time after 24 years as one of America's best known television news anchors. | |
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Nick Gillespie: A Valediction; Forbidding Mourning for Dan Rather — So Dan Rather, the anchor (as in weighing down an entire... Brian Stelter: All the headlines are going to use it, a la "Dan Rather signs off with 'courage.'" > Rather "seemed to savor each word of his signoff Wednesday," the AP says. |
Joe Gandelman: Dan Rather Goes Proudly And Gently Into The Night — In a quick, controversy-free sign off, Dan Rather vacated the CBS... |
Italy's Ransom Opinion Journal — Permalink Americans join Italians in mourning the death of Italian secret service officer Nicola Calipari, whose funeral was held in Rome on Monday. Agent Calipari died a hero last Friday, reportedly using his body to shield freed journalist/hostage Giuliana Sgrena from gunfire as their car approached American troops near Baghdad Airport. | |
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Jan Haugland: The mainstream media and European elites have demonstrated a pathetic lack of ourrage over the real atrocity in the... Shannon Love: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Italians paid as much a $6 million dollars to secure her release. Michelle Malkin: Update: My friends at the Wall Street Journal are on the very same wavelength. *** Previous: The Italian hostage job CNN: Lost in translation? |
Cori Dauber: Harsh Words — OpinionJournal says it's time to refocus the discussion about the Italian journalist freed from captivity in Iraq. Richard Reeb: As she and the Wall Street Journal point out, that will ransom money pay for a lot of weapons, explosives and ammunition—and recruiting. |
Half of Americans Believe What Dan Rather Says By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — Dan Rather signs off tonight as anchorman of the "CBS Evening News," 24 years to the day that he first took over as anchorman of the program. In recent months, Rather has been under fire for his Sept. 8, 2004, report on "60 Minutes Wednesday,"... | |
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Dean Esmay: Click here to read. I have no sympathy whatsoever for Dan Rather. Neither do I feel any great rage toward him. |
Greg Ransom: THE DAN RATHER legacy — 4 out of 5 Americans reject the idea that what Dan Rather reports is mostly believable. |
Rather's Final 'CBS Evening News' Sign-Off AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) - Text of Dan Rather's final sign-off as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" on Wednesday: "We have shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting here each evening. And before I say good night this night, I need to say thank you. | |
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Joe Gandelman: It was delivered sans excess showmanship, a simple gracious sign off. (The full text is here. You can watch a video of the sign off here and here. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Dan Rather's Final 'Sign-Off' — Dan Rather gave his last CBS evening news broadcast tonight. Crooks and Liars has the video. |
Text: Dan Rather Signs Off CBS News — Permalink (CBS) On Wednesday, March 9, 2005, Dan Rather finished his final broadcast after 24 years as anchor of CBS Evening News. We have shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting here each evening. And before I say good night, this night, I need to say thank you. | |
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Joe Gandelman: It was delivered sans excess showmanship, a simple gracious sign off. (The text is here. You can watch a video of the sign off here and here. Taegan Goddard: CBS News anchor Dan Rather, signing off after 24 years as anchor of the evening news. Trey Jackson has the video. |
Brian Stelter: Rather Signs Off: "Courage" rather5.jpg Here's the video: Dan Rather Signs Off (3.5 MB WMV) > Update: 7:18pm: CBS News... |
Bankruptcy Bill Set for Passage; Victory for Bush By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 8 - The Senate assured final passage of the first major overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws in 27 years on Tuesday, when it took two votes that cleared the remaining political obstacles to a measure that the nation's credit and retail industries have sought for years. | |
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Jesse Taylor: The Emerging Blog Consensus: jwo;e892jlsdf - Indeed — I'd been wondering why the bankruptcy bill passed. Joe Gandelman: Government Of The Credit Card Companies, For The Credit Card Companies And By The Credit Card Companies — So what can you say about this bankruptcy bill? eRobin @AmStreet: "Photo credit: Reuters" Washington D.C. Photo credit: FreeDictionary.com From the NYT "The Senate assured final passage... |
Tom Maguire: After-Action: The Bankruptcy Of The Blogosphere — The bankruptcy bill is set to clear the Senate, and is expected to... Kash: In return for a few million dollars in contributions, lenders are being rewarded with passage of the bankruptcy bill:... Tom Burka: GOP To Make Law Giving Everyone's Money To The Rich — Bankruptcy Bill Ditched In Favor Of More "Direct" Legislation The... |
| Also: Rickheller @Centerfield, Gary Farber, Avedon Carol | |
Kerry fortifies war chest, keeps momentum for 2008 By / Boston Herald — Permalink WASHINGTON - It was an intimate political gathering: Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] playing host to about 100 of his richest friends. Kerry huddled with his top fund-raisers Monday night in his Georgetown mansion, preparing a massive money push aimed at keeping the defeated presidential nominee's ambitions alive. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: . So I suppose it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that John Kerry still apparently dreams about the Presidency. Steve Soto: Of course, as Yuval noted below Kerry is off and running for 2008 and seems to want to run the caucus himself. Orrin Judd: ALL THE MOMENTUM OF JABBA THE HUTT: Kerry fortifies war chest, keeps momentum for 2008 (Andrew Miga, March 9, 2005,... |
Doug McDaniel: So today, I read this Globe Herald (whoops) piece, via Kos, and I am particularly disturbed by the presumptiveness of this former candidate. Dr. Steven Taylor: I'll Take "Massive Wastes of Money and Time" for $1000, Alex — Reports the Boston Herald: Kerry fortifies war chest,... PoliPundit: Run, John, Run! John Kerry is preparing to run again in 2008. I'm deeply conflicted about this. |
| Also: Kos @DailyKos, Taegan Goddard, Yuval Rubinstein, James Joyner | |
Ex-PM: Hezbollah rally in Beirut a massive hoax By / WorldNetDaily — Permalink JERUSALEM - The giant Hezbollah rally that drew nearly half a million purported supporters of Syria's occupation of Lebanon actually was a staged hoax with non-Lebanese citizens, Syrian workers, students and municipal employees coerced into joining the... | |
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McQ: Hezbollah rally: "No foreign intervention" — But says a former Lebanese prime minister, Michel Aoun in an interview... Charles Johnson: UN Hits Bottom, Digs — Head appeasement weasel Kofi Annan says the United Nations must recognize the Hizballah terrorist organization. Ted Belman: Rally a Hoax — Ex-PM: Hezbollah rally in Beirut a massive hoax.Exiled Lebanese leader says Syria used foreigners,... |
Colt: Analysis here, and a claim from a genuinely anti-Syria politician (they came this close to killing him) that many protesters were co-erced. Tim Cavanaugh: We can concede that many of those people may have been bussed in, some possibly from as far off as Syria. James Joyner: Ex-PM: Hezbollah Rally a Massive Hoax — Ex-PM: Hezbollah rally in Beirut a massive hoax (WorldNetDaiy) |
Dan Rather Weighs Anchor CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Dan Rather bids a bittersweet goodbye to the CBS Evening News tonight after 24 years in the anchor chair. He is passing the baton to CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer, who will anchor the show until a permanent replacement is chosen. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: The parallel drawn is clear: [snipped quote] What a cheap trick. Saint Paul l: The arc of the criticism, according to his employer: Although the [National Guard story based on fraudulent documents]... |
Joe Gandelman: Rather Goes Gently And Proudly Into The Night — In a quick, controversy-free sign off, Dan Rather vacated the CBS... Mitch Berg: I sat at the AM1280 table with Patrick Campion, Jay Larson, Saint Paul, Sarah Janecek, and a bunch of other conservative... |
Saigon's Sharansky By / Opinion Journal — Permalink There's been a lot of talk since Sept. 11 about how President Bush's war-lovin' ways have galvanized terrorists, recruiting jihadis to the ranks. What's increasingly evident, however, is that the character suffering the real blowback is Osama bin Laden, who, as it turns out, jolted the U.S. into a global recruiting drive for democrats. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Prompted by this piece in the Wall Street Journal, some of them are actually tossing around the idea that Vietnam will... Chad The Elder: Turnabout — Claudia Rosset asks if Vietnam will be the next Iraq in a piece at OpinionJournal.com: So at an appointed... Pejman Yousefzadeh: "SAIGON'S SHARANSKY" — I won't excerpt this. I'll just let you read it. |
Steve Antler: Sorry, that should read: "Capitalism and Freedom" This just in from Vietnam: Dr. Que does not have access to the daily diet of news that feeds the free world. Orrin Judd: TO DO—KOREA, CUBA, IRAN... Saigon's Sharansky: Will Vietnam be the next Iraq? Cori Dauber: Is Iraq Vietnam — or is Vietnam Iraq? Gee, this is kind of ironic. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds, K. J. Lopez | |
The ransom of the red reporter By / Jewish World Review — Permalink International furor over Giuliana Sgrena, an Italian communist writer who claims American troops in Iraq may have deliberately shot at her car after being released by kidnappers, misses the bigger scandal. The scandal is not that an anti-war propagandist has accused the U.S. of targeting journalists. | |
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McQ: As Michele Malkin points out: "Whatever the final tally, it's a whopping bounty that will undoubtedly come in handy for... Michelle Malkin: THE RANSOM OF THE RED REPORTER — My new column focuses on an angle of the Sgrena case that I think has gotten short... The Big Trunk: The ransom of the red reporter — The new column by Michelle Malkin focuses on a neglected element of the Giuliana Sgrena story: "The ransom of a red reporter." |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: But one issue that seems to have amazingly faded into the woodwork is the issue of the ransom Italy apparently paid to get her back. Lorie Byrd: In her latest column, Michelle Malkin focuses on the issue that has been overshadowed by the shooting, [snipped quote] In... |
What rise in freedom? By / Boston Globe — Permalink FREEDOM IS breaking out all over, so it seems. To hear supporters of George W. Bush, it's all due to the president's courageous decision to risk his presidency on the Iraq War. Here's the storyline: Just as Bush's neoconservative advisers planned, ousting Saddam transformed not just Iraq but the balance of power in the Middle East. | |
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James Frederick Dwight: Today Kuttner offers one of his typically bilious articles on the Boston Globe op-ed page. Barbara O'Brien: Today, Robert Kuttner goes into more detail in the Boston Globe. Orrin Judd: COINCIDENTAL PLAN: What rise in freedom? |
Dale Franks: Robert Kuttner argues in the Boston Globe that the apparent struggle for freedom that's starting to break out in the Mideast is just a clever illusion fostered by the Neocons. Pejman Yousefzadeh: OF OSTRICHES AND COLUMNISTS — Poor Robert Kuttner—having the thankless task of trying to maintain that the Bush... |
Defending Bolton By / WaPo — Permalink For the record, let me begin by repeating a few quotes from John Bolton, newly nominated as ambassador to the United Nations, just so that no one can accuse me of naivete. He has said, "The Secretariat building in New York has 38 stories. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: Anne Applebaum offers a contrary take on Bolton and his views on the United Nations. ANOTHER UPDATE: See also Jacob Heilbrunn. Tarek @LiquidList: But when someone mentioned Bolton's comment about how the UN could lose 10 stories from its building and not miss them,... Betsy Newmark: Anne Applebaum explains why John Bolton is the right man for the UN. [snipped quote] I happen to be one of the skeptical ones about the possibility of success. |
Ken Masugi: To return briefly to that happier gloat, consider Anne Applebaum cautioning liberals in yesterday's Washington Post. Mark Leon Goldberg: In the Post today she argues that John Bolton's blunt style makes him an ideal candidate to lead UN reforms. James Joyner: Defending Bolton: Unlikely Sources — Anne Applebaum, somewhat surprisingly, offers up a strong defense of John Bolton... |
Tax bill called best for richest By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink AUSTIN - Texas families earning less than $100,000 a year would pay about $1.1 billion more a year in state taxes, while higher-income residents would see a tax cut of $437 million under a House bill designed to cut school property taxes, a report said Tuesday. | |
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Norbizness: Now they're screwing most everybody not making six figures in favor of "the oil and gas industry, as well as utilities,... Kevin Drum: Charles Kuffner rounds up the headlines about the latest tax bill from the Texas Lege: "Chron: Tax bill called best for... |
Charles Kuffner: Chron: Tax bill called best for richest Express-News: Tax bill has silver lining for richest Statesman: Study finds poor... |
The believer By / Salon — Permalink Ever since publishing his memoir "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" in 2000, Dave Eggers has been deconstructed as much for who he is as for what he writes. | |
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Virginia Postrel: Literary Entrepreneurship Salon has an interesting interview with Dave Eggers, whose comments on procrastination remind me of some of my blogging bursts. |
Rex Hammock: On procrastination: Dave Eggers in a Salon interview: [snipped quote] (via: Virginia Postrel) |
U.S. Misses Soldier Reimbursement Deadline By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Defense Department hasn't developed a plan to reimburse soldiers for equipment they've bought to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan despite requirements in a law passed last year, a senator says. | |
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Steve M.: ...Under the law, the Defense Department had until Feb. 25 to develop regulations on the reimbursement, which is limited... |
SK Bubba: Support the troops — U.S. Misses Soldier Reimbursement Deadline: [snipped quote] Nice. |
'Rendition' Realities By / WaPo — Permalink Torture is immoral and illegal, and the refusal to allow cruel interrogation techniques is one measure of a civilized society. But this ironclad moral argument doesn't necessarily apply to the practice known as "extraordinary rendition." | |
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Juan Non-Volokh: "Rendition" Realities: David Ignatius has a thoughtful and provocative column in today's Washington Post about "rendition." Dale Franks: Extraordinary Rendition — David Ignatius confronts the policy of applying "extraordinary rendition" to torture suspects. Cori Dauber: Rendition Does Not Per Se Equal Torture — David Ignatius makes an interesting argument. |
Barbara O'Brien: But David Ignatius in today's WaPo provides talking points for any rightie blogger who is ready to move on from making... Laura Rozen: David Ignatius on what may be the real reason for the CIA's disturbing practice of extraordinary renditions:... |
Was Italian Hostage's Car Speeding? ABCNEWS — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 8, 2005 — A senior U.S. military official tells ABC News he believes the investigation into the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops in Iraq will ultimately prove the officer's car was traveling in excess of 100 mph. | |
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John Hawkins: According to a "senior U.S. military official," the car Sgrena was traveling in approached the checkpoint going in excess of 100MPH. Arthur Chrenkoff: And this: "[Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini] said the car was traveling no faster than 25 mph, and disputed the... Charles Johnson: Yesterday ABC News quoted an unnamed "senior military official" that Giuliana Sgrena's car was traveling at speeds of... |
Joe Gandelman: Was Italian Hostage's Car Going 100 MPH — The case of the U.S. forces firing on a car containing an Italian hostage and... Jan Haugland: Update: A US official says the car was speeding: A senior U.S. military official tells ABC News he believes the... C. D. Harris: Apparently they are such incredible marksmen that a group of them can fire 300-400 bullets through a single hole in an... |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, James Joyner | |
In new era of reporting, blogs take a seat at the media table Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink When Dan Rather signs off tonight, ending 24 years as anchor of the "CBS Evening News," it will mark a changing of the guard in more ways than one. Yes, CBS will need a new anchor. (Bob Schieffer will fill in until a permanent replacement is named.) | |
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The Big Trunk: Low-definitional — This morning the Minneapolis Star Tribune observes the occasion of Dan Rather's retirement with an... Mitch Berg: Swarm Rules — Peter Swanson, at the excellent but all-too-infrequently-upda ted Swanblog, has an angle on the yesterday Strib's article on bloggers. |
Chad The Elder: On the day that Dan Rather shuffles off stage, the Star Tribune's Eric Black reports that in new era of reporting, blogs... |
AARP Says Social Security Needs "Moderate" Changes FactCheck.org — Permalink Can the current Social Security system — without individual accounts — be fixed with only "a few moderate changes," as AARP suggests in a recent newspaper ad? A look at some of proposals that have been verified by neutral experts shows that they rely more on tax increases than benefit cuts. | |
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Frederick Maryland: But I've been disappointed by recent posts on FactCheck.org, including this one using the term "individual accounts" to... Jeff Alworth: A Bonus Third Outrage — While I'm being outraged, let me note what the pinheads at FactCheck recently wrote:... |
Judd @ThinkProgress: Specifically, it seeks to cast doubt on the claim - which it attributes to the AARP - that "the current Social Security... |
For Bush, a Taste of Vindication in Mideast By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 8 - He has gone out of his way not to crow, or even to take direct credit. But not quite two years after he began the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and not quite two months after a second Inaugural Address in which he spoke of "ending... | |
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Dan Froomkin: Todd S. Purdum writes in the New York Times: "He has gone out of his way not to crow, or even to take direct credit. Clayton Cramer: First, the Independent: Now the New York Times — Both saying that Bush's Middle East "stratergy" seems to be working: [snipped quote] What next? |
Daniel Drezner: The tricky thing about eliminating terrorism... In the wake of Hezbollah's demonstration of political strength... |
Golf, and Playing by the Rules LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — A group of congressional figures has joined House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) under an ethics cloud stemming from foreign golf junkets arranged by a lobbyist facing influence-peddling investigations. | |
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Kevin Drum: The LA Times has the latest in the convoluted story of Tom DeLay and his cronies in Congress who received expensive golf... Frederick Maryland: The Los Angeles Times reports: [snipped quote] If Feeney's name sounds familiar, it may be because a computer programmer... |
Charles Kuffner: He's contagious! Look out! Tom DeLay's scandaliciousness is spreading! |
U.N. May Need Bolton's Bitter Medicine By / LAT — Permalink President Bush's nomination of neoconservative pit bull John R. Bolton to become ambassador to the United Nations is raising red flags among liberals. "Bush gives the U.N. the finger," complained the Nation's David Corn. Bolton has made no secret of his disdain for the U.N. | |
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Charles Johnson: Jacob Heilbrunn at the LA Times rather grudgingly admits the U.N. May Need Bolton's Bitter Medicine. James Joyner: Update (1432): LAT's Jacob Heilbrunn weighs in with, "U.N. May Need Bolton's Bitter Medicine." |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: ANOTHER UPDATE: See also Jacob Heilbrunn. (Cross posted on Red State.) Orrin Judd: ONE BULL WON'T CHARGE THE CAPE: U.N. May Need Bolton's Bitter Medicine (Jacob Heilbrunn, March 9, 2005, LA Times)... |
Dan Rather, Leaving By the High Road By / WaPo — Permalink Emptying out his cubbyhole office in the CBS News building on West 57th Street in New York, wading through stacks and boxes of memorabilia accumulated over the years, Dan Rather came upon a piece of framed embroidery made and sent to him a couple decades ago by a nun who was, one might say, among the faithful — a regular and loyal viewer. | |
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Cori Dauber: What's the Post's TV (oh, excuse me, former TV, now general topic) columnist, Tom Shales response to this? Talk about bad form. Tim Graham: GET TOM SHALES A HANKY — Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales writes a very syrupy Rather tribute piece today, comically headlined "Dan Rather, Leaving by the High Road." |
Vanderleun: Dan Rather, Leaving By the High Road That is, no matter how you feel about Rather, a soundbite of sheer genius. Deacon: The high road, for a change — The Washington Post's Tom Shales thinks that Dan Rather is "leaving by the high road." |
U.S. 'knew agent going to airport' CNN — Permalink ROME, Italy (CNN) — Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says the intelligence agent shot dead by the U.S. military told them he would be escorting a newly released hostage to the airport — contrary to U.S. claims. | |
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James Joyner: Berlusconi: U.S. Given Advance Notice of Sgrena Rescue — U.S. 'knew agent going to airport' (CNN) "Italian Prime... |
Michelle Malkin: THIS IS CNN. There they go again: [snipped quote] Here is Sgrena's Il Manifesto article, as translated by CNN. |
Report: Nation's Infrastructure Crumbling By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Crowded schools, traffic-choked roads and transit cutbacks are eroding the quality of American life, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gave the nation's infrastructure an overall grade of D. | |
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Steve Soto: And lastly, the American Society of Civil Engineers said today that the nation's infrastructure is getting worse under... |
David @ThinkProgress: The very next story down on USA Today's page is about a report from the nation's civil engineers that notes, "crowded... |
Lydon returns By / Boston Phoenix — Permalink IF CHRISTOPHER LYDON is feeling any schadenfreude this week, he's not letting on. But who could blame him if he does? Just a little more than four years ago, he and producer Mary McGrath were fired by WBUR Radio (90.9 FM) general manager Jane Christo in the midst of a very public, very ugly contract dispute. | |
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Ed Cone: Chris Lydon is coming back to radio. His new show will be called Open Source and distributed through Public Radio International. |
Dave Winer: Chris Lydon returns to the public airways, in Boston on WGBH, and distributed nationally through PRI. |
Slain Agent Had U.S. Operation Permission AP — Permalink ROME (AP) — The Italian agent killed by American forces in Iraq had U.S. military authorization for his operation to win the release of a hostage, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Wednesday. | |
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James Joyner: Sure enough, the NYT (via AP) has the name right: "Casey also told reporters at the Pentagon that another officer, Brig. |
Charles Johnson: Berlusconi: Agent Had US Permission — Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told Italy's Senate today that Italian... |
TV's The West Wing Audience Speaks: Santos Favored over Vinick Zogby — Permalink Viewers of NBC's The West Wing would prefer that Democratic Congressman Matthew Santos were elected the next President, giving him a 16-point lead over Republican Senator Arnold Vinick, a new Zogby Interactive poll finds. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: The result: Santos by 16. But you have to dig a little deeper for the reason: [snipped quote] Let's just say we probably... |
Gary Farber: Then there's this: "TV's The West Wing Audience Speaks: Santos Favored over Vinick; Fictional Democrat Would Beat... |
"Hotter Than a Rooster on Viagra"? NRO — Permalink Tabloid reporter Mike Walker sends Dan Rather off with a bang. Oh, Danny Boy...the pipes, the pipes are calling...." So writes Mike Walker in his new, well-timed book Rather Dumb: A Top Tabloid Reporter Tells CBS How to Do News. | |
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Ed Driscoll: Here's an interview with tabloid reporter Mike Walker on his new book, Rather Dumb. Jim Geraghty writes, "Finally, Dan's Farwell". |
K. J. Lopez: "LIKE A JACKKNIFE THROUGH PEACHES" — I don't think I knew this until I read Mike Walker's Rather Dumb |