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Archive Edition for   Wednesday, June 30, 2004Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
The Age
Agence France Presse
AintNoBadDude
  Brian Linse
American Digest
  Vanderleun
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
ARMAVIRUMQUE
  Stefan Beck
Arutz Sheva
Associated Press
  Jeannine Aversa
  Beth Fouhy
  Robert Burns
  Anne Gearan
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Body and Soul
  Jeanne D'Arc
Boston Globe
  Glen Johnson
Boston Herald
Boston Phoenix
  Jason Vest
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  DeLong
The Buck Stops Here
  Stuart Buck
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Catallarchy.net
  Jonathan Wilde
Chrenkoff
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Citizen Smash
  Smash
CJR Campaign Desk Home
  Thomas Lang
  Steve Lovelady
  Liz Cox Barrett
  CJR
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
  Clayton Cramer
Cold Fury
  Mike Hendrix
The Corner
  Jonah Goldberg
  KJL
  Rich Lowry
  Jonathan H. Adler
  John Derbyshire
  Tim Graham
Crooked Timber
  Ted Barlow
cut on the bias
  Susanna Cornett
The Daily Ablution
  Scott Burgess
Daily Kos
  DHinMI
  Rimjob
  DemFromCT
Daimnation!
  Damian Penny
Discourse.net
  Michael Froomkin
Drudge Report
EconoPundit
  Steve Antler
Editor and Publisher
Electablog
  David Allan Pell
Eschaton
  Atrios
etc.
  Noam Scheiber
Fafblog! the whole worlds only source for Fafblog.
  Medium Lobster
Fox News
Front Page Magazine
  Andrew G. Bostom
Happy Furry Puppy Story Time with Norbizness
  Norbizness
The Hill
  Geoff Earle
Hit & Run
  Jacob Sullum
  Brian Doherty
  Julian Sanchez
  Nick Gillespie
HLS Federalist Society
  Jennifer Carter
  Jesse Panuccio
HobbsOnline
  Bill Hobbs
HughHewitt.com
  Hugh Hewitt
Hullabaloo
  Digby
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
Ipse Dixit
  C. D. Harris
The Iraq War Reader
  Micah Sifry
Israel news and commentary from IsraPundit
  Jerusalem Posts
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
Kesher Talk
  Judith Weiss
Kim du Toit
  Kim du Toit
Knight Ridder
  Seth Borenstein
Lean Left
  Tgirsch
Los Angeles Times
  John Hendren
  Jonathan Turley
LibertarianJackass.com
  Libertarian
The Liquid List
  Aaron @LiquidList
  Tarek @LiquidList
Little Green Footballs
  Charles Johnson
Mathew Gross
  Mathew Gross
Media Notes Extra
  Howard Kurtz
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
  Tom Brokaw
  Mark Murray
The National Debate
  Robert Cox
National Review
  John Keegan
The New Republic
  Will Baude
New York Post
New York Press
  Matt Taibbi
New York Sun
New York Times
  Nicholas D. Kristof
  William Safire
  Todd S. Purdum
  Tyler Kepner
  Glen Justice
  David M. Halbfinger
  Thom Shanker
  Nina Bernstein
  David Brooks
  Paul Krugman
  David D. Kirkpatrick
  Pam Belluck
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
NY Daily News
Obsidian Wings
  Moe Lane
  Edward _
  Sebastian Holsclaw
  Von @ObsidianWings
Off the Kuff
  Charles Kuffner
Oliver Willis
  Oliver Willis
One Hand Clapping
  Donald Sensing
Opinion Journal
  Claudia Rosett
Outside the Beltway
  James Joyner
OxBlog
  David Adesnik
Pacific Views
  Natasha @PacificViews
  Magpie @PacificViews
pandagon.net
  Jesse Taylor
  Ezra Klein
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
PoliBlog
  Steven Taylor
The Poor Man
  The Poor Man
Power Line
  Hindrocket
  The Big Trunk
PRESTOPUNDIT
  Greg Ransom
Priorities & Frivolities
  Robert Garcia Tagorda
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
QandO
  McQ
  Dale Franks
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Reuters
  Andrea Hopkins
  Suleiman Al-Khalidi
  Daria Sito-Sucic
  Luke Baker
  Alistair Lyon
  John Chalmers
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Rising Hegemon
  Attaturk
the road to surfdom
  Tim Dunlop
Roger Ailes
  Roger Ailes
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Sadly, No!
  Sadly @SadlyNo
Samizdata.net
  Robert Clayton Dean
San Francisco Chronicle
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Sgt. Stryker's Daily Briefing
  Sparkey
Shark Blog
  Stefan Sharkansky
Slate
Southern Appeal
  Nathan Hallford
  Steve Dillard
  Joel Foreman
  QD @SouthernAppeal
  Plainsman @SouthernAppeal
The Spoons Experience
  Christopher Kanis
Steve Gilliard's News Blog
  Steve Gilliard
t a c i t u s
  Tacitus
  Bird Dog
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
  TChris
TAPPED
  Nick Confessore
  Matthew Yglesias
»«TBogg»«
  Tbogg
Telegraph
  Mark Steyn
Tim Blair
  Tim Blair
Townhall.com
  Michelle Malkin
  Mona Charen
Travelling Shoes
  H.D. Miller
VodkaPundit
  Stephen Green
  Will Collier
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Eugene Volokh
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  E. J. Dionne Jr.
  Charles Babington
Washington Times
  David R. Sands
  Maya Alleruzzo
  Jonah Goldberg
Weekly Standard
  Stephen F. Hayes
Winds of Change.NET
  Dan Darling
World O'Crap
  SLZoll



VICE PRESIDENT HILLARY; SPECULATION INTENSIFIES IN WASHINGTON
  Drudge Report   —   Permalink 
Official Washington and the entire press corps will be rocked when Hillary Rodham Clinton is picked as Kerry's VP and a massive love fest will begin!
So predicts a top Washington insider, who spoke to the DRUDGE REPORT on condition he not be named.
Jesse Taylor: Yesss...Exactly As I Say... I'll bet you thirty cents this "top Washington insider" is Dick Morris.
Jeralyn Merritt: Report: Kerry May Tap Hillary for Veep — Matt Drudge is reporting that an anonymous Washington insider is certain Kerry will pick Hillary as the VP candidate.
Christopher Kanis: THE PRESIDENT AND THE GENIE, PART III — Okay, maybe I had it wrong. This was the President's third wish.
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Hillary Clinton, Veepstakes, and Health Care — Matt Drudge has the latest rumor from "a top Washington insider."
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics/Media: Drudge Is A Tool — Does anyone really believe this story? [snipped quote] Give me a break.
Smash: Veep Rumors — MATT DRUDGE says Kerry will pick Hillary. I still say the smart money is on Edwards.
Also: Steve M., Steve Antler, Mathew Gross, Robert Clayton Dean, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Jennifer Carter, James Joyner, Betsy Newmark, Jon Henke, QD @SouthernAppeal, KJL

Brothers in Law?
  By / TNR   —   Permalink 
Critics of the Supreme Court frequently paint Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia as twin horsemen of a conservative apocalypse. Last July, The New York Times quoted Duke law professor Walter Dellinger as saying, "Scalia and Thomas represent the Moral Majority strain."
Steve Dillard: Justice Clarence Thomas is his own man: Will Baude at his best. Well done, young Will.
Ken Masugi: Scalia vs. Thomas — The New Republic notes the differences between these two conservative favorites on the Supreme Court.
Stuart Buck: Thomas and Scalia — Will Baude has an article in the New Republic detailing the substantial differences between Justices Thomas and Scalia.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Will Baude has a very good essay disputing the canard that Clarence Thomas is Antonin Scalia's yes-man on the Court.
Jonathan H. Adler: MORE SCALIA & THOMAS — Will Baude has an excellent column in TNR Online debunking the "Thomas just follows Scalia" canard.
Eugene Volokh: Will Baude on Scalia and Thomas, in The New Republic Online.
Also: Will Baude, James Joyner, Glenn Reynolds, Josh Chafetz

More Distortions From Michael Moore
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
June 30 - In his new movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," film-maker Michael Moore makes the eye-popping claim that Saudi Arabian interests "have given" $1.4 billion to firms connected to the family and friends of President George W. Bush.
Captain Ed: Even though Isikoff and Hosenball express sympathy for Moore's efforts in building criticism of the Bush administration,...
Andrew Sullivan: THE LIES OF FAHRENHEIT III: On the Carlyle Group and how the Saudis allegedly bought the Bushes.
Betsy Newmark: Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball look at some of the lies and distortions in Fahrenheit 911. I hope they put this in the magazine.
Greg Ransom: Michael Moore — another name for liar. Newsweek has the goods.
Ace: Even Moore Lies — Devastating. Yes, we all knew it was a pack of lies. We all knew every word in it was a lie, including the "the's" and "and's."
Jeff Goldstein: But some other stuff I said made the cut. update: Newsweek's Michael Isakoff follows up on Moore's FH911 distortions.

Allawi: Saddam connected to al-Qaida
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD - The new Iraqi prime minister sent word to the Iraqi people that they will now control the fate of their old tormentor, Saddam Hussein.
Beginning Wednesday, the Iraqi government will begin to take legal custody of Saddam. He'll appear in an Iraqi court on Thursday.
Judith Weiss: Spin that, antiwar weenies. UPDATE: They're trying to, aren't they? Sheesh.
Donald Sensing: Quoting MSNBC: "Brokaw: I know that you and others like you are grateful for the liberation of Iraq.
Steve M.: How many Bush administration talking points can the new Iraqi prime minister squeeze into a three-question interview?
Jeanne D'Arc: This trial will be a model of transparency and fairness, the envy of the world, in which every aspect of Saddam's crimes...
Charles Johnson: The Media Are the Enemy — You're not going to believe the way NBC's Tom Brokaw interviews new Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad...
Steven Taylor: Tom "Neutral Reporter" Brokaw and the Allawi Interview — From a transcript at MSNBC we have the following exchange:...
Also: James Joyner, Captain Ed, Betsy Newmark, Jonah Goldberg

Ralph Nader Calls Israel a "Puppeteer"
  Arutz Sheva   —   Permalink 
(IsraelNN.com) On Tuesday, as broadcast on the American cable network C-Span, independent presidential candidate and environmental crusader Ralph Nader said the following:
"What has been happening over the years is a predictable routine of foreign visitation from the head of the Israeli government.
Jan Haugland: Ralph Nader: 'US a puppet, Israel a puppeteer' — Using language you normally hear from right-wing extremists and...
Damian Penny: A trivia question — Who recently said the following: [snipped quote] A) David Duke B) Pat Buchanan C) Iranian state television D) Ralph Nader Answer here. (via LGF)
Betsy Newmark: Well, Ralph Nader is making a direct appeal for the Muslim vote. [snipped quote] That's disgusting.
Captain Ed: Nader: It's The Yahoods, I Tell You — Ralph Nader took a stroll from gadfly status to full-blown moonbat in a speech given at a conference titled, "The Muslim Vote in 2004".
Jerusalem Posts: In addition to Nader, speakers included Ambassador Edward Peck, former Iraq Chief of Mission and others. http://www.israelnn.com/news.p hp3?id=64895
Charles Johnson: Nader: "The Israeli Puppeteer" — Ralph Nader: anti-Semite. (Hat tip: Ethel Carol.)

More U.S. jobs seen in June, buoying Bush
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - U.S. employment likely surged again in June, taking gains this year to some 1.4 million jobs and bolstering President George W. Bush's economic record ahead of the November election, analysts said onWednesday.
Atrios: Current buzz is that they'll be a decent 250K, which is good but not nearly as good as the spin and, as I keep having to...
Captain Ed: They Just Keep Rolling In — In a boost for the Bush administration and the President's re-election bid, Reuters reports...
Bill Hobbs: Another 250,000 More-Likely To Vote For Bush — Reuters reports: [snipped quote] That would make it almost 1.2 million...
Clayton Cramer: From Reuters: "WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - U.S. employment likely surged again in June, taking gains this year to...
Ace: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs... "Nearly a Million Jobs in 100 Days" — Consensus estimate: 250,000 in June, slightly beating May's 248,000.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: There is much less ammunition for them to work with: [snipped quote] It is becoming increasingly clear that the election of 2004 will be a reverse of the election of 1992.

Calling Bush a Liar
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
So is President Bush a liar?
Plenty of Americans think so. Bookshops are filled with titles about Mr. Bush like "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," "Big Lies," "Thieves in High Places" and "The Lies of George W. Bush."
Steve M.: NBC/Wall Street Journal poll Please stop whimpering, Nick Kristof.
Edward _: Everyone from David Brooks to Nicholas Kristof is calling for more civility in the national discourse.
Steve Lovelady: How else to explain Kristof's Op-ed-page column today, in which he holds this strange breed up to the light, like an...
DeLong: ": Nicolas Kristof is sick and tired of people calling the President a liar."
Jeff Jarvis: Kristof v. the neonuts : Nicholas Kristof calls the new extremists of the left n their divisive, demonizing tactics —...
The Poor Man: He's Not A Liar, He's My President! Nicholas Kristof is sick and tired of people calling the President a liar.
Also: Jack Balkin, Ezra Klein, Roger Ailes, David Allan Pell

Iraq's basic services worse now than before war, GAO says
  By / Knight Ridder   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — In a few key areas — electricity, the judicial system and overall security — the Iraq that America handed back to its residents Monday is worse off than before the war began last year, according to calculations in a new General Accounting Office report released yesterday.
Arthur Chrenkoff: Item 2 The "Seattle Times" reports on the Government Accounting Office's study of Iraq: "Iraq's basic services worse now...
Oliver Willis: Iraq's basic services worse now than before war, GAO says In 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces, electricity was available fewer hours per day on average last month than before the war.
Brian Doherty: From a Knight-Ridder report, as run in the Seattle Times: "In a few key areas — electricity, the judicial system and...
Stefan Sharkansky: The latest installment of hand-wringing and self-flagellation over the imperfections of post-Saddam Iraq includes this...
Atrios: Nattering Nabobs — When the GAO tells us that things suck in Iraq, they neglect to tell us about all of the schools!

Beware of Certitude
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Only two days ago, I wrote with all the confidence of a bigfoot pundit that French President Jacques Chirac, at the NATO summit in Istanbul, would find it in his political interest to paper over past differences with the U.S. , Britain and most other European nations about overthrowing Saddam.
Tom Maguire: A Drollery From William Safire — William Safire leaves us wondering just how subtle he is, in the conclusion to his column warning against certitude: Don't jump to hasty derision.
Stephen Green: Read the whole thing.
Betsy Newmark: William Safire weaves together Jacques Chirac's intransigence and the news that the Iraq seeking uranium from Niger...
Glenn Reynolds: In this regard, William Safire's column on the dangers of certitude is well worth reading.
Cori Dauber: The bad new is (I guess this was predictable) it's in William Safire's column, which means it will be looked at with far...
Attaturk: Compare and Contrast — Old-n-Busted (and a White House whorin' fool) Bill Safirepeddling the latest Scooter Libbyish plant.
Also: Josh Marshall

TV to snub conventions
  By / The Hill   —   Permalink 
The major TV networks are planning to cut coverage at the political conventions, ignoring major speeches early in the week.
The Republican and Democratic parties hope to nudge the networks into more live coverage, but broadcasters have concluded that there will be little news to report.
Steven Taylor: TV to snub conventions. For the last several cycles this has been the case, and I expected as much this year, so what's the story?
James Joyner: Networks to Snub Conventions — The Hill — TV to Snub Conventions [snipped quote] I can't blame the networks.
Taegan Goddard: TV to Snub Conventions — "The major TV networks are planning to cut coverage at the political conventions, ignoring major speeches early in the week," The Hill reports.
Kevin Drum: CONVENTION COVERAGE....The Hill reports that the major networks are planning to reduce their coverage of the Democratic and Republican conventions this year to almost nothing.
Atrios: Convention Coverage — It'll be interesting to see if the networks have a double standard for their convention coverage - finding some excuse to broadcast more of the RNC one.
Betsy Newmark: The networks are planning to scale back their coverage of the conventions to about 3 hours per convention. That's fine with me.
Also: DemFromCT

In Classic Check and Balance, Court Shows Bush It Also Has Wartime Powers
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, June 28 - In the fall of 2001, President Bush justified his decision to treat some captured terrorist suspects as "enemy combatants" without access to lawyers, courts or other long-established legal rights on the grounds that he could not let the United States' "enemies use the forums of liberty to destroy liberty itself."
Medium Lobster: In reaffirming the fundamental right to be free from involuntary confinement without due process of law, the Supreme...
Atrios: Kerry's Worse Than Hitler — Fafblog explains why.

2 lazy 2 teach
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
Have you checked your child's summer reading list? Beware: Some lame-brained school officials have decided to ditch the sonnets of Shakespeare for the tripe of Tupac.
McQ: 2 good 4 2pac — Michelle Malkin shares some feedback on her blog from her "2 Lazy 2 Teach" column on Townhall.
Mike Hendrix: 2 B or not 2 B, yo - word — Good God: [snipped quote] Read the rest; it's unbelievable, and frightening when you get right down to it.
Betsy Newmark: Michelle Malkin is upset about one Massachusetts school district's choices for summer reading. Fear not, Michelle.
Captain Ed: Michelle Malkin, one of my favorite writers, notes the summer reading list from a Worcester school district now includes...
SLZoll: Michelle Malkin Michelle is having a major hissy fit because the lazy officials at a middle school in Worcester, MA...
Michelle Malkin: 2 LAZY 2 TEACH — Column's up: What your kid is learning in school: tupac.jpg Update: A public school teacher in the...

Fed Boosts Rate by One-Quarter Point
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve boosted a key short-term interest rate by a one-quarter percentage point Wednesday, its first rate increase in four years, in an attempt to keep the economy and inflation on an even keel.
Greg Ransom: The wheel of history turns. Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve hike interest rates 1/4 percent.
Ace: A Quarter Point — Greenspan raises the fed funds rate by .25%, as expected.
Libertarian: THE ASCENT BEGINS I told you so: interest rates rise for the first time in four years.
Steven Taylor: As Expected — Fed Boosts Rate by One-Quarter Point. And here's a nifty graphic.

The secret history of Anonymous
  By / Boston Phoenix   —   Permalink 
Based on some of the interviews with Imperial Hubris author Anonymous (CIA officer Michael Scheuer, as we've revealed) over the past couple of weeks, it's hard to avoid concluding that Scheuer is not spoiling for a crusade of bloody constraint against the Islamic and Arab worlds.
James Joyner: The secret history of Anonymous.
Laura Rozen: Investigative journalist Jason Vest has the backstory on the famous "Anonymous" I guarantee you will want to read. The upshot?
Jeralyn Merritt: Author of 'Imperial Hubris' Revealed — He's a CIA employee named Michael Scheuer and you can get the whole story here. [link fixed]
Nick Gillespie: Whoizit? [snipped quote] Whole thing here.

NBC poll: President 'down but not out'
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - With just over four months until Election Day, a near-majority of Americans believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction and that President Bush deliberately misled the public to make the case for war in Iraq, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds.
Rimjob: NBC/WSJ POLL [editor's note, by DemFromCT] elevated from the diaries (previous poll results from May) NBC Poll: Bush...
Taegan Goddard: New Polls — "With just over four months until Election Day, a near-majority of Americans believe the nation is headed...

Court Orders 'God' Into Oath
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
RALEIGH, N.C. , June 29 — North Carolina's Supreme Court ordered a judge Tuesday to restore references to God used when he enters the courtroom and when witnesses swear to tell the truth.
TChris: NC Supreme Court Orders God's Return to Courtroom — How absurd is this?
Tgirsch: NC Supreme Court Orders "God" Into Courtroom — This isn't good: [snipped quote] If I'm not mistaken, the oath that includes "so help you God" is technically the revised one.
James Joyner: Court Orders 'God' Into Oath — AP — Court Orders 'God' Into Oath "North Carolina's Supreme Court ordered a judge...
Nathan Hallford: According to the Washington Post, District Judge James M. Honeycutt decided to remove any references to God from use in...

Cheney Pays Visit to Stadium
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Vice President Dick Cheney spent about 20 minutes in Manager Joe Torre's office and in the clubhouse shaking hands with players before the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 11-3, last night at Yankee Stadium.
Jeanne D'Arc: It was greeted with booing, so the Yankees quickly removed the image. Class, all the way.
KJL: BLAME IT ON THE BLEACHERS — Cheney got booed at Yankee stadium.
Mathew Gross: True Patriots — Go f—k yourself, say Yankees fans: [quote] During the singing of "God Bless America" in the seventh inning, an image of Cheney was shown on the scoreboard.[end quote]
Atrios: ...Minitru put the info into this story instead. (it was originally in the one I had linked to.)

Iraq is worse off than before the war began, GAO reports
  By / Knight Ridder   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - In a few key areas - electricity, the judicial system and overall security - the Iraq that America handed back to its residents Monday is worse off than before the war began last year, according to calculations in a new General Accounting Office report released Tuesday.
Jeanne D'Arc: And with judges who are subject to assassination attempts, too. That's rather miraculous, no? One might be tempted to say impossible.
Matthew Yglesias: At a minimum, what one can say in favor of the Iraq War is that the Iraqi people are better off. Or are they?
Steve Gilliard: Iraq is worse off than before the war began, GAO reports By Seth Borenstein [snipped quote] But they're free, right?

Abducted Marine Had Reportedly Deserted
  NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 29 — The American marine who is being threatened by his kidnappers with beheading had deserted the military because he was emotionally traumatized, and was abducted by his captors while trying to make his way home to his native Lebanon, a Marine officer said Tuesday.
DHinMI: According to the NYT, Abducted Marine Had Reportedly Deserted. But according to the WaPo, Corporal Held by Militants Not a Deserter, Marines Say.
Attaturk: Suddenly, the NY Times reports an allegation by a fellow service member that he may have deserted... And with the speed...
Tacitus: He is not merely captured and awaiting a foreordained death: he was betrayed while attempting to desert in wartime.
Charles Johnson: Wassef Ali Hassoun's "kidnapping" in Iraq have been circulating for a few days; here's the first confirmation that...
James Joyner: Abducted Marine Had Reportedly Deserted — NYT — Abducted Marine Had Reportedly Deserted [RSS] [snipped quote] This had...
Jonah Goldberg: THE KIDNAPPED MARINE — May have been a deserter: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 29 — The American marine who is being...

Author reveals Potter title
  AFP   —   Permalink 
The sixth book of the Harry Potter series will be called Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the British author J.K. Rowling revealed yesterday on a website dedicated to her schoolboy wizard creation.
Jeanne D'Arc: But I'd look forward to this one.
Tim Dunlop: Author reveals Potter title — JK Rowling has released the title of the sixth book in her bestselling series.

'Boston Phoenix' IDs 'Anonymous' CIA Officer
  Editor and Publisher   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK The active U.S. intelligence officer known only as "Anonymous," who has gained world renown this month as author of an upcoming book called "Imperial Hubris," is actually named Michael Scheuer, according to an article in the Boston Phoenix today by Jason Vest.
Steve Antler: Who is anonymous? Well, I'm not! Two theories (via Bruce Bartlett).
James Joyner: (Hat tip: Memeorandum) UPDATE: Editor and Publisher has picked up the story as well.

Kerry Has to Decide Soon on Repaying a Big Loan
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, June 29 - Among the many strategic decisions facing Senator John Kerry in the coming weeks, one may hit closer to home than others, whether to use campaign contributions to repay the $6.4 million that he lent his campaign or pay it off over time using his own money.
Noam Scheiber: I'm sure Republicans will scream bloody murder, as this Times article suggests, if John Kerry repays the $6.4 million...
Hugh Hewitt: "Some campaign finance experts question whether Mr. Kerry has the money to repay the loan himself," says the New York Times.
Howard Kurtz: 'We've stayed close as an extended family in a sense ... and it's none of anybody's business.'" Kerry has other...

Saddam Lawyer Says Trial Mockery of Justice
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein will not get a fair trial and his captors have already decided his fate, the deposed Iraqi president's defense lawyer said Wednesday.
"This is a mockery of justice. We are facing clear legal violations.
Charles Johnson: I think we've found his replacement: Saddam's lawyer, already ranting and seething and mangling the English language: "This is a mockery of justice.
Jeralyn Merritt: Saddam's Lawyer Speaks Out — Saddam Hussein's chief defense lawyer spoke out today and said any trial of his client...

Courting Minorities, Kerry Promises Expanded College Access
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
PHOENIX, June 29 - Hoping to energize minority voters, Senator John Kerry promised blacks and Hispanics on Tuesday that he would expand access to college, and he delivered a forceful new answer to Republican charges that he is running a campaign of pessimism.
Thomas Lang: Today, we see the same rubbish for sale in The New York Times.
CJR: Zachary Roth Update, 6/30, 2:50 p.m.: David Halbfinger, writing in today's New York Times, displays the same aversion...
Hugh Hewitt: John Kerry's speech to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH yesterday was stilted and dull even by Kerry standards, and as I played it on air it seemed almost a parody of a speech.

A Mixed Bag
  NRO   —   Permalink 
The Supreme Court's combatants decisions.
The Supreme Court's much-anticipated decisions Monday in the three cases involving enemy combatants detained by the executive branch during wartime are a mixed bag for the government: a tie, a shaky win it can probably live with, and a defeat that could be catastrophic.
The Big Trunk: Ruling in favor of the enemy — NRO has posted Andrew McCarthy's excellent column on the Insane Clown Posse's three detention decisions: "A mixed bag."
Joel Foreman: Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of law — For an insightful look at the results of the Supreme Court's recent...

Uncle Sam calls again
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — The Army is preparing to call up 5,600 former soldiers for involuntary yearlong tours, mostly assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan, under a rarely used wartime program that allows the military to recall those who have left the service and did not join the Reserves, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
The Poor Man: Sudan — Charles Kuffner points to this petition urging the President to address the (other) genocide in Sudan.
Charles Kuffner: The Army has no spare capacity, a situation which I remind you is entirely the President's fault.

Top Bosnia Serbs Fired for Failing to Nab Karadzic
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The West's top peace envoy punished Bosnia's Serbs Wednesday for failing to arrest top war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic, dismissing 60 senior officials in the most dramatic such move since the 1992-95 war.
Kevin Drum: Until now: [snipped quote] Stay tuned to see how this turns out.
Laura Rozen: Monday Evening Update: The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum points to a recent Russ Baker article from that magazine on...

Nader, Dean to Debate if Ralph Should Run
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Among the debate topics: Should Ralph run for president? The participants: Howard Dean and a candidate who always has an opinion on the subject — independent Ralph Nader .
Moe Lane: Come on, with a title like this - Nader, Dean to Debate if Ralph Should Run - the answer's bloody obvious, isn't it?
Jesse Taylor: This is incredibly interesting, if only for the potential exchanges between the two guys.

The Prime Minister Speaks
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION Tuesday received further support for its claims of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda from an important source: new Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Allawi, who has long claimed knowledge of the Iraq-al Qaeda relationship, reiterated these beliefs in an interview with NBC's Tom Brokaw.
C. D. Harris: Instead, we have Tom Brokaw dressing down Iraq's new Prime Minister Iyad Allawi for having the temerity to state the...
Matthew Yglesias: The never-ending quest for Iraq-Qaeda connections is on again at The Weekly Standard as one-trick pony Stephen Hayes...

Menino lets loose: Mayor slams 'incompetent' Kerry camp
  Boston Herald   —   Permalink 
Mayor Thomas M. Menino unloaded a searing attack on fellow Democrat John F. Kerry [related, bio] yesterday, calling his presidential campaign ''small-minded'' and ''incompetent'' - laying bare a years-old rift weeks before the city plays host to Kerry's FleetCenter coronation.
Captain Ed: Kerry Campaign "Incompetent": Boston Mayor — The Boston Herald got an exclusive interview with a hopping-mad Mayor...
Betsy Newmark: Mayor Menino of Boston is ticked at the Kerry campaign. Come on, can't we all get along.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Now, there is this: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. There appears to be trouble in paradise.

France vetoes Afghan mission
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
France yesterday blocked a U.S.-backed plan to use a special NATO force to safeguard elections in Afghanistan this fall, despite a plea from Afghan leaders that the troops are badly needed.
Hindrocket: Not On Our Side — Yesterday Jacques Chirac vetoed a U.S. plan to send NATO troops to help maintain security during Afghanistan's upcoming election.
The Big Trunk: The bad news from Afghanistan comes courtesy of Jacques Chirac: "France vetoes Afghan mission."
Tim Graham: FRENCH WHINE — Today's journalism-school discussion: Is it considered "news" when the French oppose the United States?

All in the Family
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
"Let freedom reign," wrote President Bush as Iraq regained sovereignty Monday.
"Today, the secretary-general welcomes the state of Iraq back into the family of independent and sovereign nations," said a United Nations statement.
Glenn Reynolds: CLAUDIA ROSETT: [quote] "Let freedom reign," wrote President Bush as Iraq regained sovereignty Monday.[end quote]
The Big Trunk: Claudia Rosett conducts a Cook's tour of the world's hellholes and refers in passing to how "Frere Jacques" (and brother...
Stefan Beck: They're creepy and they're kooky . . . . . . they're Annan's Family.
Tim Blair: KOFI'S HAPPY FAMILY — Claudia Rosett, who deserves a Pulitzer for her ceaseless work exposing the UN, observes a...

Reality Intrudes on Promises in Rebuilding of Iraq
  NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 29 — The four big smokestacks at the Doura power plant in Baghdad have always served as subversive truth-tellers. No matter what Saddam Hussein's propagandists said about electricity supplies, people knew they could get a better idea of the coming day's power by counting how many stacks at Doura were spewing smoke.
Norbizness: (5) Don't think of the 2,160 aid projects that haven't started as miserable failures by an overpromising, delusional,...
Cori Dauber: And the Lady is a strick taskmaster. (Uh, mistress. Work with me here, I had a thing going.)
David Adesnik: DON'T SMILE: Here's the latest NYT compilation of bad news about reconstruction in Iraq. The less newsworthy good news can be found here.
Jeanne D'Arc: The New York Times, meanwhile, is running with its own theory of why 2,300 reconstruction projects have been promised,...
DemFromCT: NY Times: Reality Intrudes In Iraq — They meant the unspent "Marshall Plan" dollars.

Liberals hate fellow Americans more than Islamists
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
Theaters are filling up with fans of Michael Moore — a propagandist who makes Oliver Stone look like Alistair Cooke. Moore is, of course, free to say that the war on terror is a clever cover story for George W. Bush's attempt to line his own pockets.
Greg Ransom: She is an MBA who speaks three languages .. ". MORE Mona Charen, "Leftists hate fellow Americans more than Islamists".
Betsy Newmark: Paul Krugman may have reached his nadir, when he attacked an American doing dangerous duty in Iraq, simply because her...
SLZoll: Mona Charen In a column entitled "Liberals hate fellow Americans more than Islamists," Mona claims that liberals hate...

British gay couple offended by double bed ban
  AFP   —   Permalink 
LONDON (AFP) - It was a true clash of cultures. Stephen Nock, a gay man from London, assumed it would be a matter of routine to book a double room at a remote Scottish guest house for himself and his long-term partner.
Andrew Sullivan: Here's the story that warmed Derbyshire's heart: [snipped quote] Notice that it is not homophobic to call gay people "poofs," or "bent".
John Derbyshire: This may be just the place.

In F.B.I., Innocent Detainee Found Unlikely Ally
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
It took no more than a week for James P. Wynne, a veteran F.B.I. investigator, to confirm the harmless truth that only now, more than two years later, he is ready to talk about. The small foreign man he helped arrest for videotaping outside an office building in Queens on Oct. 25, 2001, was no terrorist.
Magpie @PacificViews: For example, the NY Tiimes has an article today about the imprisonment and deportation from the US of a man from Nepal.
Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Um, Perhaps Not — This astonishing story in the New York Times tells the harrowing tale of an innocent...
TChris: Read the linked article for the rest of the story.
Julian Sanchez: I'm Really Glad They Made the Legal Aid Society — The New York Times' front page today tells the story of a Nepalese...
Michelle Malkin: The New York Times gives us the sad story of Purna Raj Bajracharya of Nepal.

Exploding the Fireworks Safety 'Threat'
  LAT   —   Permalink 
By John R. Lott Jr. and Ruth R. Smith, John R. Lott Jr. is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and Ruth R. Smith runs its intern program.
As Americans celebrate their freedom on Sunday, it will be with a certain irony: Not all Americans have the freedom to celebrate the holiday with the traditional festive bang.
Sadly @SadlyNo: Shorter John Lott — Exploding the Fireworks Safety 'Threat' "My statistical analysis proves that my children are dirty and stinky little rascals."
Greg Ransom: Free our Fireworks.
Clayton Cramer: John R. Lott, Jr. and Ruth R. Smith of the American Enterprise Institute have a pretty startling article in the Los...

It's Boston 'E' Party
  NY Daily News   —   Permalink 
The joke last night, other than the Red Sox, was that it wasn't Vice President Dick Cheney who needed all the Secret Service protection he received at Yankee Stadium, along with an old-fashioned Bronx cheer as old as the Grand Concourse.
The Poor Man: Bronx Cheer — [snipped quote] Have the people of New York City forgotten about September 11th? [UPDATE: The Yankees still suck.
Charles Kuffner: UPDATE: Mike Lupica on Cheney-booing and Yankee domination. Via The Poor Man, hie poor taste in baseball teams notwithstanding.

Hip-Swaying Dancing Doll Ridicules Saddam
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis used to dance to his tune, but in Baghdad toy shops a chubby, gun-toting Saddam Hussein doll now wiggles his hips to the "Hippy Hippy Shake."
Bill Hobbs: Dancing Saddam — Iraq is going to do just fine. And I very much want one of these for myself.
Tgirsch: Capitalism Hits Baghdad — It's pretty sad when the most visible sign of our "success" bringing the American way of life...

Soldiers 'get the bad boys' in raids
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD — Under the cover of darkness, soldiers from Alpha Company, 91st Engineer Battalion, creep up a narrow alley to their target, ready to scale the front wall of a small home and seize the men who tried to attack their platoon.
First, they knock.
The Big Trunk: Columbo in Baghdad — The Washington Times has a fascinating article on the detective work performed in Iraq by the...
James Joyner: They appear to be getting it: Washington Times — Soldiers 'Get The Bad Boys' In Raids "Under the cover of darkness,...

Textbook Jihad in Egypt
  By / Front Page Magazine   —   Permalink 
A "mock beheading" video located at radical Sheikh Abu Hamza's website (www.shareeah.org ), which featured three young Muslim boys who pretended to behead a fourth 1, has elicited the appropriate public revulsion.
Charles Johnson: Textbook Jihad in Egypt — Western media and Islamic advocacy groups are doing their best to absolve Islam of any responsibility in the beheadings of infidels.
Jerusalem Posts: Textbook Jihad in Egypt — Textbook Jihad in Egypt A "mock beheading" video located at radical Sheikh Abu Hamza's...

Candidate's decisions reflect a focus on long-term payoff
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
To detractors and even some supporters, John F. Kerry's decision this week to cancel his speech to the US Conference of Mayors because of a picket line was typical of how he makes many judgments: protracted, messy, and guided by self-interest.
Liz Cox Barrett: Today Johnson kicks off his story with this: "To detractors and even some supporters, John F. Kerry's decision this week...
Hugh Hewitt: Like many other decisions, the loan presents Kerry with another opportunity to delay and procrastinate, in what has...

Detainees May Be Moved Off Cuba Base
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Senior Bush administration officials are considering moving hundreds of detainees from a facility in Cuba to prisons within the United States in response to Supreme Court rulings this week that granted military prisoners access to U.S. courts, officials said Tuesday.
Gary Farber: Was anyone in the Administration ever a Boy Scout? [snipped quote] Who can't applaud such fine powers of prediction and preparedness?
Digby: Detainees May Be Moved Off Cuba Base "As attorneys for detainees at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, began...
James Joyner: In related news, LA Times — Detainees May Be Moved Off Cuba Base "Senior Bush administration officials are considering...

San Francisco rolls out the red carpet for the Clintons
  San Francisco Chronicle   —   Permalink 
(06-28) 19:03 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —
The leftiest big city on the Left Coast was Clinton country on Monday, with former President Clinton continuing his blockbuster book tour and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton headlining a Democratic fund-raiser where she vowed to defeat the Republicans' "extraordinarily ruthless machine."
Ted Barlow: Source: Republican Party Platform How much room for compromise is there with the legions who lose their minds when they...
Jennifer Carter: This is scary. So is this.
Steve Antler: UPDATE: An alert reader points out Mrs. Clinton's recent words: "Many of you are well enough off that...the tax cuts may...
Kevin Drum: THE ESSENCE OF TODAY'S CONSERVATISM?...Hillary Clinton told a group of her wealthy supporters on Monday that she...
Steven Taylor: At Least She's Honest — San Francisco rolls out the red carpet for the Clintons [snipped quote] Amazing. Hat tip: OTB.
Mike Hendrix: HIllary lets the mask slip a bit: [snipped quote] "The common good"—as defined by Hillary and her crack team of...
Also: Jesse Taylor, Tim Blair, Moe Lane, Emperor Darth Misha I, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Charles Johnson, Bird Dog, Clayton Cramer, H.D. Miller, James Joyner, Matthew Yglesias, McQ, Steve Bainbridge, Christopher Kanis, C. D. Harris, Jason Van Steenwyk, Glenn Reynolds, Betsy Newmark, Andrew Sullivan

Saddam and 11 Aides Turned Over to Iraqi Justice
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein appeared before an Iraqi judge Wednesday as Iraq 's interim government took legal charge of the deposed dictator 15 months after U.S.-led forces overthrew him.
Smash: Saddam Goes to Court — SADDAM HUSSEIN and eleven of his closests aides were turned over to Iraqi legal custody Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Steven Taylor: Saddam Turned Over — Saddam and 11 Aides Turned Over to Iraqi Justice "Saddam Hussein appeared before an Iraqi judge...

CALLING CHIRAC'S CHARADE
  New York Post   —   Permalink 
In the face of unceasing French attacks on American foreign policy, President Bush has struck back in a way that is deeply embarrassing to France's President Chirac.
Good for Dubya.
McQ: But as an editorial in the NY Post today points out: "The junior senator from Massachusetts is more attractive to Paris...
Betsy Newmark: The New York Post calls it like it is.

Clintons in town for double duty
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
The leftiest big city on the Left Coast was Clinton country on Monday, with former President Clinton continuing his blockbuster book tour and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton headlining a Democratic fund-raiser where she vowed to defeat the Republicans' "extraordinarily ruthless machine."
Sparkey: It's the philanthropist in me.That little gem is followed by this gaffe from the oft proclaimed smartest woman in the...
KJL: GREAT CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL: DEMS WILL RAISE TAXES — Hillary Clinton promises Democrats will raise taxes; from AP:...
Kim du Toit: From The Belly Of The Beast — Loyal Reader Cindi just sent me this RCOB article from the SF Examiner.

Millions Lost in Cyberspace
  LAT   —   Permalink 
Tucked into the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a little-known program called the "e-rate," setting up a tax that has cost consumers and phone companies upward of $2 billion a year. What has that money bought? A rudderless program riddled with fraud and waste.
Bird Dog: A Billion Here and a Billion There — Mark this day. The LA Times editorial board and I are in agreement.
Will Collier: The LA Times realizes (belatedly) that the "Gore Tax" is a huge boondoggle. They can't quite bring themselves to call for its abolition, but it's a start.

The new n-word
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
The Bush campaign has come out with a bad ad. It's on the Web. It's called "Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-Eyed." It runs a montage of various Democrats (plus Michael Moore) in full-blown rants, veins popping out of their necks, about George W. Bush.
Betsy Newmark: Jonah Goldberg reminds us of how many times liberals and Democrats compare Republicans to Nazis.
Greg Ransom: "The new n-word" by Jonah Goldberg, editor of NRO.

Political Paradoxes
  New York Sun   —   Permalink 
Peter Berkowitz Mr. Berkowitz teaches at George Mason University School of Law and is a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.
Whatever the outcome, however, it is likely to have paradoxical effects on American political sensibilities.
Greg Ransom: MORE "Political Paradoxes" by Peter Berkowitz, GMU Law School. As I always ask my lefty friends, "Call yourself a progressive, eh?
Andrew Sullivan: RIGHT, LEFT AND IRAQ: The paradoxes continue to mount up. Peter Berkowitz beautifully illustrates them.

The tug of war for a new Iraq
  The Age   —   Permalink 
Whose side are you on: the murderous gangs, or those who want civil society? By Tony Parkinson.
Now that a representative government is in place in Baghdad, its writ explicitly endorsed by the United Nations, it should be possible to see more clearly, and debate more rationally, what exactly is at stake in the new Iraq.
Tim Blair: LEFTOID FANTASIES ADDRESSED — Fine John Spooner cartoon in today's Melbourne Age.
Tim Dunlop: Raising the tone — It really is a bit rich to demand a more civil discussion of the situation in Iraq in an article...

A Near Miss for Key Rights
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Winston Churchill once said there is nothing that concentrates the mind like being shot at and missed. For civil libertarians, the rulings this week against the Bush administration and some of its anti-terrorism practices certainly served to concentrate the mind.
Jeralyn Merritt: As TChris reported here, law prof Jonathan Turley expresses a similar pessimistic view, writing that the decisions show how imperiled our constitutional system has become.
TChris: Find out why.

Army Recalling Thousands Who Left Service
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) - Digging deeper for help in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is recalling to active duty about 5,600 people who recently left the service and still have a reserve obligation.
Tbogg: I'm typing as fast as I can — You would think, with all of their curbside flag-waving and "we support our troops"...
QD @SouthernAppeal: Lies, Damned Lies, and Headlines: Here's the headline for this AP article: "Army Recalls Thousands Who Left Service."

SHOVELING COAL FOR SATAN
  By / New York Press   —   Permalink 
To describe this film as dishonest and demagogic would almost be to promote those terms to the level of respectability. To describe this film as a piece of crap would be to run the risk of a discourse that would never again rise above the excremental......
Steve Gilliard: Comrade Hitchens, your Order of Lenin is waiting... He makes Kim Philby look honorable, sober and a patriot SHOVELING...
Atrios: Bashing Snitchens — Because it's just so fun.
Brian Linse: Feeding The Monkey — Via Atrios, I find today's absolute must-read: Matt Taibbi's Shoveling Coal for Satan in the New York Press.
Attaturk: I Enjoyed the Roasting, but Despaired at the Loathing — This utter take down of Hitchens by Matt Taibbi sounds great until it drives you to incredible dispair.

San Francisco rolls out the red carpet for the Clintons
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
SAN FRANCISCO - Former President Clinton stopped the fast-moving line of autograph seekers to pose for a photo with two kids who had traveled 50 miles with their father to see the nation's hottest new author.
Jonathan Wilde: Once a Commie, Always a Commie — [snipped quote] — Hillary Rodham Clinton
Donald Sensing: What does Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), think? [snipped quote] There is no report on the volume of applause the senator received from her wealthy audience.
Captain Ed: Hillary, The Truth-Teller — It appears that the Clintons have worked their magic once again — bringing the fractious...
Robert Clayton Dean: Samizdata quote of the day — [snipped quote] Hillary Clinton, at a San Francisco fundraiser for fellow statist Sen. Boxer.

Preparing for Attack
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
In the expeditionary force the chain of command led from General Franks via General McKiernan to two subordinate formations, V Corps, part of Third Army, and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
Glenn Reynolds: Reader Thad McArthur points to an interesting bit from the John Keegan article I linked earlier: [snipped quote] The...
Vanderleun: Nor is it likely the President is paying close attention to the great historian John Keegan as he continues his "American War" series.

Legitimate Dissent or Hurting America?
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight.
Legitimate dissent or hurting America? That's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." Over the weekend, President Bush visited Ireland (search) and Turkey (search).
Natasha @PacificViews: Fun With Fox — Bill O'Reilly's conclusion about protestors: "...So, there's no question the anti-American protests are grounded in a very simple point of view.
Robert Cox: O'Reilly Responds to "Ambush Charge" Fox News Well, that was some ambush, wasn't it? That Mathews isn't really worth the time.

Finally, the CIA Gets It Right
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
For those Americans who had begun to doubt whether the Central Intelligence Agency could produce good analysis, Imperial Hubris clearly demonstrates otherwise. It is a powerful, persuasive analysis of the terrorist threat and the Bush administration's failed efforts to fight it.
Brian Linse: CIA Finally Gets It Right — So says Richard Clarke in his WaPo review of Imperial Hubris.
Ezra Klein: President Bush: Magician — Richard Clarke's got an informative review of Anonymous's Imperial Hubris.

Where's the Misery?
  NRO   —   Permalink 
John Kerry is the dream candidate of greedy college administrators.
The devastating question that was asked of the vacuous Gary Hart during the 1984 Democratic primaries was "Where's the beef?" In that spirit, John Kerry could be asked today: "Where's the misery?"
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Taken to School — John Kerry bemoans "soaring tuition costs," but Rich Lowry persuasively rejects this complaint:...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But as Rich Lowry shows, the reverse is true: [snipped quote] Apparently the Kerry campaign has decided to hype a problem...
Betsy Newmark: Rich Lowry explains why the college tuition component of Kerry's supposed Misery Index is so very bogus.

U.S. Expels 2 Guards at Iran U.N. Mission
  AP   —   Permalink 
UNITED NATIONS - The U.S. government has expelled two Iranian security guards working at Iran's U.N. mission, citing activities "incompatible with their stated duties" — diplomatic language for spying.
Joe Gandelman: And now the (seeming) Iranian connection comes up again: [snipped quote] Iran is one of seven nations the U.S. State Department labels as supporting terrorism.
Glenn Reynolds: AXIS OF EVIL: [snipped quote] If anything happens in New York, we'll know who to look at.
Laura Rozen: The US has expelled two Iranian security guards with Tehran's mission to the UN, after the two were caught repeatedly taking video of the New York subway line.
Captain Ed: Of course, the Republican National Convention takes place in New York at the end of August... UPDATE: More information...

Justices block Internet porn law
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law meant to punish pornographers who peddle dirty pictures to Web-surfing kids is probably an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech.
The high court divided 5-to-4 over a law passed in 1998, signed by then-President Clinton and now backed by the Bush administration.
Jan Haugland: The supremes sent the so-called Child Online Protection Act (COPA) back to the district court.
Attaturk: Unfortunately though, how much does it suck to be Clarence Thomas when Scalia abandons you and you end up the deciding...
Tbogg: God help the mister that comes between me and my man hobby... There comes a time when Clarence Thomas has step away from Antonin Scalia and say, "No!"
Joe Gandelman: Supreme Court Torn But Upholds Porn — The Supreme Court has basically told Congress to go back to the drawing board by...
James Joyner: High Court Upholds Block of Web Porn Law — AP — High Court Upholds Block of Web Porn Law NYT — Justices Uphold Block...
Roger Ailes: But shouldn't Clarence have recused himself ... at least to the men's room?

Age of Political Segregation
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
I've been writing about polarization a fair bit recently, and the more I look into it, the more I think I'll just move to Tahiti. That's because the causes of polarization — at least among elites — have little to do with passing arguments about the war, the Bush leadership style or the Clinton scandals.
Jesse Taylor: In Fairness — David Brooks wrote an article I don't agree with, but to be fair, that's also because it's incredibly wrong.
Jeff Jarvis: But when he writes a dumb column it's a doozie. File today's under doozie.
Cori Dauber: Maybe you enjoy his writing, maybe his pop sociology drives you up the wall, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to...
Betsy Newmark: Contrast Samuelson's column with David Brooks' column from yesterday. I was skeptical about Brooks' assertions and now Samuelson backs me up.
Roger L. Simon: The two lead oped pieces—one by David Brooks and the other by Paul Krugman—were quite amusing.
Micah Sifry: Much as I like David Brooks' armchair sociologizing—at least he's asking interesting questions—I can't at all agree with his latest column.

The importance of being Michael Moore
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
Excited about Fahrenheit 9/11? It's the Palme d'Or-winning and soon-to-be Oscar-winning documentary from average blue-collar multi-millionaire Michael Moore, and it opens in Britain next week. I saw it over the weekend on my side of the Atlantic, with an audience comprised wholly of informed, intelligent sophisticates.
Jesse Taylor: They Laughed At My Wookiee.. Mark Steyn convincingly makes the case that perhaps it's better for many conservatives to...
C. D. Harris: Movie Projector — Mark Steyn reviews F9/11: [snipped quote] RTWT. It's Mark Steyn, after all.
Will Collier: The aftermath isn't pretty: [snipped quote] You know what to do.
H.D. Miller: Steyn Scores — Mark Steyn sums up the entire Micheal Moore phenomenon in three succinct sentences. [snipped quote] Bingo!
Charles Johnson: Steyn Skewers Moore — Mark Steyn, on the importance of being Michael Moore.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: . ." Mark Steyn writes on "the importance of being Michael Moore": "Excited about Fahrenheit 9/11?
Also: Damian Penny, Tim Blair

Who Lost Iraq?
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The formal occupation of Iraq came to an ignominious end yesterday with a furtive ceremony, held two days early to foil insurgent attacks, and a swift airborne exit for the chief administrator. In reality, the occupation will continue under another name, most likely until a hostile Iraqi populace demands that we leave.
Jeanne D'Arc: With rare exceptions, few in the mainstream press have been honest about the flat out theft of Iraqi money: In the...
Dan Darling: No Shame — I'm not sure how many of you have had the experience of reading Paul Kugman's column today in the New York Times.
Tom Maguire: However, since one regular source of amusement around here is to see just how wildly out of context Prof. Krugman is...
Tbogg: Let's see what Krugman wrote: If the occupiers often seemed oblivious to reality, one reason was that many jobs at the...
Nick Confessore: WHO LOST IRAQ? Paul Krugman asks that provocative question in his column today. The kicker: [snipped quote] Well said.
KJL: PAUL KRUGMAN HAS NO SHAME — He goes after Simone Ledeen and Michael Fleischer, daughter of Michael and brother of Ari,...
Also: DeLong, Roger L. Simon, Mary @PacificViews, Digby, Atrios

Bush's Rating Falls to Its Lowest Point, New Survey Finds
  NYT   —   Permalink 
President Bush's job approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The poll found Americans stiffening their opposition to the Iraq war, worried that the invasion could invite domestic...
Josh Marshall: That was, I must admit, a quick post. And looking at the results a bit more closely, I think I got the emphasis wrong.
David Allan Pell: Approval Hits and Disses — The latest poll numbers are in and they don't paint a very pretty picture for the President who currently suffers from a 42% approval rating.
Noam Scheiber: Today's New York Times breathlessly proclaims the recent Times/CBS poll to be miserable news for George W. Bush.
Cori Dauber: CBS Headline: "Poll: White House Race Tightens Up" New York Times Headline: "Bush's Rating Falls to Its Lowest Point,...
Matthew Yglesias: Back in the real world, the populace seems increasingly disenchanted with the president so I'm not too worried, but still.
Jesse Taylor: Bush's approval rating is dropping like a rock and that, I think, is the best possible news for a Kerry presidency.
Also: James Joyner, Jeralyn Merritt, Captain Ed, James Martin Capozzola, Taegan Goddard, DemFromCT

First Ripple of a Political Tidal Wave?
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
SEATTLE — Rep. Jay Inslee knows about political tidal waves, because one of them almost sank his political career.
Inslee, who now represents a suburban Seattle district, was tossed out of Congress from another district in the 1994 Republican sweep.
Betsy Newmark: E. J. Dionne goes out on a limb to predict, maybe, possibly, caveatedly, that there will be a Democratic tidal wave this November.
Oliver Willis: I've never seen Democrats so determined and so focused," Andrews added. First Ripple of a Political Tidal Wave?
DemFromCT: What're the People Saying? EJ Dionne sums it up today as [snipped quote] Depends who you talk to, huh?
Atrios: There are a lot of good nuggets in there, but I wanted to highlight this one: But there is one last bit of evidence suggesting that Inslee and Baird are on to something.
Ezra Klein: Tidal Wave? E.J Dionne's penned an absolute must-read about the prospect of a Democratic backlash this year.

France Blocks U.S. on Elite Force for Afghanistan
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - France has blocked a U.S. bid to deploy NATO's new strike force to safeguard Afghanistan's elections, stoking tension between the two allies that fell out over the Iraq war, diplomats said Tuesday.
Sebastian Holsclaw: (Rueters cite): [snipped quote] This article highlights the fact that there really aren't very many non-US NATO troops available.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: NOS AMIS — These are the actions of an ally?
James Joyner: In related news: AP — France Blocks U.S. on Elite Force for Afghanistan "France has blocked a U.S. bid to deploy...
Cori Dauber: DON'T KNOCK YOURSELF OUT — The Europeans have been relatively clear: they may not be fans of the war in Iraq (I'm...
Charles Johnson: French Perfidy Watch — The French are at it again: France Blocks U.S. on Elite Force for Afghanistan.

National Review Founder to Leave Stage
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
In 1954, when Ronald Reagan was still a registered Democrat and host of "General Electric Theater," the 28-year-old William Frank Buckley Jr. decided to start a magazine as a standard-bearer for the fledgling conservative movement.
Robert Cox: Which is not exactly correct. Buckley Quits National Review The New York Times Mr. Buckley, 78, is giving up control.
Susanna Cornett: Goodbye, Mr. Buckley — William F. Buckley has handed over his shares in National Review, setting up a board of...
Taegan Goddard: Buckley Steps Aside — William F. Buckley Jr. "is giving up control of his magazine, National Review, the most...
Rich Lowry: ED CAPANO — One major oversight in that New York Times piece today was NR publisher Ed Capano, who will now be our publisher and CEO.
Matthew Yglesias: The New York Times reports on National Review founder William F. Buckley's decision to relinquish control of his...

High Court Upholds Block of Web Porn Law
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law meant to punish pornographers who peddle dirty pictures to Web-surfing kids is probably an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech.
TChris: SCOTUS Upholds Internet Porn Injunction — Bringing the term to an end with another 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court upheld...
Tarek @LiquidList: The Supreme Court ruled today in Ashcroft v. ACLU that the Child Online Protection Act is probably an illegal abrogation of the right to free speech.
Vanderleun: Its the Law — SupremesWatch [snipped quote] — High Court Upholds Block of Web Porn Law UPDATE: In an apparent homage...

National Review Founder Says It's Time to Leave Stage
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
In 1954, when Ronald Reagan was still a registered Democrat and host of "General Electric Theater," the 28-year-old William Frank Buckley Jr. decided to start a magazine as a standard-bearer for the fledgling conservative movement.
Plainsman @SouthernAppeal: William F. Buckley, who is relinquishing control of National Review today, lets his hair down in an interview with the...
Jesse Panuccio: Has anyone else seen this in today's NYT: "Tonight, however, Mr. Buckley, 78, is giving up control [of National Review].
James Joyner: William F. Buckley, Jr. Retires — NYT — National Review Founder Says It's Time to Leave Stage [RSS] [snipped quote] It...
Jacob Sullum: Buckley on Iraq — Today's New York Times story about Bill Buckley's surrender of ownership and control at National...
Howard Kurtz: And finally, the Bill Buckley era is ending: "In 1954, when Ronald Reagan was still a registered Democrat and host of...
KJL: HAIL TO THE CHIEF — Our man—founder, captain, owner of National Review—divests his shares of NR.
Also: The Big Trunk, Andrew Sullivan, James Martin Capozzola, James Panero, Atrios

Justices Uphold Block of Web Porn Law but Sends Case Back
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law meant to punish pornographers who peddle dirty pictures to Web-surfing kids is probably an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech.
Michael Froomkin: Porn Fight To Continue; Kidnapping Suit — The Supreme Court finished out its terms by Throwing Out a Human Rights...
Jeff Jarvis: Supreme Court and free speech : The Supreme Court just blocked a law aimed at pornographers as a likely unconstitutional slap at free speech.

Der Furor
  Slate   —   Permalink 
"Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-eyed" was produced for the Bush campaign by Maverick Media. To watch the video on the Bush campaign Web site, click here. For a script, click here.
Where to begin with this despicable video?
John Hawkins: Let me tell you how deep the partisan spin is getting: William Saletan and Jacob Weisberg over at Slate, among others...
Von @ObsidianWings: Or better yet, just go read Jacob Weisburg in Slate: "What moron came up with this idea? What are they smoking in Karl Rove's office?
Ezra Klein: Yes. Saletan: "A state of perpetual optimism is either a dangerous delusion or a calculated pose.

Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Bush said on Tuesday that Turkey belongs in the European Union and that Europe is "not the exclusive club of a single religion" in what amounted to a rejection of French President Jacques Chirac.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Fortunately, a decision has been made to stand up to this latest round of bluster and bluff: [snipped quote] Since when...
Joe Gandelman: But in Chirac's case it seems to be (yes there is) pain — no gain... UPDATE: — (6/29)The French President threw down...
James Joyner: UPDATE: AP — Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place "President Bush said on Tuesday that Turkey belongs in...
Glenn Reynolds: ANOTHER UPDATE: Bush is hanging tough: "In remarks prepared for delivery at a Istanbul university, Bush refused to back...

Chirac tells Bush to keep his nose out
  Telegraph   —   Permalink 
President Jacques Chirac shattered the carefully contrived show of transatlantic amity at the Nato summit yesterday when he made an unprecedented attack on President George W Bush for meddling in the European Union's business by supporting Turkey's membership.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Isn't it interesting that the French can carve out a sphere of influence when it comes to telling others to butt out of...
Scott Burgess: The Telegraph reports: Chirac tells Bush to keep his nose out The headline is clever in subliminally evoking a Chiracian (and, indeed, French) caricature with the word "nose."
Captain Ed: The Telegraph notes that Jacques Chirac went out of his way to antagonize George Bush at the NATO summit yesterday,...
James Joyner: Chirac Tells Bush to Mind his Own Business — Telegraph — Chirac tells Bush to keep his nose out "President Jacques...
Joe Gandelman: Political "Jaws": A New Chirac Attack — France's charming President showed his warm and fuzzy side again, this time at...
Dale Franks: Bite me, Frog-boy — Jacques Chirac, who apparently fancies himself the Emperor of Europe, told the NATO summit...
Also: C. D. Harris, Glenn Reynolds

Look Who's Talking: Schwarzenegger Among Speakers at GOP Convention
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Two of the Democratic Party's most famous (and, some would say, divisive) members will have prime speaking slots at this year's national convention. Republicans, meanwhile, are granting two of their convention's most coveted speaking times to relative newcomer...
Nick Confessore: Buried at the end of this Washington Post article on the speakers each party has lined up for their respective...
Atrios: Losing Jesse — Link: "I would not have voted for [President Bush's] tax cut, based on what I know. . . .
Attaturk: Well, I guess you take what help you can get — Atrios links the Washington Post which contains this quote from retired...
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Speaking The Truth — Here is a nifty quote from former North Carolina Senator and continuing conservative...

Police say they won't picket convention
  Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
Boston's main police union abandoned yesterday their threat to picket at the site of next month's Democratic National Convention, handing Senator John F. Kerry a major victory on the day he honored the union's picket line by not making a speech before a US Conference of Mayors meeting in Boston.
Captain Ed: Today, the police union announced that it has dropped plans to picket the Democratic National Convention next month due...
Will Collier: He (or I suspect, the former Kennedy staffers in his organization) apparently cut a deal to prevent picketing of the Democratic Convention next month.
Attaturk: They will now NOT picket the Democratic National Convention in part because of Kerry's refusal.

A Republican Subs for Kerry With Relish
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BOSTON, June 28 - So much for party unity.
First, John Kerry, the putative Democratic presidential nominee, decided Sunday not to attend the annual meeting of the nation's mayors here, refusing to cross a picket line of police union members feuding with Boston's mayor.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But that doesn't mean his decision didn't have consequences: [snipped quote] UPDATE: On the other hand, apparently there are some picket lines Kerry is willing to cross.
Captain Ed: Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney took the opportunity to speak in his absence, demonstrating an executive persona...
Jonathan H. Adler: According to the NYT, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney happily took his place.