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| A newfangled news tangle |
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Trade Czar's Roots: Comics & Curfews US News — Permalink Rob Portman , the president's new trade czar, thinks he's got just the right training to take on Hill opponents of the controversial Central American Free Trade Agreement and overseas movie and music pirates. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Here's a trial balloon that the White House seems to be floating. [snipped quote] Oh, come on. Of course the Democrats could filibuster him. Alexander K. McClure: Supreme Court — According to US News, the Bush Administration is likely to appoint Antonin Scalia to replace Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. |
Taegan Goddard: Insiders tell Washington Whispers "that Justice Antonin Scalia, not Justice Clarence Thomas, is the one President Bush is most likely to tap. |
Health Leaders Seek Consensus Over Uninsured By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 28 - At a time when Congress has been torn by partisan battles, 24 ideologically disparate leaders representing the health care industry, corporations and unions, and conservative and liberal groups have been meeting secretly for months to seek... | |
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Barbara O'Brien: I bring this up because of this article in the New York Times, "Health Leaders Seek Consensus Over Uninsured." Orrin Judd: BOWING TO THE INEVITABLE: Health Leaders Seek Consensus Over Uninsured (ROBERT PEAR, 5/29/05, NY Times) |
Kevin Drum: This quote threw me for a loop, though: [snipped quote] Heritage doesn't think of itself as a true believer? In which universe? John Cole: Coming to a Doctor Near You — The battle, I believe, has been lost: [snipped quote] There will be some form of nationalized health care in the next 10-15 years. |
Fla. County Urged to Ditch Voting Machines AP — Permalink MIAMI - Miami-Dade County's elections chief has recommended ditching its ATM-style voting machines, just three years after buying them for $24.5 million to avoid a repeat of the hanging and dimpled chads from the 2000 election. | |
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Captain Ed: Miami-Dade's new voting machines are heading for the scrap heap, a $25 million testament to impulse buying and a lack of... Cookie Jill: "elections supervisor lester sola said in a memo friday that the county should switch to optical scanners that use paper..." |
TChris: Miami-Dade County will become the first venue to replace controversial touch-screen machines with optical scanners if the county's election supervisor gets his way. Lambert @Corrente: Miami-Dade ditches voting machines that leave no paper trail — Citing a lack of voter confidence... [snipped quote] They don't work, and they quadruple the costs. |
Newsview: Bush's Global Clout Seen Growing By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — In the rarified club of world leaders, President Bush has taken his share of lumps. Critics have railed against his handling of Iraq, his perceived disdain for the United Nations and what they say is a swaggering approach to foreign policy. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: Shocker — From the Associated Press: Newsview: Bush's Global Clout Seen Growing In other breaking news, the sun may not rise tomorrow morning. |
Orrin Judd: Bush's Global Clout Seen Growing (TOM RAUM, 5/28/05, Associated Press) [snipped quote] Funny, even when they thought they... |
Bush Honors War Dead in Radio Address By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush is marking this Memorial Day weekend with words honoring men and women who have died in the nation's service to provide freedom for Americans today. "Our citizens live in freedom because patriots are willing to serve and sacrifice for our liberty," Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Memorial Day Weekend - George W. Bush — As part of the Memorial Day weekend services George W. Bush honored the men and... |
Jo Fish: Memorialize This — Preznit Equine Ejaculation: [snipped quote] "Lt Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of report. |
Judicial Nominees Compromise Was Hard-Won By / AP — Permalink The signatures of 14 Senate centrists, seven from each party, spilled across the last page of a hard-won compromise on President Bush's judicial nominees. But whatever elation the negotiators felt, the Senate's Democratic leader did not share it. | |
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Captain Ed: Far from an emergent period of truce and trust, Espo reports that Harry Reid and the Democrats immediately began... |
Orrin Judd: HARRY KNEW WHO'D WON: Judicial Nominees Compromise Was Hard-Won (DAVID ESPO, 5/28/05, AP) [snipped quote] Sometimes a win can be bitter. |
Analysts Behind Iraq Intelligence Were Rewarded By / WaPo — Permalink Two Army analysts whose work has been cited as part of a key intelligence failure on Iraq — the claim that aluminum tubes sought by the Baghdad government were most likely meant for a nuclear weapons program rather than for rockets — have received job performance awards in each of the past three years, officials said. | |
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Josh Marshall: In today's paper, Pincus has an article detailing how two intelligence analysts responsible for what is probably the... Steve Soto: That's right; you get rewarded three straight years with cash bonuses for your job performance. Jo Fish: The Fittingest of Tributes — Only in 1600 Crew Bizarro World: [snipped quote] Wow. |
Andrew Sullivan: REWARDING FAILURE: It's a Bush administration meme. If you screw up, you get promoted, as long as you're a team player. Joe Gandelman: Failure=Reward (With Certain Employers) by Joe Gandelman Gee, I wish my former employers were like this at the... Attaturk: Walter Pincus points this out today (on Page 1 again!) |
| Also: James Joyner, The Poorman | |
Violence Surges Across Iraq With 30 New Deaths Reported By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 28 - The surge of violence that has swept Iraq since its first elected government took office nearly a month ago continued on Saturday, with at least 30 new deaths reported across the country, some in what appeared to be sectarian killings. | |
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Attaturk: So much death — We've got the insurgents right where we want them now. [snipped quote] I only wish Rich Lowry was around to reassure us. |
Armando @DailyKos: Violence in Iraq Surging — From the NYTimes: [snipped quote] Is there another corner we can turn soon? |
'Would I have sent my son to his death?' By / Jerusalem Post — Permalink The family of the 15-year-old boy who was arrested last week by IDF soldiers when he tried to carry out an attack at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus has condemned those who sent him as "criminals." | |
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Mike Forsythe: Of course, as noted in the Jerusalem Post, certain 'individuals' blame Israel for orchestrating all of the recent incidents involving minors. |
Gene @HarrysPlace: Update: The Jerusalem Post has more on this incident, including the following from the boy's mother: "He's just a child. |
Q&A: Chirac forced off Europe agenda CNN — Permalink PARIS, France (CNN) — France's vote on the European Constitution has become more of a referendum on the record of President Jacques Chirac and his government, says CNN European Political Editor Robin Oakley. | |
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McQ: Punishing Chirac: Why the French will Vote 'No' — CNN European Political Editor Robin Oakley gives us a little insight... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: What gives? UPDATE: Here is a good roundup of the issues at stake in the French vote on the EU constitution. |
White House denies senators papers on Bolton nomination By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — White House officials declined yesterday to give senators the extra documents they are seeking regarding John R. Bolton, President Bush's choice to become ambassador to the United Nations, setting up a major standoff with Senate Democrats over the long-troubled nomination. | |
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Cernig: According to the Boston Globe: Senate Democrats want to see documents relating to Bolton's involvement in a report alleging that Syria possesses weapons of mass destruction. Laura Rozen: A reader alerts me to a small irony: [snipped quote] With the White House still dragging its feet on providing requested... |
Steve Clemons: This is the line the White House press office is feeding the press: [snipped quote] By the time opponents are done, I... |
Many Buyers Opt for Risky Mortgages By / WaPo — Permalink More than a third of the mortgages written in the Washington area this year are a risky new kind of loan that lets borrowers pay back only the interest, delaying for years repayment of any loan principal. | |
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Ezra Klein: I'd much prefer we go with the first strategy, but there are those times when it seems like the second is being forced to manifest. Michelle Malkin: Signs of a housing bubble: more than a third of new mortgages in the Washington DC area are interest-only loans. |
Cookie Jill: "- wapo" "the last interest-only mortgage craze ended with a wave of foreclosures in the great depression. |
With Irreverence and an iPod, Recreating the Museum Tour By / NYT — Permalink If you soak up the Jackson Pollocks at the Museum of Modern Art while listening to the museum's official rented $5 audio guide, you will hear informative but slightly dry quotations from the artist and commentary from a renowned curator. | |
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Ann Althouse: I love these new iPod museum guides, which rival those pompous, official museum audio-tours. |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Another application, that strikes me as more useful and more interesting than home-made talk radio shows is discussed in... |
McCain Urging Accord on Bolton and Secret Documents NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 27 - One of John R. Bolton's leading Republican backers, Senator John McCain of Arizona, signaled his support on Friday for a compromise in which the White House might allow Senate leaders access to highly classified documents in return for a final vote early next month on Mr. Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador. | |
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Cernig: McCain is one of many Senators who have called for the release of important documents that could influence Senators in... Captain Ed: As Bill Frist embarrassed himself by scheduling Bolton for a floor vote by relying on the "comity" that McCain's last... Praktike: Frist is not in charge — Not much going on in the world today, so I just want to share my glee that Trent Lott and John... |
Hunter @DailyKos: From the New York Times, a look behind the scenes at the Bolton vote, and how Frist was caught unawares by the vote count. John @PowerLine: SCOTT adds: Don't miss Senator McCain's additional contribution to saving the Republic as reported in today's New York Times: "McCain urging accord on Senate and Bolton documents." Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: Poor John McCain. He really ought to take the time to read Greg Djerejian. |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
The Democrats' Class Struggle By / WaPo — Permalink The study represents a slap in the face at Democrats who pride themselves on being the party of working families and a challenge to party leaders as they prepare for next year's midterm elections and the 2008 presidential race. | |
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Ezra Klein: Middle Class Woe — The centrist Democratic group Third Way has released an analysis of the 2004 exit polls showing, quite starkly, that Democrats lost the middle class. |
Betsy Newmark: In the midst of GOP gloom over a bad week in the Congress, they can draw some comfort from the findings of a Democrat-commissioned study on how the middle class voted in 2004. |
U.S. May Be Trying to Isolate N. Korea By / LAT — Permalink SEOUL — By severing some of the few remaining U.S. ties with North Korea in recent days, the Bush administration appears to be trying to further isolate the Pyongyang regime over its pursuit of nuclear weapons, analysts say. | |
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Praktike: North Korea showdown watch — Ah, I missed this earlier: Also this week, the U.S. refused to renew the contract of the... |
Orrin Judd: ENOUGH ALREADY: U.S. May Be Trying to Isolate N. Korea (Barbara Demick, May 28, 2005, LA Times) "By severing some of... |
Give Peace a Chance By / NYT — Permalink You would never guess it from the news, but we're living in a peculiarly tranquil world. The new edition of "Peace and Conflict," a biennial global survey being published next week by the University of Maryland, shows that the number and intensity of wars and... | |
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Richard Reeb: The Fruits of Political Freedom — Taking ownership of what rightfully belongs to the defenders of freedom and the... |
Jo Fish: A chickenhawk squawks — Shorter John Tierney: Despite the fact that war is a low-risk business, my main contribution to the Iraqi War will be waving a flag along a Parade route. |
Bush denies Democrats Bolton files Washington Times — Permalink The Bush administration said yesterday that Democratic senators should not expect to get the documents they are seeking before they will allow an up-or-down vote on John R. Bolton, whom the president nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations. | |
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Baldilocks: Deep Doo Doo — I have an idea! |
John @PowerLine: Bolton Showdown Approaches — The White House has said it will not give the Democratic Senators the highly classified... |
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia reported dead Washington Times — Permalink Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May. 27 (UPI) — Reliable sources in the Saudi capital Riyadh said Friday King Fahd is dead, reports the Saudi Institute. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has been dead since late Wednesday, according to several well-placed sources in the... | |
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McQ: Per UPI: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May. 27 (UPI)—Reliable sources in the Saudi capital Riyadh said Friday King Fahd is dead, reports the Saudi Institute." Barbara O'Brien: What'd I Say — The Moonie Times published a UPI report that King Fahd of Saudi Arabia is dead, although the rest of the... Charles Johnson: Saudi Despot Reported Dead — I was waiting for confirmation before posting about this: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia reported dead. |
Gary Farber: QUICK, PLACE YOUR BETS. How many hours until King Fahd is actually officially declared dead? Chris Lawrence: Fahd's dead, baby — The Moonie News Service is reporting that King Fahd of Saudi Arabia is dead, although the practical... James Joyner: Given that Abdullah has been in charge for a decade, I suspect there will be little real impact if Fahd passes. |
| Also: Ed Driscoll, Roger L. Simon | |
For Rice, Unexpected Sanctuary by the Bay By / WaPo — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO, May 27 — The secretary of state was braving an appearance in hostile territory. The protests could have gotten ugly. The questions could have gotten hard. Instead, in midnight-blue San Francisco, a city still in mourning over the presidential election, Condoleezza Rice was granted sanctuary. | |
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Ann Althouse: Condoleezza Rice did a nice job of responding to protesters: [snipped quote] I happened to catch that on C-Span last... |
Orrin Judd: LOVE IN: For Rice, Unexpected Sanctuary by the Bay (Evelyn Nieves, May 28, 2005 , Washington Post) "The secretary of state was braving an appearance in hostile territory. |
This week in copyright infringement By / CNET.com — Permalink The federal government doesn't mind if the Force is with you, but it does have a problem if you have a copy of the newest "Star Wars" movie. Agents shut down a popular Web site that allegedly had been distributing copyrighted music and movies, including versions of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." | |
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Andrew Sullivan: HOMELAND SECURITY: They're hard at work protecting movie copyrights. Thank God for a new government agency. John Cole: However, I might save a little venom for some government officals: [snipped quote] Forget the idiotic and wasteful war on... |
Cookie Jill: download illegal copies of star wars....you are a terrorist why else would they have the homeland security department after your sorry asses? Jeralyn Merritt: First up: Do you feel safer knowing that Homeland Security Agents, entrusted with securing our borders, are spending... |
Iraqi Bombers Claim They Were Deceived By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Wisam Younis' sole ambition in life, he said Friday, is to kill Americans. So he claimed surprise when he discovered his car bomb had killed eight Iraqis and wounded more than 80 outside a Baghdad restaurant. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: Sometimes they are hired and lied to as to what the target is. Betsy Newmark: If you think that we're facing a cunning foe, listen to the complaints of one captured terrorist. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: TERRORISTS = SUCKERS — And this comes as a shock? [snipped quote] Perhaps this is a clue that terrorists don't exactly discriminate much when they plan their operations. |
Work on nominees could return Lott to ranks of GOP leadership By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - For months, Sen. Trent Lott pulled a list of names from his pocket and told anyone who listened that he had the votes to trigger the "nuclear option" - the change in the Senate's rules that would ease the way for President Bush's judicial nominees. | |
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Gerry @DalyThoughts: Lott -a- manuevering — Knight Ridder reports, [snipped quote] Oftentimes, the conduct of politics it entirely too similar to the process of making sausage. Kevin Aylward: Possibly... James Kuhnhenn, of Knight Ridder's Washington Bureau, reports on Sen. Trent Lott's secretive participation... |
Spoons: Sabotage — Trent Lott was in on the deal? I've never expected much from Lott — but I expected better than this. |
Mother of slain soldier rejected by Gold Star organization AP — Permalink WHITE PLAINS, New York (AP) — Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of mournful women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country. | |
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James Joyner: Mother of slain soldier rejected by Gold Star organization (AP) [snipped quote] While private organizations have every... RJ Eskow: From cnn: [snipped quote] so it's just the "wind blowing" when a son dies, according to ann herd. she lost a son herself... |
Frederick Maryland: Nativism, Alive and Well in America — CNN reports: [snipped quote] First of all, yes, Ms. Herd, you can change the rules... |
'Green Acres' Star Eddie Albert Dies at 99 By / AP — Permalink LOS ANGELES - Eddie Albert, the actor best known as the constantly befuddled city slicker-turned-farmer in television's "Green Acres," has died. He was 99. Albert died of pneumonia Thursday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area, in the presence of caregivers including his son Edward, who was holding his hand at the time. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Eddie Albert: Death Of An Underappreciated Comedian — It's always sad to hear abut the passing of someone in show... James R. Rummel: Passing — Eddie Albert has died. He was best known for his role in the TV comedy Green Acres, but he was also a war hero. |
Ed Driscoll: A World War II hero, he'll probably best be remembered for his performances on TV, as the heavy in the original (and no... James Joyner: 'Green Acres' Star Eddie Albert Dies at 99 — Eddie Albert, best known for his portral of Oliver Douglas in the situation comedy "Green Acres," died yesterday at the age of 99. |
Chirac ready to turn his anger on Blair if France votes Non By / Telegraph — Permalink Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac will be pitched into a furious six-month dispute over the future direction of the European Union if the French people vote No to the EU constitution tomorrow. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Well, if you are Jacques Chirac and if this report is to be believed, you point your finger at the British and blame them for everything: [snipped quote] It is to laugh. Captain Ed: Chirac will rely on centuries of French tradition — and blame the British for their woes: [snipped quote] Actually, if... |
Arthur Chrenkoff: And so the fun continues - the latest: the French blame-game: "[British] Government sources are braced for the French... |
Month of Talks Fails to Bolster Nuclear Treaty By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 27 - A monthlong conference at the United Nations to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty ended Friday in failure, with its chairman declaring that the disagreements between nuclear-armed and non-nuclear states ran so deep that "very little has been accomplished." | |
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Suzanne Nossel: Here's how excerpts from the New York Times article describe the debacle. |
Laura Rozen: Well, that didn't go very well, did it? |
Assault On the Media By / WaPo — Permalink So it turns out that the FBI has documents showing that detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, complained about the mistreatment of the Koran and that many said they were severely beaten. The documents specifically include an allegation from a prisoner that guards had "flushed a Koran in the toilet." | |
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Attaturk: Hey, Indeed — To borrow Professor CrackerBarrel's favorite expression, EJ Dionne laid down the truth in yesterday's... Barbara O'Brien: One of the handful of prominent writers whose opinions I respect, E.J. Dionne, says in today's Washington Post. Ezra Klein: As EJ Dionne wrote today, we're not seeing an uptick in incidents of journalistic dishonesty, but the fruition of a... |
John Quiggin: The Washington post discovers right-wing postmodernism EJ Dionne at the Washington Post discovers right-wing... Avedon Carol: E.J. Dionne knows the assault on Newsweek over it was part of a larger program by Bush apologists (and he uses the word "apologists" fluently). Tim Dunlop: Lost in the post — E.J. Dionne, writing in the Washington Post today, makes a point that this blog has been making for... |
| Also: Patrick Ruffini, Laura Rozen, Jesse Taylor, Kevin Drum, Armando @DailyKos | |
The Dog That Didn't Bark By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink Newspaper Guild President Linda Foley made a public statement on May 13 that journalists are "being targeted for real in places like Iraq." She has been trying to slide out of it ever since. | |
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Saint Paul l: His latest plea to break the relative media blackout on this story was published in Editor and Publisher. Ed Driscoll: The Dog That Didn't Bark — Lots of Bloggers (including Ed Morrissey, where we found the story first) have already... Vox Day: Going down, Mr. Tyler? From Editor & Publisher: [snipped quote] But they're professionals! PROFESSIONALS! |
Cori Dauber: Extreme Irony Watch II — Via Instapundit, here's a piece from the trade pub Editor and Publisher noting that the Eason... Captain Ed: However, as Lipscomb notes, darned few of those critics came from the newspaper journalists whom Foley represents. Scott @PowerLine: The truth about bad legs — Thomas Lipscomb writes to his friends and colleagues in the media: [snipped quote] Lipscomb's Editor & Publisher column is "The dog that didn't bark." |
| Also: Lorie Byrd, Marc @USSNeverdock, Glenn Reynolds | |
The Frist Problem LAT — Permalink The best thing a Senate majority leader with presidential aspirations can do is quit. That was Bob Dole's strategy in 1996, when he resigned to run against President Clinton. And it may be part of Bill Frist's decision not to seek reelection in 2006. | |
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Cernig: The L.A. Times today has an op-ed which begins: The best thing a Senate majority leader with presidential aspirations can do is quit. James Martin Capozzola: The Sooner the Better A Los Angeles Times editorial, "The Frist Problem," today makes a strong case supporting the... Jeralyn Merritt: LA Times Calls on Frist to Quit — Check out this editorial in the Los Angeles Times today calling on Senator Bill Frist to resign. |
Arianna Huffington: There is now doubt about whether Frist can assert effective leadership. R. J. Pestritto: L.A. Times Continues to Amaze — Did anyone catch this beauty in today's L.A. Times? K. J. Lopez: LATimes advises Frist. |
Broward pressures Art Guild to remove graphic painting of Bush from 'Controversy' exhibit By / Sun-Sentinel — Permalink An explicit art piece at the private, nonprofit Broward Art Guild was removed from its prominent position in the gallery after the agency's director received a phone call from the county's Department of Cultural Affairs, which partially funds the group. | |
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John @PowerLine: More Hate — The latest comes from Broward County, Florida, where a publicly subsidized art show included more hate... C. D. Harris: Great Moments In Art History — [snipped quote] - John Hinderaker |
Ace: "Art" Exhibit About Controversy Features President Bush Being Sodomized — Controversy, eh? Damian Penny: "Yeah, but that's different" — No comment: An explicit art piece at the private, nonprofit Broward Art Guild was... |
The Commanders By / NRO — Permalink Last month over 1,500 family members who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan gathered at Arlington National Cemetery at the behest of an organization called Faces of the Fallen, which has assembled dozens of artists to paint portraits of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. | |
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Joe Katzman: The Commanders: Portraits of Honor — Semi-active Winds member Trent Telenko, was was smart enough to start dancing more... Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 5/27/05 4:45:56 pm: Also see this extraordinary article at NRO: The Commanders. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: A SPLENDID MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE . . . Courtesy of Jim Lacey. Read it all. |
British Medical Experts Campaign for Long, Pointy Knife Control By / NYT — Permalink Warning: Long, pointy knives may be hazardous to your health. The authors of an editorial in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal have called for knife reform. | |
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Dr. Demarche: The Brits, on the other hand, have completely lost their minds: Warning: Long, pointy knives may be hazardous to your health. Shannon Love: From the New York Times comes a story about this editorial in the British Journal of Medicine urging that long, pointed cooking knives be banned in order to prevent murders. McQ: UK: Ban those long pointy thingies — You know, knives. |
Jan Haugland: Across the pond, where gun control vs gun rights is a never-ending struggle, these demands are met with amusement on... Radley Balko: An editorial in the lastest issue of the British Medical Journal calls for the regulation of "long, pointy knives." Jacob Sullum: British Medical Experts Campaign for Long, Pointy Knife Control — Sadly, that is the actual headline from an actual New... |
Governor digs fixing potholes By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to a quiet San Jose neighborhood Thursday, and — dogged by protesters — filled a pothole dug by city crews just a few hours before, as part of an attempt to dramatize his efforts to increase money for transportation projects. | |
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Greg Saunders: UPDATE : By the way, there's no better metaphor for Schwarzenegger's political career than this inane photo-op (via BoingBoing). Kos @DailyKos: CA-Gov: Ahnold slinks around, tears up streets — Not only is Schwarzenegger doing his best to avoid damaging protests... |
John Cole: I Don't Get It — This is just stupid: [snipped quote] I don't get out to California much, but am I to believe they don't have pre-existing potholes that could be used in photo ops? |
Just Shut It Down By / NYT — Permalink Shut it down. Just shut it down. I am talking about the war-on-terrorism P.O.W. camp at Guantánamo Bay. Just shut it down and then plow it under. It has become worse than an embarrassment. I am convinced that more Americans are dying and will die if we keep the Gitmo prison open than if we shut it down. | |
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Hunter @DailyKos: Columnist Stumbles On Guantanamo; Several Blindingly Obvious Conclusions Found Dead — I see Kos has already linked to this Friedman column, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Andrew Sullivan: We are dealing with the America of imprisonment without trial.'" - Husain Haqqani, a Pakistani scholar sympathetic to the war on terror. Avedon Carol: Nothing to see here.... Roxanne was so excited by today's Friedman Column that she mailed me about this. |
Kos @DailyKos: Friedman: "shut gitmo down" — Lucky for Friedman, the NY Times op-ed page is still free, so people still care what he writes. James Wolcott: I am pleased that Thomas Friedman has gotten on board with my modest proposal of a few months back that the Guantanamo prison facility be emptied and dismantled. Steve Soto: Hell, even the Ostrich Tom Friedman is now arguing that we should just shut Gitmo down, because it is a terrorist recruiting tool. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, Atrios, Gary Farber, Cookie Jill | |
FDA Looking Into Blindness-Viagra Link By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal health officials are examining rare reports of blindness among some men using the impotence drug Viagra. The Food and Drug Administration still is investigating, but has no evidence yet that the drug is to blame, said spokeswoman Susan Cruzan. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Who knew? Now there might actually be a link between the use of Viagra and blindness. Acidman: i can believe it — I think this study is true. A hard-on has made many a man lose his vision (and every lick of sense he ever had) in the past. John Cole: All those stories you heard as a kid might be right- you could go blind: [snipped quote] "We take this seriously." |
Clayton Cramer: Viagra & Blindness — This report indicates the FDA is investigating a connection: [snipped quote] To paraphrase the... Vance @BeggingToDiffer: DON'T DO THAT, YOU'LL GO BLIND — In what has all the earmarks of an urban myth gone out of control, the FDA is exploring potential links between blindness and Viagra use. |
Doctors' kitchen knives ban call BBC — Permalink A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing. A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings. | |
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Samizdata Illuminatus: Similarly the idea that some doctors could call for sharp pointed kitchen knives to be banned without being widely... Clayton Cramer: Still, progress continues: "A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and... Tom @ScaredMonkeys: A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing. |
Jeralyn Merritt: John's second rant is against doctors in the U.K., who want to ban kitchen knives with long blades because they might lead people to spontaneously pick one up and stab someone. John Cole: Kitchen Knives- Sharp, Pointy, and a Dire Threat to the British Empire — Words fail me: "A&E doctors are calling for a... Mitch Berg: Brit doctors want to ban long kitchen knives: [snipped quote] Let's recap: Britain banned nearly all civilian gun ownership in the late eighties. |
| Also: David Carr, K. J. Lopez, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Poll majority say they'd be likely to vote for Clinton USA Today — Permalink For the first time, a majority of Americans say they are likely to vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton if she runs for president in 2008, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Boosting Hillary — A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll is boosting the "Dem most likely" media bandwagon: "Poll majority... Joe Gandelman: Poll Shows Hillary Clinton Is Now A Major National Player — A new poll is good news for Hillary Clinton and bad news... Steve M.: There's going to be a lot of talk about this: For the first time, a majority of Americans say they are likely to vote... |
Jerome Armstrong: At the most, a woman only gets 73% of support max, and Hillary starts with 29% likely, or 53% combined with somewhat likely support. Steve Soto: Mrs. Satan. And this was before the right wing lost a weapon against her this morning. John @PowerLine: Curb Your Enthusiasm — It isn't time to get too excited (or, alternatively, slit your wrists) over the widely-trumpeted... |
| Also: Avedon Carol, Attaturk, Ben P, R. J. Pestritto, James Joyner, Tom Maguire, Taegan Goddard, McQ, Oliver Willis, Kos @DailyKos, Avedon, K. J. Lopez, Tom Smith | |
President Discusses War on Terror at Naval Academy Commencement White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. Secretary England, Admiral Clark, General Nyland, Vice Admiral Rempt, Captain Leidig, Dr. Miller, members of the Board of Visitors, Lieutenant Governor Steele and Congressman Hoyer, distinguished faculty,... | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: More can be found here as the President Discusses War on Terror at Naval Academy Commencement. K. J. Lopez: CHAMPIONS — President Bush gave the commencement address at the Naval Academy this morning: "And as you begin your... |
Patrick Ruffini: Today, President Bush delivered a moving commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he told the stories of... |
Democrats Extend Debate On Bolton By / WaPo — Permalink Senate Democrats refused to end debate on John R. Bolton's nomination to be U.N. ambassador yesterday, extending the contentious issue into next month and angering Republicans only three days after many had heralded a bipartisan breakthrough on judicial nominees. | |
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T.A. Frank: REVOLTIN' ON BOLTON: Yes, we're probably headed for a Bolton confirmation eventually, but, for now, the reprieve is sweet. Von @ObsidianWings: Yet, as the process drags out and continues to deprive the US of UN representation at a crucial time in the negotiations... Hugh Hewitt: The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and the Los... |
Steve Antler: Language use and political bias... An active part of the team, they avoid the use of a certain word until well into the story. Betsy Newmark: This is what they are doing with John Bolton. Remember, they have already decided that Bolton should not be ambassador to the United Nations. Tim Graham: SKIPPING THE F WORD — The WashPost tries to avoid the word "filibuster" in today's Bolton story. |
Investing in the Right Ideas By / Opinion Journal — Permalink This past fall, shortly before the presidential election in November, some 300 friends and admirers gathered at the Plaza Hotel in New York City to pay tribute to John Kenneth Galbraith and Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the two aged warhorses of 20th-century liberalism. | |
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Steve Antler: Unintended consequences... James Piereson explains how a small, private, privileged elite destroyed a great American... Michael DeBow: "Investing in the Right Ideas" The heartwarming story, as told by Olin Foundation mastermind James Piereson, of "How... Tom Smith: Politics and philanthropy — Interesting history of both liberal and conservative philanthropy. I did not know a lot of this stuff. |
Dean Esmay: Pierson's article is a great starting point on that, so I suggest you click here and read the whole thing. Arnold Kling: Foundations of Libertarianism — James Piereson offers an interesting history of the role of foundations in stimulating political ideas and debates. |
Saudi King Fahd hospitalized CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Saudi Arabia's special forces were put on alert after King Fahd was hospitalized in Riyadh for tests Friday, the Saudi government said. The move is routine whenever the king is hospitalized, Saudi government sources told CNN on condition of anonymity. | |
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James Joyner: Saudi King Fahd hospitalized (CNN) "Saudi Arabia's special forces were put on alert after King Fahd was hospitalized in Riyadh for tests Friday, the Saudi government said. |
Smash: King Fahd Near Death? SAUDI KING FAHD has been hospitalized with pneumonia, CNN reports. |
Democrats clear way for Senate vote on Bolton By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats agreed on Tuesday to clear the way for the Senate to vote on the controversial nomination of John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, which was expected to pass mainly on party lines. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: The Bolton block by Senate Democrats is rather peculiar seeing that just a couple of days ago they were singing a different song. Captain Ed: The Comity Comedy Continues — Captain's Quarters would like to give the Captain Louis Renault award to the Seven... |
Andy McCarthy: NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER — Here's James Taranto in Best of the Web on Wednesday, praising the filibuster deal and... Mark R. Levin: THE SENATE — Respecting Andy's point that the Democrats' word (at least the word of these particular Democrats) is not... |
Hollywood knuckles under By / Washington Times — Permalink Phew — that was close. The creators of "24," Fox Television's thriller-diller starring Keifer Sutherland as counterterror super-agent Jack Bauer, almost put together a compelling TV series rooted in the onerous reality of the war on jihad terrorism. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: Islam - resisting dhimmitude — Diana West writes about Hollywood's bowing to Muslim pressure when it comes to how Muslims are portrayed. Paul @PowerLine: Dhimmitude, Hollywood-style — Diana West writes about how the television show "24" knuckled under to pressure from the... |
Scott @PowerLine: In defense of "24" — Several readers wrote impassioned and knowledgeable responses to Paul's post linking Diana West's column regarding the FOX series "24" yesterday. |
Ex-Clinton Aide Acquitted in Fund-Raising Case By / NYT — Permalink LOS ANGELES, May 27 - A federal jury today acquitted Hillary Rodham Clinton's former chief fund-raiser of charges that he underreported the costs of a glittery fund-raising event in 2000 to the Federal Election Commission. | |
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Orrin Judd: NEXT CAUSE, HIL-HATERS: Ex-Clinton Aide Acquitted in Fund-Raising Case (LESLIE EATON, 5/27/05, NY Times) |
Jeralyn Merritt: A jury has found David Rosen, HillaryClinton's chief fundraiser, not guilty of campaign finance violations. |
School Law Spurs Efforts to End the Minority Gap By / NYT — Permalink BOSTON - Spurred by President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, educators across the nation are putting extraordinary effort into improving the achievement of minority students, who lag so sharply that by 12th grade, the average black or Hispanic student can read and do arithmetic only as well as the average eighth-grade white student. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The New York Times has a story about the efforts that schools across the nation have been making to reduce the gap... Joanne Jacobs: Sign of the end Times — It's getting chilly in hell: The New York Times has a front-page story crediting "President... |
Matthew Yglesias: At the same time, as Sam Dillon's excellent report in today's New York Times reminds us, the law has at its core a very... Ann Althouse: Read this, from the New York Times: "Spurred by President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, educators across the nation... |
Iraq official: al-Zarqawi wounded By / Newsday — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon — Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been badly wounded and his lieutenants are engaged in a power struggle over who would replace him if he dies, according to a senior Iraqi security official. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: One report from Newsday states Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been badly wounded and his lieutenants are engaged in a power struggle over who would replace him if he dies. Smash: An article in Friday's Newsday speculates on his potential successors. |
James Joyner: Militants' Power Struggle (Long Island Newsday) [snipped quote] Interesting speculation. |
DeLay Fumes At 'Law & Order' Quip CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) House Majority leader Tom Delay fired off a letter to NBC Universal Television Group President Jeffrey Zucker Thursday calling "a failure of stewardship of our public airwaves," and a "brazen lack of judgment" a shot taken at him during NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" season finale May 25. | |
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Mipe @ThinkProgress: So in his letter to the president of NBC, DeLay defended the threat by saying, "When a responsible journalist like [Fox... Jeralyn Merritt: Tom DeLay fumes at a Law and Order episode [snipped quote] Crooks and Liars has the video |
Josh Marshall: "When a responsible journalist like Brit Hume made an inquiry into such comments," DeLay continued, "he quickly... |
Former Aide to Sen. Clinton Acquitted By / AP — Permalink LOS ANGELES - The former national finance director for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate campaign was acquitted Friday of lying to the government about a lavish 2000 Hollywood fundraising gala. | |
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Jerome Armstrong: But regardless, the big Friday night news is that a federal jury acquitted the former national finance director of Hillary Clinton of any right-wing smear. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Teflon — David Rosen was acquitted. |
Judge OKs Suit Over Grocer Pact By / LAT — Permalink A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a controversial mutual-aid pact between the three grocery chains involved in Southern California's bitter supermarket labor dispute could be challenged on federal antitrust grounds. | |
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Henry @CrookedTimber: The L.A. Times story that he links to has more. The chains initially refused to disclose the pact's details and sought to have them sealed after Lockyer sued. Nathan Newman: And yesterday, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit by the California Attorney General alleging antitrust violations to move forward. |
Sam Rosenfeld: Don't miss Nathan Newman's brief analysis of a federal judge's decision to allow an anti-trust lawsuit to proceed... |
Special election is set to fill Moreno's seat By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry has set the special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Rep. Joe Moreno as general Election Day, Nov. 8. Moreno, a Houston Democrat who died in a single-vehicle crash May 6 on his way from Houston to Austin, represented District 143 in east Houston and Harris County. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Election set for HD143 — Governor Perry has set November 8 as the special election date to replace the late Joe Moreno in HD143. |
Jim Dallas: District 143 Special Election Day Set — November 8. |
The Irresistible 'Nazi' Taboo By / LAT — Permalink What's the value in having the greatest bad example of all time if you can never use it? Last week Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania violated a major taboo. He was trying to argue that the Democrats had no grounds to complain that the Republicans were breaking Senate rules in their effort to ban judicial filibusters. | |
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Kevin Drum: IS JON CHAIT LIKE JOSEPH GOEBBELS?....Jon Chait defends Rick Santorum today: "If we thought about it sensibly, we'd realize that Nazi analogies have their place. |
Matthew Yglesias: Kevin Drum and Jonathan Chait both think we should be more tolerant of Nazi analogies as long as they're used "not to make a moral comparison but to establish a logical principle." |
Clinton Fund-Raiser Acquitted of Concealing Costs By / LAT — Permalink Hillary Rodham Clinton's former national campaign finance chief was acquitted today of charges that he concealed the costs of a glitzy Brentwood fundraiser from the Federal Election Commission. | |
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Michelle Malkin: First reports... Los Angeles Times Background at Peter Paul's site, HillCAP. |
Scott Sala: More from LA Times. |
Intelligent Decline, Revisited By / TCS — Permalink "All truth passes through three stages," Arthur Schopenhauer declared. "First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." As a proponent of the Intelligent Design (ID) theory, nowadays I am witnessing the first two stages simultaneously. | |
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The Poorman: Via Chris Mooney, today's examples: 1) Tech Central Station (has the Dow hit 36,000 yet?) runs an article explaining... |
Chris Mooney: TechCentralStation Continues Its Record of Excellence... ...with this article defending intelligent design. |
Christian activists capturing Tory races By / Globe and Mail — Permalink Ottawa — Christian activists have secured Conservative nominations in clusters of ridings from Vancouver to Halifax — a political penetration that has occurred even as the party tries to distance itself from hard-line social conservatism. | |
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Damian Penny: That's the gist of this Globe and Mail story, the first of what will certainly be many Globe and Toronto Star articles... |
Lambert @Corrente: "At least three riding associations in Nova Scotia, four in British Columbia, and one in suburban Toronto have nominated..." |