meme orandum
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U.S. Army report on Iraqi prisoner abuse MSNBC — Permalink The following is the text of the Taguba report with only the names of the witnesses removed for the sake of privacy. The report was prepared by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba on alleged abuse of prisoners by members of the 800th Military Police Brigade at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad. | |
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Brad DeLong: Does anyone know where the full text of the report by United States Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba about... Jesse Walker: The Taguba Report — Major General Antonio Taguba's report on Abu Ghraib is now online. Kevin Drum: TAGUBA REPORT FULL TEXT....MSNBC has posted the full text of the Taguba Report on abuses at Abu Ghreib prison. |
McQ: Doing their duty — For the minority of those out there who are sure that Abu Gharib happened because our MPs just... Andrew Sullivan: THE TAGUBA REPORT: The full text of the military investigation is now online. Bottom line: [snipped quote] It renders one speechless. Josh Marshall: Inevitably, the full text of the Taguba Report goes online. |
| Also: James Joyner, Phil Carter | |
Time for Bush to See The Realities of Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink Appearing Friday in the Rose Garden with Canada's prime minister, President Bush was answering a reporter's question about Canada's role in Iraq when suddenly he swerved into this extraneous thought: | |
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Mark Kleiman: George Will on George Bush — This administration cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be counted on to think and, having thought, to have second thoughts. Radley Balko: Only Molly Ivins didn't write it. George Will did. And it's a refreshingly honest and forthright column from a guy who supported the war. Nielsen Hayden: Sentences you don't see on Electrolite every day. Check out this outstanding column by George Will. |
Deacon: Today, George Will articulates the concern I was attempting to express. Brad DeLong: Note: George Will — Explananda has a [quote] Shorter George Will: "Somehow racially loaded smears from Republicans seem less funny when I'm a potential target." [end quote] Andrew Sullivan: That was always the risk and it's why, as George Will points out today, what we are witnessing is something truly... |
| Also: Tom Smith, Digby, Harley, Josh Marshall, Atrios, Betsy Newmark, KJL, David Adesnik | |
Smear Boat Veterans for Bush By / Salon — Permalink The latest conservative outfit to fire an angry broadside against John Kerry's heroic war record is "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" , which today launches a campaign to brand the Democrat "unfit to serve as commander in chief." | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Kerry Bashing Vets are Republican Operatives — Joe Conason, writing in Salon, says: [snipped quote] Conason will be a... Adam White: Swift boat Captain John O'Neill has already come under a lot of fire for his criticism of John Kerry. See here and here. Smash: How do we know he won't have more such "Changes of Heart?" JOE CONASON leads the counter-attack from the left. |
Oliver Willis: MORE: They also reveal the people (along with Joe Conason) behind the new round of anti-Kerry smears, spread by the usual suspects at the WSJ Max B. Sawicky: Joe Conason provides some background to the group. (Hint: there are links to the Bush campaign.) Tom Tomorrow: Swift boat smear job — Conason has the rundown. |
| Also: Digby, Hesiod | |
True hero athlete By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Just when we thought we had a pure and simple hero, a millionaire athlete who gave up wealth and fame to become the ideal patriot, to make the ultimate sacrifice, his friends and family complicated everything. | |
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Mitch Berg: The Opposition — The left's most overrated Blogger, "Atrios", has this to say about Pat Tillman on the occasion of his... Kevin Raybould: Good for Tillman's Friends and Family — This was perfectly done: [snipped quote] It isn't Tillman's apparent beliefs. it... Atrios: He's f**king Dead — Interesting column on Pat Tillman's memorial service. |
Tom Tomorrow: Always more to the story — [snipped quote] More, via Atrios...the problem with That Cartoon is that it reads as more... Nathan Newman: One for the Atheists — I sort of got a kick out of this memorial comment by Pat Tillman's brother: [snipped quote] So... |
N Korea offers US pledge on weapons By / Financial Times — Permalink North Korea, probably the world's most secretive and isolated nation, has offered an olive branch to the US by promising never to sell nuclear materials to terrorists, calling for Washington's friendship and saying it does not want to suffer the fate of Iraq. | |
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Libertarian: "MAYBE IT WAS THOSE PRISON PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SCARED 'EM" A telling post on conservative reasoning. Kevin Drum: But here's the context: "Mr Kim rejected the notion that North Korea would never give up nuclear weapons. Glenn Reynolds: THE VALUE OF AN EXAMPLE: "North Korea, probably the world's most secretive and isolated nation, has offered an olive... |
Edward _: Promised II: A gentler, kinder North Korea — Hat tip to Constant Reader Wilfred for this item Via Instapundit... Jon Henke: This... [quote] THE VALUE OF AN EXAMPLE: "North Korea, probably the world's most secretive and isolated nation, has offered an...[end quote] Tim Blair: KOREANS VOW TO PLAY NICE — First Libya caved, and now ... [snipped quote] Maybe it was those prison photographs that scared 'em. |
| Also: Daniel Drezner | |
BUBBA BUMBLING TO FINISH BOOK: REPORT By / New York Post — Permalink The publisher of Bill Clinton's forthcoming memoir is "despairing" that the ex-president hasn't churned out enough pages - and that the book is too full of self-justification and blaming of others, a new report claims. | |
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Moe Lane: Former President Clinton's book is supposed to be coming out this summer, as I'm sure most of you know; amusingly, the... Jonah Goldberg: There's nothing too exciting in the NY Post story , but it does confirm once again what a classy guy Bill is. Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — "I am literally hardly sleeping. I am working around the clock. I am killing myself because I want (my memoirs) done." |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: I offer the following without comment: [quote] The publisher of Bill Clinton's forthcoming memoir is "despairing" that the...[end quote] Steve Messina: Democrats like the ones telling tales about Bill Clinton to a Vanity Fair reporter, tales that — inevitably — become... Betsy Newmark: Here are some hilarious tidbits from Clinton's memoir-writing experiences. |
Federal Deficit Likely to Narrow by $100 Billion By / WaPo — Permalink Smaller-than-expected tax refunds and rising individual tax receipts will pare back federal borrowing significantly for the first half of this year and could reduce the $521 billion deficit projected for the fiscal year by as much as $100 billion, Treasury and congressional budget officials said yesterday. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: We've cut taxes but revenues are increasing." The great danger of blogging is that readers may see the links, but not actually click on them. Jonah Goldberg: NEWS OF THE WEIRD — How strange. We've cut taxes but revenues are increasing. Glenn Reynolds: WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW? "Federal Deficit Likely to Narrow by $100 Billion." |
Stephen Pollard: Well I never — Whodathunkit, eh? Steven Taylor: Whaddya Know: Economic Growth is the Key — Federal Deficit Likely to Narrow by $100 Billion: [snipped quote] So the... Betsy Newmark: More good news on the economy in this headline. "Federal Deficit Likely to Narrow By $100 Billion" (Thanks to Eric B. for the link) |
Gore to Launch Youth Cable TV Network By / Reuters — Permalink NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore plans to build a youth-oriented cable television network he hopes will become an independent voice in a media industry dominated by large conglomerates, he said on Tuesday. | |
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Captain Ed: Liberal Network, Take 2 — Al Gore finally closed the deal on the launch of his long-desired television network. David Allan Pell: Regardless of political leanings, I think pretty much everyone out there would have to admit that no one speaks to and... |
Daniel Drezner: Reuters reports that Al Gore has found a day job — trying to become the next Rupert Murdoch: "Former Vice President Al... |
Public Domain By / TNR — Permalink The yawning divide between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and most Catholics is not usually an election story. But this year, it may become so. John Kerry is running as the first Catholic to campaign for president since John F. Kennedy. | |
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Ramesh Ponnuru: THE COMMUNION DEBATE — Andrew Sullivan has now weighed in, twice, criticizing a Robert Novak column and expressing... Andrew Sullivan: My response at TNR is now posted. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE I: Shiites begin to get serious about running their own affairs in the South. |
Nick Confessore: Practicing Catholic and Tory conservative Andrew Sullivan has a good column up on Catholicism and politics, managing to... Hesiod: CHURCH KEY: Andrew Sullivan has a very good essay up at The New Republic taking conservative Catholics to task for their... |
CLINTON STEALS THE SHOW New York Post — Permalink BILL Clinton has now been out of office for 39 months. There are but six months to go until the election. Why must he choose June to publish his memoirs? Why bring them out during the election campaign? Couldn't the $10 million payday wait a few more weeks until the election was over? | |
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Dale Franks: That's why I was amused to see his take on the timing of Bill CLinton's new book: [snipped quote] And this is a surprise, why? McQ: Dick Morris finds the timing of Bill Clinton's memoirs to be suspect: "Clinton is deciding to publish now because he wants to deprive Kerry of momentum. |
Stephen Pollard: One big happy ship — A man who knows says Slick Willy wants The Bouffon to lose. KJL: BILL CLINTON WANTS KERRY TO LOSE — Thus explaining the June memoirs release. So says Dick Morris. |
Sudan keeps seat on U.N. rights panel AP — Permalink UNITED NATIONS (AP) — African nations have ensured that Sudan will keep its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, a decision that angered the United States and human rights advocates who cited reports of widespread rights abuses by the Khartoum government. | |
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Michele Catalano: Reason Number 32,568 why the U.N. is a Farce — Sudan keeps seat on U.N. rights panel [snipped quote] Sudan:... Jeff Goldstein: Stupid Rhetorical Questions for $400, Alex — Man, whaddya need to do to get kicked off this thing — support Israel? Patrick Belton: Sudan, which is currently in the midst of perpetrating genocide upon the tribal residents of its western Darfur region,... |
Daniel Drezner: Patrick Belton links to this Associated Press report: [snipped quote] Click here for a previous post that discusses Sudan. Glenn Reynolds: SUDAN IS PRACTICING GENOCIDE — but it will keep its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Commission. But of course. . |
Right Face, March! By / NYT — Permalink Democrats are anxious. They're worried that the Kerry campaign lacks a unifying theme. On TV he comes across like a cold, wintry day in Dubuque. He has barely presented himself to general election voters. They should relax. John Kerry is doing exactly what he should be doing right now. | |
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Tim Blair: Meanwhile David Brooks thinks Kerry is on the correct path: [snipped quote] Problem is, unlike most previous campaigns,... Hugh Hewitt: David Brooks tries this morning to pretend that the Kerry campaign isn't a fiasco, and the Los Angeles Times reports... KJL: YOU GOTTA HAVE SOUL — During the course of telling Dems to chill a little re: their Kerry vision-thing worries, David... |
James Joyner: Kerry: Right Track? David Brooks [RSS] believes Kerry is on the right track. "John Kerry is doing exactly what he should be doing right now. Matt Yglesias: There's nothing really wrong with this David Brooks column, but the end strikes me as a bit naive: "[Kerry] has not... |
LONGING FOR 'NAM New York Post — Permalink FOR many of us, the words "Vietnam War" evoke only a sense of loss and a painful acknowledgement that this country suffered a dreadful defeat, with tens of thousands of lives snuffed out and tens of millions of Vietnamese consigned to life under the Stalinist jackboot. | |
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Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz points out how a few people are excited by every bit of evidence they can dig up to show that Iraq is another Vietnam. McQ: The Bottom Line — John Podhoretz hits the nail on the head concerning the prisoner abuse by MPs at Abu Ghraib:... KJL: "LONGING FOR 'NAM" John Pod warns where Hersh & co are headed with the Abu Ghraib story. |
Katherine R: John Podhoretz and Glenn Reynolds seem to disagree with me. Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, a warning about Vietnam nostalgia on the part of some: [quote] FOR many of us, the words "Vietnam War" evoke only a...[end quote] |
How Ahmed Chalabi conned the neocons By / Salon — Permalink When the definitive history of the current Iraq war is finally written, wealthy exile Ahmed Chalabi will be among those judged most responsible for the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein. | |
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Billmon: L. Marc Zell Former law partner of Defense Undersecretary Douglas Feith Salon interview May 4, 2004 "What was said before is not important." Matt Yglesias: New Salon article renders my discomforting thesis needless — the Israelis (and the neoconservatives) were duped by Chalabi. Tim Dunlop: If anyone doubts the stupidity of involving Chalabi in the "new Iraq" project, and his potential for the worst sort of corruption, it is probably worth reading this Salon article. |
David Allan Pell: Just how big a factor he was (and what a liar he has been) is well illustrated in this article. But I'm not sure Ahmed Chalabi is the story here. Kevin Drum: The CIA and the State Department gave up on Chalabi nearly a decade ago for excellent reasons, and now it seems that... Tom Tomorrow: Chalabi — Good article on him in Salon, cogently summarized by TPM: "In the popular political imagination we're... |
| Also: Josh Marshall, Atrios | |
Kerry's old Navy foe looks to sink senator By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - John Kerry's old nemesis - a fellow Vietnam vet picked by President Richard Nixon to discredit Kerry 30 years ago - is resurfacing today to declare him "unfit to be commander in chief." | |
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Tom Tomorrow: More on the Smear Boat Team — Here. The ghost of Richard Nixon is apparently roaming the halls of the White House these days. Smash: HELEN KENNEDY follows up with a hit piece on O'Neill for the New York Daily News. STEPHEN BRAUN of the Los Angeles Times joins in the fray. |
Steve Messina: Pick up some of this from the Nixon White House tapes: Nixon's secret tapes captured him fretting with aides about the political threat Kerry posed and plotting to "destroy" him. |
Iran's Stirrings in Iraq By: Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli* MEMRI — Permalink With the downfall of its nemesis Saddam Hussein, Iran can now pursue two principal objectives in Iraq: the first is to stir up problems for the Americans to keep them pinned down and divert their attention from its nuclear program. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Now, via OxBlog, we have more proof that the connection between Iran and al-Sadr's forces is greater than Cole gave it credit for. |
Patrick Belton: IRAN. IRAQ. WAR. : MEMRI has an article describing Iranian influence in the Shi'a rebellion. |
Canada rejects aslyum for 'macho' gay man Washington Times — Permalink Ottawa, ON, May. 4 (UPI) — The Canadian Refugee Board has denied asylum to a Mexican homosexual because he is not "visibly effeminate" and therefore not vulnerable to persecution. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Culture Wars — In a related story, Presidente Vicente Fox is pushing legislation that would prohibit any Canadian "not... |
Jane Galt: Weird item of the day — Canada refuses asylum to a Mexican gay man because he's too macho. |
Navy Veterans Fire On Kerry By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — A newly formed group of Navy Vietnam War veterans has joined the political fray over Sen. John F. Kerry's military experience, demanding that the prospective Democratic presidential nominee release all his service records from the period he spent in Vietnam's river battle zone. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Note the tone of this LA Times story about the group. It tries to tie them to Republicans. Hugh Hewitt: The Los Angeles Times headlines "Navy Veterans Fire on Kerry," and the story that Kerry has had to have feared the most is suddenly front page news. |
Smash: STEPHEN BRAUN of the Los Angeles Times joins in the fray. |
Bush team takes hit on secret files By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is coming under fire for allegedly allowing political concerns to determine what it deems to be sensitive national security material after a series of document declassifications that critics contend were timed for strategic advantage. | |
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Oliver Willis: Bush team takes hit on secret files In several recent cases, the administration first refused requests for information... Taegan Goddard: Bush Under Fire For Releasing Secret Documents — The White House "is coming under fire for allegedly allowing political... |
Nick Confessore: The Boston Globe has an excellent piece up today that puts out into the journalism mainstream a point that bloggers and... |
Race Continues for Kucinich AP — Permalink Driving all over Oregon in a minivan, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (search) is speaking day after day to anyone who will listen as he continues his quixotic pursuit of the Democratic nomination. | |
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Moe Lane: He's just getting into his stride. Not so incredibly, Dennis Kuchinich is still campaigning. |
Steven Taylor: Who? Who is this "Dennis" of which you speak? Race Continues for Kucinich. |
WHAT TO DO IN IRAQ?: ... AND THE REAL ROAD AHEAD By / New York Post — Permalink WHAT to do about Iraq? I was bombarded with this question during a recent visit to the United States. The question is based on two assumptions. First, that Iraq is about to plunge into one of the nightmare scenarios discussed by self-styled experts on TV. | |
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Cori Dauber: He suggests that when the troubled hot spots of Fallujah and Najaf are put in perspective, the vast majority of the country is calm and moving forward. Glenn Reynolds: AMIR TAHERI: "May 4, 2004 — WHAT to do about Iraq? I was bombarded with this question during a recent visit to the United States. |
Michael DeBow: So says Amir Taheri in today's NY Post. His explanation of the situation in Fallujah and Najaf is both clear and hopeful. |
'Nightline' Ratings Rise For Roll Call of Iraq Dead By / WaPo — Permalink ABC News's "Nightline" scored nearly 30 percent more viewers on Friday night than it did the rest of last week, according to preliminary numbers. An average of about 4.5 percent of the TV households in the nation's largest markets watched the... | |
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Robert Cox: 'Nightline' Ratings Rise For Roll Call of Iraq Dead Lisa de Moraes at the The Washington Post, who really got under... Michael Graham: Lisa de Moraes in the Washington Post reports today that Nightline scored a ratings coup with their reading of the dead:... |
James Martin Capozzola: The Public Liked It "'Nightline' Ratings Rise For Roll Call of Iraq Dead," by Lisa de Moraes, the Washington Post: "ABC... |
When Bureaucracy Kills By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Are U.S. soldiers in Iraq getting all the support they need, when they need it? Despite the billions spent and the tons of supplies that reach the troops every day, the sad truth may be no. One recent study by a private contractor estimates that one in... | |
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Betsy Newmark: Brendan Miniter has a depressing story about how bureaucratic snafus are preventing the military from getting all the armor plating they need on their vehicles. |
Porphyrogenitus: Supply & Support — Brendan Miniter argues that the troops aren't getting all they need in the way of armor. |
Bush, Kerry Awash in Money By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — This year's presidential race — fueled by more than a million donors, including many who have never given before — is well on its way to becoming the country's first $1-billion political campaign, experts say. | |
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David Allan Pell: The One Billion Dollar Campaign... |
Taegan Goddard: The $1 Billion Campaign — "This year's presidential race — fueled by more than a million donors, including many who... |
Sudan Assured Seat on U.N. Rights Commission By / Reuters — Permalink UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - African nations have ensured that Sudan gets a seat on the chief U.N. human rights watchdog and angered rights groups who want more liberal democracies to win a place. Fourteen vacant seats will be filled on Tuesday and on Wednesday for the 53-nation U.N. Human Rights Commission. | |
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Baldilocks: Straining Out A Gnat — What international law amounts to: "Sudan won an uncontested election Tuesday to the United... Cori Dauber: Update: As I was saying . . . Update: Mickey Kaus describes the kind of grand gesture needed now. (scroll down.) Charles Johnson: UN Hits Bottom, Digs — The pathetic joke known as the "UN Human Rights Commission" has descended to a new low, as the... |
Roger L. Simon: Is the UN a Reactionary Institution? How else to define an organization that puts the Sudan in charge of Human Rights? Marcus @HarrysPlace: I'm not sure this is the sort of action he had in mind. Sudan Assured Seat on U.N. Rights Commission |
U.S. Reveals Iraqi Prisoner Deaths as Scandal Grows By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Iraqi prisoners were murdered by Americans and 23 other deaths are being investigated in Iraq and Afghanistan , the United States revealed on Tuesday as the Bush administration tried to contain growing outrage over the abuse of Iraqi detainees. | |
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Billmon: U.S. Reveals Iraqi Prisoner Deaths as Scandal Grows "Two Iraqi prisoners were murdered by Americans and 23 other deaths... |
Tom Tomorrow: Speechless 25 deaths? What the hell is going on over there? This isn't a few bad apples. This is systemic rot. |
Brothers in arms are needed earlier in game By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — Most times John Kerry climbs up on a stage these days, he calls to mind the terrifying childhood nightmare of heading off to school without remembering to get dressed. Something is definitely missing, but it's not Kerry's blue blazer, khaki pants, or casual shirt. | |
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Mitch Berg: Band of Bothers — Captain Ed finds some ghastly reporting at the Boston Glob. Captain Ed: The BoB haven't made an appearance since Kerry clinched the nomination, and Canelos exhorts Kerry to bring them back... |
Hugh Hewitt: Just today Globe columnist Peter Canellos has penned an appeal to Kerry to bring back his "Band of Brothers" in an effort to stabilize a careening campaign. |
A Kerry Landslide? By / Washington Monthly — Permalink Over the last year, most political TV shows handicapping the upcoming presidential election have repeated the refrain that the race will be extremely tight. Last month, CNN's astute commentator Jeff Greenfield hosted an entire segment on how easily this... | |
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Ruy Teixeira: Chuck Todd, editor of The Hotline, has an intriguing article in the new issue of The Washington Monthly that makes the case Kerry could indeed win in a landslide. |
Brad DeLong: Hotline Editor Chuck Todd Looks Forward to November — In an email from Doug Henwood: "A Kerry Landslide? |
U.N. BIGS 'SEAL' THE OIL DEALS By / New York Post — Permalink WASHINGTON - The United Nations yesterday threw up a stone wall in the oil-for-food scandal, insisting that contracts between the world body and private companies should not be turned over to investigators. | |
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Roger L. Simon: And now today we learn that The Kofia is putting a new firewall in front of Oil-for-Food investigators: In a defiant... |
Hugh Hewitt: Today's New York Post headline, "U.N. Bigs 'Seal' the Oil Deals," tells us all we need to know about how much we will learn from the U.N. itself. |
The Erosion of Democracy By / NRO — Permalink In the 19th century, the British parliament system had become so rotten that Dunwich, a former seaport town that had literally sunk under the water, was still represented in parliament. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Rich Lowry says that gerrymandering is ruining democracy. You hear that, AP Government students? |
Rich Lowry: I THINK JONAH HAS ENDORSED THIS IDEA — E-mail: "Dear Mr. Lowry: My own opinion is that gerrymandering is only part of the story. |
A Conservative of the Old School By / Chronicle of Higher Education — Permalink W. Wesley McDonald, a professor of political science at Elizabethtown College, could not have planned for his new book, Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology (University of Missouri Press), to appear in the middle of the recent debate over "intellectual diversity" in academe. | |
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Libertarian: IS RUSSELL KIRK HIDING IN the ghetto of movement conservatism? "Conservative thought is really suffering because it lacks substance and direction. John J. Miller: CAPTAIN KIRK — There's a long article on Russell Kirk in the current Chronicle of Higher Education. |
Michael DeBow: Key conservative thinker Russell Kirk is the subject of a new book published by the U. of Missouri Press, highlighted in this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. |
'Nam vet group says Kerry 'unfit' By / Boston Herald — Permalink WASHINGTON - A group of Vietnam veterans will charge today that Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] is ''unfit'' to be commander-in-chief because of his claims that U.S. soldiers committed widespread atrocities during the war. | |
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Smash: Changes of Heart — THE VIETNAM QUAGMIRE that this year's presidential election has become will get a little bit murkier... |
Tim Blair: Other 'Nam vets are similarly critical. |
In Nasiriyah, Hopeful Pockets of Pragmatism By / WaPo — Permalink NASIRIYAH, Iraq — A month ago Shiite Muslim supporters of renegade Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr stormed two bridges across the Euphrates River here as part of their uprising in southern Iraq. Enraged by an American threat to capture or kill Sadr, they controlled the city for two days. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: ON THE BRIGHT SIDE I: Shiites begin to get serious about running their own affairs in the South. Cori Dauber: That's what the Post's David Ignatius sees happening in Southern Iraq. |
KJL: SOME GOOD NEWS FROM IRAQ — David Ignatius today: "Today Nasiriyah illustrates a new mood of pragmatism emerging in... David Adesnik: Either way, Will shouldn't forget what Robert Kagan has pointed out: that both of those options court disaster — and... |
In U.S., Seeking To Limit Damage By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration is struggling to develop a damage-control strategy to counter the mounting global backlash against the United States after revelations that U.S. military and intelligence personnel abused Iraqi prisoners, according to U.S. officials. | |
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Paradox: Bremer's Head May Roll—Today — From today's WaPo: ""'We're frantically working this issue and trying to come up with a strategy,'" he added. " Robert Garcia Tagorda: But it could ease some political tensions leading up to the transfer of power, as well as contribute to general diplomatic damage control already under way. |
Cori Dauber: HYPOCRISY — The international response to the abuse scandal in Iraq is swelling to such proportions the State... Billmon: Perfect Timing — In U.S. , Seeking To Limit Damage [snipped quote] Spin doesn't get much more spinsane than this. |
US diplomats launch Bush attack BBC — Permalink Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to US President George Bush to complain about America's policy towards the Middle East. The letter is similar to one written by 52 former British diplomats to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week. | |
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Roger L. Simon: According to the BBC, among others, a new salvo has been fired: About 50 retired US diplomats have written to President... |
Fred Lapides: ">>>BBC" |
Heinz Co. Relishes Political Neutrality By / WaPo — Permalink H. J. Heinz Co. is in a pickle. The Pittsburgh-based foodmaker has been deluged with e-mails from unhappy consumers who want to know why it's involved in the presidential campaign. The company's emphatic answer is, "We're not," and it has hired some big-time Republican lobbyists to help spread the word. | |
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David Allan Pell: French Fries and Teresa — Heinz Co. : Trying to stay out of politics (and to give major publications the opportunity to let loose with some "relish" buns, err, I mean puns). |
Steven Taylor: Excessive Cliche Usage! Five Yards and Repeat the Down First, the title: Heinz Co. Relishes Political Neutrality. |
President Gets Back on the Bus By / WaPo — Permalink NILES, Mich., May 3 — President Bush boarded a bus emblazoned "Yes, America Can," shed his suit jacket and set out across the Midwest on Monday to chat with supporters and offer himself as a sympathetic leader attuned to working-class values. | |
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Susan Q. Stranahan: The Washington Post's Mike Allen offered this detail: "Bush left Air Force One behind after landing in Indiana at lunchtime on Monday. |
DemFromCT: Bush Does Ohio and Michigan — [snipped quote] Perhaps that's because Bush is not doing such a good job when he acts as President. |
A War for Us, Fought by Them By / NYT — Permalink WILSON, Wyo. — The longest love affair of my life began with a shotgun marriage. It was the height of the Vietnam War and my student deferment had run out. Desperate not to endanger myself or to interrupt my personal plans, I wanted to avoid military service altogether. | |
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Greyhawk: Update: I fergot to tell y'all that heres wher them a you what reeds kin reed teh hole thang. |
Cori Dauber: THE DRAFT, AGAIN — Another piece in the Times demanding a draft, because if a war won't pass muster with a draft it shouldn't pass muster. |
PRISONER ABUSE FALLOUT Online NewsHour — Permalink The U.S. military reprimanded seven soldiers Monday for mistreating prisoners in what a U.S. Army report described as a "systemic" abuse of those in custody. Experts discuss the circumstances of the abuse cases and what they may do to the Arab world's view of the United States. | |
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Billmon: Sy Hersh's point is critical: Guantanamo is "a factory for eliciting intelligence." Paradox: The utter disaster of this debacle is impossible to overstate. |
Tom Tomorrow: Over at the Whiskey Bar — As usual, the bartender is the wisest man in the room: "I've had that same feeling about Abu... |
Battlefield of Dreams By / NYT — Permalink Last November the top economist at the Heritage Foundation was very optimistic about Iraq, saying Paul Bremer had just replaced "Saddam's soak-the-rich tax system" with a flat tax. "Few Americans would want to trade places with the people of Iraq," wrote the economist, Daniel Mitchell. | |
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Steve Antler: Ideology and Bad Breath — Paul Krugman ponders: You may ask whether our leaders' drive to privatize reflects a sincere conservative ideology, or a desire to enrich their friends. Mathew Gross: Thatcherites By Name — It's Tuesday; it must be Krugman: [snipped quote] Ah, quit your bitchin'. Corporations made this country. |
Joe Drymala: Krugman writes today about just that. |
Rall's 'Tillman' Cartoon Pulled by MSNBC.com By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink A cartoon questioning late footballer-turned-soldier Pat Tillman's credentials as a "hero" was pulled from MSNBC.com this afternoon. The drawing also brought Ted Rall 110 e-mails in less than 15 minutes. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: "AN EVIL CAUSE": Here's what cartoonist Ted Rall has to say about the end of Taliban rule in Afghanistan and the removal... Cori Dauber: Not even a little bit. Update: Editor and Publisher has already interviewed Ted Rall about his cartoon being pulled. Vanderleun: === UPDATE IN A QUICK WHIPAROUND , in which David Astor of Editor & Publisher calls up Ted Rall Astor has this choice... |
Steven Taylor: More Evidence of Why I Should Utterly Avoid Rall — Normally I avoid Rall—but this (in the context of his Pat Tillman... Michele Catalano: ted rall risked his life so you can see his s**tty cartoons — From Editor and Publisher: [snipped quote] God damn soulless f**k. Libertarian: That's the sad part. UPDATE: E-mailers prove just how much rightwingers love freedom of thought and expression. |
| Also: Tim Blair | |
Iraq Prison Supervisors Face Army Reprimand WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, May 3 — The top U.S. commander in Iraq has moved to issue the highest form of administrative rebuke against six commissioned and noncommissioned officers who supervised an Army-run prison where Iraqi prisoners allegedly suffered physical and sexual abuse, officials announced Monday. | |
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James Joyner: WaPo: Iraq Prison Supervisors Face Army Reprimand "As the repercussions of the abuse controversy widened, there were... |
Phil Carter: Abu Ghraib roundup: I'm traveling today so I don't have time to write as much as I'd like on the developing story of the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. |
Conscripting Liberalism By / Reason — Permalink Welcome to the political wonderland of the early naughts, where "Republicans...consider spending cuts the new "third rail" of politics" and liberal Democrats are at the forefront of calls to renew military conscription. | |
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McQ: Reason Magazine finds a bit of irony in the discussion of reviving the draft: "Last year, Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and... Jeralyn Merritt: The information was obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request: [snipped quote] [link via Atrios and Democratic... |
Matt Yglesias: Drafty — Now that I see Julian and Max are still going on about this, I'd like to clarify and distance myself from... Radley Balko: Draft Punk — Julian has an excellent piece at Reason today holding the left accountable for this insane talk of conscription. |
Kerry and His Church By / WaPo — Permalink Forty-four years ago John F. Kennedy became the nation's first Roman Catholic president by repeating over and over that his faith would have no effect on how he would govern. | |
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KJL: DIONNE, KERRY & BOB CASEY'S GHOST — E. J. Dionne has a good point this morning (to an extent), but I think it is one we have expressed here. |
Stephen Green: Shop Talk — EJ Dionne looks at an issue I haven't followed at all — John Kerry and abortion. |
Why we pulled Monday's Ted Rall cartoon MSNBC — Permalink MSNBC.com pulled a cartoon by syndicated political cartoonist Ted Rall on Monday. Rall's cartoon, distributed widely by United Press Syndicate to scores of newspapers and Web sites, concerned the late Pat Tillman, the NFL player who quit football to join the Army. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Understandably, Slate and MSNBC decided to pull the cartoon. I won't link to the Rall cartoon. Hugh Hewitt: MSNBC has pulled the cartoon from its web site, but the FreeRepublic thread on the subject allows you to see it. Charles Johnson: MSNBC Pulls Rall Cartoon — MSNBC - Why we pulled Monday's Ted Rall cartoon. (Hat tip: Mr. Neutron.) |
John Cole: Business as usual, although this statement from MSNBC made me giggle: [snipped quote] What kind of decency standards do you have if Ted Rall is EVER published? Vanderleun: "Our Computers Made Us Do It" AFTER TAKING ONE LOOK AT THE TSUNAMI OF MERDE heading their way, the blighted boffins at... Bill Hobbs: Meanwhile, MSNBC has explained (weakly) why they pulled Rall's cartoon from their website. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
U.S. Sent Specialists To Train Prison Units WaPo — Permalink Presented with reports of abusive behavior by U.S. military guards at Baghdad's main prison, the Army two months ago quietly dispatched to Iraq a team of about 25 military police experienced in running detention facilities to shore up training and supervision, Army officials said yesterday. | |
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James Joyner: WaPo: U.S. Sent Specialists To Train Prison Units "Presented with reports of abusive behavior by U.S. military guards... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Army Sent Special Troops to Iraq for Prison Training — The Washington Post reports that two months ago, because of... |
The Psychoanalytic Roots of Islamic Terrorism By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink In the ongoing battle for Fallujah, terrorists are using women and children as human shields against American soldiers. On April 27, 2004, in Jerusalem, Hamas used a Palestinian human bomb to kill two Palestinian alleged "collaborators." | |
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Emperor Darth Misha I: This is the Enemy... (Via Allah, blessed be his blog) We guess that if we'd grown up in a culture this perversely deranged, we'd be a little strange in the head too. Charles Johnson: The Psychoanalytic Roots of Islamic Terrorism — Here's a hair-raising article by feminist writer Phyllis Chesler, a... |
Roger L. Simon: Why They Are the Way They Are — I have just read an article to which the cliché 'shattering' applies: The Psychoanalytic Roots of Islamic Terrorism by Phyllis Chesler. Allah: Allah de-pantsed! |
U.S. eyes proposal to draft women Toronto Star — Permalink WASHINGTON—The chief of the U.S. Selective Service System has proposed registering women for the military draft and requiring that young Americans regularly inform the government about whether they have training in niche specialties needed in the armed services. | |
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Tom Tomorrow: A draft coming through — [snipped quote] I'm well aware of the argument that a reinstatement of the draft would force Americans to confront the real cost of war. Max B. Sawicky: THE REAL WORLD — Draft preparations afoot . . . (Thanx to the Mighty Atrios.) Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi need to get with the program. |
Jeralyn Merritt: The news today is this: "WASHINGTON - The chief of the U.S. Selective Service System has proposed registering women for... |
US demotes Saddam general in Fallujah By / Telegraph — Permalink The general selected by the US marines to command a new Iraqi force in Fallujah has been abruptly replaced after he denied that there were foreign fighters in the insurgent city and blamed America for fomenting the bloody rebellion there. | |
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Tom Maguire: The right-leaning Daily Telegraph (aka the Daily Torygraph) updates the story: The general selected by the US marines to... |
Allah: Okay, now it's official. Nobody knows what the hell is going on. UPDATE: Sounds like we don't know much about the new guy, either. |
Moran Leaning on His Incumbency By / WaPo — Permalink It was 7:30 a.m. at the King Street Metro station in Alexandria, and the constituents of Rep. James P. Moran Jr. were rushing past. Perhaps one in 15 stopped for a meaty handshake and a "Hello, I'm Jim Moran," delivered last week in the charming, milk-sweet Boston brogue of the seven-term Democratic congressman and former mayor. | |
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Gary Farber: AVOIDING THE OBVIOUS WORD PLAY. Moran. [snipped quote] Who wouldn't want to vote for him? Other than out of party loyalty? Glenn Reynolds: Aside from taking dubious loans from MBNA as he voted on a bankruptcy bill it favored, Moran is best remembered for this... |
Armed Liberal: He managed to explain to a meeting of opponents of the Iraq war that "if it were not for the strong support of the... |
Pro-Life Zealots Ignore Republicans By / New York Observer — Permalink For the first time in more than 40 years, a Catholic politician is about to be nominated for President on a major-party ticket. He's a Democrat, of course, since the Republicans still haven't gotten around to nominating anyone who isn't a white Protestant male. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: Joe Conason has described the attitude of some of these people as reminiscent of Torquemada. As usual, de trop. Ramesh Ponnuru: IT AIN'T SO, JOE — Joe Conason takes NR, the Standard, and other conservatives to task for advocating the denial of... |
Steve Dillard: Loser of the day: Joe Conason. Ramesh provides the details. |
Report: White House Wrong on Medicare AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Bush administration officials were wrong to prevent a budget expert from giving Congress estimates of the cost of Medicare legislation, congressional researchers have concluded. | |
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Oliver Willis: Report: White House Wrong on Medicare In a report made public Monday, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service... |
Atrios: Rule of Law — Something tells me that Bill Thomas isn't going to make good on his promise: WASHINGTON - Bush... |
Bob Kerrey's 9/11 Commission Fiasco By / NRO — Permalink Democratic 9/11 commissioner Bob Kerrey made an early departure from the commission's long-anticipated session with President Bush and Vice President Cheney only to find himself waiting for what turned out to be a late, and very brief, meeting on Capitol Hill. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Byron York has the rundown on the pathetic experience that Bob Kerrey had after he left the President's meeting with the 9/11 Commission an hour early to see Senater Domenici. |
Captain Ed: Now he tells National Review Online that he regrets leaving and considers it a mistake: [snipped quote] So, the meeting... |
ABU GHRAIB By / Benador Associates — Permalink SELMA, Calif. — Pictures of American military police humiliating and, in some cases, allegedly torturing Iraqi prisoners in Saddam's old Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad now flash across the world. "The Shame! | |
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Charles Johnson: VDH: Abu Ghraib — The Benador Associates site has a copy of the Victor Davis Hanson column from today's Wall Street Journal: Abu Ghraib. |
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Here's the full text of Hanson's piece, available at this free link. |
Study links kids' obesity to bullying risk By / AP — Permalink CHICAGO — Overweight adolescents are more likely than normal-weight children to be victims and perpetrators of bullying, a study found, bolstering evidence that being fat endangers emotional as well as physical health. | |
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Tim Blair: DIET FOR TRUTH — A groundbreaking fatso study discovers that hefty, plus-sized, and chunk-style boys are |
Stefan Sharkansky: Big Fat Bullies — A new study links kids' obesity to bullying risk "Overweight adolescents are more likely than... |
Church to remove Moor-slayer saint BBC — Permalink A statue in a Spanish cathedral showing St James slicing the heads off Moorish invaders is to be removed to avoid causing offence to Muslims. Cathedral authorities in the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela, on Spain's north west coast, plan to move the statue to the museum. | |
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Tim Blair: Sure, the Spanish may have appeased the Moors, but the Moops are probably still angry. McQ: Spain continues to beg — Really ... this is getting to be completely disgusting: [snipped quote] Yup, God forbid a... KJL: A KINDER, GENTLER ST. JAMES — Spain doesn't want to offend any slain Moors. |
Tacitus: St James the Moor-Slayer — But enough of him. And that Derby boar too. Next: repainting the Bologna Cathedral. Charles Johnson: Spanish Dhimmitude Watch — A Spanish cathedral will remove a statue of Saint James slaying Saracens, and replace it... |
Where Presidents Have No Power By / Time — Permalink We are the home of the brave and the land of the free, but our elections are an exercise in irrationality. Presidential races are won and lost largely on the state of the economy. War is the only larger issue, and of course this year Iraq looms large. | |
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Stephen Green: Or something. Read: [snipped quote] Um. . . also, there's a war on. Betsy Newmark: Charles Krauthammer explodes the myth that presidents have any control over the economy. |
James Joyner: Presidents and the Economy — Charles Krauthammer takes a break from writing about the war to attack one of my favorite pet peeves: the idea that presidents control the economy. |
God save America ... By / Guardian — Permalink The word "fundagelism" has never appeared in the columns of this newspaper. The term is, however, current in the blogosphere - that cyberforum which nowadays carries the most interestingly paranoid political debate. "Fundagelism" is not a word that trips easily off the tongue. | |
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Gary Farber: Via Moe, I see this: [snipped quote] Meanwhile, Google says this: "Results 1 - 7 of about 26 English pages for fundagelism" Paging Jayson Blair. Tim Blair: GUARDIAN GETS FUNDAGELICAL — The Guardian's John Sutherland attempts to destroy his newspaper's lowly reputation with... |
Moe Lane: You can't click a link without seeing all the hipsters attacking or defending the concept: why, it's bigger than... |
Kerry 'Unfit to be Commander-in-Chief', Say Former Military Colleagues By / CNSNews — Permalink (CNSNews.com) - Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is "unfit to be commander-in-chief." They will do so at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. | |
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Betsy Newmark: I also doubt that the estimable efforts by this new group of swift boat veterans who served with Kerry, mostly as senior... Ezra Klein: Counterattack for Truth — If I were the Kerry campaign I'd be looking forward to the Hyper-Partisan Assholes, Liars and... Captain Ed: Canelos somehow missed the story yesterday where not just a mere band of Kerry's brothers in arms, but an entire fleet... |
Steve Messina: A couple of reports from the far-right Cybercast News Service: Yesterday: Hundreds of former commanders and military... Jesse Taylor: Swift Boat Veterans For Max & Erma's For Dinner — Even getting past the whole GOP Swift Boat Veterans Who Hate John... Greyhawk: This might hurt a little: "Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John... |
| Also: Emperor Darth Misha I, John Hawkins, Edward Driscoll, Mike Hendrix, KJL, Ted Belman, Digby, Stephen Green, The Big Trunk, C. D. Harris, Jon Henke, Bill Hobbs, Charles Johnson, Glenn Reynolds, Steve Antler | |
New Internet Site Turns Critical Eyes and Ears to the Right By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 2 — David Brock, the former right-wing journalist turned liberal, describes himself as once having been a rather large cog in the machinery of the conservative media. | |
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Jesse Taylor: This post from Andrew Sullivan mixes two of my favorite Sully qualities - irrational criticism of the New York Times mixed with bloggish triumphalism. Gary Farber: DAVID BROCK HAS A NEW website. Story here. [snipped quote] I wonder if I should apply for a job? (ADDENDUM: Hmm, really.) Stefan Sharkansky: Oh, That Conservative Media — The New York Times reports on a new website that aims to combat conservative bias in the media. |
Kevin T. Keith: Conservative Attack Dog Now Liberal Watchdog — David Brock, the conservative hatchet-man who wrote what he now admits... Steve Antler: Financed with a bit more than $2 million wealthy liberals' donations according to the NYT, David Brock seems to be... Tim Graham: THE REAL DAVID BROCK — Is there anything funnier on Earth than factually challenged David Brock starting a web site to fight "erroneous assertions" by the conservative media? |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, Cori Dauber, Oliver Willis, Edward Driscoll, Susanna Cornett, Andrew Sullivan, Atrios | |
Command Errors Aided Iraq Abuse, Army Has Found By / NYT — Permalink An internal Army investigation has found a virtual collapse of the command structure in a prison outside Baghdad where American enlisted personnel are accused of committing acts of abuse and humiliation against Iraqi detainees. | |
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Stryker: And where would we be without this turd of wisdom from Chip "How Many Soldiers Did I Kill Today?" Jesse Taylor: Up The Chain — The problems at Abu Ghraib may go further up the command chain than a few directionless soldiers. Brad DeLong: UPDATE: Another piece of the Taguda Report: [quote] The New York Times: The report said the "ambiguous command relationship"...[end quote] |
Gary Farber: COLLAPSE OF THE COMMAND STRUCTURE. Crucial details: [snipped quote] More to come. Read The Rest Scale: 2 out of 5. Atrios: The Importance of Pronouns — A reader brought this one to my attention. Roger L. Simon: And our homeboys are looking less and less like the kind of fellas (and gals) we'd like to have around for a Memorial Day barbecue. |
Excerpts From Prison Inquiry LAT — Permalink Excerpts of the Army's investigative report on alleged abuses at U.S. military prisons in Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca, Iraq. It was requested by the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, and written by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba: | |
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Billmon: Update 4:15 PM ET: Here's an interesting excerpt from the Taguba report, excerpted in the LA Times: "In general, U.S... McQ: MG Taguba, who investigated the incidents had this to say about Karpinski: "During the course of this investigation I conducted a lengthy interview with [Brig. Brad DeLong: If anybody has a full copy, I'll read it: "Los Angeles Times: Excerpts From Prison Inquiry: Military Intelligence (MI)... |
Roger Ailes: Rape Rooms — From the Report of United States Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba: "Between October and December... Matthew Yglesias: I strongly encourage readers to peruse these excerpts from Major General Antonio Taguba's inquiry into American misconduct at the Abu Ghraib prison. Hesiod: ABU'S AN NEGLECT: The Los Angeles Times published excerpts, today, from the military investigative report into prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. |
Success Requires Patience By / WaPo — Permalink "Our patience is not eternal," declared Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, chief spokesman for the U.S. military command in Baghdad recently. Well, yes. Unfortunately, lack of patience has been one of the major flaws of the Bush administration's policy toward Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein last year. | |
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Deacon: Empire for empire's sake — Niall Ferguson, author of Colossus: The Price of America's Empire, argues in the Washington Post that success in Iraq "requires patience." Porphyrogenitus: Patience is a Virtue — Niall Ferguson points out that patience breeds success: "There are no perfect correlations in history. Cori Dauber: It is not a deadline for departure that takes away incentives to attack us, but a deadline for departure that takes away any incentive to work with us. |
Max B. Sawicky: DeLong's buddy Niall Ferguson says we should be prepared to spend decades in Iraq. John J. Miller: THE LONG HAUL — A smart column by Niall Ferguson on Iraq in today's Washington Post. |
Kerry takes a spill from bike By / AP — Permalink Kerry was riding south on a two-lane road at about 1:00 p.m. in the direction of Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord, a quiet, suburban town about 18 miles northwest of Boston. | |
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Bill Hobbs: The Street Rises Up to Greet Kerry — Glenn Reynolds wants to know why I'm not writing about John Kerry's bike accident over at my new cycling-related blog, Open Road. Mindles H. Dreck: Life Imitates Art. (via Instapundit) Life Imitates Art. (via Instapundit) If I were running this campaign, I'd question the 'sunburst' color theme. Glenn Reynolds: THE GOOD NEWS: Kerry wasn't hurt when he fell off his bike. The bad news: this photo made the papers. |
McQ: It isn't exactly a tank helmet but how's Joe Sixpack going to react to this beauty. kerry-bike.jpg Not only that but he fell off the damn thing! Captain Ed: This time, the SOB appears to be sand: "Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry took a spill from his bicycle... Tim Blair: II Not for the first time, John Kerry has difficulty maintaining verticality: [snipped quote] A Serotta bike will cost you anywhere from $1,800 to $5,000. |
Voters don't see Kerry as likable By / Washington Times — Permalink Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has a serious likability problem, with many voters seeing him as cold, aloof and distant, according to focus groups, recent polls and election analysts. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Then add in this bulletin: "Voters don't see Kerry as likeable." A bad week for Kerry, and it is only Monday morning. The Big Trunk: Johnny, we hardly like ye — Donald Lambro's article in this morning's Washinton Times raises the intriguing question... John Hawkins: This sort of unpresidential tripe is part of the reason why so many voters don't like Kerry... |
Howard Kurtz: Don Lambro has a more personal analysis in the Washington Times: "Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has... Betsy Newmark: Focus group results show that people just aren't warming up to Kerry. He's not seen as likable as Bush. |
Well, It Was a Good Idea in '46 By / Weekly Standard — Permalink "Violent military action by an occupying power against inhabitants of an occupied country will only make matters worse." NOW THAT MAY NOT BE the undisputed, going-away, hands-down, dumbest thing ever said, but you have to admit it's close. | |
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Edward Driscoll: "WELL, IT WAS A GOOD IDEA IN '46": Larry Miller wrings all of the idiocy possible out of a single sentence by Kofi Annan—and as you can imagine, that's quite a bit. Cori Dauber: IT TAKES A COMIC — Yes, it takes a comic to give proper perspective on what Kofi Annan has to say. You know why? |
Charles Johnson: It Was a Good Idea in '46 — Larry Miller takes one sentence from Kofi Annan and squeezes all the schtoopidity out of... |
100 Mistakes for the President to Choose From Center for American Progress — Permalink During a prime time press conference on April 13, President Bush was asked to name a mistake that he has made since taking office and what he has learned from it. Bush, who was unable to answer the question, admitted "maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with [a mistake]." | |
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Matt Yglesias: 100 Mistakes — This amusing feature from the good people at the Center for American Progress lists 100 mistakes the... SK Bubba: Maybe this will help jog his memory... The Center for American Progress has compiled a handy reference for Bush to use the next time he is asked if he has ever made any mistakes. |
Kevin Raybould: Mistakes ... Bush has made a few ... |
Small Donors Grow Into Big Political Force By / WaPo — Permalink Tom Joyce is nobody's idea of a political activist. During his 24 years in the Navy, including a stint at the Pentagon, Joyce, 47, said he was "completely apolitical." He never volunteered for, or contributed to, a political campaign. But that was then. | |
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David Allan Pell: As Dem Chairman Terry McAuliffe explains: "I've been doing this [fundraising] for 25 years, and I never expected what I'm seeing today. Steven Taylor: More Evidence that Campaign Finance Laws Don't Work — The real irony here is that both Bush and Kerry chose not to... Mathew Gross: Small-Dollar Contributions — Paul Farhi in the Washington Post reports on the sea-change in campaign financing that... |
Hugh Hewitt: The Boston Globe has an interesting look at the scramble for even small numbers of votes abroad, and the Washington Post details the surge in small contributions to both campaigns. Taegan Goddard: The Rise of the Small Donor — The Washington Post reviews "one of the most striking phenomena of the 2004 political campaign: the rise of the small donor. |
U.S. Plan for Fallujah Hits Snag WaPo — Permalink FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 2 — The U.S. Marine plan to have former Iraqi soldiers restore order in Fallujah ran into trouble Sunday as the former Iraqi general heading the new force denied there were any foreign fighters in the city, calling into question his commitment to American military objectives. | |
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Tom Maguire: Andrew links to the WaPo and presents the controversy about Jassim Mohammed Saleh, the former Iraqi major general... Max B. Sawicky: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED — De-Ba'athification . . . Andrew Sullivan: From the Washington Post: "In Fallujah, Jassim Mohammed Saleh, the former Iraqi major general entrusted by the Marines... |
Porphyrogenitus: A Ba'athist General who sees no evil doesn't seem like the right man for a hard job. Kevin Drum: The Washington Post reports that Jassim Mohammed Saleh now has about 600 soldiers under his command, although "it remained unclear exactly where those troops were." Meteor Blades: Doesn't Play Well With Others ... A tip of the mojo hat to Galiel for pointing out that General Saleh won't be helping the Marines in their retreat from Fallujah after all. |
| Also: Tacitus | |