meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
|
|
No time for Kerry's Europhile delusions By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Maybe I'm getting old. I've been covering politics for 53 years, and that's just since John Kerry's convention speech. I'm sick of this election, even before the Democratic Party's chad-diviners have managed to extend it to mid-December. | |
|
Clayton Cramer: Mark Steyn's column points out that, sure there are parts of the Iraq War that have not gone well. Betsy Newmark: Mark Steyn has another one of his superb columns. "Maybe I'm getting old. Matt Welch: You Can Be Backsliding Toward Irrelevance, and You Can Be All-Powerful, But You Can't Be Both: The great Mark Steyn uncorks a paragraph I'd like to contest: "Iraq's messy. |
Porphyrogenitus: Too True — Mark Steyn on unserious political campaigns in our time. This paraghraph in particular struck a chord with me: "Almost everything falls into that category. Orrin Judd: OSAMA IS DEAD AND EUROPE DOESN'T FEEL SO GOOD ITSELF: No time for Kerry's Europhile delusions (MARK STEYN, October 24,... Glenn Reynolds: MARK STEYN ON JOHN KERRY: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing, as they say. |
| Also: Stuart Buck, KJL, Roger L. Simon, Charles Johnson | |
Candidates Hit Key States With Election Still a Tossup WaPo — Permalink JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 23 — President Bush turned his Marine One chopper into a campaign prop Saturday and used it to drop in on huge crowds at three stadiums around Florida, at a time of concern in his campaign about his failure to gain a decisive lead in the most crucial battlegrounds. | |
|
Angry Bear: AB UPDATE: Even as the Washington Post reports that "A poll by Ohio University's Scripps Survey Research Center,... Magpie @PacificViews: A source in the GOP says that Dubya's campaign is sweating over new polls that show the prez slipping in Ohio and other swing states. Barbara O'Brien: I hope somebody's there to film it when it happens.) This Washington Post article deserves a close reading, too. |
Kevin Hayden: Shorter WaPo: Bush is back into flightsuit and Top Gun mode because image is his only suit, but Kerry's image and record... Kos: Bush's internal polling paints dire picture for him — From a GOP official who has seen Bush's internal polling. Digby: He Takes My Breath Away — He's strutting, he's swaggering, he's building up to a full-on Village People extravaganza... |
| Also: Steve Gilliard, Yuval Rubinstein, Lambert @Corrente, Susan Madrak | |
Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. | |
|
Steve Gilliard: The Times put this nightmare in context TRACKING THE WEAPONS Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq By... Kos: (No pun intended.) Update: The story has been posted online. This one is big, folks. |
Laura Rozen: You've got to be kidding. From the NYT: [snipped quote] This is one of those times when changing horses midstream is the only rational thing to do. Barbara O'Brien: Why We're Screwed — Talk about colossal incompetence ... Update: The New York Times has the story. |
Secret Weapon for Bush? By / NYT — Permalink To Bush-bashers, it may be the most infuriating revelation yet from the military records of the two presidential candidates: the young George W. Bush probably had a higher I.Q. than did the young John Kerry. | |
|
Clayton Cramer: The New York Times runs this amazing article (amazing because the Times is carrying it): [snipped quote] Everyone... Roger Ailes: Edition In what passes for journalism these days, the New York Times' John Tierney recycles tripe from a far rightwing... Roger L. Simon: Question Time — Reading the unsurprising (to me at least) report in today's NYT that George Bush may actually have a... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THAT'S GOTTA STING — I am linking to this just to drive a certain segment of the population insane: "To Bush-bashers,... John Derbyshire: SAILER MAKES THE TIMES — Buddy, occasional house guest, and occasional NR contributor Steve Sailer has made the New... Damian Penny: Nader of the Right — Interesting to see what effect this guy has on the campaign: The commercial made its national... |
| Also: James Joyner, Bill @INDCJournal, PoliPundit, Orrin Judd, Glenn Reynolds, Jan Haugland, Ken Masugi, Betsy Newmark, Tom Maguire, Greg Ransom | |
Decision Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink The role of commander in chief is clearly one of the president's most important jobs. But a presidential campaign provides voters little opportunity to evaluate how a candidate would handle that role, particularly if the candidate isn't an incumbent. | |
|
Jason Van Steenwyk: Take Our Word For It Dept. Bob Woodward tells about how Kerry's been dodging an interview on Iraq for months. Pejman Yousefzadeh: DODGING THE PRESS — Ensuring that his secret plans regarding how to resolve the occupation in Iraq do indeed remain a... PoliPundit: Ducking Questions — Bob Woodward notes that President Bush answered his questions on Iraq, but John Kerry has been... |
Orrin Judd: IT STARTED WITH TAKING OUT NIXON...: Decision Iraq: Would Kerry Have Done Things Differently? Charles Johnson: In his piece for the Post, Woodward publishes the 22 questions John Kerry did not want to answer: Decision Iraq. Betsy Newmark: So, Woodward publishes the questions he would have asked Kerry. Make up your own responses. |
Kerry for President WaPo — Permalink EXPERTS TELL US that most voters have had no difficulty making up their minds in this year's presidential election. Half the nation is passionately for George W. Bush, the pollsters say, and half passionately for John F. Kerry — or, at least, passionately against Mr. Bush. | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: [Note: The Washington Post also endorsed Sen. Kerry, but you knew that already. Gene @HarrysPlace: Post backs Kerry — The Washington Post editorial page, which supported the Iraq war, endorses John Kerry for President. KJL: DON'T BE TOO SHOCKED — The Washington Post has endorsed Kerry. |
Steve Soto: And the Washington Post came out for Kerry. Kerry/Edwards have announced the early week travel plans. Matthew Yglesias: John Kerry For President — The Washington Post editorial board, a traditionally pro-Democratic outfit that's bent over... Avedon Carol: And so, it is no surprise that The Washington Post bites the bullet this morning to tepidly endorse Kerry in similarly conservative terms. |
| Also: David Adesnik, Xan @Corrente, Jeff Jarvis, Taegan Goddard, DemFromCT, Atrios | |
Bush, Kerry in statistical dead heat among likely Nevada voters, Sun poll says By / Las Vegas Sun — Permalink A new statewide poll taken for the Las Vegas Sun/Channel 8 Eyewitness News/KNPR Nevada Public Radio shows Republican President Bush leading Democratic challenger John Kerry 45 percent to 41 percent among very likely voters in Nevada. | |
|
Kevin Hayden: Oops, did he slip too far? The best news: Arkansas is back in play, just as its Daddy hits the streets after bypass surgery. EDM Staff: Race Close and Bush under 50 in Pair of NV Polls — Bush leads Kerry 47-43 percent of Nevada LV's, according to a Sun Channel/KNPR Poll conducted 10/16-19. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: POLLS, POLLS, POLLS — Let's have a look at them, shall we? [snipped quote] (Cross posted at Red State.) Taegan Goddard: New Polls — Here are some notable state polls: Hawaii: Bush 46, Kerry 45 (Star-Bulletin) Michigan: Bush 47, Kerry 42... |
Why Tony would vote for Dubya By / Observer — Permalink When George W Bush's poll ratings recently dipped, every Labour MP cheered. Correction: every Labour MP except one. The Prime Minister fretted to one close friend: 'Whenever Bush weakens in the polls, they start mucking about.' | |
|
Steve Bainbridge: Tony Blair — What he said: "When George W Bush's poll ratings recently dipped, every Labour MP cheered. Orrin Judd: KERRY DOESN'T SHARE THE FAITH: Why Tony would vote for Dubya: His advisers have been telling Mr Blair he will be best served by regime change in Washington. |
Glenn Reynolds: Hey, it worked for Elvis. UPDATE: Tony Blair would vote for Dubya. "'Tony thinks the world is a very dangerous and precarious place. |
A Confident Opposition By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republicans don't want to talk about it, but the question is already an awful thought not so far back in their minds: What happens to the G.O.P. if President Bush loses on Nov. 2? | |
|
Steve M.: That's what Elizabeth Bumiller says in this article in today's New York Times. DemFromCT: My big issue, of course, is how anyone will govern, but in some ways the more interesting story is what the GOP will do when they lose. |
Mathew Gross: Republican Myopia — It's amazing that there are high figures in the Republican Party who insist that George Bush's... Ann Althouse: The NYT Week in Review has Adam Nagourney spin out the effects of a Kerry loss and Elisabeth Bumiller does the same with a Bush loss. |
Never Apologize, Never Explain By / Weekly Standard — Permalink JOHN KERRY SAYS HE IS "PROUD" of his activities in opposition to the Vietnam War. Why, then, have he and his spokesmen consistently misrepresented them? Indeed the Kerry camp has been so effective in obscuring this history that both the New York Times and the... | |
|
Greg Ransom: JOHN KERRY & VIETNAM — Never Apologize, Never Explain: [quote] John Kerry says he is "proud" of his activities in opposition to the Vietnam War.[end quote] PoliPundit: The Weekly Standard's Joshua Muravchik says that's just scratching the surface of all the lies that surround Kerry's Paris trip(s). |
Orrin Judd: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Never Apologize, Never Explain: John Kerry's real record as an antiwar activist. |
Some Cuyahoga County absentee ballot voters confused over layout By / AP — Permalink CLEVELAND - The elections board in Ohio's most populous county has fielded numerous calls from voters confused about the layout of absentee ballots. The ballots are from traditionally Democratic Cuyahoga County, which is receiving more than 2,000 requests for absentee ballots every day. | |
|
Christopher Kanis: Keep checking with Powerline for the latest, including this Associated Press account: [snipped quote] Let's think about this carefully. |
Hindrocket: Mike Wise, however, thinks the confusion is misplaced: [snipped quote] THE LAST WORD: This Associated Press story says... |
The devil and the deep blue sea By / Telegraph — Permalink A devil-worshipping non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy has become the first registered Satanist in the British Armed Forces. Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the Type 22 frigate Cumberland, has been officially recognised as a Satanist by the ship's captain. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Satanist in the Royal Navy — A British sailor has become the first registered Satanist in the British armed forces. Joe Gandelman: When THIS guy says he's horny, he's not fooling around: "A devil-worshipping non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy... |
Steve Bainbridge: To which we can now add ... wait for it ... devil worship? Brian Micklethwait: Today's Telegraph contains this devilishly diverting story: "Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the Type 22... |
Screen Burn, The Guide Guardian — Permalink The final sentence of a column in The Guide on Saturday caused offence to some readers. The Guardian associates itself with the following statement from the writer. "Charlie Brooker apologises for any offence caused by his comments relating to President Bush in his TV column, Screen Burn. | |
|
Hindrocket: The Guardian has now pulled the Brooker column; in its place is this notice: [snipped quote] The entire Brooker column can still be read here. Bill @INDCJournal: UPDATE: The Guardian pulls its shoe out of the muck ... The final sentence of a column in The Guide on Saturday caused offence to some readers. |
Glenn Reynolds: CHARLIE BOOKER'S GUARDIAN COLUMN (noted here earlier), with its shout-out to Lee Harvey Oswald, etc., has drawn this correction from The Guardian: [snipped quote] So there you are. |
AP EXCLUSIVE: Iraqis reveal in secret interviews how Saddam manipulated oil-for-food program By / AP — Permalink (10-23) 10:35 PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Interviews with dozens of former and current Iraqi officials by congressional investigators have produced new evidence that Saddam Hussein micro-managed business deals under the U.N. oil-for-food program to maximize political influence with important foreign governments like Russia and neighboring Arab states. | |
|
Roger L. Simon: Important Oil-for-Food update — According to a new AP release: Interviews with dozens of former and current Iraqi... |
Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: [snipped quote] I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. |
Detainees Secretly Taken Out Of Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink At the request of the CIA, the Justice Department drafted a confidential memo that authorizes the agency to transfer detainees out of Iraq for interrogation — a practice that international legal specialists say contravenes the Geneva Conventions. | |
|
Phillip Carter: Goodbye Geneva, Part XVIII — Dana Priest, who reports on intelligence community issues for the Washington Post, has a... DemFromCT: What's the Election Really About? The Rule of Law. There are those who believe in the rules and those who don't. Jeralyn Merritt: This is Your Justice Department at Work — A newly revealed Department of Justice memo allowed the CIA to secretly remove detainees from Iraq for questioning in other countries. |
Mathew Gross: Including war crimes: [snipped quote] These bastards have dragged the United States down to the lowest level imaginable. Laura Rozen: "Senators concerned about report CIA secretly removed detainees from Iraq," the AP reports. |
Bush Says U.S. Safety from Terror 'Up in the Air' Reuters — Permalink WACO, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said in a television interview the United States was safer from terrorism but whether it can ever be fully safe was "up in the air." | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: A direct quote from President Flim-Flam, from an interview with Fox News, as reported by Reuters earlier today: [snipped quote] Oh, I see. |
Steve Soto: According to the information that Lockhart and Devine had which they shared with the media, Bush actually told Hannity... |
Cooking His Own Goose By / NYT — Permalink In yet another attempt to prove to George W. Bush that he is man enough to run this country, John Kerry made an animal sacrifice to the political gods in a cornfield in eastern Ohio last week. Four dead geese are not too high a price to pay for a few rural, blue-collar votes in a swing state. | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: About that Ad New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd today writes about the Bush-Cheney campaign's new "wolves" ad (which... Orrin Judd: HELL HATH NO FURY: Cooking His Own Goose: George W. Bush needed to shock and awe to prove he was no wimp. John Kerry shot and ate. |
Ann Althouse: I see Maureen Dowd is going with "Cooking His Own Goose." Ezra Klein: You would also, unfortunately, be wrong: "One of my first presidential trips was going to Texas one weekend to cover Ronald Reagan hunting with James Baker at Mr. Baker's ranch. |
Is That a Pilot in Your Pocket? By / Wired News — Permalink Somewhere in Florida, 25,000 disembodied rat neurons are thinking about flying an F-22. These neurons are growing on top of a multi-electrode array and form a living "brain" that's hooked up to a flight simulator on a desktop computer. | |
|
Will Collier: I can guaran-dang-tee you this story will be hitting all of their mailboxes on Monday morning (most of the senders will probably be their F-15 and F-16 buddies)... |
Glenn Reynolds: THIS IS INTERESTING: [snipped quote] Just in case you forgot we were living in the 21st Century. More here. |
Bush, Kerry in dead heat, Florida survey shows By / Sun-Sentinel — Permalink A surge of newly registered voters has helped Democrat John Kerry regain momentum in the presidential race in Florida, where he has pulled even or just slightly ahead of President Bush, according to a statewide poll less than two weeks before the election. | |
|
DJ Drummond: Specifically, I looked at articles in the St. Petersburg Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Quinnipiac poll, and the Mason-Dixon poll. EDM Staff: Two New Polls Have Kerry Ahead by 1, Dead Heat in Florida — Kerry leads Bush by 1 point, 48-47, among Florida LVs according to a new Research 2000 poll, conducted October 18-21. |
Chris Bowers: First, here are the four most recent polls: Miami-Herald 10/19-10/21, 800 LV's, MoE 3.5 Kerry 46 Bush 46 Research 2000... Dwight Meredith: A Research 2000 poll of 600 registered voters (MOE +-4) has Kerry in the lead in a three way race, 48%-47%-2%. |
The Michigan factor NY Daily News — Permalink In 2000, Al Gore carried the Wolverine State by more than 200,000 votes. This year's conventional wisdom has conceded it to John Kerry. Two weeks ago, Democratic operatives began telling reporters that Michigan was in the bag. They were wrong. | |
|
PoliPundit: Michigan — Michigan: Bush by 47-42. Is this state still in play? UPDATE: Zev Chafets explains why Michigan is in play. |
Hugh Hewitt: And note two states in particular. Hawaii joins Michigan as a "surprise-for-Bush" state. There are others coming. |
Stretching the franchise By / PittsburghLIVE.com — Permalink Not since the election of 1800, the first in which one party displaced another from the presidency, has there been such anxiety about voting. In 1800 there were fears that the losing side would resort to arms. | |
|
Christopher Kanis: I'm... There are no words. While you're at it, read this post at Powerline, too, and the George Will column cited there. |
Hindrocket: George Will writes: [snipped quote] In Ohio, likely to be the decisive state this year, Republicans have filed challenges to more than 35,000 newly-registered "voters." |
Down the stretch, a dead heat By / St. Petersburg Times — Permalink It looks like 2000 all over again. President Bush and challenger John Kerry head into the final stretch of the race in another Florida deadlock, with voters starkly split over the Iraq war and the president's performance, a new St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald poll shows. | |
|
EDM Staff: Kerry and Bush are tied at 46 percent of Florida LV's, according to a new Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Poll conducted October 19-21. |
Dwight Meredith: It is a powerful endorsement. The better news comes from a Miami Herald, Saint Petersburg Times poll. |
FEW DOZEN TURN OUT TO HEAR ROSIE O'DONNELL ELECTION PREACH Drudge Report — Permalink Rosie O'Donnell addressed a nearly vacant CLUB OVATION Saturday night in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida during a get-out-the-vote rally for Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry. "You know, there's only like, you know, maybe 38 of us here and maybe we can just like tap a keg and put on some disco, and totally party," O'Donnell deadpanned. | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: I DON'T THINK I'D BLAME JOHN KERRY FOR THIS: [snipped quote] I mean, honestly, how many people can there be who want to hear either of those two talk about politics? |
Lorie Byrd: I don't know how relevant this is, but if it is any indication of the way Kerry's support is holding up going into the... |
Abu Ghraib team bids to run UK prisons Observer — Permalink The American prison company whose director set up Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib jail for use by the US military is bidding to run a number of prisons in Britain. The Utah-based Management and Training Corporation (MTC) has set up a London headquarters and is in advanced negotiations to operate at least one prison in Britain. | |
|
Avedon Carol: In the Observer: Abu Ghraib team bids to run UK prisons: Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten expressed... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Abu Graib Prison Firm Seeks British Contract — Chutzpah department: the Management and Training Corporation (MTC), a... |
Calls to Reinvent a Party By / NYT — Permalink MIAMI — As far as most Democrats are concerned, their side won the White House in 2000. And as far as most Democrats are concerned, given the state of the economy and the war in Iraq, they should win it again a week from Tuesday. | |
|
DemFromCT: The bloodletting with Dems in that position is no surprise, and in fact will happen even with a win. In fact, that's the whole idea. Greg Ransom: THE DEMOCRAT PARTY — Let the panic begin. |
Orrin Judd: RETROGRADE, SHELLY, RETROGRADE: Calls to Reinvent a Party (ADAM NAGOURNEY, 10/24/04, NY Times) [snipped quote] The... |
Re-elect Bush Houston Chronicle — Permalink Because of national security imperatives, the Chronicle editorial board endorses President Bush for a second term. Four years ago the Houston Chronicle was pleased to endorse Texas Gov. George W. Bush for the presidency of the United States. | |
|
Byron L: Today's Waco Tribune Herald: [snipped quote] In addition to the Statesman endorsement, Bush also won the Houston Chronicle endorsement as well today. William J. Dyer: But it has. I rarely pay serious attention to newspaper endorsements, at least for top-of-the-ticket candidates. |
Norbizness: (1) Shorter Houston Chronicle endorsement for Bush: He ran out of gas. He... he had a flat tire. He didn't have enough money for cab fare. |
No Joke By / WaPo — Permalink The desperation in her son's voice jolted Erica Duggan fully awake. "Mum, I'm in big trouble," Jeremiah, a 22-year-old college student, said into the phone quietly, as though trying not to be overheard. It was nearly 4:30 a.m. in London. | |
|
David Adesnik: OXBLOG ENDORSES LAROUCHE as idiotarian menace of the year. |
Laura Rozen: A truly terrifying article on Lyndon LaRouche in today's WaPo Sunday magazine: [snipped quote] Here's the whole piece. |
Daschle Faces Firmly Rooted GOP Rival By / LAT — Permalink By local standards, this hamlet has been bustling lately. Not only has the car museum acquired a super-charged manure spreader, but a hometown boy is embroiled in one of the hottest political races in the country. | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: South Dakota Senate Race [*] There are two lengthy reports out today in the major dailies on the South Dakota race for... |
Orrin Judd: SOMETIMES THE PEN CUTS LIKE JUSTICE: Daschle Faces Firmly Rooted GOP Rival: John Thune has become the party's focus in an effort to unseat the Senate minority leader. |
Beyond the Call of Duty Time — Permalink In February 2003, less than a month before the U.S. invaded Iraq, Bunnatine (Bunny) Greenhouse walked into a Pentagon meeting and with a quiet comment started what could be the end of her career. | |
|
Susan Madrak: Punishing public servants who try to stop Halliburton pillaging, I mean: [snipped quote] Via Will Bunch. |
Josh Marshall: More news of shady contracting with Halliburton from Time Magazine, via Campaign Extra. |
Sinclair and Watergate Opinion Journal — Permalink Sinclair Broadcast Group's decision this week not to air "Stolen Honor," a documentary on John Kerry's post-Vietnam antiwar activities, is being cheered by liberals as a victory for truth, honor and the Democratic Party. | |
|
Roger Ailes: This Week — In this otherwise worthless whine-itorial, published online yesterday, the Wall Street Journal acknowledges... Richard Reeb: WSJ Warns Media After Sinclair Backs Off "Stolen Honor" — Thinking about more than immediate political advantage, the... Glenn Reynolds: ROGER SIMON REVIEWS STOLEN HONOR: You can see it yourself online, here. The Internet routes around censorship! |
Greg Ransom: The Wall Street Journal. Tom Smith: "Sharedholder activism" as blackmail — So here, apparently, is what happened with "Stolen Honor." Roger L. Simon: "Stolen Honor" - A Review — The Wall Street Journal is outraged this morning, as well it should be, in its lead... |
Bush and Kerry Focus Campaigns on 11 Key States By / NYT — Permalink FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 23 - President Bush and Senator John Kerry move into the last days of the presidential contest in agreement that the race has come down to just 11 states, and have laid out plans for a barrage of visits and television advertisements across this final battleground between now and Nov. 2. | |
|
Kevin Hayden: However, both sides are working 11 states still, with Bushies confident in NV, CO, and Kerryites confident in OH, NH. Hugh Hewitt: To report such events would be to seal the casket, for as Kerry operative Michael Whouley put it in the New York Times... |
James Martin Capozzola: According to New York Times reporters Adam Nagourney and Katharine Q. Seelye, ("Bush and Kerry Focus Campaigns on 11 Key... Taegan Goddard: It's Down to 11 States — President Bush and Sen. John Kerry "move into the last days of the presidential contest in... |
Are Europeans Lazy? By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Recently The Wall Street Journal published a story describing a new method of measuring a nation's progress—"gross national happiness." Maybe it's because we're nearing the end of an election season, but one hopes that this indicator does not catch on. | |
|
Orrin Judd: IF YOU TAX IT THEY WON'T COME: Are Europeans Lazy? : No, just overtaxed. Greg Ransom: But this is not the case." — Nobel Prize winner Edward Prescott. |
Steve Antler: Anyway...), here's a link to FRB Minneapolis (Econ 101 students note: great example of decentralization and specialized... |
Probable Voters: How Polls Are Made, Swayed By / WaPo — Permalink The results of polls done by different survey organizations often are slightly different and sometimes flatly disagree. But as critics of polling noted last week, a Harris Interactive poll released Wednesday was unique: a poll that disagreed with itself. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post looks at the different questions that pollsters use to determine who is likely to vote. |
DemFromCT: Polling Open Thread — Today's story is from the WaPo re the perils of polling. |
John Kerry, the real thing Des Moines Register — Permalink About half of Americans have lost confidence in President Bush, yet many hang back from embracing the alternative. That's unfortunate, because Senator John F. Kerry is a wise and decent man who has the makings of a fine president. | |
|
Leah A: It comes from the heartland, remember: I recommend you email the URL or the actual content to as many people as you... Jeralyn Merritt: Here are a few that stand out: The Des Moines Register goes with Kerry in a state that is a must win battleground for Bush. |
Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — The Des Moines Register's endorsement of Sen. John Kerry. |
After Terror, a Secret Rewriting of Military Law By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON - In early November 2001, with Americans still staggered by the Sept. 11 attacks, a small group of White House officials worked in great secrecy to devise a new system of justice for the new war they had declared on terrorism. | |
|
Michael Froomkin: Rather I mean the disregard for due process, basic human rights, and our treaty obligations. Scott Rosenberg: Then turn to today's Times and you'll find a lengthy piece by Tim Golden (first in a series) detailing Bush failures in the war on terrorism's legal front. Phillip Carter: Tim Golden has a lengthy piece in Sunday's New York Times on the efforts of the Bush administration to devise a new... |
Orin Kerr: Inside the Legal War on Terror: Today's New York Times has a very interesting investigative report on how the Bush... TChris: Administration Secretly Planned Denial of Due Process — The NY Times provides a detailed account of the Bush... Laura Rozen: "Not a single terrorist has been prosecuted in the three years since officials gave the military the authority to detain... |
Jews, Israel and America By / NYT — Permalink I was speaking the other day with Scott Pelley of CBS News's "60 Minutes" about the mood in Iraq. He had just returned from filming a piece there and he told me something disturbing. | |
|
Greg Ransom: THE NEW JEWS. Original article here. Stirling Newberry: Consider if you will, the case of Spouting Thomas. |
Steve Antler: Latest fact to come in from CBS News' 60 Minutes... I hope the blogosphere investigates this and finds it either (a)... |
Democrats and terror By / US News — Permalink On his popular blog, Andrew Sullivan made this case for John Kerry: "9/11 has changed things—even within the Democratic Party" ; the war on terror "has to be a bipartisan affair"; Kerry clearly says he won't relent in that war; electing Kerry "would deny the Deaniac-Mooreish wing a perpetual chance to whine and pretend that we are not threatened." | |
|
Porphyrogenitus: I was going to make a post on this topic when I got back to regular blogging, and was reminded to do so reading this John Leo piece that Glenn Reynolds linked to. |
Glenn Reynolds: JOHN LEO RESPONDS TO ANDREW SULLIVAN: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. |
Ohio Provisional Ballot Ruling Reversed AP — Permalink CINCINNATI - A federal appeals court on Saturday reversed a lower court's ruling that Ohio voters could cast provisional ballots on Election Day anywhere in the county in which they are registered. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: A Court of Appeals has upheld Ken Blackwell's interpretation of where voters may cast provisional ballots — their own precincts or nowhere. KJL: PHEW! Provisional ballot ruling reversed in Ohio |
Tully @Centerfield: US Appeals Court Reverses Lower Court Ballot Ruling — Ohio Provisional Ballot Ruling Reversed The 6th District US Court... |
Satellite TV station airs hatred of U.S. globally By / Washington Times — Permalink Every evening about 10 million people across the world are tuning into Al-Manar television, a satellite channel that lauds suicide bombers, accuses the United States of crimes against humanity and shows the Statue of Liberty as a gory, knife-wielding figure dripping blood. | |
|
Damian Penny: Here are some examples of said goodwill shown on Al-Manar, Hezbollah's TV station: Every evening about 10 million people... |
Joseph Alexander Norland: This is a must read: How anti-US and anti-Israel hatred are fomented; Washington Times provides an explanation in an... |
Parties Fret Over Which Voters Will Tip the Scales By / WaPo — Permalink The electorate has been polled, polled and polled again. Campaign workers have knocked on millions of doors with millions more to hit before Nov. 2. Voter registration figures in some states show big increases. And voter interest in the presidential election appears to be at record levels. | |
|
Tom Smith: Interesting but scary — New voters. Do they know what they're doing? DemFromCT: Beyond Polling — A couple of points to be made about this Baltz article in the WaPo: "The electorate has been polled, polled and polled again. |
Susan Madrak: "I really don't think it's gonna be close enough for them to steal," I said. "I hope you're right," my dad said. |
CHER ISSUES BUSH WARNING AT DISCO Drudge Report — Permalink Only a couple hundred came out to see Cher Friday night at Miami Beach's CROBAR disco, but that did not stop the legendary diva from issuing an election warning against Republican control. "There were supposed to be thousands of people here tonight. | |
|
Acidman: Take this quote from that noted philosopher, Cher. "All the gay guys, all my friends, all my gay friends, you guys you have got to vote, alright? Arthur Chrenkoff: Update: Drudge also reports on Cher's much under-attended anti-Bush disco rally in Florida, where the aging diva took... |
Jeff @BeautifulAtrocities: CHER'S BEEN READING ANDREW SULLIVAN: "All the gay guys, all my gay friends, you guys you have got to vote, alright? |
Election Integrity At Stake By / WaPo — Permalink Not since the election of 1800, the first in which one party displaced another from the presidency, has there been such anxiety about voting. In 1800 there were fears that the losing side would resort to arms. | |
|
Avedon Carol: George F. Will is worried that someone will bring our election's integrity into question. Ace: They've Already Got the Rules in Place to Steal It — It's a national scandal that this country allows so mucy... |
Betsy Newmark: George Will looks at John Fund's book on Stealing Elections and how the Voter Motor Act has increased opportunities for fraud. |
Early voting brings cries of bullying By / Sun-Sentinel — Permalink On Election Day, voters will be protected from campaign pressures by a 50-foot cone, an invisible barrier that campaign workers cannot breach. Not so for early voters. | |
|
Clayton Cramer: Unsurprisingly, Democrats are doing the intimidating: "One woman who voted early in Boca Raton, at the Southwest... Charles Johnson: Early Voters Bullied in Florida — Kerry's goons are intimidating early voters in Florida: Early voting brings cries of bullying. Hindrocket: Voter Intimidation in Florida — The Sun-Sentinel reports on the efforts of Democrat Party thugs to indtimidate... |
Michael Graham: GOP STILL MIA IN FLORIDA — The Florida media are picking up on the stories of voter intimidation at early polling places I mentioned a few days ago. PoliPundit: Democrats Bully Republicans — Here's how Democrats are treating Republican voters: [snipped quote] Are you going to let these thugs run our country for the next four years? KJL: INTIMIDATING REPUBLICANS FROM VOTING IN FLORIDA? |
| Also: Joe Gandelman | |
Jimmy Carter, anti-Semitism, and more. By / Weekly Standard — Permalink What Would Lindbergh Do? The Presbyterian Church (USA) currently has a 24-person delegation touring the Middle East. And one stop they made on October 17 has already caused a bit of controversy: The group visited a prison run by Hezbollah in southern... | |
|
Damian Penny: The Presbyterians' New Friends — A delegation from the U.S. Prebyterian church met with a leader of Hezbollah last... |
Jeff Goldstein: From the "Standard Reader" comes this little pleasantry from Duke (the University, not the former Klan leader—though, is there really a difference these days? |
The Campaign of a Comedian By / WaPo — Permalink Jon Stewart, fake journalist and proud of it, keeps insisting he's just a comedian. Night after night, "The Daily Show" host lampoons President Bush as a tongue-tied bumbler, Donald Rumsfeld as a mad ranter who resembles "Pete the crazy guy outside my... | |
|
Greg Ransom: JON STEWART, the fake comic, is an angry man with fixed political agenda reports Howard Kurtz, and that agenda isn't getting laughs — it's getting John Kerry elected President. Sadly @SadlyNo: Well, it's a study by Howard's standards — Howard Kurtz writes about The Daily Show and Jon Stewart |
Jeff Jarvis: More Jon Stewart... and more Jon Stewart.... : Howard Kurtz has a very good page-one story in the Washington Post on the Jon Stewart phenom today (I'm quoted). |
Eight is enough By / NY Daily News — Permalink A decorated Army captain asked a judge yesterday to bar the military from sweeping him up in a "back-door draft" and shipping him off to Iraq on Monday. Jay Ferriola, a 31-year-old Manhattan resident, handed in his resignation in June after eight years of active and reserve duty, according to the suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court. | |
|
Christopher @ShrillBlog: Shrill lawsuit ensues: [snipped quote] The definition of the word 'volunteer' is edging towards honorary membership in The Order. |
TChris: To his credit, he's fighting back. |
TIME Poll: Bush Opens 5 Point Lead Against Kerry Time — Permalink President Bush has opened a 5 point lead against Senator John Kerry, according the latest TIME poll. If the 2004 election for President were held today, 51% of likely voters surveyed would vote for President George W. Bush, 46% would vote for Senator John... | |
|
Taegan Goddard: The latest Time magazine poll shows Bush with a 5% lead among likely voters, 51% to 46%. Captain Ed: Time: Bush Pulls Ahead, Up By 5 — Time Magazine, which had the presidential race a dead heat a week ago, now says that... |
Ace: If he loses Ohio, he could still win, but he'd have to draw to pick up the straight. Time now shows a 5 point Bush lead. |
Neck and Neck By / Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 23 - With the number of days before the presidential election dwindling down to single digits, a new NEWSWEEK poll finds President George W. Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry running in an ever tighter race. | |
|
Ace: Two ties: Newsweek has it knotted up nationally, 46-46, for what it's worth. And, for what it's worth, I don't think Newsweek polls are worth much. |
DemFromCT: Update [2004-10-23 11:28:4 by DemFromCT]: Newsweek says it's a tie with RV 46-46 (a 3-way). Note Bush's numbers, not Kerry's. |
Memos Warned of Billing Fraud by Firm in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink Managers of a security firm that won large contracts in Iraq warned their bosses in February of what they called a pattern of fraudulent billing practices, internal company memorandums suggest. | |
|
Steve Clemons: There are revelations today in the New York Times that the firm Custer Battles repeatedly billed the Coalition Provisional Authority for non-existent services. |
Larre @LeftCoaster: We might title it Two Kings, The Sequel: 'Custer Battles'? |
If Bush loses, the winner won't be Kerry: it will be Zarqawi By / Telegraph — Permalink Earlier in the week, I was talking to a brisk, amusing, Toryish member of the Great and the Good. It had recently fallen to her to give away some prizes at a ceremony to do with helping the environment. | |
|
Deacon: Why they'd like to see him assassinated — Charles Moore in the Daily Telegraph describes the theory by which British... Orrin Judd: CALL IT, HARVEY: If Bush loses, the winner won't be Kerry: it will be Zarqawi (Charles Moore, 23/10/2004, Daily Telegraph) [snipped quote] They are opposite sides of the coin. |
John Derbyshire: BUSH MUST, AND WILL, WIN — A splendidly sane op-ed piece in today's Daily Telegraph from British journo Charles Moore,... |
Dumb show By / Guardian — Permalink Heady times. The US election draws ever nearer, and while the rest of the world bangs its head against the floorboards screaming "Please God, not Bush!", the candidates clash head to head in a series of live televised debates. | |
|
Eugene Volokh: Those diplomatic Europeans: The Guardian (U.K.) publishes a columnist's piece filled mostly with abuse of Bush,... SK Bubba: The company we keep — After reading this (see the last paragraph), I went over to InstaPundit to read his denunciation of this terrorist manifesto. Steve Bainbridge: As I've been saying — Another small act "of nastiness and mean-spiritedness"; this time from the UK MSM: "On November... |
Robin Burk: Neither Shame nor Decency — From an email letter I sent today to the editor of the Guardian: [snipped quote] read the... Cori Dauber: So, from the paper that believed it had the right to try and influence the American election, take a look at what they published (no doubt thinking it "witty" or probably "edgy.") Pejman Yousefzadeh: Namely, they are encouraging the assassination of President Bush in the event that he wins on November 2nd. |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Gerard Vanderleun, Tom Smith, Tom Paine, Bird Dog, Moe Lane, Baldilocks, Hindrocket, Andrew Sullivan, Charles Johnson, McQ, Jason Van Steenwyk, Andrew Stuttaford, Jonah Goldberg, Bill @INDCJournal, Tim Blair, Scott Burgess, Jan Haugland, Glenn Reynolds, Orrin Judd, Marcus @HarrysPlace, Michele Catalano | |
Big G.O.P. Bid to Challenge Voters at Polls in Key State By / NYT — Permalink Republican Party officials in Ohio took formal steps yesterday to place thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they suspect are not eligible to cast ballots. | |
|
Kevin Hayden: Bread for them & circuses for us. Especially in Ohio. But one contentious issue has been resolved. Stuart Buck: Look at the most recent example: "The Republican challenges in Ohio have already begun. Andrew @ShrillBlog: As it turns out, the answer is "yes", one can be too shrill, and Diana Moon, upon reading a NY Times article about... |
Digby: Premeditated Theft — Can someone explain to me why, when crap like this is going on, that all I'm hearing about today is alleged Democratic intimidation of Republican voters? Jesse Taylor: Pitch It — Well, at least I'll have a front-row seat when Ohioans start getting disenfranchised. Chris Bowers: "The most aggressive voter-intimidation campaign waged by the GOP since the Civil Rights era." |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, Avedon Carol, Oliver Willis, Barbara O'Brien, Echidne @AmStreet, Joe Gandelman, Atrios, Magpie @PacificViews, Tbogg, Josh Marshall, Dave Johnson, Stirling Newberry, Lambert @Corrente | |
Former workers dispute Bush's pull in Project P.U.L.L By / Knight Ridder — Permalink HOUSTON - President Bush often has cited his work in 1973 with a now-defunct inner-city program for troubled teens as the source for his belief in "compassionate conservatism." | |
|
Digby: Now's The Time — Memo to the press corpse: In light of this new information about Junior's lies regarding Project... Mark Kleiman: There he goes again — Fibbing about his past. Josh Marshall: Now several employees of the now-defunct organization have gone on the record with Knight-Ridder, saying that, yes, the... |
DeLong: They lie about everything: "KR Washington Bureau | 10/22/2004 | Former workers dispute Bush's pull in Project P.U.L.L. Skippy: tidbits from the cookie the kids at the daily cookie send us a couple of morsels... this knight-ridder piece detailing... Jeralyn Merritt: Knights-Ridder reports on a new potential exaggeration, totally unrelated to his National Guard service—his much touted... |
| Also: Avedon Carol, Barbara O'Brien, The Poor Man, David Neiwert | |
When Is a Cut Not a Cut? By / Slate — Permalink Have you seen George W. Bush's latest campaign ad—the one with the wolves? A shaky hand-held camera moves through a forest at twilight. Suddenly a wolf darts across the screen, then another, until finally we see a whole pack of wolves, rising from their slumber to come get us. | |
|
Harley: Fred Kaplan explains that they're lying again (but you knew that already, yes?) . Mark Kleiman wonders if the MSM will blow the whistle or play dead. Mark Kleiman: Fred Kaplan has the facts and the documentation. Now will the mainstream media blow the whistle on this, or roll over and play dead? Orrin Judd: MORE: When Is a Cut Not a Cut? : When it's a con. Bush's deceptive new ad. |
Kevin Drum: But via Fred Kaplan, I see that I wasn't paying nearly enough attention: John Kerry voted to reduce intelligence spending after our "first terrorist attack"? The Poor Man: Some people are saying the ad is deceptive, some say it is fear-mongering, and many people seem to think that the wolves seem not so much frightening as, well, adorable. Tim Dunlop: REALITY BASED COMMUNITY UPDATE: The fact-check by Fred Kaplan. |
| Also: Scott Rosenberg | |
Political Poseur By / Slate — Permalink I live solidly in "Blue" to-its-core Venice, Calif., a neighborhood so left-wing that anyone spotted in a Bush button is more likely to be a costumed trick-or-treater than an actual GOP voter. | |
|
Ramesh Ponnuru: GREAT IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE — Richard Rushfield wears a Bush t-shirt in Blue America, and a Kerry t-shirt in Red America, and compares reactions. Avedon Carol: No news is no news — This is an odd one I found at Memeorandum - a Slate article called Political Poseur in which... Greg Ransom: A TALE OF TWO AMERICAS — "BLUE LIKE ME" vs. "RED LIKE ME". Quotable: [snipped quote] (via Memeorandum) |
Jan Haugland: A land divided — Journalist Richard Rushfield dressed up in a Kerry-Edwards t-shirt to visit die-hard Republican... Pejman Yousefzadeh: AN EXPERIMENT IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE — I have to admit that I am not as brave as this guy. PoliPundit: Nicer — Yes Virginia, Republicans are nicer than Democrats. |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Steve Bainbridge | |
U.S. Arrests Senior Al-Zarqawi Leader AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military has arrested a "senior leader" in the network run by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, along with five others during overnight raids in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, officials said Saturday. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: LIKE A RAT IN A TRAP — This news should be celebrated: [quote] The U.S. military has arrested a "senior leader" in the...[end quote] Ace: US Bags Senior Leader of Al Zarqawi Cell — Do not muck around with America: [snipped quote] As Kausfiles noted, that... |
Jason Van Steenwyk: U.S. Nails Fallujah Terrorist, Zarqawi Associate — Great news. [snipped quote] This is significant for two reasons: 1.) Orrin Judd: OFF WITH HIS HEAD: U.S. Arrests Senior Al-Zarqawi Leader (AP, 10/23/04) [snipped quote] Iraqi tv should start running videos of Allawi holding up these guys heads. |
Daily Endorsement Tally: On a Big Day for Bush, He Snags 'N.Y. Post,' 'Wash. Times,' and Others By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK It was a big day for President Bush in E&P's exclusive tally of daily newspaper endorsements, closing his gap with Senator John Kerry by every measure. Bush gained eight papers today, with Kerry picking up just two. | |
|
Greg Ransom: BUSH VS. KERRY — the newspaper endorsement scorecard. DemFromCT: Note also there'll be more newspaper endorsements this weekend. Bush has picked up the usual suspects (NY Post, WashTimes). |
Taegan Goddard: Though President Bush got the endorsement of several newspapers Saturday, including the New York Post and the Washington... |
Post-election purge, reform appears likely within CIA Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - Porter Goss' initial moves as CIA director appear to herald a post-election purge at the already troubled spy agency, according to current and former top U.S. intelligence officials. | |
|
Laura Rozen: Porter Goss and his band of GOP staffers from the Hill are planning to institute reform at the CIA by firing 90 people... Matthew Yglesias: Awesome — Porter Goss plans post-election "purge" at the CIA. Goss is a hack. |
Orrin Judd: IF YOU CAN'T CLOSE IT, GUT IT: Post-election purge, reform appears likely within CIA (Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S... Meteor Blades: The fruits of that limp moment are already ripening, according to Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay at Knight... |
Trust me, I'm a Guardian reader By / Guardian — Permalink For more than a week the Guardian has been under an unprecedented email bombardment from the United States. The stimulus was an exercise mounted by G2, the tabloid second section of the paper, to put individual voters of undeclared party allegiance in the... | |
|
Jan Haugland: Yes, the same blogger who alongside Tim Blair have been giving the same paper a good beating over the exceptionally ill-advised and now defunct "Operation Clark County." Scott Burgess: Guardian, in Hole, Digs — While it would arguably be more prudent to let the matter drop, today's Guardian continues to... Orrin Judd: DON'T KID YOURSELVES, WE ALL HATED YOU ALREADY: Trust me, I'm a Guardian reader: The reader's editor on... a word in the... |
Gary Farber: Over here, the "reader's editor," Ian Mayes, is not very much less stupid and stubborn: "The features editor of the... Tim Blair: GUARDIAN FOLKS 'DISMAYED' — The Guardian's Ian Mayes reveals that even Guardian staffers were opposed to Operation... |
Famous Faces on the Stump CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. ANNOUNCER: CROSSFIRE. On the left, James Carville and Paul Begala; on the right, Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson. | |
|
Tim Dunlop: Here's how he introduced the segment: "WATKINS: Well, let's talk about what is happening right now. |
Atrios: Puppies — Crossfire yesterday: WATKINS: Well, let's talk about what is happening right now. The Bush campaign has rolled out its latest ad. |
Vice President and Mrs. Cheney's Remarks and Q&A at a Town Hall Meeting in Carroll, Ohio White House — Permalink MRS. CHENEY: Well, thank you so much. (Applause.) THE VICE PRESIDENT: Sit down, please. MRS. CHENEY: That's terrific. What a warm welcome. Do you suppose that this is Bush-Cheney country? (Applause.) | |
|
Brad @ShrillBlog: [quote]Dick Cheney says it's "absolute garbage" and the campaign has enlisted retired general and now Bush surrogate Tommy Franks to help back their case.[end quote] Josh Marshall: Then on Tuesday afternoon Dick Cheney picked up the baton and said Kerry's claims were "absolute garbage. It's just not true." |
Steve Soto: In his usual manner, Dick Cheney has jumped in to defend the administration by simply telling bald-faced lies about Tora... |
Secret GOP Weapon By / Opinion Journal — Permalink To an outsider George W. Bush's political demeanor seems little more than stumbling tautology. He utters his campaign message in clipped phrases, filled with bravado and repeated references to God, and to resoluteness of purpose. | |
|
Glenn Reynolds: It sounds interesting. UPDATE: Here's a column by Webb. |
PoliPundit: Secret Weapon — Bush's secret weapon: The Scots-Irish vote. |
17 Iraqi Security Officers Killed by Car Bombs By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD — Two car bombs killed 17 Iraqi security officers on duty in the Sunni Triangle on Saturday morning. Six U.S. service members were wounded in a separate attack on a military convoy shortly after dawn in Baghdad. | |
|
Jeff Quinton: 17 Iraqi Police Killed — WaPo "Two car bombs killed 17 Iraqi security officers on duty in the Sunni Triangle on Saturday morning. |
DemFromCT: Six soldiers killed wounded? What else is new. 14 Iraqi police killed? Yawn. We're up to around 90 at least 40 attacks on US/allied forces a day. |