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Santorum reads nuke polls, applies the brakes By / The Hill — Permalink Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a leading advocate of the "nuclear option" to end the Democrats' filibuster of judicial nominees, is privately arguing for a delay in the face of adverse internal party polls. | |
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Billmon: And it looks like it may be time once again for the religious wackos to be sold down the river by their GOP "allies" Joe Gandelman: On The 'Nuclear Option" Pennyslvania Senator Rick Santorum has suddenly developed a political change of heart whether... James Joyner: Santorum Backing Off Nuclear Option — Santorum reads nuke polls, applies the brakes (The Hill) [snipped quote] The... |
Steve M.: The big story in Blogistan right now is that Rick Santorum is backing away from his advocacy of the "nuclear option" and... Dwight Meredith: Rosenfeld links to this article in The Hill noting that internal Republican polling looks bad for the nuclear option Kevin Drum: LIMITS...Sam Rosenfeld passes along a report from The Hill that suggests Republicans are losing their nerve in the... |
| Also: Captain Ed, Kos @DailyKos, Chris Bowers, Sam Rosenfeld, John @PowerLine, Dr. Steven Taylor, Josh Marshall, Jonathan H. Adler | |
Roe's Birth, and Death By / NYT — Permalink Justice Harry Blackmun did more inadvertent damage to our democracy than any other 20th-century American. When he and his Supreme Court colleagues issued the Roe v. Wade decision, they set off a cycle of political viciousness and counter-viciousness that has poisoned public life ever since, and now threatens to destroy the Senate as we know it. | |
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Norbizness: David Brooks Is a Turd — C'mon, give the states a shot at this. Chris Lawrence: Brooks on Roe — A good David Brooks piece appeared in today's New York Times on the hyperpoliticization of the abortion issue in the wake of Roe v. Wade. Shawn @LiquidList: Today, he claims to have found the principal source of cultural strife in this country: abortion. |
Unf @Unfogged: Berube's piece is clever enough as far as it goes, but Brooks' column has an interesting insight, one which deserves more than just a putdown. Clayton Cramer: Overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) & Political Civility — A recent David Brooks column argues that Roe v. Wade (1973) has... Tresy @Corrente: The Trouble With Harry — In his weekly NYT column, David Brooks cuts through the Gordian knot of our current... |
| Also: Barbara O'Brien, Edward _, Steve M., Michael Bérubé, Ann Althouse, Juan Non-Volokh, Steve @BeggingToDiffer, Sam Rosenfeld, Tbogg | |
Judicial Nominees May Force Filibuster Fight By / AP — Permalink Republicans sent a Texas judge's name to the full Senate for confirmation for a third time Thursday, moving closer to a confrontation over Democratic filibustering of President Bush's judicial nominees. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: The break-the-filibuster vote moved closer today with the Senate Judiciary Committee action on previously blocked nominees Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen. Dwight Meredith: I suspect that is a hard sell. Update: Or maybe not. Orrin Judd: PARTY TIME: Judicial Nominees May Force Filibuster Fight (William Branigin, April 21, 2005, Washington Post) "The... |
Jon @ThinkProgress: Brown's Extremist Record — On a party-line 10-8 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee today approved California Judge... Kevin Drum: The Washington Post reports that two filibusterable candidates were sent to the Senate floor today. A showdown is now imminent. Jeralyn Merritt: Owen and Rogers Brown to Trigger Nuclear Option Battle — The filibuster battle likely will hit next week over the nominations of Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown. |
Economic Worries Aren't Resonating on Hill WaPo — Permalink Inflation and interest rates are rising, stock values have plunged, a tank of gas induces sticker shock, and for nearly a year, wages have failed to keep up with the cost of living. | |
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Ruy Teixeira: More evidence that economic pessimism is running rampant is provided in article today in the Washington Post, "Economic Worries Aren't Resonating on the Hill". Dwight Meredith: Eric links today to a Washington Post story about how out if touch with the concerns of the American people Washington... Dr. Steven Taylor: And Now: The Economy — Via WaPo: Economic Worries Aren't Resonating on Hill "Inflation and interest rates are rising,... |
Guest @ThinkProgress: Greenspan: Bush Budget Bankrupting America — The Washington Post today reports that the economic worries of Americans just are not registering with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Matthew Yglesias: Oil: Price and Depedence — High gas prices and Bush's desire to push his energy bill through congress generate a couple... Tarek @LiquidList: The Post's above the fold story this morning on the economy demonstrates just how much things have changed, and how... |
| Also: EBW @Wampum | |
Forget Blogs By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink Among forward-looking media thinkers, many of them with more experience in journalism that I have on this earth, I have developed an apparently unpopular opinion. The blog craze has prompted dozens of newspapers and other news outlets to produce or plan blogs for their own Web sites. | |
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Rex Hammock: But this column certainly is idiocy. The "young reporter" at Editor & Publisher says "blogs are a horrible way to deliver journalism...and forget them." Jeff Jarvis: Dinosaur roar : The frequently clueless Editor & Publisher, voice of the newspaper industry (:cough:), is without clue... |
James Joyner: Newspaper Blogs a Bad Idea — Editor & Publisher's Graham Webster argues that newspapers should give up hosting... Jim Romenesko: "Blogs are a horrible way to deliver journalism. Forget them" Editor & Publisher Graham Webster says young people don't get their news via blogs; they prefer portal sites. |
Bolton Gets Unequivoval Backing From Bush, but Not Powell By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 21 - President Bush issued a strong new defense today of John R. Bolton, his nominee as ambassador to the United Nations, even as associates of Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state, said that Mr. Powell had expressed reservations about Mr. Bolton in conversations with at least two wavering Republican senators. | |
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Kevin Drum: According to the New York Times, his former boss Colin Powell has been chatting with Republican senators and has "made... Laura Rozen: Colin Powell is returning calls on Bolton to Republican Senators on the Foreign Relations committee (via Stygius). |
Lorie Byrd: Is Powell Working Against Bolton? There is a lot going on behind the scenes in this one. (Link via Drudge) |
Powell Plays Behind the Scenes Role in Bolton Debate WaPo — Permalink Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell is emerging as a behind the scenes player in the battle over John Bolton's nomination to the United Nations, privately telling at least two key Republican lawmakers that Bolton is smart, but a very problematic government official, according to Republican sources. | |
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Joseph Britt: The Penny Drops — I had wondered when we would hear something about John Bolton from Colin Powell, his former boss. Laura Rozen: More from the WaPo. |
Orrin Judd: Powell Plays Behind the Scenes Role in Bolton Debate (Jim VandeHei and Robin Wright, April 22, 2005, Washington Post)... |
Districts and Teachers' Union Sue Over Bush Law By / NYT — Permalink Opening a new front in the growing rebellion against President Bush's signature education law, the nation's largest teachers' union and eight school districts in Michigan, Texas and Vermont sued the Department of Education yesterday, accusing it of violating a... | |
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John Hawkins: Teachers' Union Suit Sparks 'No Bureaucrat Left Behind' — Satire By Scott Ott — President George Bush, faced with a... Joanne Jacobs: 'No Bureaucrat Left Behind' — Faced with a teachers' union lawsuit, President George W. Bush has announced the 'No Bureaucrat Left Behind' plan, Scrappleface reports. Orrin Judd: THE LEFT JOINS THE CONSTITUTION IN EXILE MOVEMENT: Districts and Teachers' Union Sue Over Bush Law (SAM DILLON, 4/21/05,... |
Dan Froomkin: The 'No-Child' Revolution Sam Dillon writes in the New York Times: "Opening a new front in the growing rebellion... Pudentilla: red and blue states unite in opposition to nclb — [snipped quote] when they realize awol's goal is to destroy public... |
Howard Dean warns of danger in Iraq pullout By / Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Howard Dean came to Minnesota Wednesday evening without the scream that ended his 2004 presidential campaign, or the anti-Iraq war rhetoric that started it. "Now that we're there, we're there and we can't get out," he told an audience of nearly 1,000 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. | |
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John @PowerLine: The Gift That Keeps On Giving — If you haven't already seen it, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's account of Howard Dean's... Pejman Yousefzadeh: With antics like this one: [snipped quote] I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh. I have no brief for Rush Limbaugh. K. J. Lopez: More Dean: "Between a speech he delivered without notes and a question-answer session, Dean regaled an appreciative... |
Charles Johnson: Howard Dean: Picture of Class — In Minnesota, Howard Dean showed once again the sense of dignity and class that makes him the perfect man to lead the Democratic Party. Michelle Malkin: Here's how DNC chair Howard Dean gave voice to the Democrat value of compassion. |
A Catholic Call for Dissent By / LAT — Permalink I grew up as a typical pre-Vatican II Catholic. I entered the seminary at 13 and became a priest 11 years later, never questioning church teachings. But as a moral theologian in the 1960s, I began to see things differently, ultimately concluding that... | |
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Tim Dunlop: God only knows — Interesting story in the LA Times today that more or less bears out the points I was making in the... Kevin Drum: Here's his account in the LA Times today: [snipped quote] That's par for the course. Six out of seven of those items are related to sex and gender. |
Steve Bainbridge: He said it, not me — Commenting on defrocked Catholic theologian Charles Curran's LA Times attack on Pope Benedict XVI,... |
Reverence Gone Up in Smoke By / WaPo — Permalink "Secular and the City" is a weird show to be in at the moment. For those of us who came to Manhattan precisely because you're guaranteed never to meet anyone who has read the "Left Behind" series, America's much-celebrated spiritual revival can have its trying moments. | |
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TheAnchoress: Betsy Newmark: wonders just why it is that snippety secularist society types like Tina Brown feel they should have so much to say about the new pope. Ed Driscoll: [quote]See how she puts it today: "For those of us who came to Manhattan precisely because you're guaranteed never to meet...[end quote] Betsy Newmark: Well, if you haven't been offended yet about how the elites are treating the selection of the new pope, read Tina Brown today. |
Tim Graham: TINA'S TRAUMA — You have to love reading Tina Brown, since her columns for the WashPost seem to confirm what every... Orrin Judd: BLUE BLUES, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... (via Rick Turley): Reverence Gone Up in Smoke (Tina Brown, April 21, 2005, Washington... |
Have a Nice Day, or Else By / WaPo — Permalink It hurt her feelings, says Jane Fonda, sharing her feelings, that one of her husbands liked them to have sexual threesomes. "It reinforced my feeling I wasn't good enough." In the Scottsdale, Ariz., Unified School District office, the receptionist used to be called a receptionist. | |
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Richard Reeb: George Will Takes on the "Nice" People — Premier columnist George Will takes on the army of professional "feelings"... TheAnchoress: Maxed Out Mama, who does not suffer fools gladly, and for this we bless God, highlightes George Will's excellent column... |
Dale Franks: Suck it up, Nancy-boy — George Will writes that the rise of therapeutic culture is turning us into a bunch on whining ninnies. |
Dems try to kill Clinton probe By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are quietly trying to kill a 10-year legal probe that implicates several senior Clinton administration appointees for obstruction of justice, the Daily News has learned. | |
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Ace: Actually, it's Democratic Senators trying to kill the investigation into Clinton-era hijinks: [snipped quote] The... |
John Cole: Via Ace, we see this nonsense from the folks on the other side of the aisle: "Senate Democrats are quietly trying to... |
Diplomat Disputes Bolton Testimony CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) President Bush personally came to the defense of his embattled nominee for United Nations ambassador on Thursday, telling reporters that despite mounting criticism, John R. Bolton deserved to be confirmed by the Senate. | |
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Atrios: Isn't lying to Congress a no-no? Isn't Cokie Roberts going to start screeching "rule of law! rule law!" |
Laura Rozen: More from CBS's Gloria Borger. (Thx to DB). |
For Republicans, 2 Women Are Exhibits A and B in Battle on Judicial Appointments By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 20 - As the Senate moves ever closer to a partisan showdown over confirming President Bush's judicial choices, the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote along party lines on Thursday to approve at least two nominees certain to attract a Democratic filibuster in the full Senate. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: We'll watch Bill Frist and leading lights of the Christian right push the anti-Christian bigotry line to the hilt on... |
Orrin Judd: WORTH A NUCLEAR EXCHANGE: For Republicans, 2 Women Are Exhibits A and B in Battle on Judicial Appointments (NEIL A. LEWIS, 04/21/2005, NY Times) [snipped quote] Sing out, Sister. |
Bush: Politics stalling Bolton vote CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush on Thursday urged senators to "put aside politics" and confirm John Bolton as the country's new U.N. ambassador, calling him "the right man at the right time for this important assignment." | |
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Laura Rozen: Far more than a partisan fight between Republicans and Democrats as the White House would have us believe, this is... Steve Bainbridge: Bolton — As I understand it, the official case against John Bolton's appointment as UN ambassador consists largely of... |
Steve Clemons: From a CNN Report: [snipped quote] Has the President read the dossier? |
House Resources chairman disses key provision of energy bill CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Shortly before the House began debate Wednesday on an energy bill aimed primarily at making the country less dependent on overseas oil, a House committee chairman involved in the legislation bluntly dismissed a key provision to boost the use of hydrogen fuels. | |
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Kevin Drum: Republican Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, mistakenly thinking he was speaking privately... |
PGL: Energy Bill: A Rare Bit of GOP Honesty (profane as it might sound) The devil is in the details is an old Ross Perot line... |
US Steps Up Pressure on Belarus By / Voice of America — Permalink The United States has issued a call for free and fair elections in Belarus next year. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says it is time for change in what she calls Europe's "last true dictatorship." | |
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Robert Tagorda: Here's the latest encouraging development: US Steps Up Pressure on Belarus (VOA) "The United States has issued a call for free and fair elections in Belarus next year. |
Scott Sala: Technorati Tags: NYC+Mayor Bloomberg unemployment — Condi Bucks Belarus Condi is taking Freedom on the road, and Europe's last vestige of tyranny - Belarus - is target 2006. |
Pope May Color Debate in U.S. Over 'Life' Issues Like Abortion By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 20 - The election of an unstintingly conservative pope could inject a powerful new force into the intense conflicts in American politics over abortion and other social issues, which put many Catholic elected officials at odds with their church. | |
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Tom Maguire: The NY Times tiptoes up to the question of whether, and how, the newly elected Pope intervened in the last Presidential election. Maya @SuburbanGuerrilla: It so irritates me when non-Catholic Republicans like Bush start using Catholic dogma to further their agenda. Betsy Newmark: Perhaps this is the real reason why so many in America seem tobe so offended by the choice of Cardinal Ratzinger to be pope. |
Ann Althouse: I wasn't going to pope-blog, but this NYT article makes the new pope story all about American politics: "Pope Benedict... K. J. Lopez: Thank you, thank you, New York Times. |
Conn. approves gay civil unions By / Boston Globe — Permalink HARTFORD — Connecticut became the second state in the nation yesterday to create civil unions for gays and lesbians. The move disappointed some gay-rights activists who had hoped to see the state follow Massachusetts' lead in creating same-sex marriage and angered some conservatives who said the measure was a step in the direction of gay nuptials. | |
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Ace: Connecticut Approves Civil Unions... Through Democratic Means — I'm still very much undecided on civil unions, as I... Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Always Has Been A Civil Part of the Union — Before I forget: KUDOS to my home state of Connecticut! |
Orrin Judd: A MODEL FOR BLUE STATES: Conn. approves gay civil unions: Advocates and opponents criticize compromise law (Sarah... K. J. Lopez: CIVIL UNIONS, STATE 2 — Connecticut approved civil unions for gay couples yesterday. |
Mystery of Unpopped Popcorn Is Discovered By / AP — Permalink INDIANAPOLIS — Eat your way to the bottom of almost any bag of popcorn and there they are: the rock-hard, jaw-rattling unpopped kernels known as old maids. The nuisance kernels have kept many a dentist busy, but their days could be numbered: Scientists say they now know why some popcorn kernels resist popping into puffy white globes. | |
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Jan Haugland: Why some popcorn don't pop — It's a major scientific breakthrough: Eat your way to the bottom of almost any bag of... Pejman Yousefzadeh: MYSTERIES SOLVED — We lumber forward—ever clumsily—towards omniscience. |
Paul @Wizbang: Breaking News: Mystery of unpopped popcorn solved — We here at Wizbang pride ourselves in keeping you abreast of the important issues that impact your life. Betsy Newmark: How wonderful it is when one of life's little mysteries is solved. |
The filibuster fight will be disastrous for the GOP The Hill — Permalink In 1936, President Roosevelt had just won reelection by one of the largest margins in history. His Republican adversary, Kansas Gov. Alf Landon, carried only Maine and Vermont. | |
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Chris Bowers: Dick Morris, who kos dubbed "the GOP's Mr. CW" has even written that "now that Iraq seems to be more pacified, and the... |
Kos @DailyKos: Those internal polls are actually quite revealing, and give added credibility to this column by the GOP's Mr. CW — Dick Morris. |
Democrats accused of lack of vision By / Washington Times — Permalink House Democrats have voted with Republicans on several major bills this year, and Republicans say this indicates a lack of vision and agenda coming from Democratic leadership. | |
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Xan @Corrente: As Lambert pointed out last night, accommodationism with These People gets you a ticket on a fast train to... |
PoliPundit: Quote of the Day — Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: "What [Republicans are] trying to do is distract. |
Who Pays $600 for Jeans? By / NYT — Permalink COLLETTE LEONARD would probably be the first to tell you that the premium denim thing is a little out of hand. She is aware of how loopy it is to lose one's senses in the quest for a neatly packaged posterior. | |
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Ann Althouse: While some women are paying maybe $600 for pair of jeans to distinguish themselves in our heavily jeans-clad culture,... |
Pudentilla: stupid question: [snipped quote] easy answer: people who want middle class tax payers to save them from the ravages of the estate tax. |
Why They Ran By / Opinion Journal — Permalink There were many moving and dramatic moments in Rome two days ago, but this is the one I think I'll remember: the sight of them running. Did you see them running to St. Peter's Square as the bells began to toll? | |
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TheAnchoress: Peggy Noonan: I like this piece very much, and so I am linking to it again here, although I had excepted from it here. Steve Bainbridge: Why I Really Like Peggy Noonan — Her take on Benedict XVI is spot on: [snipped quote] I'll have more to say about this very fine column a bit later. |
Ann Althouse: I guess everyone's going to link to Peggy Noonan's essay about the new pope, and I wasn't going to pope-blog, but this... |
Border-Watch Group to Stop Patrols By / LAT — Permalink DENVER — The Minuteman Project, which attracted international attention by putting armed civilians along the Arizona-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration, announced Wednesday that it was entering a new phase and would stop its patrol activities. | |
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TChris: Minutemen End Patrols — The vigilante* group known as the Minuteman Project is declaring victory and calling it quits,... |
Orrin Judd: ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED: Border-Watch Group to Stop Patrols: The Minuteman Project says it will focus on protesting... |
A war that 'Roe' has wrought Albany Times Union — Permalink Justice Harry Blackmun did more inadvertent damage to our democracy than any other 20th-century American. When he and his Supreme Court colleagues issued the Roe vs. Wade decision, they set off a cycle of political viciousness and counter -viciousness that has poisoned public life ever since, and now threatens to destroy the Senate as we know it. | |
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Digby: Harry Started It — David Brooks says that if it weren't for Roe vs Wade we wouldn't be having all this nastiness in our political discourse. |
Ezra Klein: Update: The Rude Pundit says: "In today's column, Brooks places blame for the dissolution of national discourse, for... |
'He Was Very Angry' Newsweek — Permalink Congressional Democrats are also pressing the administration for a more detailed explanation of why Bolton requested unedited intelligence intercepts from the National Security Agency which included the names of American government officials. | |
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Matt Davis: Similarly, though Bolton is now clearly damaged goods after the unexpected parliamentary betrayal by George Voinovich... Rich Lowry: ISIKOFF ON BOLTON — More anger allegations. |
Laura Rozen: From Newsweek: [snipped quote] Read the rest of the piece too, in which former US ambassador to South Korea Thomas... |
U.S. at Odds with France on NATO Role in Darfur By / Reuters — Permalink VILNIUS (Reuters) - The United States urged NATO on Thursday to respond quickly to any request for help in the Darfur conflict, but France insisted the alliance could not be the "gendarme of the world." | |
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Mark Leon Goldberg: According to Reuters, at a meeting in Lithuania today, Barnier rebuffed Condoleezza Rice's suggestion that NATO ready... |
Eugene Oregon: Also, I am beginning to share our Republican counterparts' disdain for France (although for different reasons) "The... |
Greenspan Renews Warning on Budget Deficits By / AP — Permalink Bloated budget deficits pose a danger to the nation's long-term economic health, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned anew Thursday. He issued a fresh call to policy-makers to move swiftly to put the government's fiscal house in order. | |
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Kevin Drum: ALAN GREENSPAN....I see that Alan Greenspan has yet again testified that budget deficits are out of control. |
Pudentilla: andrea mitchell's husband thinks republicans are wrecking economy — [snipped quote] too bad you didn't try and stop them... |
A Pope for Better or Perhaps Worse By / WaPo — Permalink Being a non-Catholic nowadays is a bit like being a non-American most of the time. Important, maybe even historic, decisions are being made and you are totally locked out. America chooses a president who gets a bee in his bonnet about Iraq, and a hunk of the world goes to war. | |
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McQ: The Pope and HIV — Per Richard Cohen, the new Pope is not his "cup of tea". Too conservative for him. OK. |
TheAnchoress: He takes on Richard Cohen's rather simplistic and intellectually dishonest, insert-standard-leftist-l ine-... |
District Warned On Gay Marriage WaPo — Permalink A leading Senate Republican warned Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) yesterday that a move to recognize gay marriages in the nation's capital would trigger a sharp backlash from Congress, and the mayor acknowledged that the District could jeopardize its budget agenda and domestic partner benefits if it mishandles the issue. | |
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CAat14K: Kansas Senator Announces Candidacy in DC — From the diaries—Chris Or at least that's what you'd think judging Sam Brownback's (R-KS) statement in DC yesterday. K. J. Lopez: SEX IN THE CITY D.C. & Congress may battle over "gay marriage." |
Abel Harding: Congressional Republicans Tell DC to Heel — Sam Brownback (R-KS), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee,... |
The bashing of Bolton, &c. NRO — Permalink The John Bolton mess tells us a lot about the current debate over U.S. foreign policy, and about the differences between the two political parties. James Taranto, at OpinionJournal.com the other day, had a great catch. | |
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Ace: Seems like the hyperpartisan hack Dana Milbank at the WaPo has committed a Kinsley-type gaffe: "James Taranto, at OpinionJournal.com the other day, had a great catch. |
Betsy Newmark: Jay Nordlinger is spot on again. "The John Bolton mess tells us a lot about the current debate over U.S. foreign policy,... |
Down Market Casts a Pall on Social Security Plan By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 20 - Markets go up and markets go down. But the slide over the last month on Wall Street is hardly good timing for President Bush, who now finds himself with another issue to explain as he struggles to win over public opinion - and the votes he needs in Congress - for his proposal to add investment accounts to Social Security. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Richard Stevenson writes in The New York Times that the recent downturn in the stock market is creating political problems for Social Security privatization. |
Dan Froomkin: Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey write for Newsweek.com that, according to officials from oil-producing countries, the United States can affect oil prices significantly on its own. |
Clinton Case Mystery By / New York Sun — Permalink A Democratic fund-raiser involved in Senator Clinton's 2000 campaign has offered a guilty plea to bank fraud charges and is likely to become a government witness at the upcoming federal trial of a top finance aide to Mrs. Clinton, David Rosen, court records obtained by The New York Sun show. | |
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Ace: "Mystery Witness" Rats on Hill & Bill Hollywood Fundraiser — Unless, somehow, this can be pinned on Tom DeLay, you'll never hear about this again. Glenn Reynolds: I WONDER IF THIS STORY will have legs? [snipped quote] The Sun is certainly punching above its weight. |
Scott @PowerLine: Clinton case mystery — The New York Sun seems to be eating the lunch of its competition in Josh Gerstein's fascinating article: "Clinton case mystery." |
Doubts on U.N. Nominee's Confirmation Are Growing NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 20 - After an unexpected erosion of Republican support for John R. Bolton, senators and their aides from both parties said Wednesday that his nomination as ambassador to the United Nations now appeared to be in some peril. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Spokesman Scott McClellan accused Democrats of manufacturing charges to discredit Bolton and 'score political points.' "... Rich Lowry: THE CORROBORATOR — From the New York Times, a passage on the guy who is supporting Townsel's account: "The new... |
Howard Kurtz: As for the Bolton nomination, the New York Times smells trouble: "After an unexpected erosion of Republican support for... |
GOP's DeLay Inquiry Offer Rebuffed By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republican members of the House Ethics Committee offered Wednesday to investigate House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), but Democrats quickly rejected the proposal as a political ploy. The GOP offer was contingent on Democrats ending a boycott of the Ethics Committee. | |
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Howard Kurtz: Further delay in any DeLay probe: "Republican members of the House Ethics Committee offered Wednesday to investigate... |
Judd @ThinkProgress: Here was Speaker Dennis Hastert's reaction: [snipped quote] Two responses: 1. |
The Railroad to Nowhere By / NYT — Permalink Nearly five years ago, as Amtrak officials were hailing their new Acela train as "a giant step forward" for America and "the kind of rail system we've all been dreaming about for decades," a former Amtrak official named Joseph Vranich offered another perspective. | |
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Ace: John Tierny at the New York Times concludes that Amtrack is dead and so, therefore, is passenger rail. |
Nick Gillespie: From the SF Chron: [snipped quote] Whole thing here. Reason on Amtrak's spectacular record of money losses here and here. |
White House reiterates endorsement for Bolton Washington Times — Permalink The Bush administration yesterday gave a strong endorsement of John R. Bolton, trying to boost the president's embattled pick to be ambassador to the United Nations in the face of wavering Republican support. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Stephen Dinan and David R. Sands write in the Washington Times: "A Republican with close ties to the White House said... |
Howard Kurtz: "Asked Wednesday if he was now less inclined to support the nomination, Mr. Chafee said, 'That would be accurate.'" The... |
2 new entries ride the 'nice' wave today USA Today — Permalink NEW YORKt's perhaps fitting that Inside TV's tastiest promotional items are red and baby-blue M&Ms, with Get INSIDE! imprinted on one side. The TV Guide offshoot, which hits newsstands today, is glossy and full of bite-sized, largely sugary stories about the lives, loves and styles of TV celebrities. | |
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Rex Hammock: Finally, some magazines about celebrities: Today's launch (or, as we say, entering the post-vaporzine, pre bye-atus... |
Jim Romenesko: Additional items for April 21, 2005 > Apple case touches on several issues, including journalist definition (LAT) > NYDN... |
Sports Producer Named by NBC to Run 'Today' By / NYT — Permalink NBC introduced new leadership yesterday at its troubled "Today," promising new energy and fresh ideas to reinvigorate what some network executives conceded had become a stale program. NBC News named Jim Bell as the executive producer of "Today," succeeding Tom Touchet. | |
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Jim Romenesko: NBC picks sports producer to add pizazz to stale "Today" — New York Times Jim Bell, who was coordinating producer of... |
Brian Stelter: Zucker: 'Today' "Needed A Jolt" — It's time for the second-day stories about Touchet about, Bell in: "The change is... |
At Conclave, A Prediction And Promise WaPo — Permalink VATICAN CITY, April 20 — Behind the sealed doors of the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church burst into applause Tuesday afternoon when, after four rounds of voting, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger received more than the 77 votes needed to become pope. | |
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Kieran Healy: Perpetual is as Perpetual does From a WP story about the conclave: Although the cardinals swore an oath of perpetual... Josh Marshall: This piece out in Thursday's Post gives one of the first clear narratives of how Benedict came to be chosen. |
Billmon: "Washington Post At Conclave, A Prediction And Promise April 21, 2005" — "The [sexual child abuse] accusers say... Dean Esmay: The Selection by Dean I found this Washington Post story an uncommonly decent and agenda-free recounting of the tale of Cardinal Ratzinger's recent elevation. |
GOP Senator Wavers on Bolton WaPo — Permalink A key Republican senator signaled yesterday that he is less likely to support the embattled nomination of John R. Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after a dramatic meeting Tuesday, and said he will discuss with GOP colleagues whether President Bush should withdraw Bolton's name. | |
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Steve Clemons: Charles Babington and Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post had this good summary of the re-crafted Lincoln Chafee... Pejman Yousefzadeh: SMEARS WORK — And here appears to be some depressing proof. |
Hugh Hewitt: Yesterday's debacle on the Bolton nomination adds to the sense that no one has a grasp on how to accomplish the simplest of tasks. Laura Rozen: It's being hinted at in several pieces tonight that show Chafee again wavering. |
In His Own Words By / Weekly Standard — Permalink THE MOST IMPORTANT STATEMENT Pope Benedict XVI may ever make was the one delivered before he was elected the successor to John Paul II. Just before he and his 114 colleagues entered the conclave, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger addressed the entire College of... | |
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TheAnchoress: Hugh Hewitt: Has a groovy piece in The Daily Standard wherein he looks at the new pope, "In His Own Words." What an amazing idea. |
Hugh Hewitt: Leading from Conviction: Cardinals and Senators — My WeeklyStandard.com column this week, "In His Own Words," reprints... |
The surge to victory: Cardinal's deft steps By / NYT — Permalink VATICAN CITY Mischievous headline writers called him the Panzer Cardinal. But maybe the Steamroller Cardinal would be more apt. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became Pope Benedict XVI in rapid fashion, rushing to election by a scant four votes over less than 24 hours in conclave. | |
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Orrin Judd: IT WAS ALL KARL ROVE: The surge to victory: Cardinal's deft steps (Daniel J. Wakin, April 21, 2005, The New York Times)... |
Betsy Newmark: The International Herald Tribune has put together the story on how Cardinal Ratzinger clinched the vote in the College of Cardinals. |
Sisyphus as Social Democrat Foreign Affairs — Permalink John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics. Richard Parker. : Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005, 820 pp. $35.00 Summary: John Kenneth Galbraith's dazzling career as an economist and public intellectual has left an oddly thin legacy. | |
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Michael Froomkin: Why I'm No Fan of John Kenneth Galbraith — My friend Brad DeLong has a warm review of Richard Parker's, John Kenneth... Brad DeLong: Foreign Affairs - Sisyphus as Social Democrat - J. Bradford DeLong — J. Bradford DeLong (2005), [snipped quote] Foreign Affairs May/June 2005. |
Kevin Drum: Here is his summary of Parker's explanation for why the Democratic party no longer has the energy to embrace... |
Connecticut Lawmakers Back Gay Civil Unions AP — Permalink HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut on Wednesday became the second state to offer civil unions to gay couples — and the first to do so without being forced by the courts. | |
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Ian Ayres: All Hail The Nutmeg State — Ian Ayres Connecticut became tonight the first state to legislatively embrace "civil union" rights for same sex couples. |
Will Baude: Nutmeg — Via Ian Ayres, I see that Connecticut has democratically authorized civil unions for same-sex couples. |
'Da... Nyet, Nyet, Nyet!' Rice Tells Russians Reuters — Permalink "/ Condoleezza Rice tried out her rusty Russian in a Moscow radio interview Wednesday, only to get caught out by a question on whether she might run for president. "Da (Yes)," Rice answered in Russian, before realizing her misunderstanding and hastily adding "Nyet" (No) — seven times. | |
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Baldilocks: Looks as though she should have used one. [snipped quote] Actually, this makes me feel better. I used to speak fairly decent Russian as well. |
Betsy Newmark: Poor Condi Rice tried out her rusty Russian on a talk show and got tripped up on a question of whether she's run for president. |
AP: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign AP — Permalink (04-20) 20:00 PDT UNITED NATIONS _, (AP) — Two senior investigators with the committee probing corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program have resigned in protest, saying they believe a report that cleared Kofi Annan of meddling in the $64 billion operation was too soft on the secretary-general, a panel member confirmed Wednesday. | |
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Ace: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign In Protest Over Whitewash — Hmmm... the media seems to like some whistleblowers; you think they'll take an interest in these two? Pejman Yousefzadeh: KLAXONS SHOULD BE GOING OFF RIGHT NOW — Related to the post immediately below, those of us who wanted to discuss the... Charles Johnson: AP: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign — The Associated Press now has the story broken earlier today by Roger Simon: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign. |
Captain Ed: Tonight, however, two of the Volcker investigators have resigned in protest, reportedly because they believed that the... Jan Haugland: Only Michael Cornacchia remains. If not a whitewash, at least a serious glossing over. PS: AP has the story. John @PowerLine: Oil-For-Food Investigators Resign — Roger Simon had this story first: two top investigators for Paul Volcker's... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark | |
FLATHEAD By / New York Press — Permalink I think it was about five months ago that Press editor Alex Zaitchik whispered to me in the office hallway that Thomas Friedman had a new book coming out. All he knew about it was the title, but that was enough; he approached me with the chilled demeanor of a British spy who has just discovered that Hitler was secretly buying up the world's manganese supply. | |
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Kieran Healy: I am in awe It takes a long, long apprenticeship laboring the Augean stables of Globollocks to write a sentence like... Ezra Klein: Taibbi Stabs — Via a kind reader, Matt Taibbi's review of the Tom Friedman's new book is, without doubt, the funniest and sharpest-knifed book review I've ever read. Orrin Judd: DRIVE-BY: FLATHEAD: The peculiar genius of Thomas L. Friedman. (Matt Taibbi, 4/20/05, NY Press) [snipped quote] Deliciously savage. |
Atrios: Is There No God? Taibbi reviews Friedman. "Thomas Friedman does not get these things right even by accident. Steve M.: I haven't had a chance to read Matt Taibbi's review of the new Thomas Friedman book, but it's the cover story in New... |
Texas bans gay foster parents AFP — Permalink The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals from being foster parents. If the bill gains approval from the Texas Senate, the state will be allowed to investigate the backgrounds of current foster parents and remove children living in non-heterosexual households. | |
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John Hawkins: Texas Bans Gay Foster Parents By Right Thinking Girl — The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals from being foster parents. Clayton Cramer: I am somewhat sympathetic to the concerns (at least, some of the concerns) that motivated the Texas House to pass this... |
Norbizness: In essence, Texas would be banning homosexuals and bisexuals (?!?) from being foster parents, both prospectively and... Richard TPD: But that simply isn't true; they are the legislators themselves. [snipped quote] Outrage, anyone? |
Rove's Reading: Not So Liberal as Leery By / WaPo — Permalink CHESTERTOWN, Md., April 18 — Karl Rove was out of his element. He left the security of his West Wing office and the Republican fundraising circuit to face an audience of smart-alecky students on a college campus — a liberal arts college, no less — here in this reliably blue state. | |
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Nico @ThinkProgress: Scotty Broke the Rule — Karl Rove on impugning the motives of your political opponents: [quote] "Rove attested that 'most...[end quote] Susanna Cornett: Rove on media, Milbank on Rove — Karl Rove emerged from the White House yesterday to talk with journalism students at... Avedon Carol: Fun with The Washington Post — I'm getting a laugh out of this page right now, which is an amusing article by Dana... |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: The Washington Post carries Rove's dead-on comment about the news media that flies in the face of what Rush,... Garrett M. Graff: Rove: Reporters May, Just May, Not Suck — Karl Rove's comments on the press yesterday in Maryland are continuing to... Kos @DailyKos: Rove: media not so liberal — Take that, Tom DeLay! [snipped quote] Riffing off Rove's comments, my complaints against the press is that they weren't oppositional enough. |
| Also: Jim Romenesko, Cori Dauber, Greg Piper | |
April 20: Congrats to bullies Rocky Mountain News — Permalink On this sixth anniversary of Columbine, you'd like to think every school official - at least in Colorado - would have absorbed this lesson: Never minimize the gravity of a student plot to wreak violence, and never give aid and comfort to those who do. | |
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Eugene Volokh: A columnist in the Rocky Mountain News writes: [snipped quote] A couple of people, including InstaPundit, have also... Glenn Reynolds: VINCE CARROLL NOTES that academic freedom seems to be a one-way street: [snipped quote] On the Internet, speech is still free. |
Jonathan H. Adler: ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN COLORADO — Ward Churchill should have the right to denounce America, but heaven forbid a former Democratic governor wishes to criticize affirmative action. |
As Vote on Filibuster Nears, G.O.P. Senators Face Mounting Pressure By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 19 - As the Senate heads into a showdown over judges, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia is one of a select few Republicans at the center of a bipartisan courtship. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: Jeff's count from last week of the remaining swing Republicans on the nuclear option should be amended slightly in light... Steve Bainbridge: No Nukes — As the showdown over Democrat filibustering of Bush's judges looms, my guess is that the Republicans will not exercise the nuclear option. |
Hugh Hewitt: The New York Times reports the number of "wobbly on the filibuster" GOP senators at 7, including John Warner of... Billmon: "New York Times As Vote on Filibuster Nears,GOP Senators Face Mounting Pressure April 20, 2005 Chamberlain bid a hearty farewell to the Fuehrer." |
Reports reveal Zarqawi nuclear threat By / Washington Times — Permalink Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi has obtained a nuclear device or is preparing a radiological explosive — or dirty bomb — for an attack, according to U.S. officials, who also say analysts are unable to gauge the reliability of the information's sources. | |
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Andrew Cochran: R.P. Eddy: "Look for Nuclear Weapons in the RDD Haystack" — Contributing Expert R.P. Eddy, former senior U.N. and... Colt: Thursday's Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times. TOP TOPICS Zarqawi - a nuclear threat? James Joyner: Reports reveal Zarqawi nuclear threat [snipped quote] I, too, tend to think that Zarqawi and gang would use such a device immediately if they had the capability. |
Juan Cole: Bill Gertz of the Washington Times reports that US intelligence officials are afraid that Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab... Charles Johnson: Reports Reveal Zarqawi Nuclear Threat — Bill Gertz reports that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may possess some kind of nuclear device. Clayton Cramer: News Stories To Ruin Your Morning — Like this one: "Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab... |
Rome's Radical Conservative By / NYT — Permalink THE election of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger as pope was John Paul II's last gift to the Roman Catholic Church. No cardinal was closer to John Paul II, or talked at length with him more often. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Michael Novak, unlike many of the western journalists who are already tsk-tsking the selection of Cardinal Ratzinger as... Tom Smith: Works for me — A pope who likes Acton, Madison and de Tocqueville. Works for me. Orrin Judd: WELL, HE DOES FOLLOW THE NEO TESTAMENT: Rome's Radical Conservative (MICHAEL NOVAK, 4/20/05, NY Times) |
Stuart Buck: Rome's Radical Conservative — From Michael Novak, writing in the New York Times: "Cardinal Ratzinger's selection as... Steve Bainbridge: Update: Michael Novak is offering a very similar prediction as to the set of issues that will be of concern to Pope... K. J. Lopez: "ROME'S RADICAL CONSERVATIVE" — Michael Novak |
Some Extra Heft May Be Helpful, New Study Says By / NYT — Permalink People who are overweight but not obese have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting today. The researchers - statisticians and epidemiologists from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease... | |
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Tom Maguire: This latest CDC study, as described in the Times, is a shocker: "People who are overweight but not obese have a lower... Tom Smith: Finally, some good news for the fat — Big new study suggests being somewhat overweight is good for you. Oh baby. Oldman @BOPNews: According to the NYT scientists are reporting that being mildly overweight is actually healthy for you. |
Jacob Sullum: "Counting deaths is not an exact science," says the CDC's chief science officer. No kidding. Kevin Drum: FAT IS FIT....Good news from the CDC, food lovers! [snipped quote] A quick calculation indicates that I have a BMI of 26.6, right in the sweet spot! Orrin Judd: NOW YOU'RE TALKIN': Some Extra Heft May Be Helpful, New Study Says (GINA KOLATA, 4/20/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Who cares why? |
AP NewsBreak: U.S. Sen. James Jeffords will not seek re-election By / AP — Permalink MONTPELIER, Vt. —Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, an independent who triggered one of the most dramatic upheavals in Senate history when he quit the GOP four years ago, intends to retire at the end of his term next year, officials in his home state and Washington said Wednesday. | |
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Chris Bowers: Vermont Jeffords is retiring: [snipped quote] Democratic prospects in Vermont should be quite good. Joe Gandelman: Vermont's Independent Senator Jeffords Won't Run For Re-Election — Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords will retire next year... Kos @DailyKos: VT-Sen: Jeffords is retiring — Another seat to defend. [snipped quote] It's Vermont. Dems will be the prohibitive favorites. |
James Joyner: U.S. Sen. James Jeffords, citing health, will not seek re-election (AP) "Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, an independent who... Steve Soto: Update: Dean has already taken himself out of the running, staying committed to the DNC. |
Was Iraq Behind the Oklahoma City Bombing? By / Fox News — Permalink On Tuesday's show you heard FOX News' Rita Cosby talking about the quite shocking claims made by a group of victims' families that Iraq was at the bottom of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City. | |
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Greg @TheTalentShow: This is the kind of f'n lunacy you can only find on Fox News : [snipped quote] I still find it hard to believe that this... Tom @Corrente: Loonyville — I wish I were making this up but one of the loony commentators over at Faux is trying to pin the Oklahoma City bombing on Iraq. |
Atrios: Saddam Stole My Car Keys — The right goes further into loony tunes land...and, consider how offensive this is: If... Soccerdad @LeftCoaster: FAUX News over the deep end — John Gibson Fox News is hyping the idea that Iraq was behind the Oklahoma bombing. |
Benedict XVI By / Opinion Journal — Permalink The great surprise of yesterday's papal election is that the new pope is no surprise. As the long-time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the best-known figure at the Vatican apart from John Paul II himself. | |
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Tom Smith: Also interesting. This just about sums it up. Pretty good summary of the tedious left view. Steve Dillard: Catholics who want to be Catholics: From the end of Kenneth Woodward's editorial in today's Wall Street Journal:... |
K. J. Lopez: KEN WOODWARD ON B16 & BIG PICTURE in WSJ: "But the Catholic Church, it is worth recalling, is not a one-man show. |
Coulter falsely blamed Arizona county attorney for dropping charges in pie-throwing case Media Matters for America — Permalink Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter falsely accused an Arizona county attorney of anti-conservative bias for dismissing charges against two men who allegedly threw pies at her during an October 2004 speech. | |
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Tbogg: Oh, and then she lied about it: Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter falsely accused an Arizona county attorney of... |
Roger Ailes: If Mitch Albom's fictional column is big news in the media watch world, this allegation of a columnist writing fiction should be big news too. |
Senator Jeffords Says He Will Retire Next Year By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 20 - Senator James M. Jeffords, the independent Vermonter whose defection from the Republican Party in the spring of 2001 gave control of the Senate to the Democrats for 18 months, said today he would not run for re-election next year because of his and his wife's health. | |
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Jane Galt: So Jim Jeffords is retiring. I never understood the outrage of Republican voters at his switch; we don't have a parliamentary system, and the voters of Vermont elected the guy. James Joyner: Senator Jeffords Is Expected to Retire "Senator James M. Jeffords, the independent Vermonter whose defection from the... |
Steve Bainbridge: Why I Really Like "Jane Galt" — Her take on soon to be former SenatorJim Jefford's ego is just priceless: "I mean, you... |
Anger Mismanagement NRO — Permalink John Bolton — a good man, a distinguished and capable public servant, a knowledgeable and tenacious advocate for President Bush's policies — is being smeared, savaged, and otherwise demeaned in what passes for Senate deliberations on his nomination to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Frank Gaffney is not impressed with the switch in tactics that the Democrats have adopted in opposition ot John Bolton. Laura Rozen: As to today's perhaps paranoid rumor that the White House might decide to give Bolton a "recess appointment", observers... |
Scott Sala: Frank Gaffney puts it all into perspective, writing that the attacks on Bolton are founded on the lamest of principles - treating subordinates badly. Michelle Malkin: Also on NRO: Frank Gaffney's analysis. The reaction on the left side of the blogosphere is interesting. |
Pope Benedict XVI: Enemy of Jihad By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink In choosing Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger to succeed Pope John Paul II as Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church has cast a vote for the survival of Europe and the West. | |
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Charles Johnson: Pope Benedict XVI: Enemy of Jihad — Robert Spencer says the new Pope may be Europe's last, best hope: Pope Benedict XVI: Enemy of Jihad. Stephen Pollard: A very interesting piece on the new Pope by Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch. [snipped quote] Do read it all - fascinating stuff. |
Patrick Ruffini: Robert Spencer says not to expect Benedict to sit idly by as Islam recolonizes the European heartland Orrin Judd: HEALTHY COMPETITION: Pope Benedict XVI: Enemy of Jihad (Robert Spencer, April 20, 2005, FrontPageMagazine.com)... |
Voinovich Known to Put Principles Before Party By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The maverick tendencies of Republican Sen. George V. Voinovich are no secret. The former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor has challenged President Bush and party leaders on numerous issues. | |
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Scott Sala: Here's the story as told by the LA Times, a left-leaning paper, who by all measures, sounds fairer that this right-wing attack ad. Kate Kaye: The Web-based grassroots group literally started work on a radio ad set to launch in Ohio mere hours after the Senator... |
Laura Rozen: Two pieces from the LA Times on l'affaire Bolton: Richard Simon mines Sen. George Voinovich's career to understand his... |
Boltin' on Bolton NRO — Permalink Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich rolled like a marble yesterday. After an hour of ranting by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats about the nomination of John Bolton as United Nations ambassador, Voinovich pronounced himself in need of more... | |
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Paul @PowerLine: A big tent means a few clowns — The National Review editors are on the money in their discussion of Senator Voinovich's... Pejman Yousefzadeh: TAWDRY (CONT'D) This is a well-written and well-deserved slam. There is no excuse why the full Senate should not be considering the Bolton nomination right now. |
Von @ObsidianWings: UPDATE: Macallan points to this defense of Bolton at the National Review, which suggests that Bolton was upset with Mr... |
Dubious spin on the U.N. Washington Times — Permalink The media spinners busied themselves yesterday portraying the report of the Independent Inquiry Committee investigating the oil-for-food scandal as a vindication of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It clearly is not. | |
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Roger L. Simon: With Kofi Annan's adviser Canadian businessman Maurice Strong under fire, his Chef de Cabinet having resigned for... |
Mary Madigan: A ludicrous sideshow by Mary Madigan Roger Simon describes the latest developments in the oil-for-food scandal: [snipped quote] The UN is having problems right now. |
PM to address nation By / Globe and Mail — Permalink Prime Minister Paul Martin will appeal directly to Canadian voters Thursday evening, in an attempt to quell their fears about the sponsorship scandal and Liberal corruption. He will appear in a live, televised evening address Thursday at 7:45 p.m. EDT, a move that is being seen as extraordinary. | |
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Damian Penny: That, he said, led to the creation of the sponsorship program under which flags and banners were placed at events all... |
Captain Ed: Martin To Plead Case On Television — Having exhausted every other possibility to keep his Liberal government from... |
Elephants rampage through Seoul BBC — Permalink South Korea's busy capital Seoul faced an added complication on Wednesday when six elephants escaped from an amusement park, causing chaos. The elephants broke into a restaurant in the east of the city, and tore through the garden of a private home. | |
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Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Elephants Rampage Through Seoul by hilzoy That's the headline on a BBC story today: [snipped quote] I am reminded of one... Steve Bainbridge: In other news — The BBC reports: "Officials said one elephant was briefly detained at a police station ...." MSNBC's video is shorter but clearer than the Beeb's. |
Joe Gandelman: Raging Elephants In Seoul — According to the BBC, a bunch of elephants raged through Seoul — but, no, it wasn't... Michelle Malkin: ELEPHANTS ON A RAMPAGE — Now, if we could just replace the lame Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with these elephants, we'd get somewhere. |
Letter from David Brock to Rupert Murdoch By / Media Matters for America — Permalink I was intrigued to read your recent statement to World Screen magazine about alleged conservative bias at the Fox News Channel. "We are fair and balanced and we challenge anyone to show Fox News has any bias in it," you said. | |
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Brian Stelter: Media Matters Challenges Fox News — In a letter to Rupert Murdoch today, MediaMatters president David Brock responds to... |
Atrios: They Write Letters — David Brock writes to Rupert Murdoch. |
Hate mob attacks Galloway This Is London — Permalink The bitter election battle in the East End has spilled into violence, with extremist Muslims and anti-war protesters targeting George Galloway and Oona King. Anti-war campaigner Mr Galloway was forced to take refuge from Islamic militants who denounced him as a "false prophet". | |
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Colt: EUROPE George Galloway has been attacked by Hizb ut-Tahrir, who say there is a fatwa against him. I think this is what's called 'blue-on-blue'. Charles Johnson: But, oddly, the objects of Galloway's affection don't seem to be responding as expected: Hate mob attacks Galloway. |
Harry @HarrysPlace: Militants attack Galloway — George Galloway was attacked last night by a group of militants who have been angered by... Damian Penny: That's a lesson George Galloway would do well to remember: The bitter election battle in the East End has spilled into... |
Bahraini woman chairs parliament By / BBC — Permalink For the first time in the Arab world, a woman has chaired a parliamentary session in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Alees Samaan, who is Christian, also became the first non-Muslim to act as speaker in predominantly Muslim Bahrain, if only for a few hours. | |
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Charles Paul Freund: Speaker Samaan — "For the first time in the Arab world," reports the BBC, "a woman has chaired a parliamentary session. |
Orrin Judd: FIRSTS: Bahraini woman chairs parliament (Magdi Abdelhadi, 4/21/05, BBC) "For the first time in the Arab world, a woman... |
Protection Racket TNR — Permalink The Bush White House has always been of two minds on free trade. On the one hand, former U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick did an admirable job of attacking global trade barriers, despite the short-term risk to U.S. industries and the anger of the sugar and cotton lobbies. | |
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Dale Franks: Speaking of China and Protectionism... As an addendum to my earlier post, I see that those wild-eyed Free-Traders at... |
Ramesh Ponnuru: BASHING BUSH ON TRADE — That's what the editors of the New Republic do here, and they're mostly right. |
News With Views By / NYT — Permalink BECAUSE all three of the networks' early-evening newscasts, as good as they are, generally follow an hour or so of local news and are fed into households already saturated with news from CNN, Fox or MSNBC (which they didn't use to be), and because the adults... | |
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Jonathan Gewirtz: Clueless — Don Hewitt, creator of "60 Minutes" and veteran TV-news guy, thinks that the way to entice viewers back to... Steve Bainbridge: Network News — Longtime news producer Don Hewitt thinks: [snipped quote] Personally, I think opinion is pretty much all you get from the networks, albeit disguised as news. |
Garrett M. Graff: Other panelists, Jeff Greenfield and Charles Osgood, were more circumspect, with Greenfield thinking that it was at... |
House Ethics Panel to Probe Tom DeLay By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Retreating under pressure, Republicans on the House ethics committee said Wednesday they were ready to open an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Majority Leader Tom DeLay. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: Doc Hastings, chairman of the still-deadlocked House ethics committee, had promised that an "important announcement" was... |
Edward _: New Hope for DeLay — Congressman Tom DeLay is to have his say before the House Ethics Committee: [snipped quote] A good opportunity to clear his name. |
Lobbyist Gave DeLay a Skybox for Donors By / AP — Permalink House Majority Leader Tom DeLay treated his political donors to a bird's-eye view of a Three Tenors concert from an arena skybox leased by a lobbyist now under criminal investigation. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: If you ask me, the real news here isn't that Tom DeLay failed to reimburse Jack Abramoff for his use of an MCI Center... |
Pontificator @DailyKos: Delay Got Free Skybox From Lobbyist (From the diaries — kos) Stick a fork in him: [snipped quote] If this story is true,... |