meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
|
|
House Approves Flag-Burning Amendment By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to ban desecration of the American flag, a measure that for the first time stands a chance of passing the Senate as well. | |
|
Damian Penny: I'm an amendment to be, yes, an amendment to be... I thought this issue had already been decided in the late 1980s, but... Commissar: Co-sponsor This ... Or else! House Approves Flag-Burning Amendment Critical, comrades, critical. Even vital to our national interests. Dr. Steven Taylor: House Approves Flag-Burning Amendment - Yahoo! |
Michael J. Totten: Reactionaries — The House of Representatives - again - voted to add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing the burning of American flags. Gerry @DalyThoughts: House approves flag-burning amendment — The Associated Press: "he House on Wednesday approved a constitutional... Liberal Atheist: Flag Worship — The ammendment is not going to pass in the Senate. It has more votes than last time, 65, but it is still not enough. |
| Also: John Cole, James Joyner, Matt Welch, Zoe Kentucky, Smash, Eugene Volokh, Glenn Reynolds, Andrew Sullivan, Justin @SouthernAppeal, K. J. Lopez | |
The War is Over, and We Won By / American Enterprise Magazine — Permalink Your editor returned to Iraq in April and May of 2005 for another embedded period of reporting. I could immediately see improvements compared to my earlier extended tours during 2003 and 2004. The Iraqi security forces, for example, are vastly more competent, and in some cases quite inspiring. | |
|
Ace: The War's Over? So says this guy. I made a similar point a long time ago. Back when there was just as much violence as this recent murder-Tet. Kevin Drum: IRAQ THROUGH ROSE COLORED GLASSES...Via Instapundit, the American Enterprise's Karl Zinsmeister tells us that the war... Andrew Sullivan: "WE'VE WON IN IRAQ": Well, it's an argument worth reading. |
Ed Driscoll: The first, via Instapundit, is this piece that's in the current issue of The American Enterprise magazine:... Gary Farber: ADDEUNDUM: Whoops, it turns out I didn't keep my eye on the ball, and the whole thing is over: "The War is Over, and... James Joyner: The War is Over, and We Won — Karl Zinsmeister, Editor-in-Chief of The American Enterprise, proclaims "The War is Over, and We Won." |
| Also: Scott @PowerLine, Bill @INDCJournal, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Glenn Reynolds, K. J. Lopez, PoliPundit | |
O'Connor, Not Rehnquist? By / Weekly Standard — Permalink Warning: THIS IS SPECULATION. Obviously, I think it's somewhat well-informed speculation, or else I wouldn't be writing this. But it is speculation. (1) There will be a Supreme Court resignation within the next week. But it will be Justice O'Connor, not Chief Justice Rehnquist. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: Bill Kristol writes that he hears it will be O'Connor stepping down next week, not the Chief, and that the Attorney General will be her replacement. James Joyner: O'Connor, Not Rehnquist? A little birdie told Bill Kristol that a Supreme Court justice will retire next week—but it... John Podhoretz: Over at the Daily Standard, Bill Kristol offers some front-page SCOTUS news if he's got it right: O'Connor's retiring,... |
John Hawkins: Speculation On The Supreme Court: Maybe It's Not Rehnquist Stepping Down — Would this be a blockbuster or what? Nathan Hallford: O'Connor, Not Rehnquist: That's what Bill Kristol believes/speculates. To be honest, I find this [speculation] quite plausible. John Cole: SCOTUS — Well, I have to admit. That is not who I thought would retire. |
AFI List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films AP — Permalink 1. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," "Gone With the Wind," 1939. 2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," "The Godfather," 1972. 3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. | |
|
Ace: AFI's Top 100 Movie Quotes — If you care about these dumb lists. I find this list especially lame. Ann Althouse: Those 100 AFI quotes. Okay, I'm game. I'll TiVo-blog, numbering each entry. Watch for continuous updates. Tom Maguire: I've Got A Bad Feeling About This... Political junkies will wonder - where are: (a) "What do we do now?", from The... |
Gary Farber: What most strikes me about the American Film Institutes' List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films is that if you clear out... Steve @BeggingToDiffer: QUOTABLE FILM — The American Film Institute has released a list of the Top 100 Movie Quotes. C. D. Harris: If You Build It, They Will Click Through — AFI List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films Plenty to quibble over, but overall very, very good. <Via Roger L. Simon> |
| Also: David Sirota, Roger L. Simon, Patrick Carver | |
S&L redux Economist — Permalink Who should be responsible for honouring the promises that companies make to their workers? BUTTONWOOD is not exactly counting the grey hairs yet. But in the unlikely event that her children ever finish their hugely expensive education, it would be nice to think that she could hang up her keyboard one day and devote herself to Sudokus. | |
|
Brad DeLong: The Economist's Buttonwood seems to think that it is a bad thing for companies to have to fund the pensions that they... Ian Welsh: Via Brad DeLong I recently came across this gem from Buttonwood (as she continues to exemplify the Economist's long slide from usefulness) |
Atrios: I hope the publishers of the Economist have taken a long hard look at "Buttonwood's" contractual pension benefits, if there are any, and decided to cancel them. (via DeLong) |
So Many Missed Opportunities By / TCS — Permalink The time has now come for fiscal conservatives to publicly admit the truth: the Republican complicity in the great spending spree of the early 21st century has placed our agenda on life-support. By failing to cut spending while implementing tax cuts and fighting a war, we now find ourselves in a predicament. | |
|
Ace: Big Spendin' Bush — Veronique de Rugy writes that you'd have to go back to the Johnson Administration to find a bigger expansion of federal spending. Michelle Malkin: BIG GOVERNMENT CHART OF THE DAY — Depressing reality check via Neal Boortz today: spree.gif The death of fiscal... |
Andrew Sullivan: Kevin Drum lays out the evidence here and calls it "criminal neglect." He's right. Andrew Stuttaford: BIG SPENDER — There's a terrific piece by the AEI's Veronique de Rugy on TCS on the administration's so-called 'compassionate conservatism' (which is, of course, neither). |
No One to Demonize By / WaPo — Permalink In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. Those two facts, I suspect, are connected. There was a very real antiwar movement early on. | |
|
Chris Bowers: The Vast American Anti-War Movement — Harold Meyerson claims that there is no anti-war movement: "In the absence of... Atrios: No One to Demonize — Harold Meyerson begins his column: In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. |
Matthew Yglesias: Check out my colleague Harold Meyerson's column on how the absence of an anti-war movement has helped anti-war sentiment... Armando @DailyKos: Small Target (From the diaries — kos) atrios riffs on an interesting Harold Myerson column on the success of the... |
U.N. Procurement Official Resigns Job Fox News — Permalink UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. procurement official who has been at the center of a FOX News investigation into a possible conflict of interest involving his son has quit his job, officials at the United Nations confirmed Wednesday. | |
|
K. J. Lopez: YAKOVLEV OUT — An Oil-for-Food resignation Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: In the latest oil-for-food casualty, U.N. procurement official Alexander Yakovlev has resigned. (Via Roger Simon). |
Roger L. Simon: The bigger they are... Apropos my post of yesterday, UN procurement official Alexander Yakovlev has resigned. (hat tip: Rick Ballard) |
Bush Energy Bill; Iraq Conflict; Rahm Emanuel Interview; Roy Blunt Interview; Abramoff Questioned CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. ANNOUNCER: A coordinated attack on Iraq. Democrats plan ways to make the most of the Bush administration's vulnerabilities. Power and the president. | |
|
Greg Saunders: My previous post was awarded with a mention on CNN's "Inside the Blogs" segment that perfectly sums up why reporting on... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: UPDATE : The transcript has been posted and it perfectly sums up what's so wrong about the "Inside the Blogs" segment :... |
Klein backs off rape smear in Hannity interview meltdown Media Matters for America — Permalink Asked by interviewer Sean Hannity "about whether or not Bill [Clinton] raped her [Hillary Clinton] and conceived Chelsea that way," author Edward Klein backed off the claim in two June 21 interviews — and told two conflicting stories about his own sourcing for it in the process. | |
|
Tbogg: All I got was a nasty tobacco burn... Ed Klein has officially become the national pinata of both the left and the right (John Podhoretz and Sean Hannity). Atrios: Klein the Klown — This guy totally melts down on Hannity. Not ready for prime time. |
James Joyner: Klein backs off rape smear in Hannity interview (Media Matters for America) [snipped quote] Unbelievable. via Peter Daou... |
Here's What You Need to Know About Gitmo By / Newhouse News — Permalink Gitmo is the gulag equivalent of a Ben Affleck movie: no one's seen it, but everyone has an opinion about it. Given all the rhetoric that's been spilled about this sorta-kinda-not-really Death Camp, it's time we re-examine the facts, and remind ourselves what's really at stake. | |
|
TheAnchoress: But I utterly ADORE him when he bites! Go read him here, but I can't resist sharing a few morsels with you, right here. |
Glenn Reynolds: GUANTANAMO BLOWBACK FROM JAMES LILEKS: [quote] Q: What is Gitmo? A: Contrary to what some suggest, it does not stand for "Git mo' Peking chicken for Muhammad, he wants a second portion."[end quote] |
Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror By / AP — Permalink CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico - A Lebanese-born man detained this week on Mexico's Baja California peninsula is believed linked to extremist organizations with ties to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Mexican prosecutors said. | |
|
Captain Ed: The AP reports that US officials have concerns that al-Qaeda may try to stage attacks on the US from Mexico or Central... |
Charles Johnson: Baja Jihad — Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror. |
Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - Sixteen Democratic senators called on President Bush to remove Kenneth Y. Tomlinson as head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting because of their concerns that he is injecting partisan politics into public radio and television. | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: According to the New York Times, the signatories are: Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Jon Corzine (N.J.) Orrin Judd: A BIG RED DOG AND LITTLE BLUE POLS (via Rick Turley): Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman (STEPHEN LABATON,... |
Ed Driscoll: The Brothers Judd link to a New York Times article titled, "Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman":... Jim Romenesko: > Democrats call on Bush to remove Tomlinson from CPB post (NYT) |
U.S. House Approves Constitutional Amendment to Protect Flag Bloomberg — Permalink June 22 (Bloomberg) — The House of Representatives approved, for the fifth time, a constitutional amendment to ban the desecration of the U.S. flag, setting the stage for a close vote in the Senate, which has previously rejected the measure. | |
|
TChris: Members of Congress who elevate symbols of freedom above actual freedom are again trying to amend the Constitution to... |
Lindsay Beyerstein: Philosoraptor called it — Some legislators would elevate their perverse fetishes to Constitutional status: U.S. House... |
Spain's govt 'twisted' bombings for gains - report Reuters — Permalink MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's previous center-right government "manipulated and twisted" the Madrid train bombings of March 2004 in a bid to salvage general elections three days later, a parliamentary commission found on Wednesday. | |
|
Atrios: Meanwhile in Spain — Link: MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's previous center-right government "manipulated and twisted" the... |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Back to the Politics of 3/11 — Spain's govt 'twisted' bombings for gains [snipped quote] This finding doesn't surprise... |
Leading Democrat Apologizes for Prisoner Abuse Remark By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - After a steady drumbeat of criticism from Republicans, Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, apologized Tuesday for likening American mistreatment of detainees to the acts of "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings." | |
|
Michael Froomkin: The Durbin escapade — apologizing for remarks that were accurate — is a sign of the Democrats' problem. Glenn Reynolds: Compare to Durbin's apology: [quote] "I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such...[end quote] |
Tom Maguire: Readers trapped in Timesworld will never know that some leading Dems may have provided the straw that broke the... Michelle Malkin: DURBIN WATCH: IN THE NY TIMES COCOON — Hawk-eyed blogger Tom Maguire notices two important omissions in the New York Times' coverage of the Dick Durbin "apology." |
O'Reilly: FBI should arrest the "clowns" at Air America Radio for being traitors Media Matters for America — Permalink Responding to controversial comments by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) regarding the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said that Americans "must know the difference between dissent from the Iraq war and the war on terror and undermining it," and that "any American who undermines that war ... is a traitor." | |
|
Lindsay Beyerstein: O'Reilly calls for arrest of Air America staff — Talkshow host Bill O'Reilly says FBI should arrest the "clowns" at Air... |
Atrios: O'Reilly Calls for the Arrest and Detention of the Entire Air America Staff — Hilarious: Everybody got it? |
CNN LARRY KING LIVE CNN — Permalink • Interview with former President George H.W. Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush • Encore Presentation: What Happens After We Die? • What Happens After We Die? | |
|
Greg Saunders: 2 : Since the primary purpose of my original post was to make a political point and not just score a cheap laugh, I... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: They show a couple of people reading from a computer screen, cash in on the "blog" trend, and get to free up additional... |
Bush Calls for More Nuclear Power Plants By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush called today for a new wave of nuclear power plant construction as he promoted an energy policy that he wants to see enacted in a bill now making its way through Congress. | |
|
Steve Soto: Democrats' New Apollo Approach Trumps The GOP's Empty Measures Towards Energy Independence — It's a sad commentary on... K. J. Lopez: GOING NUCLEAR — Bush wants more nuclear-power plants. We've had this conversation before: Isn't public opinion just too anti to make it feasible. |
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Bush Calls for More Nuclear Power Plants — Link. The President certainly does not shy away from taboos, does he? |
Smears and Lies: Klein on Clinton By / New York Observer — Permalink It is sorry proof of the national decline of standards and the perversion of priorities that Senator Hillary Clinton isn't getting coverage in Vanity Fair magazine—a New York-based publication—for her work in the U.S. Senate. | |
|
Ogged @Unfogged: Bunk — Pretty much everything you need to know about Ed Klein's smear book on Hillary Clinton. via atrios Ed Klein,... Atrios: Klein - Big Liar — Maura Moynihan skins Ed Klein alive and demonstrates that he is indeed a complete and total fraud, which will only ensure that gets the royal media treatment. |
Attaturk: Pretty damned big apparently, so he is well-suited to be part of the Right-Wing noise machine. From the daughter of the late Senator Pat Moynihan. |
Durbin Apologizes for Remarks on Abuse By / WaPo — Permalink Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) yesterday offered a tearful apology on the Senate floor for comparing the alleged abuse of prisoners by American troops to techniques used by the Nazis, the Soviets and the Khmer Rouge, as he sought to quell a frenzy of Republican-led criticism. | |
|
Norbizness: Of course, if you're going to be a complete reactionary literalist, nowhere was it mentioned that Mr. Dilawer was raped,... Cori Dauber: That must come as a surprise to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization this Post article notes had called for an apology. K. J. Lopez: The Washington Post seems to still like the it-was-all-a-VRWC-distrac tion storyline on the Durbin deal. |
Tom Maguire: The Washington Post starts off with the Republicans On Attack story line, but patient readers will get this in paragraph... Taegan Goddard: Durbin Apologizes — Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) [snipped quote] the Washington Post reports. Trey Jackson has the video. |
Iraqi Rebels Refine Bomb Skills, Pushing Toll of G.I.'s Higher By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - American casualties from bomb attacks in Iraq have reached new heights in the last two months as insurgents have begun to deploy devices that leave armored vehicles increasingly vulnerable, according to military records. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: The New York Times ran a story today that reports on the 33 American deaths in Iraq in May and the 35 so far in June, and to the increasing sophistication of the terrorists' IEDs. Andrew Sullivan: On the other side of the ledger, we have the following story about a record number of increasingly effective insurgent attacks: [snipped quote] I link. |
Kevin Drum: UPDATE: There's also this from the New York Times today: "American casualties from bomb attacks in Iraq have reached... |
DeLay uses Houston to make point about Iraq news coverage Houston Chronicle — Permalink WASHINGTON - When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay sat down with reporters on Tuesday on Capitol Hill, he was asked to assess President Bush's campaign in Iraq and to respond to criticism that the military mission is not going well and the White House needs to develop an exit strategy. | |
|
Faiz @ThinkProgress: Tom DeLay: Insurgent Violence Breaking Out In Houston — Today, the Houston Chronicle reported that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay believes Iraq is actually going quite well. Charles Kuffner: At least he didn't call it a "hellhole" — Apparently, Tom DeLay has been taking the same stupid pills as Rick Perry:... |
Atrios: Clap Louder — DeLay says Houston just like Iraq: WASHINGTON - When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay sat down with... Tom Tomorrow: Tom Tomorrow: Compare and contrast Tom DeLay: [quote] "You know, if Houston, Texas, was held to the same standard as Iraq is...[end quote] |
'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up BBC — Permalink Police in Ecuador say they have broken up an international drugs ring which was raising money for the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah. The authorities have declined to give details of the gang's alleged links with the group, but say it was sending Hezbollah up to 70% of its profits. | |
|
Colt: Whether lawsuits are the cure... A Hezbollah drugs ring in Ecuador has been broken up. Captain Ed: Snort Cocaine And Fund More Bombings — The BBC reports that Ecuador has broken up a drug ring that explicitly existed... |
Charles Johnson: Hizballah Drug Cartel in Ecuador 'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up. (Hat tip: SoCalJustice.) Dr. Steven Taylor: And Yet More Drug News — Via the BBC: 'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up [snipped quote] I am hardly surprised. |
Crime? And Punishment By / TCS — Permalink The recent convictions of ex-Tyco executives Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz and of ex-Adelphia executives John and Timothy Rigas highlight once again the growing extent to which the criminal law is being invoked to deal with problems of corporate governance. | |
|
Steve Bainbridge: Tyco and Criminalizing Agency Costs — My latest TCS column deals with the recent Tyco and Adelphia convictions, asking:... |
Glenn Reynolds: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Both Rand Simberg and Stephen Bainbridge have thoughts. |
The wage gap, give me a break By / Townhall.com — Permalink Feminists keep demanding new laws to protect women from the so-called wage gap. Many studies have found that women make about 75 cents for every dollar a man earns. Activists say the pay difference is all about sexism. | |
|
James Joyner: John Stossel: Wage Gap Economics, Not Discrimination — John Stossel points out the illogical of the "wage gap" argument... John Hawkins: "— John Stossel" |
S.Z.: The wage gap, give me a break by John Stossel Stossel finds that women make 25% less than men because women are lazy... Betsy: John Stossel debunks the wage gap myth. |
House Republicans unveil Social Security plan Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled an alternative Social Security accounts proposal they hope will breathe new life into President Bush's flagging plan to restructure the retirement program. | |
|
Jayson @PoliPundit: And now the GOP-controlled Congress actually is {gasp!} moving towards crafting legislation on the matter. Politics is a process. |
C. D. Harris: Ideologically Bankrupt — The real truth finally comes out: [snipped quote] IOW, they won't negotiate whether personal accounts are on the table or off it. |
House Again Backs Ban on Flag Desecration By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 - Voting once again today on an issue blending emotion, patriotism and politics, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly endorsed a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag. | |
|
Will Baude: The New York times counts 65 Senators who have voted for the amendment in the past or promised to vote for it this time. |
Fontana Labs: But Orrin Hatch makes it so difficult: One sponsor of the measure, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, said in... |
'Torture' Fracas Draws Apology By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, apologized Tuesday for comparing the treatment of detainees in the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the methods used in Nazi, Soviet and Cambodian concentration camps. | |
|
Michael Bérubé: About Durbin's apology — A few points, from little to big, about the wingnut show trial that culminated yesterday in... Tom @BeggingToDiffer: NOW I'M OUTRAGED — Sen. Durbin has apologized again, and more visibly. And with that, I'm finally ready to join the chorus of people infuriated with him. |
Fred Clark: That is the only lesson we can take from the apology made yesterday by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The senator was... |
Big Apple NRO — Permalink Ruminating about Rudy. Fred Siegel, a walking treasure trove of information and analysis about New York and beyond — and a prince of a guy — is the author of the new book The Prince Of The City: Giuliani, New York And The Genius Of American Life. | |
|
K. J. Lopez: Of course, there is the superstar though—and if you want to think Rudy for a few, read my interview with Fred Siegel,... |
Ed Driscoll: Prince Of The City — National Review Online has an interview with Fred Siegel on Rudy Giuliani. |
Debunking another Gitmo myth By / Townhall.com — Permalink Newsweek. Amnesty International. Jimmy Carter. Dick Durbin. The Guantanamo Bay-bashing continues. In a rant published Tuesday, the Minnesota Star Tribune actually castigated Durbin for "caving in" on his slanderous remarks comparing U.S. treatment of detainees at Gitmo to torture and genocide by Nazis, Soviets and Pol Pot. | |
|
Captain Ed: UPDATE: Read Michelle Malkin's Townhall column for more perspective on Gitmo and the due process given the detainees. Betsy: Michelle Malkin notes all the people who have spoken as if there is no judicial proceeding for those at Gitmo. |
Barbara O'Brien: Just look at her new excuse for Guantanamo: [quote] The "maverick" Sen. John McCain echoed one of the Left's most oft-cited...[end quote] La Shawn Barber: Update (6/22): From Michelle Malkin's latest column: [snipped quote] Read the rest. |
Bush Wants a New Effort for Bolton in the Senate NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - President Bush on Tuesday pressed Senate Republican leaders to continue fighting to confirm John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, even though Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, said his options had been exhausted and some Republicans urged the appointment of Mr. Bolton when Congress recesses. | |
|
Arianna Huffington: But, despite Bill Frist's cloture vote flip-flops, it doesn't look like Bolton is going to be reforming the UN anytime soon. Joe Gandelman: The New York Times notes some GOPers are urging a recess appointment while others predict that in the end Bush will prevail. |
Rich Lowry: TRY TO DEAL ON BOLTON — I feel for Bill Frist. Yesterday he spoke the truth, saying "me bringing up a vote is not going to change a thing." |
U.S. was big spender in days before Iraq handover By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States handed out nearly $20 billion of Iraq's funds, with a rush to spend billions in the final days before transferring power to the Iraqis nearly a year ago, a report said on Tuesday. | |
|
Arianna Huffington: Say Iraq... According to Reuters, the U.S. blew through nearly $20 billion before transferring power to the Iraqis... |
John Cole: We'll just call this an Everett Dirksen moment: "An audit by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction... |
Democrats Press Bush Harder On Iraq WaPo — Permalink Congressional Democrats, after months of sporadic and often tepid critiques of the administration's handling of the Iraq war, are sharpening their criticisms and demanding that President Bush say more about the mission's difficulties and his plans for surmounting them. | |
|
Nico @ThinkProgress: OBSTRUCTION: Blocking an Exit Strategy from Iraq Even in the face of spiraling violence and increasing U.S. casualties,... Pudentilla: they read polls "democrats press bush harder on iraq - words reflect drop in public support for war - congressional... |
Barbara O'Brien: And anyone who disagrees will be rendered to a thought correction camp until he apologizes for his error. wargraph.jpg... |
Iraq May Be Prime Place for Training of Militants, C.I.A. Report Concludes By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - A new classified assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency says Iraq may prove to be an even more effective training ground for Islamic extremists than Afghanistan was in Al Qaeda's early days, because it is serving as a real-world laboratory for urban combat. | |
|
Faiz @ThinkProgress: The problem, as DeLay sees it, is not that Iraq has become a "real-world laboratory for urban combat," but rather how the media is covering Iraq. Barbara O'Brien: Douglas Jehl writes in today's New York Times that Iraq is proving to be an invaluable training tool for Islamic militants. Praktike: Once more, with feeling ... We here already knew this, but here's just another big fat I told you so (or, as the... |
Andrew Sullivan: And the obvious corollary to the fact that U.S. forces are getting one hell of a training in fighting urban terror in Iraq is that ... so are the Jihadists in fighting back. Juan Cole: Bush's Iraq Incubator of Terror — Syria Deploys 7,000 to Block Infiltrators The New York Times reports that the CIA is... Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Nothing Like the Real Thing — Doug Jehl writes in the NY Times about how the CIA has deduces that the urban... |
| Also: James Joyner, Attaturk, Arthur Silber | |
Questions, Bitterness and Exile for Queens Girl in Terror Case By / NYT — Permalink DHAKA, Bangladesh - Slumped at the edge of the bed she would have to share with four relatives that night, the 16-year-old girl from Queens looked stunned. On the hot, dusty road from the airport, she had watched rickshaws surge past women sweeping the streets, bone-thin in their bright saris. | |
|
Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: SOLVING THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT STARTS — From the Department of Precrime († Unfogged): [snipped quote] Religious... |
Ogged @Unfogged: Scrutiny — I suppose that, in the grand scheme, the deportation of one muslim girl isn't such a big deal, but if I had... |
Rhetoric Takes Nasty Turn in Congress AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican accuses Democrats of demonizing Christians. A Democrat talks of Nazis in connection with the treatment of terror suspects. Both sides cry foul, and apologies are hard to come by. It's just another day of vitriolic gotchas at the Capitol. | |
|
Tom Maguire: Naturally, the print edition also ducked Eric Cantor, House Republican, although their website runs an AP story which... |
Justin @SouthernAppeal: Yeah, but the Democrats started it: The obvious from Drudge - Rhetoric Takes Nasty Turn in Congress — Ya think? |
Iraq leaders seek rebuilding aid BBC — Permalink A major conference on Iraq attended by about 80 countries is discussing ways to rebuild the violence-hit country. At the start of the meeting in Brussels Iraqi PM Ibrahim Jaafari urged donors to honour their pledges of aid. | |
|
Gateway Pundit: ''We have had numerous conversations with Damascus about our areas of concern and the Syrian government knows what it... |
Norm Geras: For the people of Iraq — There's an international conference going on: "A major conference on Iraq attended by about 80... |
Clinton, McCain 'Gorillas' of 2008 Race By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - If you want to be the next president, it's time to start running — unless your name is Hillary Rodham Clinton or John McCain. They can wait. And wait, as front-runners tend to do. "They're 800-pound gorillas," says Democratic consultant Jeff Link of Iowa. | |
|
John Hawkins: That being said, I just had to comment on this laughable AP column by Ron Fournier, where he talks about how unstoppable... Ann Althouse: According to AP political writer Ron Fournier, now is the brief window of opportunity. Joe Biden "gets it," along with a few others. Jayson @PoliPundit: Out to Lunch — From the AP and {who else? } Ron Fournier: "Clinton, McCain 'Gorillas' of 2008 Race." McCain, huh? |
Captain Ed: A Frontrunner Only The Exempt Media Would Select — Ron Fournier exposes the lack of insight most of the media have into... Michelle Malkin: Read the headline and first couple of grafs of this article and see for yourself: [snipped quote] I'd like to see the... |
New book about Hillary Clinton criticized for unnamed sources By / USA Today — Permalink A new, unflattering book about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is under attack from an unlikely group: some of her harshest critics. Some conservatives say they won't endorse this book on Hillary Clinton. | |
|
Kevin Aylward: Hillary Critics Critical Of New Biography — USATODAY reports on Edward Klein's new book about Sen. Hillary Rodham... Taegan Goddard: Klein's Sources Questioned — USA Today says that even some "influential, conservative bloggers" won't endorse the new... |
Michelle Malkin: Leave it on the shelf. Update: USA Today highlights more criticism from the right. |
Little Change in Troop Levels Expected Soon By / WaPo — Permalink The senior U.S. operational commander in Iraq said yesterday that he anticipates little change in U.S. troop levels before the next Iraqi elections, scheduled for December, but he reaffirmed that significant reductions could begin early next year. | |
|
Kevin Drum: And Lt. Gen. John Vines, the senior operational commander in Iraq, says not to expect any troop drawdown for at least a year. Cori Dauber: Overall Not So Bad — No Big News — The results of an overall assessment from top commanders in Iraq certainly don't... |
McQ: Today, the Washington Post weighs in with an article entitled "Little Change in Troop Levels Expected Soon". Pudentilla: more death throes — [snipped quote] could this possibly be further evidence, that the vice-president, foal, is a mendacious bag of excrement? foal: father of a lesbian |
Fighting a Hard, Half-Forgotten War By / WaPo — Permalink QALAT, Afghanistan — When Spec. Nick Conlon and the other members of his infantry battalion learned they would be deployed to the Afghan province of Zabol this spring, many expected their worst enemy to be boredom. | |
|
Jo Fish: Read this story, then think about this: the patrol was sent out by helicopter to catch a Taliban bad-guy. Pudentilla: death throes — [snipped quote] i guess we haven't quite defeated the terrorists and established democracy in afghanistan... |
Mipe @ThinkProgress: His continued mischaracterizations of our half-forgotten war are absolutely maddening when one reads today's story on... |
Durbin finally says he's sorry Washington Times — Permalink Sen. Richard J. Durbin yesterday said he was "sorry" after parsing words for a week about his remarks comparing U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to those of Nazi and Soviet regimes. He apologized on the Senate floor. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: It says disturbing things about the present political environment that Dick Durbin feels the need to issue a... |
Scott @PowerLine: On a related note, the Washington Times report on Senator Durbin's latest expression of regret is "Durbin finally says he's sorry." |
Queens Muslim Group Says It Opposes Violence, and America By / NYT — Permalink The young Muslim men, with beards and bullhorns, work the streets of Jackson Heights on the weekends. They surface at parades and protests around the city, loudly declaring America the enemy and advocating for an Islamic state. | |
|
Charles Johnson: Radical Islam Takes Root Near Ground Zero — Suddenly this morning, two stories appear in mainstream media about the... Michelle Malkin: REUTERS/Mohsin Raza *** Update: Lo and behold, the NYTimes profiles the Islamist flag-desecration brigade in Queens exposed a few weeks back by the intrepid Robert Spencer. |
Cori Dauber: Play Nice — The Times covers an Islamic group in New York that, while claiming to be nonviolent, even the Times clearly finds disturbing. |
The Truth About The Truth About Hillary NRO — Permalink Not quite "Hill and Bill: Secrets of Their Bedroom," but it will do. Passing a newsstand, I read the cover line on Celebrity Living, one of the several increasingly popular celebrazines. It proclaimed: "Angelina Jolie: Secrets of Her Bedroom." | |
|
Michelle Malkin: Myrna Blyth weighs in. Jim Geraghty sez: "I can't believe some loons thought Kathryn was too tough on Klein in her interview. |
K. J. Lopez: MYRNA ON HILLARY, BEACH BABE — Myrna Blyth says it comes with the celeb territory—the Clintons are no different than Brad and Jen and Angelina and that's the way they want it. |
Inside Hillary's mind By / Townhall.com — Permalink About once a year I review a book in this column that ought to be required reading for people who care about politics. Edward Klein's "The Truth About Hillary" is such a book. The pre-publication leak about the book — that Bill Clinton had allegedly talked about raping his wife — was off-putting for me. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: Tony Blankley liked the book. Myrna Blyth weighs in. Jim Geraghty sez: "I can't believe some loons thought Kathryn was too tough on Klein in her interview. |
John @PowerLine: He really, really doesn't like it: [snipped quote] SCOTT adds: Tony Blankley provides the counterpoint: "Inside Hillary's mind." |
Congress Again Debates Protecting the Flag By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - A constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag is again before lawmakers, and lobbyists on both sides say the conservative tilt of this Senate gives the measure its best chance of Congressional approval since the Supreme Court ruled 16 years ago that flag burning was a form of protected speech. | |
|
Zoe Kentucky: An Epidemic of Incendiary Proportions — It's baaaaacck. |
Brendan Nyhan: Botched soundbite watch: Gary Ackerman — Gary Ackerman probably didn't intend this statement to come out the way it... |
Yes, they did lie to us By / Guardian — Permalink Now try to work this one out. Before the war on Iraq, Britain witnessed a ferocious debate over whether the case for conflict was legal and honest. It culminated in the largest demonstration in the country's history, as a million or more took to the streets to stop the war. | |
|
Cernig: I am a Brit and I say that 'fix' means exactly what it sounds like and the phrase 'the fix is in' has common usage in... Norm Geras: An article by Jonathan Freedland refers to... [snipped quote] Check that: 'hundreds of thousands'. |
Harry @HarrysPlace: The 'devastating' Downing Street Memo — Two views on the 'Downing Street Memo': First up Jonathan Freedland in the... |
Contractor pressured employees to contribute to Cunningham, three say By / San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON - Mitchell Wade, founder of the defense contracting firm MZM Inc., pressured employees to donate to a political fund that benefited Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and other members of Congress, according to three former employees of the company. | |
|
Jay @ThinkProgress: Burning Down Priorities — In the wake of mounting difficulties in Iraq, higher fuel costs for Americans, the ongoing... Tbogg: Pay for play — Local Congressman "Duke" Cunningham's problems take a turn for the interesting: Mitchell Wade, founder... |
Zoe Kentucky: The arrogance of this guy just kills me. Does he really believe that a little flag waving will make all of this go away? Josh Marshall: Well, tonight in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Marcus Stern — who broke the story ten days ago — follows up with some very telling details. |
Few Options for Bush on U.N. Nominee By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — President Bush is left with few options for reviving his stalled nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. ambassador. And all carry potential political liabilities, including what might be his last resort: an end run around the Senate with a recess appointment. | |
|
Laura Rozen: The AP examines Bush's options on Bolton, and finds them pretty limited and all with their own shortcomings. |
John Cole: Just Give Them The Documents — Bolton's nomination is in trouble: [snipped quote] Is there no way to provide the documents they want? |
Killen Guilty of Manslaughter in 1964 Civil Rights Slayings By / LAT — Permalink PHILADELPHIA, Miss. — A jury convicted Edgar Ray Killen on Tuesday in the slayings of three young civil rights workers, 41 years to the day after they were abducted by a gang of Mississippi Klansmen along a dark highway and shot to death. | |
|
Patterico: Boo Hoo The L.A. Times has a story titled Killen Guilty of Manslaughter in 1964 Civil Rights Slayings: A jury... |
Michelle Malkin: Small wonder the CORE affiliation was ignored by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. |
Mideast Summit Ends in Acrimony By / WaPo — Permalink JERUSALEM, June 21 — A rare meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ended bitterly Tuesday after they failed to reach new agreements on issues related to Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and on measures to rein in violence by Palestinian radicals. | |
|
Captain Ed: Abbas Defies Sharon On Disarming Militants, Qurei Discovers Why He's Wrong (Updated) The Israeli-Palestinian summit... |
Pudentilla: the consequences of condi's visit — [snipped quote] looks like she's as good at diplomacy as she is at national security. |
Cheer Up, Conservatives! Opinion Journal — Permalink The second-century physician Galen observed famously: "Triste est omne animal post coitum." So perhaps it was inevitable that such a lusty beast as American conservatism should fall prey to unhappiness sometime after its greatest electoral seduction. | |
|
Jesse Taylor: Dead Alive — You know, I'm surprised they didn't pop out with the county map here. Arthur Chrenkoff: Wednesday recommended reading — If you haven't done so already: John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, journalists... Brendan Nyhan: John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist have published an op-ed titled "Cheer Up, Conservatives!" in... |
Kevin Drum: Here's an example that's not actually from the Economist itself, but is written by two Economist editors and matches the... S.Z.: 1. The WSJ's Opinion Journal brings us John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge with "Cheer Up, Conservatives! Pejman Yousefzadeh: ON CHEERING UP — This article—it seems to me—makes an important point. |
| Also: Ramesh Ponnuru, John Andrews, Steve Bainbridge, Scott Elliott, Orrin Judd, Ed Driscoll | |
Conspiracy Theories By / Slate — Permalink A few weeks ago, at an airport in Europe, I saw Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code staring at me across the bookstore bins. I had seen it many times before and averted my gaze, but I was facing a long delay, and I suddenly thought: May as well get it over with. | |
|
Cernig: Illogic And Lies To Spin The Downing Street Memo — Today Christopher Hitchins perjured himself by repeating the feeble... McQ: Hitchens, the Downing Street Memo and Leftist fantasy — Christopher Hitchens manages to distil the nonsense surrounding... James Joyner: Conspiracy Theories: Downing Street Memo — Christopher Hitchens has a typically biting piece at Slate entitled,... |
Eric Boehlert: Eric Boehlert: The DSM and the Meaning of "Fixed" — Christopher Hitchens becomes just the latest in a long line of... Harry @HarrysPlace: In Britain they have scarcely made a dent, but in America they have developed an unexpected momentum And here is Christopher Hitchens on the same topic: We have been here before. Steve M.: Christopher Hitchens in Slate yesterday So applying the name "freedom fries" was a "cretinous" thing to do, Hitchypoo? |
| Also: Betsy, Attaturk, Michael J. Totten, Jan Haugland | |
The Road to Riches Is Called K Street By / WaPo — Permalink To the great growth industries of America such as health care and home building add one more: influence peddling. The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled since 2000 to more than 34,750 while the amount that lobbyists charge their new clients has increased by as much as 100 percent. | |
|
Pudentilla: because republicans believe in the best democracy they can buy — [snipped quote] it's not expensive - for the... |
Tbogg: Washington Post headline: Republican Rule Makes Lobbying Big Business With pro-business officials running executive and... |
Daley says Durbin should apologize for Guantanamo remarks By / AP — Permalink Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday that even though U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is a good friend, the fellow Democrat should apologize for comments comparing the actions of American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis, Soviet gulags and Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. | |
|
Captain Ed: Mayor Richard Daley, the man behind Durbin's power base in Chicago, refused to play along with Democrats in minimizing... |
Glenn Reynolds: ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader J.P. Dawson thinks that Mayor Richard Daley deserves credit for pushing Durbin to do the right... |
Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies." | |
|
Michael Bérubé: No, wait, here comes another one of those times: — Rumsfeld: "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in an interview... Gateway Pundit: Teary-eyed Senator Durbin from Illinois apologized on the Senate floor Tuesday, for comparing Guantanamo interrogators and US Military personnel to Nazis and other evil-doers. Jack Cluth: Well, so much for having the courage of your convictions — Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks "If I read this to... |
Barbara O'Brien: Big mistake. Durbin was right, and giving in to the thugs just encourages them. | bar.jpg Daniel Koffler: The Senator Would Like to Add that He is Vewy Sowwy — Dick Durbin finally gives the people what they want, a (sort-of)... Tom Maguire: In The Cocoon... Sen. Durbin has finally apologized for his Guantanamo remarks. |
| Also: Riggsveda @Corrente, Attaturk, Medium Lobster, Avedon Carol, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Michelle Malkin, Captain Ed, Betsy, Patrick Carver, Ed Driscoll, Smash, Larry Kudlow, Greg Saunders, Will Collier, Christopher Kanis, Greg @TheTalentShow, La Shawn Barber, Scott @PowerLine, McQ, Steve Bainbridge, Alexander K. McClure, Jeff Quinton, K. J. Lopez | |
Marines See Signs Iraq Rebels Are Battling Foreign Fighters By / NYT — Permalink KARABILA, Iraq, June 20 - Late Sunday night, American marines watching the skyline from their second-story perch in an abandoned house here saw a curious thing: in the distance, mortar and gunfire popped, but the volleys did not seem to be aimed at them. | |
|
Marc @USSNeverdock: Now from, can you believe it, the lefts standard bearer, The New York Times, comes more reports of terrorists fighting one another. Bill Roggio: Today's New York Times reports further cases of 'red-on-red', AKA the enemy fighting amongst themselves. Pejman Yousefzadeh: INFIGHTING — Assuming that this report is right about a violent split between nationalist and religious insurgents, it... |
Jan Haugland: Signs of split in Iraqi insurgency — There are growing signs of a split within the anti-Iraqi forces, with foreign jihadists and Iraqi insurgents fighting each other. Damian Penny: "Red on Red" — I like the sound of this: Marines patrolling this desert region near the Syrian border have for months... McQ: Red on Red — An interesting development observed by our Marines in Iraq: "Late Sunday night, American marines watching... |
| Also: Tom Maguire, Norm Geras, Glenn Reynolds, Ann Althouse, Rich Lowry, Tully @Centerfield | |
Bush Backs Soc. Sec. Bill Without Accounts By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush encouraged a Republican senator on Tuesday to offer Social Security legislation that would not include private investment accounts. The White House said the president still was committed to allowing workers to invest part of their Social Security taxes. | |
|
Avedon Carol: Are Republicans sending signals that they've given up on killing Social Security through the front door and might be... Jesse Taylor: When Nedra Pickler writes that President Bush will consider Social Security reform without private accounts, she neglects to mention that he, in fact, will not. SK Bubba: Breaking news on Social Security — President Bush has announced support for a new Social Security reform plan. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: The First Salvo in a Long Battle — The AP says the Prez is open to the idea of preliminary legislation regarding the National Ponzi Scheme - minus tax-free accounts. Judd @ThinkProgress: White House Spokesman Trent Duffy, 6/21/05: "This in no way should be interpreted to mean that the president is backing off of personal accounts. Guest @ThinkProgress: If you read the AP's breathless headline: "Bush Backs Soc. Sec. Bill Without Accounts," you might be tempted to think there was a breakthrough in the Social Security stalemate. |
| Also: Josh Marshall, Justin @SouthernAppeal | |
Durbin Apologizes for Nazi, Gulag, Pol Pot Remarks By / Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Dick Durbin (search) went to the Senate floor late Tuesday to offer his apologies to anyone who may have been offended by his comparison of treatment of detainees at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Nazis, Soviet gulags and Cambodia's Pol Pot. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: So, I just watched the Durbin non-apology apology (video and transcript available at The Political Teen) and caught up on the news stories (here, here, and here). Gerry @DalyThoughts: Durbin Apologizes for Nazi, Gulag, Pol Pot Remarks — FOXNews (hat tip, Richard m): [snipped quote] I do not count for a... |
Ace: Now he takes another step closer to confessing actual error on his own part: "WASHINGTON — Sen. Dick Durbin (search)... Orrin Judd: I SPOKE RIGHT, YOU HEARD WRONG: Durbin Apologizes for Nazi, Gulag, Pol Pot Remarks (Sharon Kehnemui Liss, 6/21/05, Fox News) [snipped quote] Always blame the "some", huh? |
Lions Rescue, Guard Beaten Ethiopian Girl By / AP — Permalink ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday. | |
|
Jan Haugland: This is an almost unbelievable story: A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a... Joe Gandelman: Another Sign That Animals Are Here For A REASON — To those who think animals don't have feelings and aren't on this... Richard TPD: Is there a god? I read something like this, and I have to wonder: [snipped quote] This is an amazing article. |
TheAnchoress: Okay the first one didn't happen today, but I just heard about it and I LOVE this story about the Ethiopian girl being protected by lions. Ann Althouse: The humanity of lions. In the face of inhuman men. Glenn Reynolds: WELL, THIS is heartwarming: [snipped quote] Can we clone those lions? |
Ex-KKK Member Convicted in 1964 Killings AP — Permalink PHILADELPHIA, Miss. - Forty-one years to the day after three civil rights workers were beaten and shot to death, an 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klansman was found guilty of manslaughter Tuesday in a trial that marked Mississippi's latest attempt to atone for its bloodstained, racist past. | |
|
Scott Sala: Technorati Tags: NYC+term+limits NYC+term+limits+abolish Henry+Stern NY+daily+Newspapers — Mississippi Burning... Jeralyn Merritt: Vernon Jordan on the Killen Verdict — Vernon Jordan, over at Huffington Post, has this to say about the Edgar Killen... Dr. Steven Taylor: Killen Found Guilty — Via the AP: Ex-KKK Member Convicted in 1964 Killings Given that only this morning the jury was supposedly deadlocked, that's a remarkably quick verdict. |
Vernon Jordan: Vernon Jordan: The Wheels of Justice — The conviction of Edgar Ray Killen comes on the 41st anniversary of the brutal... James Joyner: Ex-KKK Member Convicted in 1964 Killings (AP) [snipped quote] It's rather amazing that six jurors changed their mind over the course of hours. |
'Wikitorial' Pulled Due to Vandalism By / LAT — Permalink The Times' interactive writing experiment goes on hold after explicit images are put on its site. The Los Angeles Times has canceled a novel Internet feature that allowed readers to rewrite an editorial on the newspaper's website, after some users sabotaged the site with foul language and pornographic images. | |
|
Patterico: L.A. Times Wikitorial Defaced with Porn It turns out that the reason the L.A. Times wikitorial came down was because some people were defacing it with pornographic pictures. Jeff Jarvis: I didn't see the LA Time story today on my first search. Kevin Roderick: Give Newman credit: The L.A. Times story in Tuesday's paper says Newman proposed the wiki approach. |
Bill Diamond: I suspect, but can't yet prove, that it's the same lovely group of "merry-makers" who found it "funny" to vandalize the Los Angeles Times' "Wikitorial" over the weekend. Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: The L.A. Times is already suggesting "wikitorials" could be back in some other, presumably more... Norm Geras: An interactive experiment gets ditched in its original form: [snipped quote] The paper is reconsidering. |
| Also: Jim Romenesko | |
Bush Defends Strategy In Iraq, Pledges to 'Complete the Mission' By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush said yesterday that "cold-blooded" killers will fail in their attempt to drive the United States out of Iraq prematurely, as he defended the administration's war strategy and its policies for secretly detaining hundreds of alleged terrorists around the world. | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: Jim VandeHei writes in today's Washington Post that Bush is fightin' back. Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Graduate School This Is Not — From the Post: [snipped quote] I've encountered people like Bush in some of my... Faiz @ThinkProgress: The Ever Changing Definition of "Mission" In Iraq — A headline in the Washington Post today declares "Bush Defends Strategy In Iraq, Pledges to 'Complete the Mission'." |
Cori Dauber: Here's VandeHei's account: Still, the president's agenda overseas is often overshadowed by controversy over his war policies. Steve Soto: This poll sample contained the following party ID breakdown: GOP 33.0% Ind 31.1% Dem 34.2% Short of ramping up towards... Norm Geras: President Bush pledges that the US will 'complete the mission'. |
Schiavo's Remains Buried Amid Acrimony By / AP — Permalink TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The burial of Terri Schiavo's cremated remains didn't bring an end to the acrimony between her husband and her family. Michael Schiavo angered his late wife's family Monday by not notifying them about the burial beforehand and by inscribing on her bronze grave marker the words "I kept my promise." | |
|
James Joyner: Michael Schiavo: "I Kept My Promise" xlrq wonders why several of us who supported Michael Schiavo in his right to decide... Patterico: Despite the existence of a court order that he inform the Schindlers of any memorial service, he held the memorial... Mark Joseph: Mark Joseph: My Tombstone — Forget this nonsense, if Paul Feig keeps up this kind of writing, I just may ask that my... |
Lindsay Beyerstein: The sanctity of marriage — Ph2005062100205 [snipped quote] Via AJOB. Joe Gandelman: Terri Schiavo's Grave Marker Used For Husband's Parting Shots — If you're not someone wrapped up in the obsession over... |
Some Politics May Be Etched in the Genes By / NYT — Permalink Political scientists have long held that people's upbringing and experience determine their political views. A child raised on peace protests and Bush-loathing generally tracks left as an adult, unless derailed by some powerful life experience. | |
|
Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 6/21/05 9:49:56 pm: More on this genetic pseudo-validation of the far left's superiority complex, at (where... Julian Sanchez: Well, if it's not quite that simple, The New York Times is reporting on a new study suggesting that our gut-level... Pejman Yousefzadeh: POLITICS IN THE GENES — To the extent that genetics can influence attitudes in general, I suppose that I can get on board this study. |
Amanda Butler: So, it's with no uncertain suspicion---and the burden of proof on those who would allay my suspicions---that I approach... Jonah Goldberg: ARE POLITICAL ATTITUDES GENETIC — Some researchers say, "sorta." Personally, I don't really buy it. Ann Althouse: Are politics genetic? Maybe! Are you just influenced by your parents, or is there something very basic in your nature that makes you lean left or right? |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
How Cheney Fooled Himself By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush planted the seeds of the destruction of his Iraq policy before the war started. Salvaging the venture will require an unprecedented degree of candor and realism from a White House that was never willing to admit — even to itself — how large an undertaking it was asking the American people to buy into. | |
|
Attaturk: Less Craven, More Stupid — That's E.J. Dionne's conclusion about the Bush Administration: "The assertion of the... Barbara O'Brien: E.J. Dionne has a must-read column in today's Washington Post. |
Kevin Drum: UPDATE: Hmmm, it turns out everyone else is talking about this too. Read 'em all! UPDATE 2: Laura and E.J. too. Laura Rozen: E.J. Dionne asks if deception, or delusion, were the crux of the Bush administration's pre-war misassumptions:... |
Dean answers Cheney's barb about mother AP — Permalink BOSTON — Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, responding to criticism from the vice president, said he doesn't "care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not." The vice president said in a recent interview that Dean was not the type of person to lead a political party and mentioned the chairman's mother. | |
|
James Joyner: Dean and Cheney Exchange Barbs — Dean Answers Cheney's Barb About Mother (AP) "Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean,... Greg Saunders: Thirty three years later, the tables have turned and it's conservatives who don't understand the world outside their... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: It's a really stupid thing to say.. Thirty three years later, the tables have turned and it's conservatives who don't... TChris: Cheney Says Howard Dean "Never Won Anything" — Statements like this might cause a casual observer to wonder whether the vice president has lost touch with reality. |
Poll shows Americans 'generally in a funk' USA Today — Permalink Fewer Americans fear a terrorist attack on the USA in the next several weeks than at any time since 9/11, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. (Related link: Poll results) Overall, 35% say another attack is likely soon, down from 39% in January and a high of 85% in October 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. | |
|
Barry L. Ritholtz: The next poll is where we start to see the confusion: Americans are generally in a funk. Gerry @DalyThoughts: Now, by 20 points, the opposition holds sway, 39-59%. There are three questions on Guantanamo Bay. |
Steve Soto: Gallup Says Opposition To Iraq War Up 12 Points Since March (thanks to Gallup for the graphic) Gallup's latest poll for CNN and the USAT shows Bush stuck at a 47% approval rating. Jayson @PoliPundit: Projecting — Citing anti-Bush opinion polls, USA Today has gone off marching to the beat of the same drummer as the rest of the spaced-out liberal media. |
Frist Reverses Himself, Pushes Bolton Vote By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Reversing field after a meeting with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he will continue pushing for a floor vote on John R. Bolton for U.N. ambassador. Frist switched his position after initially saying Tuesday that negotiations with Democrats to get a vote on Bolton had been exhausted. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: The Washingon Post explains the context of this political mess: "Frist's abrupt public turnabout underscored the... SK Bubba: Sen. Dr. Bill "Long Distance Diagnosis" Frist is admitting defeat and sending Bolton back to cool his heels in the White House parlor while Bush decides what to do with him next. |
Steve Soto: After bitchslapping Bill Frist today at the White House, it was announced that Frist will keep trying to get an up or down vote on John Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the UN. Gerry @DalyThoughts: Frist Reverses Himself, Pushes Bolton Vote — The Associated Press: [snipped quote] I agree with the strategy of continuing to press for votes. |
Frist changes course on Bolton vote AP — Permalink EXPERIENCE: Undersecretary of state for arms control and international security since May 11, 2001; assistant U.S. attorney general, 1985-1989; assistant administrator for program and policy coordination, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1982-1983;... | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Frist Meets Bush And Changes Bolton Vote Position — Politicians do change their positions but Senate Majority Leader... Jeralyn Merritt: Frist changes his mind and announces he will push for an up-or-down vote after meeting with Bush today. |
SK Bubba: (UPDATE: Looks like Sen. Dr. Bill got called on the carpet and had to flip-flop as I was typing this post. Kos @DailyKos: Bush tugs on Frist's leash — Bush owns Frist. [snipped quote] Grow some balls, Bill! Do you really want to be Bush's patsy? |
Support for governor plunging, poll finds By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly ranks among the most unpopular governors in modern California history, as residents grow increasingly unhappy about the action hero-turned-politician's budget plans and his call for a special election, according to a new Field Poll. | |
|
Digby: This post from Atrios tells me we're going to be seeing a lot of them: [snipped quote] Well, when you run as a superhero... Joe Gandelman: Arnold Schwarznegger's Low Poll Numbers Tumble Further — After winning a bitter recall election as an outsider who... Taegan Goddard: Schwarzenegger's Support Plummets — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) "suddenly ranks among the most unpopular... |
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Support for Schwarzenegger plunging, poll finds — San Francisco Chronicle: [snipped quote] It is hard governing as a moderate Republican. Paradox @LeftCoaster: Arnie Hammered with Terrible Polling Numbers — Arnold Schwarzenegger is now one of the most unpopular governors in the State's history. Atrios: Recall, bitches! |
GOP, Dean trade barbs in Boston By / Boston Herald — Permalink A toned-down Howard Dean juiced up about 300 Democratic activists yesterday during his first party fund-raiser in Boston since taking over the Democratic National Committee helm, but took jabs at familiar targets, including Republican Gov. Mitt Romney. | |
|
Trey Jackson: As reported in the Boston Herald, Dean said the following: "It's a delight to be in state with two Democratic senators,... |
K. J. Lopez: THANKS, DOC — More from Howard Dean: "They say they want small government, but their government is just big enough to fit inside Terri Schiavo's bed in the nursing home." |
Majority of Americans Oppose War With Iraq By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — According to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey, 59% of Americans oppose the war with Iraq, while just 39% favor it — a substantial change from a March poll, when the public was evenly divided, 47% in favor and 47% opposed. | |
|
Ruy Teixeira: Here's the lead from Gallup's report on their new poll: [snipped quote] Similarly, the CBS/NYT poll now finds a majority... |
Kos @DailyKos: Polls, polls, polls — Polls are coming out of the woodwork today. Gallup. 6/16-19. |
The Guantanamo Debate Comes Home By / WaPo — Permalink The U.S.-run detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, needs "to be closed down or cleaned up," former president Bill Clinton told the Financial Times. It may be surprising that the former American president is quoted in a British newspaper. | |
|
Arianna Huffington: In a great piece in Tuesday's Washington Post (via Kos), Jefferson Morley writes: In the U.S. media, the debate about... Andrew Sullivan: GITMO AND THE FOREIGN PRESS: It's been a far bigger story abroad - for a long time. Some of this can be attributed to anti-Americanism. |
Armando @DailyKos: GOP Focuses On Nazis, World Focuses on Torture — Jefferson Morley explains that while the GOP has its panties in a... |
Saddam prison fare: Doritos, Raisin Bran -- but no Froot Loops AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) — Saddam Hussein loves Doritos, hates Froot Loops, admires President Reagan, thinks Clinton was "OK" and considers both Presidents Bush "no good." He talks a lot, worries about germs and insists he is still president of Iraq. | |
|
John Hawkins: The Illinois Democrat's criticism follows published reports that the former Iraqi president sometimes eats an entire family-sized bag of Doritos in 10 minutes. |
James Joyner: Saddam prison fare: Doritos, Raisin Bran — but no Froot Loops (AP) [snipped quote] Maybe if we quit treating him like a king, he'd realize that he's been deposed? |
Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Two days after announcing his intention to seek the presidency, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday accused President Bush of "misleading statements and premature declarations of victory" in Iraq and called on him to change course. | |
|
Jack Cluth: Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq "The disconnect between the administration's rhetoric and the reality on the... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Living in the Past — Following up on DJ's post about the remnants of the Democrat Party being off track and consumed... |
Bush faces hard choices over Bolton By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink WASHINGTON - A second failed Senate vote to move the nomination of John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations this week leaves President Bush with three options, all costly. One is to go for another vote. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: The Christian Science Monitor has a superb piece on Bush's options. |
Orrin Judd: Bush faces hard choices over Bolton: The president could push for a recess appointment if he can't boost Senate support. |
Blast kills Lebanese politician BBC — Permalink A veteran Lebanese politician has been killed in a bomb blast in Beirut. George Hawi - former Communist Party leader and an opponent of Syria - died when his car blew up as he drove through the Wata Musaitbi district. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: According to the BBC, fingers in Lebanon are already pointing squarely at Syria and/or Syrian-sympathizing forces within the country. Michael J. Totten: Yet Another Syrian Assasination in Lebanon — Lebanon's regularly scheduled political assassination has been completed. |
Jan Haugland: BBC says the bomb was placed under the passenger seat and triggered by remote control. Pejman Yousefzadeh: TERRORISM IN LEBANON — Isn't it interesting that people who speak out against the Syrians suddenly find themselves in the inconvenient position of being dead? |
Mass. Gov. Considering Presidential Bid By / AP — Permalink BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has spent the last several months addressing Republican loyalists around the country, acknowledged on Tuesday that he's considering a presidential bid in 2008. "But I'm planning on running for governor. | |
|
Jayson @PoliPundit: The Math Doesn't Add Up for a Mitt Romney presidential run. Look, I don't have anything against Romney. He seems like a good fellow. Gerry @DalyThoughts: Mass. Gov. Considering Presidential Bid — The Associated Press: [snipped quote] Not exactly a surprise. |
Taegan Goddard: Romney Discusses 2008 Plans — In comments to the AP, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) did little to clarify his... |
Sweden cuts rates to 1.5% adding to ECB pressure Reuters — Permalink SwedenSweden's central bank cut interest rates by a surprisingly large 50 basis points to a new historic low of 1.50 percent on Tuesday and some analysts said the door was open to further easing. | |
|
Kash: Yesterday the Swedish central bank acknowledged the increasingly gloomy economic prospects in Europe for this year when... Orrin Judd: MORE: Sweden cuts rates as economic growth falters (Rupini Bergström, June 21 2005, Financial Times) "Sweden's... |
Brad DeLong: Sweden Cuts Interest Rates — More reality-based monetary policy in Europe: FT.com / Europe - Sweden cuts rates to 1.5%... Stirling Newberry: As Predicted Europe's Monetary Discipline Starts to Crumble — Sweden cuts rates by 50 basis points to historic lows. |
Public Broadcasting Monitor Had Worked at Center Founded by Conservatives By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 20 - A researcher retained secretly by the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to monitor the "Now" program with Bill Moyers for political objectivity last year, worked for 20 years at a journalism center founded by the... | |
|
Dr. Steven Taylor: More on the CPB Wars — Via the NYT: Public Broadcasting Monitor Had Worked at Center Founded by Conservatives ... Jim Romenesko: Monitor of Moyers' "NOW" show tied to conservative outfit — New York Times Fred Mann worked for 20 years at the... |
Steve Bainbridge: Naturally, the NY Times is shocked. Pudentilla: conservative hack monitored moyers for bias: you paid for it — [snipped quote] of course not, it's okay if you're a republican. |
Utah Scout Found Alive in Woods Fox News — Permalink KAMAS, Utah — Authorities confirmed Tuesday that a missing 11-year-old scout has been found alive in Utah, four days after he vanished. Brennan Hawkins (search) was located safe and sound with no major injuries. | |
|
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Fox News "Authorities confirmed Tuesday that a missing 11-year-old scout has been found alive in Utah, four days after he vanished. |
Jeff Goldstein: The 11-year-old had been missing since Friday and is said to be in great shape. (via FOXNews) Wow. |