meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
Spreading the message By / Toronto Star — Permalink "Keep it simple" is the key to the White House, failed Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean told members of his party from around the world last night. | |
|
Hindrocket: I Think We've Heard This Before — It's deja vu time; the Toronto Star reports that Howard Dean, in Toronto for the... Roger L. Simon: Howard Dean Oxymoron Watch — Can you be both "brain-dead" and "evil"? Pejman Yousefzadeh: IRONY — A guy who lost a chance at the Presidency of the United States because his brain couldn't filter the stuff coming out of his mouth is calling Republicans "brain dead." |
Steve Bainbridge: (Link)" I find it interesting that Dean used the term "brain dead" in a speech given roughly simultaneously with actions... Charles Johnson: In Canada, Dean Calls Republicans "Brain-Dead" — Yesterday DNC chairman Howard "Screamin'" Dean went to Toronto and... Cliff May: THE INSENSITIVITY AWARD FOR 2005 GOES TO ... In Canada, Dr. Howard Dean calls Republicans "brain dead." |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
Congress Steps In on Schiavo Case WaPo — Permalink Congressional leaders tried again after being rebuffed by a determined Florida judge and agreed yesterday to pass a compromise that they said would require doctors to restore sustenance to Terri Schiavo for the third time in four years. | |
|
Angry Bear: AB UPDATE: And of course there's this, which was first spotted by No More Mr. Nice Blog and eventually made its way to... Steve M.: In case you haven't seen this, here's more on the Schiavo memo, from The Washington Post: An unsigned one-page memo,... Tom @Corrente: Grandstanding and Demagoguery Part 1,567 — [snipped quote] There it is folks. This isn't about life. This isn't about principles. |
Ed Kilgore: Well, here's the explanation Republican Senators were given, in the form of a (hate to profane the term) talking points... Mark Kleiman: 3. Query: Is there a copy of the outrageous Senate Republican talking points around somewhere? |
Trial By Legislation CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Attorney Andrew Cohen analyzes legal issues for CBS News and CBSNews.com. After lurking as a local and regional issues for years, the Terri Schiavo case suddenly has mushroomed into a grand constitutional showdown with national implications. | |
|
Jerome Armstrong: Update: One hell of a 'what's this about' and 'what's next' by Andrew Cohen, Trial By Legislation. I've put a bit of it in the extended entry. Lambert @Corrente: "The law gives Schiavo's parents, or "any other person who was a party to State court proceedings relating" to the case,... Larre @LeftCoaster: Andrew Cohen, CBS Court Watch" Andrew Cohen's Q-and-A legal analysis of the coming federal court fight over the... |
Jo Fish: Terry Schiavo — Having followed, but not not commented on the sad case of Terry Schiavo, I read a column by a legal analyst at CBS, Andrew Cohen. Atrios: Trial By Legislation — This is what they're up to: QUESTION: So the years of state-court litigation would be wiped off the map, as if it never took place? |
Senate passes Schiavo bill CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Senate unanimously passed legislation Sunday aimed at prolonging the life of Terri Schiavo, whose feeding tube was removed Friday under court order. | |
|
Lambert @Corrente: CNN: "Members of Congress said Saturday they had agreed on a compromise bill that was limited to the Schiavo case rather than a broader bill that Republicans wanted." Jeralyn Merritt: Congress Live Debate Tonight on Schiavo — At 9pm this evening, the House will debate the latest Terry Schiavo bill. |
Gene @HarrysPlace: Sensing an opportunity to strengthen support among "right-to-lifers," Republicans in Congress are planning to return to... |
Baby born with fatal defect dies after removal from life support By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink The baby wore a cute blue outfit with a teddy bear covering his bottom. The 17-pound, 6-month-old boy wiggled with eyes open and smacked his lips, according to his mother. Then at 2 p.m. today, a medical staffer at Texas Children's Hospital gently removed the breathing tube that had kept Sun Hudson alive since his Sept. 25 birth. | |
|
Angry Bear: "Mark Kleiman has a must-read post on the appalling hypocrisy revealed by the conservative movement's reaction to... Clayton Cramer: Other Withholding of Care Cases — Mark Kleiman blogs about two other cases that are superficially similar to the... |
Matthew Yglesias: The Circus — Mark Kleiman has a must-read post on the appalling hypocrisy revealed by the conservative movement's... Mark Kleiman: Schiavo, Hudson, and Nikolouzos — Sun Hudson, a six-month-old boy with a fatal congenital disease, died Thursday after... |
He Wrote, She Wrote By / WaPo — Permalink When the New York Times anointed Maureen Dowd as a columnist nine years ago, I gave her some terrible advice. I said, "You've got to write boy stuff. The future of NATO, campaign spending reform. Throw weights. Otherwise, they won't take you seriously." | |
|
Cliff May: And of course, there are world leaders who routinely have translations of Dowd's columns waiting on their desks in the morning. Jesse Taylor: Quick Hits — The Ring Two? Shoulda kept it at one. Duh. Michael Kinsley: when good men try way, way too hard. |
Radley Balko: Op-Ed Diversity — Michael Kinsley today weights in on the diversity on the op-ed page argument, and makes some valid points. Kevin Drum: KINSLEY JOINS THE FRAY...Michael Kinsley, the guy whose feud with Susan Estrich started up the recent controversy over... |
Social Security as Dramamine By / NYT — Permalink JUDGING by the polls, President Bush's plan to transform Social Security from an insurance program that guarantees a minimum income into something more closely resembling a 401(k) investment program isn't going very well. | |
|
Ruy Teixeira: Here are some excerpts from an excellent article by Daniel Gross in the Sunday New York Times summarizing relevant... |
Stirling Newberry: It is not your imagination, daniel Gross is making sense again — Moneybox editor with slate points out why people don't like risky stock plans for social security. |
Schiavo Kin Wants Feeding Tube Reinserted By / AP — Permalink PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) - Hanging their hopes on a last-minute compromise in Congress, Terri Schiavo's parents notified her hospice to prepare to have her feeding tube reinserted on Sunday, her third day without food or water. | |
|
Norbizness: From today's stupid news: But Mary Schindler pleaded for parents nationwide to call their congressional representatives... Scott Sala: House Democrats blocked a voice vote Hat tip GOP Bloggers. |
Paul @Wizbang: Schiavo Kin Wants Feeding Tube Reinserted PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) - Hanging their hopes on a last-minute compromise in... |
Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death By / NYT — Permalink To many people, death by removing a feeding tube brings to mind the agony of starvation. But medical experts say that the process of dying that begins when food and fluids cease is relatively straightforward, and can cause little discomfort. | |
|
Roger L. Simon: But then I read this New York Times article - Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death Why is it I feel... Michelle Malkin: And Newsmax points out that the New York Times —erstwhile opponent of torture—is pooh-poohing death by starvation (the... |
Tom Maguire: Here, to round out the merriment, is a Times Comedy Classic inspired by Terry Schiavo: [snipped quote] Thank heaven for experts! K. J. Lopez: IF YOU'RE SICK OF READING "GENTLE DEATH" OF TERRI SCHIAVO STORIES like this one in the NYTimes, read Andy McCarthy's new prosecute the torturers piece, just up, here. |
U.S. misled allies about nuclear export By / MSNBC — Permalink In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration told its Asian allies in briefings earlier this year that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material to Libya. That was a significant new charge, the first allegation that North Korea was helping to create a new nuclear weapons state. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Via Laura Rozen, Dafna Linzer reports that "In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration... Laura Rozen: Check out the latest bombshell from the WaPo's Dafna Linzer. |
Tim Dunlop: An intervention for the Bush intoxicated — I know it's hard to believe that the Bush administration would lie about... |
Behind Lebanon Upheaval, 2 Men's Fateful Clash By / NYT — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 19 - On an unseasonably mild day last August, a small group of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's closest political allies could tell from his flushed face and subdued manner that something awful had happened in the Syrian capital of Damascus, where he had been summoned to a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. | |
|
Cori Dauber: The result is a narrative that's cohesive, clear, fascinating, that illuminates the events of the last few weeks in a... Pejman Yousefzadeh: "I WILL BREAK LEBANON" — For those still wondering what Syrian intentions are in Lebanon, this report serves as an immensely useful guide: [snipped quote] Tyranny ain't subtle. |
Rich Lowry: "I WILL BREAK LEBANON" — Excellent New York Times piece on the background to the Hariri assassination. Gary Farber: Useful and dramatic account of the clashes of the last months of Rafik Hariri, and how Syria used President Émile Lahoud as their tool. |
Republicans fear midterm losses By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Analysts at the Republican National Committee have sent this warning to the House of Representatives: The party is in danger of losing 25 seats in the 2006 election and, therefore, of losing control of the House for the first time since the 1994 election. | |
|
Chris Lawrence: Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bob Novak, who for reasons inexplicable to me is still walking the streets of this great... Hunter @DailyKos: Robert Novak says: [snipped quote] Novak may be Satan's Poolboy, but he is well connected inside the Republican Party (as the Plame case makes abundantly clear.) |
Taegan Goddard: Republicans Fear Midterm Losses — Robert Novak says Republican National Committee analysts "have sent this warning to... |
House GOP Fails to OK Schiavo Legislation By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - House Republicans, seeing Congress as a last hope for brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, failed during an extraordinary Palm Sunday session to pass legislation aimed at prolonging the Florida woman's life. | |
|
Steve M.: From an AP story today we learn that, with regard to the GOP bill to transfer control of the case to federal courts, The... |
Captain Ed: Democrats Block Voice Vote In House — House Democrats blocked attempts to hold an approval by acclamation of the... |
Right to Life backed law that irks wife By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink Jannette Nikolouzos is angry with the Texas law that allows St. Luke's Hospital to unhook her husband from life support tomorrow. "I'm so ashamed of my state that it executes civilians without criminal history," she told reporter Todd Ackerman. | |
|
James Joyner: Meanwhile, patients in Texas in much better shape than Schiavo are being removed from life support against the wishes of... |
Mark Kleiman: And it seems to me that the Right-to-Lifers ought to agree, though apparently anti-abortion groups had no problem with it when Gov. George W. Bush signed the Texas Futile Care Law. |
House Delays Vote on Schiavo's Fate Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives convened Sunday afternoon to vote on the fate of brain-damaged patient Terri Schiavo (search), but quickly recessed after it became clear that the bill to push Schiavo's case into a federal court would have to face congressional debate. | |
|
Paul @Wizbang: Just look at the lengths they will go to kill this woman: Senate Passes Bill to Help Schiavo WASHINGTON- "- With the... |
Ace: Democrats Block Save-Terri Bill — She'll have to wait until Monday morning before any possibility of food. |
When Cute Deer Go Bad NYT — Permalink Forgive us if you are among the millions of gardeners, farmers, bird-watchers, drivers, fence builders, claims adjusters, body-shop operators, roadkill scrapers, 911 dispatchers, physical therapists and chiropractors who know this already. White-tailed deer are a plague. | |
|
Tom Maguire: And on Sunday, they dropped the last pretense of compassion and called for the execution of both Bambi and his mother. |
John Cole: Heartless SOB's — I never thought I would see this day, but the NY Times has come out against Bambi: [snipped quote] Heh. |
My Students, Reveling in the Cedar Revolution By / WaPo — Permalink The public minibuses that traverse Lebanon's mountains and coastline share many of the elements of a good speakeasy — close quarters, unobtrusive music and instant camaraderie, in this case created by hairpin turns. So conversation between strangers comes as naturally as the nausea. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: This American teacher in Beirut has a fascinating look at how her students are reacting to the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: No: "The public minibuses that traverse Lebanon's mountains and coastline share many of the elements of a good... |
Girl Problems in Op-Ed Land By / LAT — Permalink When the New York Times anointed Maureen Dowd as a columnist nine years ago, I gave her some terrible advice. I said, "You've got to write boy stuff. The future of NATO. Campaign spending reform. Throw weights. Otherwise, they won't take you seriously." | |
|
Radley Balko: Kinsley's column appears in the Los Angeles Times, where he's an editor. The same column appears in the Washington Post. |
Kevin Roderick: • In a Sunday Opinion column titled "Girl Problems in Op-Ed Land," Michael Kinsley takes a guy's-eye view of the... |
Congress Ready to Approve Bill in Schiavo Case NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 19 - Congressional leaders reached a compromise Saturday on legislation to force the case of Terri Schiavo into federal court, an extraordinary intervention intended to prolong the life of the brain-damaged woman whose condition has reignited a painful national debate over when medical treatment should be withdrawn. | |
|
Dr. Steven Taylor: Congress Intervenes in Schiavo Case — Via the NYT: Congress Ready to Approve Bill in Schiavo Case |
Steve M.: Congressional leaders reached a compromise Saturday on legislation to force the case of Terri Schiavo into federal... |
Blogged Down NYT — Permalink Q Should I call you Jim Guckert or Jeff Gannon? My Amex card still comes in the name of James Guckert, but I want to be called Jeff Gannon. That is who I am. Or rather it is the pseudonym under which you gained access to White House press briefings for two years, until your identity was revealed. | |
|
Garrett M. Graff: Also today: The Jeff Gannon Q&A is out today in the NYT. We did highlights earlier, and there's not much more to report except that he has a dog named Winston who loves him. Hindrocket: I Can't Tell Yesterday's New York Times included what purports to be an interview of Jeff Gannon by Deborah Solomon. Jeralyn Merritt: New Jeff Gannon Interview — The New York Times Sunday Magazine has an interview with Jeff Gannon. |
Chris Nolan: And Sometimes A Moron is Just a Blithering Idiot — From Sunday's New York Times Magazine interview with the bozo... Tom Tomorrow: Presented without comment — From an interview with "Jeff Gannon," in the NY Times Magazine: "Scott McClellan, the... |
Congress Gives Parents a Voice in Schiavo Case By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — With the clock running down on how much longer Terri Schiavo can remain alive, congressional leaders Saturday announced an unprecedented agreement that would allow Schiavo's parents to petition the federal courts to have a feeding tube replaced for their brain-damaged daughter. | |
|
S.Z.: That quote, of course, is Tom DeLay talking about Michael Schiavo. Here's is a photo of Houston resident Wanda Hudson. Steve Bainbridge: (One, two, three.) (And I'm not even counting the related one that basically asked why the Pope won't hurry up and die.) |
Atrios: Another Scary Precedent — One element of this Schiavo circus that hasn't yet gotten a lot of attention is the fact that... |
Toward a Unified Theory of Black America By / NYT — Permalink Roland G. Fryer Jr. is 27 years old and he is an assistant professor of economics at Harvard and he is black. Yes, 27 is young to be any kind of professor anywhere. But after what might charitably be called a slow start in the scholarly life, Fryer has been in a big hurry to catch up. | |
|
Tyler Cowen: In a rush, I offer you today's New York Times article on Roland Fryer, the 27-year-old African-American Harvard economist who is studying race. |
Orrin Judd: RIGOR VS. RACIALISM: Toward a Unified Theory of Black America (STEPHEN J. DUBNER , 3/20/05, NY Times Magazine) "Roland... |
Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas Mar 19, 2005 — President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday. | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: As George Bush returns to Washington so he can get his picture taken signing an emergency bill to "save" Terri... Captain Ed: Bush Coming Back To DC For Terri — President Bush has changed his schedule to return from his Crawford, TX ranch to... Tim Cavanaugh: President Bush is zipping back to Washington to sign the compromise bill that will allow Terri Schiavo's case (and, I'm... |
James Joyner: Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo — President Bush is flying halfway across the country to sign an emergency... Joe Gandelman: Now there's a new development which brings Congress, the President and the courts into the case even more: [snipped quote] But I'm puzzled. Scott Sala: Plenty of time for that later... Well, Bush cut short a trip home to Texas and will be in DC the rest of the weekend,... |
Congress to meet Sunday on Schiavo bill CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Members of Congress said Saturday that they have agreed on a compromise, bipartisan bill aimed at saving the life of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was disconnected Friday by order of a Florida court. | |
|
Talking Dog: This is where we are, when people whom I have made it the point of this blog to oppose politically get together to do... |
Jack Cluth: Jumping in for all the wrong reasons — Meet My New Hero: Sen. Mike Enzi House to hold special session on Schiavo I'm... |
G.O.P. Courts Blacks and Hispanics on Social Security By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 19 - As part of their campaign to overhaul Social Security, White House officials and Republican strategists have begun a push to persuade African-Americans and Hispanics that Social Security, long thought to be of benefit to them, is a bad deal. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: And An Example — Edmund Andrews' New York Times article on Republican efforts to sell privatization to... |
Nathan Newman: This is the import of the GOP highlighting those mortality rates as a reason for blacks and latinos to support social security privatization. |
U.S. Misled Allies About Nuclear Export By / WaPo — Permalink In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration told its Asian allies in briefings earlier this year that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material to Libya. That was a significant new charge, the first allegation that North Korea was helping to create a new nuclear weapons state. | |
|
Medium Lobster: Laura Rozen calls our attention to a good news, bad news situation from the Washington Post. Hunter @DailyKos: Bush Administration Lied About North Korea Intelligence — [snipped quote] Go read the article in its entirety. Now. Atrios: LIIIIIIIAAAAAAAARRRS — Remember folks, it's not the sex it's the lying... In an effort to increase pressure on North... |
Steve Soto: According to today's Post, it appears we have now lied to our Asian allies about North Korea's nuclear program and their actions. Kevin Drum: LYING TO OUR FRIENDS...Laura Rozen points to what ought to be — but sadly isn't — a startling story in the Washington... |
Conservative's Book on Supreme Court Is a Bestseller By / WaPo — Permalink The Supreme Court is not often the stuff of bestsellers, but in recent weeks a conservative lawyer's full-throated attack on the court has been flying off the shelves, reaching as high as third place on the New York Times bestseller list. | |
|
Ramesh Ponnuru: COOL — Congrats to Mark Levin. |
Greg Ransom: THE STORY behind Mark Levin's Men in Black : How the Supreme Court is Destroying America: [snipped quote] My copy arrived in the mail from Amazon today. |
UN in dramatic climbdown after American pressure By / Telegraph — Permalink The security of America and other wealthy countries will for the first time be declared a key priority for the United Nations under reforms designed to restore confidence in the crisis-ridden international body. | |
|
Scott Sala: UN Reform — Kofi Annan is expected to make a huge 180 today, announcing major changes at the world body, marking a rare... Captain Ed: UN: American Security To Be Priority — The United Nations will recast its priorities to make the security of Western... |
Spoons: TOP TEN WAYS TO REFORM THE U.N. Kofi Annan is set to announce a series of reforms aimed at addressing the concerns of... |
Protect state's bloggers Rocky Mountain News — Permalink Count us among the growing legions who embrace the notion that Web bloggers deserve the same shield-law protections accorded to other journalists. But a California case has reminded us just how vulnerable Colorado journalists are whose work appears on the Internet. | |
|
Jeralyn Merritt: Editiorial Calls for Blogger Protection — Denver's Rocky Mountain News had an editorial yesterday calling for journalistic protection for bloggers. Rex Hammock: What the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said: In an editorial, the newspaper explains why Apple should lose its legal assault... |
Jeff Jarvis: Bloggers are journalists under FOIA : Phil Yanov beat me to hearing this week's On The Media and heard this bit of good... |
X-celling Over Men By / NYT — Permalink Men are always telling me not to generalize about them. But a startling new study shows that science is backing me up here. Research published last week in the journal Nature reveals that women are genetically more complex than scientists ever imagined, while men remain the simple creatures they appear. | |
|
Cori Dauber: Just to Be Snarky — Sorry, but I can't resist. Thank God she's not a college president! Orrin Judd: COMPLEX ISN'T EVER A COMPLIMENT: X-celling Over Men (MAUREEN DOWD, 3/20/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Which is why any... |
Jeff Jarvis: Boys vs. Girls is so third grade : Maureen Dowd can't get out of the playground. |
Hospitals can end life support By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink A patient's inability to pay for medical care combined with a prognosis that renders further care futile are two reasons a hospital might suggest cutting off life support, the chief medical officer at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital said Monday. | |
|
Clayton Cramer: The other case that Kleiman points to does seem to be related to a reluctance of a hospital to care for a patient whose medical benefits are about to run out. Mark Kleiman: So while the Schiavo case is an intra-family dispute, the two Texas cases pit the families against health-care institutions motivated at least in part by financial considerations. Billmon: "Houston Chronicle Hospitals can end life support March 8, 2005" — "Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer . |
James Joyner: Meanwhile, as Duncan Black and Mark Kleiman point out, the state that he's leaving, Texas, routinely allows hospitals to... Atrios: Spiro Nikolouzos — George Bush signed the law which allows the hospitals to make this decision: A patient's inability... |
A Nobel for Sistani By / NYT — Permalink As we approach the season of the Nobel Peace Prize, I would like to nominate the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiites, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for this year's medal. I'm serious. | |
|
Orrin Judd: ONE DYN-O-MITE AYATOLLAH: A Nobel for Sistani (THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, 3/20/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Much of the rest of... Jeff Jarvis: The Nobel : Tom Friedman pushes Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for the Nobel Peace Price. Here is Iraqi blogger Riverbend's take on the same notion. |
Rich Lowry: HERE, HERE! Tom Friedman nominates Sistani for a Nobel Peace Prize... |
Wal-Mart to Pay U.S. $11 Million in Lawsuit on Illegal Workers By / NYT — Permalink Federal prosecutors and immigration officials announced yesterday that Wal-Mart Stores had agreed to pay a record $11 million to settle accusations that it used hundreds of illegal immigrants to clean its stores. | |
|
Jordan Barab: Wal-Mart Buys "Get Out of Jail" Card — Prosecutors announced they were dropping all criminal charges against Wal-Mart... |
Ezra Klein: The Unbearable Lightness of Wal-Mart's Fine — That Nathan Newman sure knows how to drive home a point: [snipped quote] Wow. |
Congress Announces Deal in Schiavo Case By / AP — Permalink PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - As a deal in Congress was worked out to have federal courts decide Terri Schiavo's fate, emotions swelled outside the brain-damaged woman's hospice room Saturday, with protesters arrested after they symbolically tried to smuggle in bread and water on her second day without a feeding tube. | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: And let's say that making that decision from now on is going to be a big bleeping messy deal involving federal judges... Michelle Malkin: THE PALM SUNDAY RESCUE PLAN — Trust you've seen the latest in the Schiavo case. Ezra Klein: And why they're allowing the GOP to pass legislation making a state court decision eligible for review by a federal... |
Lambert @Corrente: "(ABC" Good for Wexler. Does Reid have his back? Armando @DailyKos: From AP: [snipped quote] The law as described is unconstitutional as a bill of attainder against Michael Schiavo, the... Tim Cavanaugh: says Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler. The new bill will give jurisdiction over the case to a federal district court. |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, Tom @Corrente, Spoons, James Joyner | |
My Bias for Mainstream News By / WaPo — Permalink To judge from the e-mails I received during the four years I spent on the White House beat, Post readers of all political ideologies agree: I am biased. But in which direction? A conservative magazine put me on its cover as "Dana 'Bias' Milbank." | |
|
Garrett M. Graff: Last and most importantly, Dana "Bore" Milbank has a must-read about the dangers of self-segregation in news processing. Ramesh Ponnuru: SPEAKING OF ANNOYING MEDIA FIGURES — How pathetic was Dana Milbank's apologia? Digby: Self Defense — Kevin Drum has an interesting post up regarding this article by Dana Milbank in which Milbank decries a... |
Avedon Carol: Dumb media — Dear Dana Milbank, You say: "Imagine that! An independent press looking for the truth rather than serving as stenographers for the powerful. Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 3/20/05 8:50:01 am: Ironically, this edition of the Washington Post has a column by Dana Milbank slamming alternative media (read: blogs) for hiding disagreeable facts. Cori Dauber: So, instead, I'm going to point the piece out to you, and hope to be able to get back to it, and particularly the PIPA... |
| Also: Kevin Drum | |
Social Insecurity By / Newsweek — Permalink March 19 - Although President George W. Bush has been traveling the country touting a new plan to overhaul the Social Security system, campaigning in 15 states over six weeks, the majority of Americans remain unswayed, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. | |
|
Steve Soto: The latest Newsweek poll has Bush's approval rating plunging five points in one month to 45%, with his disapproval... Tom @Corrente: This isn't all just shameless political grandstanding designed to distract the public from W's 45% approval rating, is it? Jeralyn Merritt: Poll: Most Americans Favor Keeping the Filibuster — The latest Newsweek poll shows almost 60% of Americans favor keeping the filibuster. |
Taegan Goddard: Bush's Poll Numbers Sinking — According to a new Newsweek poll, President Bush's poll numbers "are down on just about... Oliver Willis: From Newsweek: [snipped quote] (via talkleft) Atrios: Red Alert 45% approval. |
Baby dies after hospital removes breathing tube By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink The baby wore a cute blue outfit with a teddy bear covering his bottom. The 17-pound, nearly 6-month-old boy wiggled with eyes open, his mother said, and smacked his lips. Then at 2 p.m. Tuesday, a medical staffer at Texas Children's Hospital gently removed the breathing tube that had kept Sun Hudson alive since his birth Sept. 25. | |
|
Michele Catalano: What about six month old Sun Hudson, whose breathing tube was removed this week, against his parents wishes? Oliver Willis: As the Republican party continues to play the part of national ghouls over the Terry Schiavo case, I wonder where the... |
Billmon: [quote]"Houston Chronicle Baby dies after hospital removes breathing tube March 16, 2005 [end quote] babysun.jpg Of course, being born in... |
Retirement Accounts Questioned By / WaPo — Permalink Nearly three-quarters of workers who opt for Social Security personal accounts under President Bush's "default" investment option are likely to earn less in benefits than those who stay with the traditional Social Security system, a prominent finance economist has concluded. | |
|
Ruy Teixeira: One is that, as discussed in a Saturday Washington Post article, the returns on these private accounts will probably not be nearly as good as the White House says they will be. Kevin Drum: The results aren't pretty: [snipped quote] What's even more remarkable are the people who apparently agree with Shiller. Max B. Sawicky: FREE TO LOSE — Yale prof Robert Shiller says, paraphrasing, Bush's three-percent solution stinks. |
Brad DeLong: Shiller's right: washingtonpost.com: Retirement Accounts Questioned: Nearly three-quarters of workers who opt for... Matthew Yglesias: Iron Triangle — As you read through this Washington Post account of how workers won't have very much money when they... Arnold Kling: The Three Percent Solution — The Washington Post had a story about a new paper by Robert Shiller, which can be found here. |
| Also: Atrios | |
Insurgency Is Fading Fast, Top Marine in Iraq Says By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 18 - The top Marine officer in Iraq said Friday that the number of attacks against American troops in Sunni-dominated western Iraq and death tolls had dropped sharply over the last four months, a development that he called evidence that the insurgency was weakening in one of the most violent areas of the country. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Marines: Terrorist attacks down — This is definately good news: The top Marine officer in Iraq said Friday that the... Captain Ed: Iraq Insurgency Fading, General Reports — The top-ranking Marine in Iraq tells the New York Times that the insurgency... Pejman Yousefzadeh: RESISTANCE IS FUTILE—THANK HEAVENS — Noting this story detailing the fading of the Iraqi insurgency, Captain Ed comments as follows: [snipped quote] Quite so. |
Gregory Djerejian: The Iraq Front — This strikes me as good news: [snipped quote] Yes, "(w)e still have a lot of work to do" as General Sattler put it. Cori Dauber: (The online edition has the slightly different headline, "Insurgency Is Fading Fast, Top Marine in Iraq Says,") But the... PoliPundit: Insurgency Fading in Iraq — Even the Old York Times can't suppress the good news: "The top Marine officer in Iraq said... |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano By / NYT — Permalink The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen. Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures. | |
|
Jack Balkin: Giving in to ignorance about science JB The New York Times reports that [snipped quote] [snipped quote] Movie producers alter movies all the time to satisfy test audiences. Giblets: Giblets just returned from seeing the IMAX documentary "Volcanoes," hoping to calm his jangly nerves with the soothing... KWeberLit @DailyKos: Science Museums Refuse Imax Film About Evolution [From the diaries — Hunter] This story from the New York Times gives... |
Cori Dauber: Really. But I just can't. I can't help mentioning that this is on the front page. Or that this is on the front page. Ellen Dana Nagler: How Is This Different From Blatant Racism? John Cole: The Coming Bible Wars — When I read articles like this, it becomes clear that there is going to be an ugly civil war in... |
| Also: Rickheller @Centerfield, Oliver Willis, Dave Johnson | |
DeLay Says He's Not Giving Up Schiavo Fight ABCNEWS — Permalink Mar. 19, 2005 - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said that he and other Republican members of Congress would continue to work through the weekend to come up with a bill to force doctors to reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. | |
|
Pessimist @LeftCoaster: And just to show what kind of mileage points can be earned off of the ill-fated Ms. Schiavo, Tom DeLay wants a piece of... Steve Soto: GOP Leaders Planned To Politicize Schiavo Case — Following up on larre's excellent post below on the outright moral... Steve M.: UPDATE: A commenter informs me that ABC has now posted this, which quotes the talking points and DeLay's response... |
Billmon: "ABC News DeLay Says He's Not Giving Up Schiavo Fight March 19, 2005" — Update 3/20 4:40 PM EST: "A patient's... Barbara O'Brien: Bill Frist comes to mind. And where does Tom DeLay stand on cutting Medicaid? |
Thousands Protest Iraq War Across Europe AP — Permalink LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters demonstrated across Europe on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, with 45,000 Britons marching from London's Hyde Park past the American Embassy to Trafalgar Square. | |
|
Jeralyn Merritt: In Europe, tens of thousands turned out to protest today on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Orrin Judd: Thousands Protest Iraq War Across Europe (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 3/19/05) "Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters... |
Betsy Newmark: Do the thousands protesting the Iraq War ever turn out to protest the terrorists killing civilians? |
The Medical Becomes Political for Congress By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 18 - The fevered Congressional intervention in a single individual's health crisis is being driven in significant part by powerful political forces that have converged at the bedside of Terri Schiavo. | |
|
Steve M.: Yesterday's New York Times tried to answer that — but missed an obvious reason. Richard Reeb: In this New York Times article, readers are warned of "powerful political forces," "political motivations" and... Armando @DailyKos: What is their objective here politically? Here's the NYT on the politics: ". . . |
Ezra Klein: Were I a Republican, watching Tom DeLay desperately clinging to a brain-dead woman's leg in order to deflect attention... Hindrocket: The Politics of Death — The New York Times has an article about Terri Schiavo today, which focuses almost exclusively... |
Agence France Presse Sues Over Google News Reuters — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Agence France Presse has sued Google Inc. (GOOG), alleging the Web search leader includes AFP's photos, news headlines and stories on its news site without permission. | |
|
Jan Haugland: AFP sues Google — I was just waiting for this to happen, and I'm not surprised it was Agence France Presse that... In-Cog-Nito @ChicagoBoyz: Today Drudge has the following headline: [snipped quote] It's a shot across the bow, methinks. Pretty smart move. |
Terry Heaton: Foolish suits over Google News — According to Reuters, Agence France Presse has sued Google Inc. in U.S. District Court... Jeff Jarvis: Dinosaur roars : Agence France Presse filed suit against Google News for "using" its content. Now old-media of them. |
Twists Make Predictions A Dubious Bet In Iraq War By / WaPo — Permalink Last fall, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld predicted a "process or tipping" in Iraq in which citizens there would become fed up with the murder and mayhem of extremists, and eventually turn to embrace democracy. | |
|
Cori Dauber: In contrast, the article that tries to determine whether the point we've reached now, the momentum we've achieved, is... |
Phillip Carter: Back to the future — After reading Bradley Graham's article "Twists Make Predictions A Dubious Bet In Iraq War" in... |
Europeans Protest Iraq Invasion, Bush Defends It By / Reuters — Permalink LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters against the war on Iraq marched through European capitals on Saturday, but President Bush said the invasion just two years ago had shielded the world from "grave danger." "George Bush ... Uncle Sam. | |
|
Roger L. Simon: Some news services, like king fuddy-duddy Reuters, report "tens of thousands" in their lead, but further inspection... |
Harry @HarrysPlace: According to this report merely 10,000 people marched through the center of Rome. |
Study: Abstinence Pledgers May Risk STDs By / AP — Permalink NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Teens who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take chances with other kinds of sex that increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, a study of 12,000 adolescents suggests. | |
|
SK Bubba: At least they aren't getting pregnant — Abstinence pledges result in increased risk for STDs |
K. J. Lopez: ABSTINENCE CAUSES CANCER — Okay, not quite, but you gotta wonder a little about that virginity-pledge story out there... |
Congress Moves Again to Keep Fla. Woman Alive By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In an effort to intervene to keep alive a severely brain-damaged Florida woman, federal lawmakers agreed on Saturday on a compromise bill aimed at restoring her feeding tube and pushing the right-to-die case back into court. | |
|
The Way: UPDATE: The evening news just said that Congress is trying to keep her alive to push this to the federal courts. |
Orrin Judd: THEY'LL HAVE TO TRY HARDER THAN THAT TO KILL HER: Senate, House Reach Compromise on Fla. Woman (Reuters, 3/19/05) |
Two Years Later, Iraq War Drains Military By / WaPo — Permalink Two years after the United States launched a war in Iraq with a crushing display of power, a guerrilla conflict is grinding away at the resources of the U.S. military and casting uncertainty over the fitness of the all-volunteer force, according to senior military leaders, lawmakers and defense experts. | |
|
Atrios: Jonah's Mission — Ah, finally Jonah Goldberg will be able to live out his dream of serving this fine nation, now that the age of eligibility has been lifted to 40. James Joyner: Two Years Later, Iraq War Drains Military — The Washington Post fronts shocking news that two years of war have left the U.S. military tired and with equipment in need of repair. |
Phillip Carter: The Iraq War — 2 Years Later — Weighing the benefits and the costs of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM Ann Scott Tyson... |
EU Constitution opposition surges By / Washington Times — Permalink PARIS — The political elites of France and the rest of Europe were shocked yesterday by an opinion poll that for the first time suggested a majority of French voters will reject the European Union Constitution in a referendum in 10 weeks. | |
|
Deacon: Rejecting the dog food — Opposition to ratification of the EU constitution has surged in France, the Washington Times reports. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Self-Parody — From AFP: [snipped quote] Ah, yeah, wouldn't that be a trip? Sacre bleu. |
Statement from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Supreme Court's Denial of Schiavo Appeal U.S. Newswire — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 19 /U.S. Newswire/ — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to explain its decision to deny an appeal that would allow Terri Schiavo to continue receiving food and water. | |
|
Oliver Willis: Tom DeLay: The Madness Grows — From the most powerful (and corrupt) Republican in the House of Representatives [snipped quote] 1. |
K. J. Lopez: Here's DeLay's reax. |
Protesters at Hospice in Florida Push Showdown Over Schiavo By / NYT — Permalink PINELLAS PARK, Fla., March 19 - The morning after Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed, lawyers for her parents sought new avenues to keep her alive and protesters faced arrest for trying to deliver bread and water to the door of the hospice where Ms.... | |
|
John Cole: This, however, is just too stupid to not comment on: [snipped quote] Terry Schiavo is a vegetable. |
Ellen Dana Nagler: (Operation Rescue is on top of it too. Charming company to be keeping.) |
Jay Rosen By / The Nation — Permalink [Elaborating on an essay, "Bloggers vs. Journalists Is Over" :] Even though it makes for good feature stories and blog posts, "bloggers vs. journalists" doesn't help us understand where the world of journalism is going, where the Internet is taking it and what this new revolution sometimes called "citizens' journalism" is about. | |
|
Rebecca MacKinnon: The Nation has also published a transcript excerpt. |
Ed Cone: Rebecca MacKinnon in The Nation has an edited transcript of the Blogging, Journalism, and Credibility conference. |
Nothing 'New' in This War By / WaPo — Permalink "We are redefining war on our terms." So declared an exuberant George W. Bush just two years ago as the U.S. military completed its stunning demolition of Saddam Hussein's regime. The president seemingly had good reason to boast. | |
|
Cori Dauber: Military History Matters — Andrew Bacevich's enormously pessimistic piece in today's Post reminds me of a point I've... |
Rich Lowry: "GRUELING, FILTHY, CONFUSING" — I don't agree with Andy Bacevich's fundamental take on the Iraq war, but this passage... |
In Land of Lexicons, Having the Last Word By / NYT — Permalink CHICAGO - Erin McKean answered the door to her brick apartment building in the Lincoln Square neighborhood here wearing a casual outfit accented by bright, pink-framed glasses and a pair of beat-up black-and-white Converse sneakers. | |
|
Gary Farber: WORDS INTO TYPE. Pleasant little look at the lexicogophers. $DEITY bless 'em. |
Ann Althouse: Lexicographers are cool. What's the coolest thing in this article about editing dictionaries? 1. |
Teen Pledges Barely Cut STD Rates, Study Says By / WaPo — Permalink Teenagers who take virginity pledges — public declarations to abstain from sex — are almost as likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease as those who never made the pledge, an eight-year study released yesterday found. | |
|
S.Z.: From a Wash Post article about how abstinence pledges don't really do much about reducing STDs, because the kids who... Tyler Cowen: Here is the story. Here is the pledge: [quote] "Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family,...[end quote] |
Oliver Willis: Abstinence Only Not Working — Not surprising. Rich Lowry: AWFUL STATISTIC...in this Washinton Post story on a study of teens, sex, and virginity pledges: "About one quarter... |
Article on blogs should've said more on political divide By / Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Eric Black's March 9 article on blogging was interesting, but incomplete. For one thing, it focused on the local Republican bloggers, but didn't name any of the liberal blogs like DailyKos and Eschaton, which have been around a lot longer and which still,... | |
|
Charles Johnson: Strib Attacks LGF with Lies — An idiot at the Minneapolis Star Tribune attacks Power Line and LGF today, in a blatantly... |
The Big Trunk: The column is "Article on blogs should have said more on political divide." |
How Will Terri Schiavo Die? By / ABCNEWS — Permalink Though the legal wrangling in the Terri Schiavo case has been loud and contentious, the brain-damaged woman's physical response to having her feeding tube removed is likely to be very serene. | |
|
Steve M.: "The heart will then stop and the patient will die," said Mirarchi. —ABC News |
K. J. Lopez: SLEEP EASY, JOHN J. ABCNews says it's merciful: [snipped quote] Nothing barbaric about starving a woman whose family... |
Barbara Bush Aids in Social Security Fight By / AP — Permalink PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - President Bush, his sales pitch for Social Security reform in need of more converts, brought his mom to the front Friday. Wearing her trademark pearls, Barbara Bush took the stage with the president and another of her sons, Gov. Jeb Bush. | |
|
Jeralyn Merritt: How about bringing your 80 year old mother along on your Socical Security Road Show to reassure seniors that their social security benefits are safe. |
Oliver Willis: "My Mommy Likes It" — George Bush's plan to privatize social security is crashing and burning so badly he brought out his mommy to sell it. |