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Archive Edition for   Wednesday, January 5, 2005Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

ABCNEWS
  Marc Ambinder
Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
The American Street
  Jude Nagurney Camwell
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
  Emperor Darth Misha I
Associated Press
  David Bauder
  Leigh Strope
  Wayne Parry
  David Crary
  David Espo
  Denis D. Gray
Backcountry Conservative
  Digger
BBC
  Jonathan Charles
  Kate McGeown
Belmont Club
  Wretchard
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Boston Globe
  Alex Beam
  Rick Klein
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
The Buck Stops Here
  Stuart Buck
Burnt Orange Report
  Nathan Nance
  Byron LaMasters
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
CANOE
  Peter Worthington
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Center for American Progress
Centerfield
  Rickheller @Centerfield
Chrenkoff
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Citizen Smash
  Smash
CJR Campaign Desk Home
  Bryan Keefer and Thomas Lang
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
  Thomas Krannawitter
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
  Clayton Cramer
The Corner
  KJL
  Ramesh Ponnuru
corrente
  Lambert @Corrente
Daily Kos
  Armando @DailyKos
Dean's World
  Dean Esmay
Detroit Free Press
  Joel Thurtell
Drudge Report
Dynamist Blog
  Virginia Postrel
Ed Driscoll.com
  Ed Driscoll
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Editor and Publisher
Electablog* U.S. Ambassador to Cyberspace
  David Allan Pell
Eschaton
  Atrios
the evangelical outpost
  Joe Carter
Financial Times
  Victor Mallet
Fox News
Front Page Magazine
Guardian
  George Monbiot
The Hill
  Hans Nichols
Hit and Run
  Jesse Walker
  Tim Cavanaugh
  Brian Doherty
  Nick Gillespie
Houston Chronicle
  David Donnelly
HughHewitt.com
  Hugh Hewitt
Hullabaloo
  Digby
INDC Journal
  Bill @INDCJournal
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
INTEL DUMP
  Phillip Carter
Intermission 2005
  Scott Elliott
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
Lean Left
  Kevin Raybould
  Kevin T. Keith
The Left Coaster
  Mary @LeftCoaster
  Larre @LeftCoaster
The Liquid List
  Shawn @LiquidList
  Tarek @LiquidList
Little Green Footballs
  Charles Johnson
Los Angeles Times
  John C. Yoo
  Ronald Brownstein
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Matthew Yglesias
  Matthew Yglesias
MaxSpeak, You Listen!
  Max B. Sawicky
Media Notes Extra
  Howard Kurtz
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
  Tamara Lipper
MyDD
  Jerome Armstrong
NathanNewman.org
  Nathan Newman
National Review
New York Observer
New York Times
  C. J. Chivers
  Virginia Heffernan
  Nicholas D. Kristof
  Sarah Boxer
  Douglas Jehl
  Damien Cave
  David Brooks
  Paul Krugman
  Ali Jasim
NewDonkey.com
  New Donkey
NEWS.com.au
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
Not Geniuses
  Ryan Davis
Off the Kuff
  Charles Kuffner
One Hand Clapping
  Donald Sensing
Opinion Journal
Orcinus
  David Neiwert
Outside The Beltway
  James Joyner
pandagon.net
  Jesse Taylor
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
The Peking Duck
  Richard TPD
PoliBlog
  Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  Lorie Byrd
  Jayson @PoliPundit
  Alexander K. McClure
The Poor Man
  The Poor Man
Power Line
  Hindrocket
  Deacon
PRESTOPUNDIT
  Greg Ransom
ProfessorBainbridge.com
  Steve Bainbridge
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
Questions and Observations Blog
  Jon Henke
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
The Right Coast
  Mike Rappaport
  Maimon Schwarzschild
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  Chris McGann
  David E. Johnson
Seattle Times
  Keith Ervin
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Skippy
Slate
  Laura Kipnis
a small victory
  Michele Catalano
South Knox Bubba
  SK Bubba
Southern Appeal
  QD @SouthernAppeal
The Spoons Experience
  Spoons
Steve Gilliard's News Blog
  Steve Gilliard
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
  Garance Franke-Ruta
»«TBogg»«
  Tbogg
Tech Central Station
  William J. Stuntz
Telegraph
  Anthony King
Tim Blair
  Tim Blair
Times of London
  James Hider
Townhall.com
  Michelle Malkin
Unfogged
  Fontana Labs
Unqualified Offerings
  Jim Henley
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Anne Applebaum
  Liz Clarke
  Mark Leibovich
  Frank Ahrens
  Dan Balz
  Dan Eggen
  Richard Leiby
  Ceci Connolly
Washington Times
  Ralph Z. Hallow
Weekly Standard
  Jonathan V. Last
Wizbang
  Kevin Aylward
  Paul @Wizbang



Where did turkeys go?
  By / Detroit Free Press   —   Permalink 
The director of a Detroit food bank wants to know what happened to 60 turkeys — 720 pounds of frozen birds — that his charity gave to members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers' local staff two days before Thanksgiving to give to needy people.
Paul @Wizbang: The Great Turkey Caper — Looks like someone in John Conyers' (D-MI) office ran afowl. Where did turkeys go?
James Joyner: TurkeyGate — Where did turkeys go?
KJL: TURKEY — This Conyers story is a vast right-wing plant to distract from an illegitimate election in Ohio!
Captain Ed: Drudge carried a report from the Detroit Free Press that the staff of Rep. John Conyers took turkeys from a Detroit food...
Orrin Judd: EVEN ROBIN HOOD'S GOT TO EAT (via Bart): Where did turkeys go?
Glenn Reynolds: AND THESE STOLEN TURKEYS WEREN'T PLASTIC, EITHER: [snipped quote] Sounds embarrassingly scrooge-like.
Also: Betsy Newmark, Pejman Yousefzadeh

Clarence Thomas Is in the Right Seat
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
As chief justice, he'd lose clout.
Rumors are flying in Washington about who will replace William H. Rehnquist as chief justice. On the campaign trail, President Bush mentioned Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas as his ideal judges.
Avedon Carol: John Yoo has a fruity piece in the LAT about why Clarence Thomas is wonderful, but skip that and just read the take-down at The Liquid List.
Tarek @LiquidList: And for our final entry, peruse at your leisure a bile-churning op-ed from John C. Yoo in this morning's LA Times.
Orrin Judd: YOU & YOO: Clarence Thomas Is in the Right Seat: As chief justice, he'd lose clout.
Thomas Krannawitter: Clarence Thomas and Strategy — Law Professor John Yoo raises an interesting and important question of strategy...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: AND STILL MORE ON JUSTICE THOMAS — Berkeley law professor—and former Thomas clerk—John Yoo believes that Clarence...
Betsy Newmark: John C. Yoo, a former clerk for Clarence Thomas, pays tribute to Thomas's contributions and argues that being Chief...
Also: Jonathan H. Adler

CNN Lets 'Crossfire' Host Carlson Go
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK - CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, and with him likely the "Crossfire" program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television.
Taegan Goddard: CNN Drops Crossfire — It looks like CNN will cancel Crossfire, "the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television," the AP reports.
KJL: WATCH FOR THE UPCOMING JON STEWART DANCE — Looks like Crossfire is history.
Jesse Walker: Advantage: Jon Stewart — Looks like Crossfire might be facing cancellation.

Mohammed enters top boys' names
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Mohammed has become one of the most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales.
It entered the top 20 most commonly chosen names for 2004 baby boys for the first time ever, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Joe Gandelman: But Not If The Last Name Is Cohen... One of the most popular boys names in England and Wales is now Mohammed — yet another climb up the ethnicity ladder in England.
Clayton Cramer: Yup! Britain! I wonder how much longer the left can continue its adulation of everything Islamic, if it has to wonder...
Charles Johnson: Mohammed Enters Top Boys' Names — One of the most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales is now Mohammed.
Jeff Goldstein: In Argyle sweaters. And bowler hats. And carrying those stupid ivory-trimmed walking sticks. *

Coulter 2005
  New York Observer   —   Permalink 
On Jan. 3, I met Ann Coulter at an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side. She was glowing, stunning, radiant. Better than ever. She was wearing a powder blue shirt, black pants, black boots and a cross around her neck made of diamonds.
Tbogg: "'Merry Christmas' is like saying 'F**k you! '" Yes. It's Ann Coulter. Half man/half woman/full loon.
Betsy Newmark: For those who enjoy Ann Coulter (and she is a hoot) here is an interview with her. She is in top form.
Steve M.: (Source)

Putin Demotes Adviser Critical of the Kremlin
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
MOSCOW, Jan. 3 - President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday abruptly reduced the responsibilities of a senior adviser who last week issued a sweeping criticism of the Kremlin's leadership and expressed deep misgivings about the direction in which Russia was headed.
Joe Gandelman: More Bad News From Russia — If you've been holding your breath to see a smiling Vladimir Putin run a la Julie Andrews...
Brian Doherty: Classical Liberal Loses Influence With Putin — A top Putin adviser of classical liberal sympathies, Andrei N...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: OMINOUS RUSSIA — Those who are rooting for economic and political liberalization in Russia just got another jolt of bad news: [snipped quote] Be sure to read the whole thing.

Deliver us from faraway evil
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
'Susan Sontag died," my mother murmured, not raising her head from the two-day-old Financial Times I had bought her in the hangarlike waiting room of Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Glenn Reynolds: ALEX BEAM writes on tragedies and statistics: "There is an old, politically incorrect saying in newsrooms: How do you...
Brian Doherty: Tragedy vs. News — Regarding the tsunami, Alex Beam of the Boston Globe has some thoughts—with some sympathy for the...
Gary Farber: REPLACING ANOTHER POST, this: [snipped quote] Read The Rest Scale: 2.5 out of 5.

Celebrities Donate Millions to Relief
  AP   —   Permalink 
Celebrities across the globe were mobilizing to help relief efforts in countries affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunamis in southern Asia and eastern Africa.
Ellen DeGeneres is auctioning off a new Prius car on e-Bay, donated by Toyota.
Jude Nagurney Camwell: and other celebrities are pitching in as well, according to the asspress: [snipped quote] Posted by: skippy at 6:51 pm |...
Skippy: and other celebrities are pitching in as well, according to the asspress: [snipped quote] here's leo's website, if you...

Bush quake aid group to dissolve
  By / Financial Times   —   Permalink 
The "core group" of nations announced by US President George W. Bush to channel aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will be dissolved on Thursday after just eight days as the United Nations takes control of the relief effort, delegates to a donors summit said on Wednesday.
Emperor Darth Misha I: You thought you had it bad now? Poor souls, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Donald Sensing: And right above it is a teaser,"UN set to take control of tsunami relief effort..." Is the juxtaposition uninetentional?

Does the Right Remember Abu Ghraib?
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
During the past eight months there have been many news cycles, many front-page stories, many events. There have been elections. There have been hurricanes and tidal waves. Nevertheless, in the grand scheme of things, eight months is not a very long time.
The Poor Man: The true situation is that there is a large and popular insurgency in Iraq, made up of disparate interests, but all draw...
Virginia Postrel: One hopeful sign: This column by the WaPost's Anne Applebaum, who's the furthest thing from a partisan hack—an intellectual with real ethos on human rights.
Laura Rozen: The WaPo's Anne Applebaum asks, does the right remember Abu Ghraib?
QD @SouthernAppeal: Anne Applebaum probably isn't being quite fair to Gonzales here, the fact that his name can be linked so easily to 'torture' makes him an easy target.

Gonzales Helped Set the Course for Detainees
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
In March 2002, U.S. elation at the capture of al Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaida was turning to frustration as he refused to bend to CIA interrogation. But the agency's officers, determined to wring more from Abu Zubaida through threatening interrogations, worried about being charged with violating domestic and international proscriptions on torture.
Avedon Carol: Evil is as evil does — [snipped quote] This is the man George W. Bush has nominated to be our new Attorney General.
Phillip Carter: Present at the creation — The New York Times and Washington Post both front articles on the role played by White House...
Tarek @LiquidList: Like kids cheating on a college term paper, Alberto Gonzales farmed out bits of the "U.S. policy on torture" writing...
Nick Gillespie: (Veiled Subscription Pitch) From the top of today's Wash Post: "Gonzales Helped Set the Course for Detainees: Justice...

Bush Gets a New Voice for Second Term
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
Jan. 5 - President Bush will start his second term with many of his closest and longtime aides by his side including chief of staff Andrew Card, senior adviser Karl Rove and Communications Director Dan Bartlett.
David Allan Pell: The Pen Behind the Teleprompter — Michael Gerson, W's lead speechwriter over the past four years, is stepping down and moving into a policy role.
Orrin Judd: BOGEY WITHOUT BACALL: Bush Gets a New Voice for Second Term: Michael Gerson, the chief speechwriter during the...

Yet More of One Face in Season 4 of 'Alias'
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
What you think of "Alias" depends a lot on what you think of Jennifer Garner. If the actress's great beauty suggests to you infinite variety, then the show's claim to profundity, which it makes with ponderous attention to Ms. Garner's face, will ring true.
Orrin Judd: KAELCOUNTRY: Yet More of One Face in Season 4 of 'Alias' (VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN, 1/05/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] While Ms...
Ed Cone: NYT arts (by Virginia Heffernan): "American comics have become, through male nostalgia and the canonization of the graphic novel, sacrosanct.
Fontana Labs: Opening a review of the new season of "Alias," the NYT's Virginia Heffernan uses her Super Bitchy Powers to attack Fortress Holbo: Let's be honest.
James Joyner: Alias: Season 4 — Virginia Heffernan is apparently not Jennifer Garner's biggest fan: [snipped quote] I watched a few...

Proof Tom DeLay is now politically radioactive?
  By / Houston Chronicle   —   Permalink 
Monday's stunning reversal by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and the Republicans in Congress on the so-called DeLay Rule caught all by surprise, including those of us in the midst of the effort to hold politicians accountable for these types of actions.
Byron LaMasters: Speaking of DeLay, check out David Donnelly's column in the Houston Chronicle today: [snipped quote] Let's send Tom DeLay to the showers in 2006.
Charles Kuffner: On DeLay's retreat — David Donnelly has an op-ed in today's Chron about why Tom DeLay and the Republicans reversed course on the DeLay Rule.
Joe Gandelman: Indeed, the Houston Chronicle has finally spit out what many are are quietly asking:"Proof Tom DeLay is now politically radioactive?"

Bush Eyes Plan Using Bulk of Payroll Taxes
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - President Bush is expected to unveil his plan for a Social Security overhaul in late February, with administration officials eyeing investment accounts that would hold two-thirds of workers' annual payroll taxes.
Bryan Keefer and Thomas Lang: In an Associated Press story today headlined "Bush Eyes Plan Using Bulk of Payroll Taxes," the lead paragraph tells us...
Jesse Taylor: Progressization — The privatization plan that doesn't really exist is starting to take shape...and it's looking like an amorphous blob.
SK Bubba: It should come as no surprise — As I predicted back on Nov. 4th, the GOP steamroller is fired up and ready to roll over...

Marine Charged With Desertion Goes Missing
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun (search ), the Marine who was once thought kidnapped in Iraq only to be charged later with desertion, has disappeared, Marine officials announced Wednesday.
Michelle Malkin: From FOX News: "Hassoun had been on leave with his family in West Jordan, Utah, when he was scheduled to return to Camp...
Kevin Aylward: Kidnapped Marine Charged With Desertion Deserts Again RALEIGH, N.C.

USC Notches Another 1
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
MIAMI, Jan. 4 — The Orange Bowl kicked off Tuesday with all the hallmarks of a football classic: two storied opponents, each with flawless records; a national title at stake; a pair of Heisman Trophy winners and a supporting cast worthy of the hype.
Hugh Hewitt: Congratulations to the USC Trojans. I appear to have underestimated the Trojans and overestimated the Sooners' relative strengths, since I predicted a 3 touchdown Sooner triumph.
QD @SouthernAppeal: Wow: USC really trounced OU. I guess those PAC-10 types really can play football, especially when the other team keeps handing them the ball.
Captain Ed: NOTE: Unfortunately, the system ate my gracious and generous post congratulating USC for winning the national championship last night in the Orange Bowl.
Steve Bainbridge: USC — I wish I could bring myself to congratulate my many friends across town at USC on their team's stunning victory, but ... I just can't bring myself to do it.

Schumacher's bodyguard died in tsunami
  AP   —   Permalink 
(01-05) 08:23 PST FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) —
A bodyguard for seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was among those killed in the tsunami disaster.
Burkhard Cramer died in Phuket, Thailand, Schumacher spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said Wednesday.
James Joyner: She also notes that Shumacher was personally affected by the tragedy, as his bodyguard, Burkhard Cramer, was killed in Phuket.
Michelle Malkin: The German race driver opens up his heart and purse... [snipped quote] Update: The Reuters blurb doesn't mention that Schumacher was personally affected by the disaster.

Pressure Cooker
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Andrew Card is talking about his kitchen. "I know my kitchen really well, as evidenced by my rotund being," Card says, patting his belly. "I know where the oven is and I know where the microwave is and I know where the sink is and I know where the refrigerator is and the freezer and the cupboards and the table and the chairs."
Joe Carter: (HT: Amy Ridenour) ***** Card's Kitchen You don't often hear about Andrew Card, the White House Chief of Staff, but it appears he has developed an amazing ability
Taegan Goddard: White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, quoted by the Washington Post.
James Joyner: Andrew Card's Memory Palace — WaPo features an interesting profile of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card entitled, "Pressure Cooker."

Land of Penny Pinchers
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
So is the U.S. "stingy" about helping poor countries?
That accusation by a U.N. official, in veiled form, provoked indignation here. After all, we're the most generous people on earth ... aren't we?
No, alas, we're not.
Captain Ed: Kristof: Yes, We're Stingy — And Full Of Ourselves — The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof channels his inner Jan...
Tom Maguire: Is The US Stingy, Or Not? Today, Nick Kristof tells us that the US is stingy with development aid.
Greg Ransom: NICHOLAS KRISTOF — "Americans are heartless Scrooges." I'm guessing Kristof is completely ignorant of the works of this man.
Richard TPD: Stingy America — Nicholas Kristoff, the annoying but occasionally right-on columnist for the NYT, tells us why we are indeed a stingy people.
The Poor Man: Cheap — Nicholas Kristof says some very important things today: [snipped quote] Shameful.

Staples Pulls Advertising From Sinclair
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Office-supply retailer Staples Inc. is pulling its advertising from news programming on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. television stations, saying the decision was fueled in part by e-mails from customers angry at what they consider to be the broadcaster's right-wing bias in news and commentary.
Captain Ed: Staples Folds, Will Join Sinclair News Boycott — The attack on Sinclair Broadcasting by Media Matters for America has claimed its first scalp.
Joe Carter: Sinclair Gets Stapled After receiving complaints from the liberal media group Media Matters for America, office-supply...

Prove It
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
THE COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW has a long, proud history of ignoring the story of the forged documents used by Dan Rather and CBS News. You'll recall that the scandal first broke on September 9, 2004, when a group of bloggers publicly questioned the validity of the four CBS memos.
Kevin Aylward: So who exactly did Pein interview? :: crickets :: Update: Pein criticizes others for not reading or misreading his...
Ace: Jonathan V. Last's article in the Weekly Standard makes short work of this dreadfully incompetent hackery. Worth reading.
Glenn Reynolds: JONATHAN LAST: [snipped quote] Ouch.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Jonathan Last, however, does not let the CJR get away with eliding the main issues at hand. His article is very revealing.
Betsy Newmark: Jonathan Last looks at the ludicrous essay in the Columbian Journalism Review that sought to blame the bloggers for the Rathergate stofy.

Blogs' new place at the media table
  Guardian   —   Permalink 
Blogs have, of course, been only a tiny part of the tsunami story. But the tsunami may have a profound effect on blogs. These self-published sites have played a huge role in the telling of the horror that struck - and continues to strike - south-east Asia, and...
Glenn Reynolds: As Neil McIntosh writes: "For the first time, powerful coverage of a huge news event was not brought to you purely by established media.
Jeff Jarvis: The future of blogs : Neil McIntosh has a great post on the importance of the tsunami to the future of citizens' media.

Tape Shows Al-Jazeera, Saddam Link
  AP   —   Permalink 
A videotape found in a pile of documents in Baghdad following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime shows a former manager of the Al-Jazeera satellite channel thanking one of Saddam's sons for his support and telling him that "Al-Jazeera is your channel," the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday.
Betsy Newmark: In case you doubted it, here's proof that Al Jazeera was just a paid shill for Saddam Hussein. "videotape found in a...
Orrin Judd: THERE'S GOTTA BE A HOWELL RAINES TAPE TOO: Tape Shows Al-Jazeera, Saddam Link (Associated Press, January 5, 2005)...
Ace: Smoking Gun: Tape Shows Al-Jazeera, Saddam Link — Not the OBL-Saddam link we'd all like, but it does put lie to the...
James Joyner: Tape Shows Al-Jazeera, Saddam Link — Tape Shows Al-Jazeera, Saddam Link by Associated Press (AP) [snipped quote] Quite interesting.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: AND WATER IS WET — Yawn as you read through this story, since no part of it could surprise you: [snipped quote] Please...

Election scrutiny reveals provisional-vote flaws
  By / Seattle Times   —   Permalink 
An unknown number of provisional voters, some of whom may not even have been registered to vote, improperly put their ballots directly into vote-counting machines at polling places, King County's elections superintendent said yesterday.
Ace: They're Stealing Washington, and No One Cares — Report: Provisional ballots, which are only supposed to be counted...
Paul @Wizbang: Election scrutiny reveals provisional-vote flaws An unknown number of provisional voters, some of whom may not even have...

Social Security Battle Likely
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Two groups of prominent Democratic centrists plan to oppose the centerpiece of President Bush's proposal to restructure Social Security, potentially dimming administration hopes of building bipartisan support for its top domestic priority.
Barbara O'Brien: Basic Things — The Democratic Leadership Council and another group of centrist Dems, the Third Way, say they will oppose Bush's Social Security "restructuring" scheme.
Steve M.: By the way, the best news of the day is from the L.A. Times: The Democratic Leadership Council, the party's...
Josh Marshall: According to Ron Brownstein's piece in the LAT, both the DLC and Third Way "expect to issue statements soon opposing...
Kevin Drum: However, Ron Brownstein reports that at least one Senate Republican thinks there's room for compromise with Senate Democrats.
Howard Kurtz: The battle lines are already hardening, says the Los Angeles Times: "Two groups of prominent Democratic centrists plan...
Orrin Judd: Social Security Battle Likely: In a possible setback to White House efforts, two Democratic centrist groups plan to take a stand against individual investment accounts.

Preview to a Hearing
  NRO   —   Permalink 
A Look at a witness against Alberto Gonzales.
With the Senate Judiciary Committee set to take up tomorrow the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales — affectionately known to many as "Judge" Gonzales (he's a former Texas supreme-court justice) — to be our...
Lorie Byrd: The Public Should Know About The Memos — I wrote earlier today that the Republicans should fight hard for the President's nominees, beginning with Gonzales.
Glenn Reynolds: And here's more evidence that the Democrats are playing into Karl Rove's hands.

Man Charged Under Patriot Act for Laser
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A man charged with temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot of an airplane with a laser beam claims he was simply using the device to look at stars with his 7-year-old daughter.
Tim Cavanaugh: Aim High — Courtesy of Drudge comes news that David Banach, the Garden State Laser Man, has been charged under the USA PATRIOT act.
Ryan Davis: The West Wing, Episode 1." Apparently, the answer is yes.
Michelle Malkin: As you all know, the feds announced yesterday that the reckless moron who reportedly pointed a laser beam at an airplane...
Laura Rozen: What an idiot. So glad they caught this guy.

Another Term for McAuliffe as DNC Chair?
  By / ABCNEWS   —   Permalink 
Jan. 4, 2005 — Top Democrats are working to convince current Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to remain in his post for at least another 12 months as the party prepares for the 2006 midterm elections.
Jerome Armstrong: As the article, Another Term for McAuliffe as DNC Chair? states, the netroots has not been enthralled by McAuliffe as...
Steven Taylor: Is the Dem Bench Really That Shallow? Via ABC News: Another Term for McAuliffe as DNC Chair?

Whitman book hits Bush, Rove
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
The Republican Party is being "dictated to by a coalition of ideological extremists," a former Bush administration Cabinet official says in a new book that blames President Bush and his top political strategist for failing to bring more "blue states" into the Republican column in November.
Alexander K. McClure: According to the none-too-bright former EPA director, "The Republican Party "at the national level is allowing itself to...
Taegan Goddard: Whitman Slaps Bush, Rove — The Republican Party is being "dictated to by a coalition of ideological extremists," former...

Navel Gazing
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
America's obsession with fat is increasingly colonizing the cultural imagination, and not just on sadistic reality-TV diet shows like The Biggest Loser. There's also been a lot of fat on the New York stage lately.
Ann Althouse: Laura Kipnis explains the "irreconcilable contradiction between feminism and femininity": "The reason they're incompatible is simple.
Ramesh Ponnuru: LAURA KIPNIS is not being wry in the following sentence, which is what makes it so amusing: "For some reason, the...

Bush to Seek Limits on Lawsuits
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Empowered by reelection and a more Republican Congress, President Bush and his White House aides are betting that 2005 will be the year for big strides in the longtime conservative crusade to curb lawsuits and bring to heel trial lawyers who profit at the expense of corporations.
Avedon Carol: Naturally, George Bush just wants to punish the rest of us for bad doctors and greedy, irresponsible insurers.
Orrin Judd: ALIENATION OF AFFECTION: Bush to Seek Limits on Lawsuits: Fierce Battle Over Curbs Is Expected (Jim VandeHei and John F...

US wounded in Iraq reaches 10,000
  BBC   —   Permalink 
The Pentagon says that more than 10,000 US military personnel have been wounded in Iraq since the conflict began in March 2003.
Newly published figures show that more than 5,000 of the wounded have been unable to return to duty.
James Joyner: US Wounded in Iraq Reaches 10,000 — US wounded in Iraq reaches 10,000 (BBC) "The Pentagon says that more than 10,000...
Mary @LeftCoaster: Today the Iraq war has resulted in 10,000 wounded soldiers. Half of those are wounded badly enough that they are incapable of returning to duty.
Steve Gilliard: US wounded in Iraq reaches 10,000 "The Pentagon says that more than 10,000 US military personnel have been wounded in Iraq since the conflict began in March 2003.

Will Eisner, a Pioneer of Comic Books, Is Dead at 87
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Will Eisner, an innovative comic-book artist who created the Spirit, a hero without superpowers, and the first modern graphic novel, "A Contract With God," died on Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he lived. He was 87.
Jim Henley: So it's sad to learn of the death of Will Eisner Monday. Eisner founded much of the basic grammar of graphic storytelling.
Ed Cone: NYT obit (by Sarah Boxer): "Will Eisner, an innovative comic-book artist who created the Spirit, a hero without...
Dean Esmay: More On Eisner — The nicest summation of Will Eisner's life and contributions that I've seen is this one by Sarah Boxer.
Orrin Judd: Will Eisner, a Pioneer of Comic Books, Dies at 87 (SARAH BOXER , 1/05/05, NY Times) [quote] Comics fans call the Spirit "The...[end quote]
Gary Farber: THE SPIRIT LIVES ON, but Will Eisner passes. Respectful Times obit (quoting my old [casual] friend, Chris Couch), though others will be lengthier and do more justice.

Bush's Counsel Sought Ruling About Torture
  NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel, intervened directly with Justice Department lawyers in 2002 to obtain a legal ruling on the extent of the president's authority to permit extreme interrogation practices in the name of national security, current and former administration officials said Tuesday.
Digby: I Was Only Issuing Orders — The New York Times reveals that Alberto Gonzales circumvented established guidelines and...
Armando @DailyKos: Gonzales Requested Torture Memo — How can this piece of s**t be the next Attorney General?
Atrios: A.G. T NYT: WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel, intervened directly with Justice...
Howard Kurtz: The upcoming Gonzales hearings could be, well, torture for the attorney general nominee, as this New York Times piece...
Andrew Sullivan: Today, we find that not only did Gonzales pen the memo that gave the president legal carte blanche to waive the Geneva...
Charles Johnson: ("Torture!" screams the LA Times. "Torture!" screams the New York Times.)

A salute to the USS Abraham Lincoln
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
Greetings, America-haters. Do you think you could stop raving against our "war criminals" and "killing machines" — and you, Teddy Kennedy, could you stop panting over those Abu Ghraib photos — for a moment and join me in praise for our military's compassion and innovation?
Spoons: On a completely unrelated topic, Michelle's Towhnhall.com column tells a small part of the story of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
Betsy Newmark: MIchelle Malkin pays tribute to the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The Intifada Comes to Duke
  Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
A new ritual on the American academic scene is the annual conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement. The PSM is an umbrella organization that connects various U.S. and Canadian groups; its yearly gathering offers an opportunity for the constituent...
Charles Johnson: The Intifada Comes to Duke — Here's an excellent piece on the pro-terror Palestine Solidarity Movement conference,...
Ed Driscoll: Just Another Day At Dupont University — Eric Adler and Jack Langer, writing in The Wall Street Journal, describe how the Intifada came to Duke this fall.
Jayson @PoliPundit: That* Problem With Anti-American, Anti-Israeli Bias on Our College and University Campuses This Opinion Journal piece...

C.I.A. Chief Names Deputy and Ends Meetings
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - In the latest changes at the Central Intelligence Agency, Porter J. Goss, the new chief, has named a new deputy director for intelligence and has abolished a daily 5 p.m. meeting that had been used since the Sept. 11 attacks to coordinate counterterrorism operations around the world, intelligence officials said on Tuesday.
Nathan Newman: CIA Now Complete GOP Hack Operation — New CIA Director (and former Florida Congressman) Porter Goss has now eliminated...
Orrin Judd: NOT MEETUP.ORG: C.I.A. Chief Names Deputy and Ends Meetings (DOUGLAS JEHL, 1/05/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Is there...

Hail Estonia!
  Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
For the first time in the 11 years that the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal have been publishing the Index of Economic Freedom, the U.S. has dropped out of the top 10 freest economies in the world.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: This editorial provides some more analysis of the issue: [snipped quote] Stephen Bainbridge's thoughts on this issue are...
Jon Henke: Opportunities lost, promises unfulfilled, fiscal-conservatism missing. [story via Luskin] UPDATE: Opinion Journal has more.
Steve Bainbridge: Slipping down the ladder of economic freedom — This is not good news: [snipped quote] The references to Sarbanes-Oxley...
Mike Rappaport: The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation have issued their 11th edition of the Index of Economic Freedom.
Roger L. Simon: As a former left-wing-communist-dupe- type, I hadn't realized, until reading Mary Anastasia O'Grady's oped in this...
Orrin Judd: NOTICABLE ABSENCE OF CANADA (via Tom Corcoran): Hail Estonia! : But America drops out of the top 10.
Also: Porphyrogenitus

Murtha: Give Dean DNC chair
  By / The Hill   —   Permalink 
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) is actively lobbying Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegates to select former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as their next chairman.
Shawn @LiquidList: Politics: DNC Chair — According to The Hill, Dean's campaign for the DNC Chair recently got a boost in the House, with the support of PA Rep John Murtha.
Jerome Armstrong: Rep. John Murtha, fresh off of placing third for Speaker, says Give Dean DNC chair: "The endorsement of the leading...

U.S. Says Man Shined Laser at Aircraft
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
NEWARK, Jan. 4 - A man from Parsippany, N.J., was accused on Tuesday of shining a laser pen into the cockpits of a small passenger jet and a helicopter over the last week, then lying about his actions when confronted by federal agents at his home.
Cori Dauber: From this New York Times account it seems pretty clear that the New Jersey man arrested for shining a laser into the...
Steve Gilliard: Lights, FBI, 25 years in jail — Osama Bin Banach U.S. Says Man Shined Laser at Aircraft By DAMIEN CAVE [snipped quote] The US Attorney sounded like a f**king idiot on the news.

Field of Candidates for DNC Chairman Narrows to Four
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The field of potential candidates for Democratic National Committee chairman shrank by two yesterday when former White House deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes and former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk announced they had decided not to enter the competition.
Jerome Armstrong: Balz has a DC wrap.
KJL: THE DNC RACE the field is narrowing (watch the soon to be renamed kerry spot for more)
Taegan Goddard: Update: The Washington Post notes there are now four announcement candidates in the race, with Howard Dean still exploring a bid to lead the party.

Ickes, Kirk Pull Out of DNC Chair Race
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Former Clinton aide Harold Ickes and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk let top Democrats know Tuesday that they won't be running for chairman of the Democratic National Committee .
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE OTHER ELECTION — The race for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee has been winnowed; a...
Byron LaMasters: The AP is reporting that both Ron Kirk and Harold Ickes have dropped their bids for DNC chair.
Nathan Nance: The race narrows — Guest post by Nate Nance Apparently Ron Kirk and Harold Ickes are both dropping out of the race for...
Captain Ed: In a move that calls into question Hillary Clinton's expected run for the presidency in 2008, Harold Ickes has pulled...
Charles Kuffner: So much for Kirk — Guess that NY Metro fellow will have to redo his odds: Ron Kirk has dropped out of the race for DNC Chair.
Taegan Goddard: Ickes, Kirk Pull Out of DNC Race — Former Clinton aide Harold Ickes and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk [snipped quote] the AP reports.

Bush Soc. Sec. Plan to Allow Tax Diversion
  ABCNEWS   —   Permalink 
In this photo released by the White House Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, President Bush talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Florida Governor Jeb Bush, while working in the Oval Office, during their trip to tsunami affected areas. (AP Photo/The White House, Eric Draper, Ho)
Bryan Keefer and Thomas Lang: (Meantime, Atrios points out that an earlier version of the piece that hit the wire last night made an even more egregious error: confusing "percentage" with "percentage point."
Atrios: Innumeracy — If our press can't even get the simplest goddamn things right, we're doomed. [snipped quote] 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS.
Josh Marshall: Contrary to what this AP report (and many other articles) says, the emerging Bush proposal doesn't allow younger worker...

Private U.S. Aid for Tsunami Tops $200M
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK - From antibiotics to clothes to cash — lots of it — U.S.-based relief groups report an overwhelming response from donors moved by the devastation of the Indian Ocean tsunami, with more than $200 million raised as of Tuesday.
Emperor Darth Misha I: US online holiday shopping hits $23.2b, up 25% ...women, minorities hardest hit in "worst economy since Hoover" Private...
Charles Johnson: We Stingy Americans — Private U.S. Aid for Tsunami Tops $200M.

New Congress Convenes With Pomp, Promises
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
0104dv-congress In a show of strength at the dawn of a new Congress, majority Republicans passed new ethics standards opposed by House Democrats on Tuesday and threatened to change Senate rules if necessary to confirm President Bush's court appointees.
Emperor Darth Misha I: New Congress Convenes With Pomp, Promises ...dog bites man, film at 11 UN Fears Gangs May Traffick in Tsunami Children...
Lorie Byrd: Now that a new Congress has convened, North Carolina has two full time Senators for the first time in almost four years.

America's first, again
  By / CANOE   —   Permalink 
Thank goodness for the Americans. What would this world would be like without the U.S.?
Especially in times of natural disasters like the Boxing Day tsunami that killed so many and shocked the world into unprecedented humanitarian generosity.
John Hawkins: Thank Goodness For The Americans — Now here's a Canuck, Toronto Sun columnist Peter Worthington, who gets it... "Thank goodness for the Americans.
Michelle Malkin: Gotta quote the ending, too, because you won't read anything like it on the New York Times op-ed page: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing here.
Smash: Recognition — Praise From the Great White North PETER WORTHINGTON takes a contrarian position (for a Canadian) by lauding the humanitarian efforts of the United States.

Gonzales Nomination Draws Military Criticism
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
A dozen high-ranking retired military officers took the unusual step yesterday of signing a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing "deep concern" over the nomination of White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales as attorney general, marking a rare military foray into the debate over a civilian post.
Wretchard: The danger is that the confirmation hearings of Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales will in the end leave the...
Avedon Carol: Also in the WaPo, Gonzales Nomination Draws Military Criticism: A dozen high-ranking retired military officers took the...
Kevin T. Keith: Military Professionals Condemn Torture Advocate — Injecting some welcome sanity, prinicple, and professionalism into...
Andrew Sullivan: GONZALES AND TORTURE - GETTING WARMER: [snipped quote] - General Shalikashvili and a dozen other high-ranking retired...
Ken Masugi: Now retired military have interjected themselves into the debate.
Orrin Judd: ROUND UP THE USUAL BUREAUCRATS — Gonzales Nomination Draws Military Criticism: Retired Officers Cite His Role in...
Also: Tim Dunlop, Steve M., Faisal @ShrillBlog, Laura Rozen, Armando @DailyKos, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings

Iraqi insurgents now outnumber coalition forces
  By / Times of London   —   Permalink 
IRAQ'S rapidly swelling insurgency numbers 200,000 fighters and active supporters and outnumbers the United States-led coalition forces, the head of the country's intelligence service said yesterday.
James Joyner: Iraqi Insurgents Now Outnumber Coalition Forces — Iraqi insurgents now outnumber coalition forces (Times of London)
Andrew Sullivan: I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people," - General Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, director of Iraq's new intelligence services.
Brian Doherty: Outnumbered in Iraq — The UK's Times reports that General Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, director of Iraq's new...
Jim Henley: Turning the Wrong Damned Corner, Again - In the London Times article Brian Doherty linked for the Hit and Run item...
Max B. Sawicky: TUNNEL AT THE END OF THE LIGHT According to our man in Iraq: "IRAQ'S rapidly swelling insurgency numbers 200,000...

SHOCK AFTER CNN CHIEF 'FLOOD THE ZONE' COMMENT
  Drudge Report   —   Permalink 
Industry insiders are aghast at new CNN chief Jonathan Klein's appalling lack of sensitivity to the tsunami disaster in his ongoing media tour today.
Klein told USATODAY that CNN was "able to flood the zone immediately."
"It's jarring," said one news executive.
Kevin Aylward: [Link] Thieves steal tsunami cash [Link] A hoaxer pretending to be a British government official has emailed relatives...
Bill @INDCJournal: Foot-in-Mouth Disease — Drudge is hyping a poor choice of words by CNN head Jonathan Klein: [snipped quote] You may...
Joe Gandelman: Not "Yellow Journalism" But Fetid Brown Journalism — To MD: Get a life. (This is the last time in the history of this blog we will ever link to that site.
James Joyner: CNN Floods the Flood Zone — Drudge: [snipped quote] Well, certainly Klein could have chosen better words.
Jan Haugland: CNN chief Jonathan Klein (of "pajamas" fame) made an unfortunate choice of word when he told USAToday that his channel...
Ace: Now this moron clucks about CNN's "flood the zone" coverage... in connection to the tsunami catastrophe.
Also: Glenn Reynolds

Frist's Hypocritical and Dishonest Attack on Democracy
  Center for American Progress   —   Permalink 
Documents obtained by American Progress show Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist participated in an effort to block one of Bill Clinton's judicial nominees via filibuster, then lied about it.
In recent weeks, Frist has been relentlessly preaching about the evils of judicial filibusters.
Kevin Raybould: What will we tell the children. Link via CAP, editing via Law and Politics.
Skippy: frist in the hearts of his countrymen judd legum of winning argument sends us this american progress report showing how...
Atrios: From CAP: Documents obtained by American Progress show Frist participated in an effort to block one of Bill Clinton's judicial nominees via filibuster, then lied about it.

Tribe shoots arrows at aid flight
  By / BBC   —   Permalink 
An Indian helicopter dropping food and water over the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been attacked by tribesmen using bows and arrows.
There were fears that the endangered tribal groups had been wiped out when massive waves struck their islands.
Orrin Judd: Which, come to think of it, might be a good idea in Andaman, Tribe shoots arrows at aid flight (Jonathan Charles, BBC...
Steve Gilliard: Tribe shoots arrows at aid flight By Jonathan Charles BBC News, Andaman Islands [snipped quote] Jen Bows and Arrows?
James Joyner: Tribe Shoots Arrows at Aid Flight — Tribe shoots arrows at aid flight (BBC) [snipped quote] Now that's looking on the bright side!
Jeff Goldstein: Thirty-third in a series of real-time empirical observations — In the time it takes you to read this, Andaman and...
Charles Johnson: What Would We Do Without "Authorities?" Tribe shoots arrows at aid flight.
Betsy Newmark: At least, someone there is up to firing arrows at the aid airplanes.

Rossi given fresh hope as 'mystery voters' grow
  By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer   —   Permalink 
Thousands of "mystery voters" in the counties of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clark and Kitsap appear to be Republican Dino Rossi's best prospect for challenging the legitimacy of the closest and most contentious gubernatorial election in the state's history.
Captain Ed: Mystery Voters Grow In Washington — The uncertainty surrounding the gubernatorial election in Washington continues to...
James Joyner: 'Mystery Voters' in Washington Governors' Race — Rossi given fresh hope as 'mystery voters' grow (Seattle...
David Neiwert: The GOP went hunting for more of these discrepancies, and today announced it had found more of them in counties that went for Gregoire.
Orrin Judd: TIE GOES TO THE COUNTER: Rossi given fresh hope as 'mystery voters' grow: GOP calls on counties to explain a discrepancy...

The victims of the tsunami pay the price of war on Iraq
  By / Guardian   —   Permalink 
There has never been a moment like it on British television. The Vicar of Dibley, one of our gentler sitcoms, was bouncing along with its usual bonhomie on New Year's Day when it suddenly hit us with a scene from another world.
Arthur Chrenkoff: Baby-killers to the rescue: George Monbiot thinks that the Americans should just stick to what they do best: "The US...
Tim Blair: TSUNAMI-IRAQI LINK REVEALED — It's only January 5, yet Rob Hinkley may have already identified the headline of the...
Kevin Aylward: The UK Guardian scores a Bus**t of 1 with this headline - The victims of the tsunami pay the price of war on Iraq.

Social Security Formula Weighed
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
The Bush administration has signaled that it will propose changing the formula that sets initial Social Security benefit levels, cutting promised benefits by nearly a third in the coming decades, according to several Republicans close to the White House.
Steve M.: I find it amusing that this infuriated so many conservatives when she said it, and infuriates them now — but these same...
Tom Maguire: Karl Rove, Call Your Office — Max Sawicky peers at the WaPo report suggesting that Bush plans to propose a change in the indexation of Social Security benefits.
Matthew Yglesias: The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman and Mike Allen report what everyone already knew: The Bush plan will call for a...
Garance Franke-Ruta: It seems I'd have to save or create something like an additional $60,000, assuming a post-retirement lifespan similar to...
Avedon Carol: Some news and views — In The Washington Post, the Bush Social Security Deform Plan is revealed, and it's every bit as ghastly as you might expect.
Rickheller @Centerfield: Besides the private accounts, a huge change would be to change the payout indexing from tracking the rise in wages to tracking inflation.
Also: Steve Soto, Max B. Sawicky, Thomas Lang, DeLong, Nathan Nance, Atrios, Tyler Cowen, Rich Lowry, Orrin Judd, Susan Madrak, Lambert @Corrente, Herb La Tortue, Taegan Goddard, Oliver Willis, Josh Marshall

A Tale of 2 Systems
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Over the past 50 years, we've been having a big debate over two rival economic systems. Conservatives have tended to favor the American model, with smaller government and lower taxes, but less social support.
Tom Maguire: We will have more. Meanwhile, here is the CBO, and thoughts from MaxSpeak. And the line du jour comes from David Brooks.
New Donkey: And now, in his column today, Brooks draws a picture of "liberal" and "conservative" economic strategies from so great a...
Orrin Judd: A Tale of 2 Systems: An aging population is a challenge in the U.S. but could spell economic paralysis for Europe.
Barbara O'Brien: David "The Cabbage" Brooks, on the other hand, says smugly that America is better prepared to face the economic challenges of the future than, say, Europe.
Matthew Yglesias: If David Brooks actually cared about sustaining long-term US economic growth instead of just pretending to as a...

Stopping the Bum's Rush
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The people who hustled America into a tax cut to eliminate an imaginary budget surplus and a war to eliminate imaginary weapons are now trying another bum's rush.
Howard Kurtz: WashPost columnist Richard Cohen reaches for the same analogy: "Why do I think that the Social Security crisis — 'the...
Tom Maguire: Krugman - Save Social Security Last — Paul Krugman continues his defense of the Social security status quo with a ringing call to Save Social Security last.
Ed Cone: Krugman: [snipped quote] — The Democrats became a majority party by creating a social safety net for all Americans.
Barbara O'Brien: On one hand, you have a column by Paul Krugman, which is the first of a series of articles on why Bush's privatization...
Avedon Carol: Back into the fray — Paul Krugman is back, and beginning a fresh series on Social Security with Stopping the Bum's...

The Academic Left and the Christian Right, Part II
  By / TCS   —   Permalink 
Five weeks ago, I wrote a column ("Faculty Clubs and Church Pews") that suggested an odd political coalition: intellectuals and evangelicals. A lot of people have e-mailed me about that column, and a number of blogs have commented on it.
Orrin Judd: The Academic Left and the Christian Right, Part II (William J. Stuntz, 1/04/05, Tech Central Station) "The intellectual left and the religious right not only could come together.
Deacon: Pressing his luck, he now returns to this theme, arguing that "the situation is even better than I'd thought.
Glenn Reynolds: BILL STUNTZ FOLLOWS UP AN EARLIER COLUMN, which David Brooks listed among the top ten essays of 2004, with more on the Christian right and the academic left.
QD @SouthernAppeal: Blue Academe and Red Pews: William Stuntz, Harvard Law prof and fellow evangelical, has a follow-up to his earlier essay...
Ramesh Ponnuru: IF WILLIAM STUNTZ wanted to make his idea for a coalition of academics and evangelicals sound less "nuts," he has not succeeded.

Al Gore's INdTV: The People's Programmer
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Tuning in to Gore TV: Little is publicly known about the cable news network planned by almost-president Al Gore except that it will be called INdTV (say it like "indie"), aims to wow the youth market, has set up shop in San Francisco and is supposed to launch this year.
Captain Ed: The Best Television Since The Chevy Chase Show — Al Gore's new TV "network", dubbed INdTV for now, recently sent out a...
Taegan Goddard: A Sneak Peak at Gore TV — The Reliable Source received "a glimpse of some of the programming envisioned" by executives at Al Gore's television network venture, INdTV.
The Poor Man: This is going to be such a f**king train wreck: "Tuning in to Gore TV: Little is publicly known about the cable news...

Will Eisner Dies At 87
  Editor and Publisher   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK Cartoonist/graphic novelist Will Eisner died last night in Florida following quadruple heart bypass surgery. He was 87.
His newspaper connection included creating "The Spirit" insert for Sunday papers from 1940 to 1952.
Brian Doherty: Will Eisner, R.I.P. Just learned, to my dismay and sorrow, that comic book great Will Eisner died Monday night at age 87, after heart surgery.
James Joyner: Will Eisner Dies At 87 — Courtesy Will Eisner.com Will Eisner Dies At 87 (Editor and Publisher) [snipped quote] As Brian...
Michele Catalano: Spirit — RIP, Will Eisner. . [snipped quote] Eisner was a pioneer, as far as sequential art/graphic novels go.

Keep counting till you win election
  By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer   —   Permalink 
If you don't win the election on the first count — demand a recount and litigate until you get the result you want (or the U.S. Supreme Court says enough of this foolishness).
David Neiwert: In an op-ed in the P-I today by Republican mouthpiece David E. Johnson, we get a classic demonstration of conservative...
Scott Elliott: Senator Rossi — After the fiasco in Washington state where the Democrats finally managed to push their gal over the...

FCC launches probe into latest network profanity slip
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK - When Motley Crue's Vince Neil wished bandmate Tommy Lee a happy New Year live on NBC, he couldn't resist inserting a profanity - and now the FCC is involved.
The Federal Communications Commission has received complaints about the New Year's Eve "Tonight" show and is beginning a preliminary probe, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
James Joyner: FCC Investigating Vince Neil F-Bomb — FCC launches probe into latest network profanity slip (AP) [snipped quote] One would think the FCC would have better things to do.
Jeff Jarvis: FCC follies : The FCC launches a federal investigation of Jay Leno's New Year's Eve show, in which Motley Crue's Vince Neil wished Tommy Lee a "happy f**king New Year."

Criminals target tsunami victims
  By / BBC   —   Permalink 
They have already survived an experience that most people can scarcely imagine. But the victims of the Asian tsunami now face a new danger - criminals and opportunists trying to cash in on their misfortune.
Steve Gilliard: Orphan hunting — "Children-survivors board a C-130 transport plane at military-controlled airport in Banda Aceh, 1 Jan...
Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Delightful — Lest you be distracted by unbelievably revolting stories of people looting homes, stores and...

More Women Opting Against Birth Control, Study Finds
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
At a time when the medical community has been heartened by a decline in risky sexual behavior by teenagers, a different problem has crept up: More adult women are forgoing birth control, a trend that has experts puzzled — and alarmed about a potential rise in unintended pregnancies.
Stuart Buck: More Women Opting Against Birth Control, Study Finds — Check out this Washington Post article.
KJL: THE INCREDIBLE DANGEROUS POWER OF THE RIGHT-WING CHRISTIAN BUSH ADMINISTRATION — By permitting abstinence education in...
Matthew Yglesias: Um...I've got lots of questions about this article which seems ambiguously worded at key moments (are they counting...
Orrin Judd: More Women Opting Against Birth Control, Study Finds (Ceci Connolly, January 4, 2005, Washington Post)

Iraqi Premier Calls Bush to Discuss Obstacles to Election
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 3 - Hours after a wave of bombing attacks that left at least 20 people dead on Monday, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi telephoned President Bush and discussed the many impediments still facing the country as it heads toward elections in 27 days, according to senior American officials familiar with the contents of the call.
Steve M.: Even though he knows the administration's official position on the subject is a loud "LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU,"...
Lambert @Corrente: iWaq: Hey, I thought sovreignty had been transferred to Iraq by now? What was the word I agreed to use for Iraq instead of the extremely technically accurate "clusterf**k"?
Larre @LeftCoaster: Buried below news of today's assassination of Baghdad's governor, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and David E. Sanger of the New...

U.S. choppers find remote survivors
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
KARIM RAJIA, Indonesia — U.S. helicopters yesterday rescued dozens of desperate and weak tsunami survivors — including a young girl clutching a stuffed Snoopy — as the American military relief operation reached out to remote areas of Indonesia with cartons of food and water.
Hugh Hewitt: From the Washington Times: An inspiring story of the United States Navy's rescue of some desperate survivors of the tsunamis.
Hindrocket: Tsunami Relief Update — The Associated Press has the latest on the effort to rescue tsunami survivors in Sumatra, now...
James Joyner: Tsunami Survivors Rescued — U.S. choppers find remote survivors (AP-Washington Times) "U.S. helicopters yesterday...

Patriarch of Terror
  Front Page Magazine   —   Permalink 
Christmastime in Bethlehem does not stand for "peace on earth" but for intensified jihad against the occupying Jews, as least according to the highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate in the Holy Land.
Donald Sensing: Joseph D'hippolito has the goods.
Charles Johnson: Patriarch of Terror — Joseph D'Hippolito has a good background piece on Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: Patriarch of Terror.

The countries that we love and hate
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
The great American wit H L Mencken contemplated every state of the Union before the Second World War and decided that, judged by any criterion one cared to name, Mississippi was incomparably the worst. It was by far the poorest, ugliest, least well educated and most comprehensively racist.
Maimon Schwarzschild: World's Worst Country — According to a poll in the Daily Telegraph, London, (registration required)
Charles Johnson: British Poll Reveals Anti-Israel Sentiment — A poll commissioned by the Telegraph shows that Britons think Israel is...

Kerry's skills on display in Mideast trip
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
Senator John F. Kerry is reemerging on the public stage this week with a 13-day fact-finding trip through the Middle East, which supporters say shows that the Massachusetts Democrat is determined to maintain a high profile after his losing presidential campaign.
Taegan Goddard: Kerry Seeks High Profile — Sen. John Kerry "is reemerging on the public stage this week with a 13-day fact-finding trip...
Jayson @PoliPundit: Who? The left-wing Boston Globe says that "Kerry's skills [were] on display in Mideast trip." I literally have no idea about whom they're speaking.

Zarqawi group claims assassination
  NEWS.com.au   —   Permalink 
THE al-Qaeda linked group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility today for the assassination of Baghdad's governor, according to a statement and a video posted on the internet.
Joe Gandelman: New Governor of Baghdad Is Assassinated — You can tell the Iraqi elections are getting close because the "insurgents"...
KJL: SPEAKING OF THE DEVIL — Zarqawi's people take credit for the assassination this morning.
Digger: Australian [snipped quote] Originally Posted at Diggers Realm