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Americans' Role Eyed in U.N. Oil Scandal ABCNEWS — Permalink Dec. 1, 2004 — Former American fugitive Marc Rich was a middleman for several of Iraq's suspect oil deals in February 2001, just one month after his pardon from President Clinton, according to oil industry shipping records obtained by ABC News. | |
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Captain Ed: Let's Hear The Clintons Explain This — ABC News reports tonight that oil shipping records show that the fugitive... Wretchard: The Baby Blue Flag — Glenn Reynolds links to an ABC story describing some of the Americans were also involved in the Oil-for-Food programme. The Big Trunk: The return of Marc Rich — ABC reports that one month after his presidential pardon, Marc Rich was a middleman for... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Democratic Self-Parody: Fraud/Corruption/Politica l Cryonism/Criminal Conduct — [snipped quote] (Emphasis added.) Glenn Reynolds: But now ABC News is reporting that Rich was involved after all: "Former American fugitive Marc Rich was a middleman for... |
A New Index for Social Security By / NYT — Permalink In all the confusion surrounding the current Social Security debate, there is one inescapable truth: Social Security is broken, and it's headed for disaster unless serious changes are made now. | |
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Ramesh Ponnuru: NO SHELL GAME — Noam Scheiber is bashing John Kasich's New York Times op-ed (registration required) on Social Security. Avedon Carol: I was going to rant at length about John Kasich's demented article about Social Security, but I watched Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson's Smile instead. Sam Rosenfeld: But of course the editors at the Times could never bring themselves to let that piece stand on its own without a... |
Noam Scheiber: JOHN KASICH'S SOCIAL SECURITY SHELL GAME: So I pretty much follow John Kasich's New York Times op-ed today—at least right up until the second-to-last paragraph. Stephen Green: First up, John Kasich: "How do we get out of this mess? To preserve the system for the long term, we must change the way first-time benefits are calculated. C. D. Harris: The push for Social Security reform in the next Congress has begun in earnest - and is showing up in the most unlikely places: [snipped quote] In a word: Indeed. |
Note to Religion Editors: Public Doubts Darwin, Evolution, Poll Finds Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK As the press considers increasing its "faith-based" reporting, one thing journalists should keep in mind is that, contrary to most assumptions, large numbers of American remain wary of evolution and continue to see God's hand fully directing the origin of the species. | |
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Fafnir: What with Congress cuttin the National Science Foundation budget an nobody believin in evolution anymore an the... David Allan Pell: Here are the real numbers: - Only 35% of Americans think that evolution is well-supported by evidence. Orrin Judd: 87-13: Note to Religion Editors: Public Doubts Darwin, Evolution, Poll Finds (E&P, November 30, 2004, Editor &... |
Joe Gandelman: So once again the conventional wisdom has been proven wrong — and as we move into the 21st Century most Americans doubt evolution, and believe God created all of us. Matthew Yglesias: Via Julie Saltman, I see that Editor and Publisher made the same point yesterday. |
Dems plan to redirect DNC away from presidential race By / The Hill — Permalink Congressional leaders and state party officials are insisting that the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) radically redirect the committee's resources toward congressional races and other local contests and away from the presidential enchilada. | |
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Avedon Carol: [quote]Things to read Yuval Rubinstein at The Left Coaster says that an article in The Hill "suggests that the DC Democrats...[end quote] Yuval Rubinstein: A Change Is (Possibly) Gonna Come at the DNC — Via Political Wire, today's article in the The Hill suggests that the DC... Orrin Judd: LIKE ZELL SAID: Dems plan to redirect DNC away from presidential race (Hans Nichols, 12/01/04, The Hill) |
Joe Gandelman: Wanted From The New Democratic Chairman: Self Preservation 101 — There are clear signs that bigwig Democrats throughout... Kos: New factions in DNC fight — This is starting to get really interesting. Taegan Goddard: Democrats Want DNC to Focus on Local Races — Congressional leaders and state party officials "are insisting that the... |
High Court High Anxiety NRO — Permalink The Supreme Court's medical-marijuana case could send federalism up in smoke. Angel McClary Raich is seriously ill. Diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and several complicating conditions, Raich found traditional medical treatments to be of little use. | |
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Pete Guither: Before I explain the tease of this headline, there have been a couple of very good columns on the Raich v. Ashcroft... Pejman Yousefzadeh: STILL MORE ON RAICH — Jonathan Adler hits the nail on the head in his analysis of the issue at stake: [snipped quote] And rightly so. Glenn Reynolds: As Jonathan Adler explains, it's really a test of whether the Supreme Court takes the constitution seriously. |
Randy Barnett: Professor Jonathan Adler has a nice explanation of the serious constitutional issues at stake in a column today on... TChris: It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will agree (TalkLeft's coverage of the issue, argued in Ashcroft v... Greg Ransom: Via California Insider. More here. |
Gay book ban goal of state lawmaker By / al.com — Permalink MONTGOMERY - An Alabama lawmaker who sought to ban gay marriages now wants to ban novels with gay characters from public libraries, including university libraries. | |
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Ed Cone: (Birmingham News, via Oliver Willis) Oliver Willis: Gay book ban goal of state lawmaker [snipped quote] Contact info for Rep. Allen is here. Give him a call. Eugene Oregon: TPLGOP — In fact, Rep. Gerald Allen IS the GOP "An Alabama lawmaker who sought to ban gay marriages now wants to ban... |
Jesse Walker: The Love That Dare Not Read Its Name — Oy vey: [snipped quote] The obvious wisecracks involve historical novels ("Better... Joanne Jacobs: Straight lit in Alabama — An Alabama legislator wants to ban public and university libraries from buying books with gay characters — unless they're depraved. |
Retiring in Chile NYT — Permalink Santiago, Chile — During his visit here last month, President Bush pointed out that the Chilean pension model was a "great example" for Social Security reform in the United States. For 24 years, I have championed the Chilean retirement system, which is based on ownership, choice and personal responsibility. | |
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Susan Madrak: In fact, there's a nice little puff piece on the op-ed page of the New York Times this morning. I thought I'd, you know, add a little balance. Sam Rosenfeld: They run an op-ed by a CATO-affiliated ex-Chilean official touting his country's privatized pension system as a model for Social Security privatization efforts here in the States. Orrin Judd: PINOCHET RETURNS THE FAVOR: Retiring in Chile: The Chilean pension model is an excellent example of how the United States could reform its Social Security system. |
Stephen Green: Next up, Chile's José Piñera explains his country's successful changeover to an investment program Pejman Yousefzadeh: RETIREMENT REFORM—THE CHILEAN MODEL — This article may help point the way for entitlement reform here in the United... |
Imprisoned Palestinian Enters Presidential Race By / NYT — Permalink JERUSALEM, Dec. 1 - Marwan Barghouti, the fiery Palestinian leader imprisoned in Israel, reversed an earlier decision and entered the race for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority tonight. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Here's some analysis from Jonathan Edelstein. Meanwhile, Palestinian politics are heating up as well. |
David Gerstman: Barghouti to Challenge Abbas; Sharon too late to Challenge Jennings — The New York Times is reporting that "Imprisoned... |
Recount fails to turn up more votes for Heflin By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink Democrat Hubert Vo gained one vote in his narrow victory over state Rep. Talmadge Heflin, R-Houston, after a recount was completed today, but the Heflin campaign vowed to continue its challenge of the result in the state House. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Landslide Hubert extends his lead — From 32 votes to 33. [snipped quote] Greg is right - the only strategy left to Team... |
Byron L: Let the election-stealing begin! The Houston Chronicle has the story as well. Kuff has some more on the race. |
PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — On the evening of Oct. 14, a young Marine spokesman near Fallouja appeared on CNN and made a dramatic announcement. "Troops crossed the line of departure," 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert declared, using a common military expression signaling the start of a major campaign. | |
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Brian Montopoli: Spin Buster — Good News: They're Lying to Us If you haven't already read Mark Mazzetti's Los Angeles Times report on... James Joyner: Information Control in the War on Terror — PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror (LAT) "On the evening of Oct. 14, a young... Tbogg: And finally, the Pentagon used CNN to dupe the insurgents by reporting news of a phony assault in Fallujah. |
Hugh Hewitt: The Los Angeles Times covers it. The Fourth Rail points to signs that the terrorists are losing across the board. Mary @LeftCoaster: Today, the LA Times reports that some in the Pentagon are worried that the practice of having uniformed spokesperson... Dave Johnson: Psy-Ops — PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror: "Officials at the Pentagon and other U.S. national security agencies said... |
| Also: Matt Welch, Laura Rozen, Jonah Goldberg | |
Red Cross President Plans Visit to Washington on Question of Detainees' Treatment By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 - Officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday that the organization's president, M. Jakob Kellenberger, was hoping to visit Washington soon to press senior Bush administration officials about the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. | |
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Mark Kleiman: (Of course, if that's going to be the party line, it would help if the State Department spokesman, who has no need to... Nick Gillespie: The details of the Red Cross' report are confidential, though the Seattle Times is reporting the group found "cruel, inhumane, and degrading" conditions there. |
Michael Froomkin: New York Times, Red Cross President Plans Visit to Washington on Question of Detainees' Treatment…showing how... |
U.S. Generals in Iraq Were Told of Abuse Early, Inquiry Finds By / WaPo — Permalink A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in December 2003 warned that members of an elite military and CIA task force were abusing detainees, a finding delivered more than a month before Army investigators received the photographs from Abu Ghraib prison that touched off investigations into prisoner mistreatment. | |
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David Allan Pell: Before Torture Was Hip — Before most Americans had heard of Abu Ghraib, the higher-ups in the military (and it's... Jesse Taylor: Just Clap Your Hands And Believe — Once again, it becomes patently obvious that in the shakeup of the Bush White House,... Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: The Washington Post reports: [quote] "A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in December 2003 warned that members of...[end quote] |
Steve M.: Today's Washington Post makes that clear: A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in December 2003 warned that... Bird Dog: The Herrington Report — This one was written a year ago, the Washington Post reports, and it was written by a humint specialist and former member of the infamous Phoenix Program. Andrew Sullivan: Now we read this: "Until now, U.S. military officials have characterized the problem as one largely confined to the... |
| Also: Tom Tomorrow, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Dollar Pressure Points NRO — Permalink Here's what's happening. For more than a year, I have been predicting — not advocating, just predicting — a significant tax increase to deal with the budget deficit. | |
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Clayton Cramer: There's another explanation for rising interest rates, over here at Bruce Barlett's National Review Online column |
Greg Ransom: THE SIGNIFICANCE of the U.S. current account deficit — Bruce Bartlett explains it all for you. |
W's 2nd term agenda: Set Jeb up NY Daily News — Permalink There's this theory going around that President Bush will govern in his second term as a lame duck, with nothing more to gain or lose politically. But that isn't how Bush is thinking about it. He has Jeb to consider. On Oct. 17, he declared on ABC, "I'm not going to run in 2008. | |
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Steve M.: Zev Chafets of the New York Daily News thinks we haven't seen the last Bush presidential campaign: ...Even before this... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: . . Hemlock: Will Jeb be the GOP nominee in 2008? Oh, the humanity . . . . |
Panel Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform By / AP — Permalink UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A high-level panel called for sweeping reform of the United Nations in the wake of bitter divisions over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, with proposals to expand the Security Council and to give the powerful body clear guidelines for authorizing pre-emptive military attacks. | |
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Wretchard: [quote]Allowing one to so act is to allow all.'" [end quote] An Associated Press article in the Guardian laid out the competing plans for Security Council expansion. |
Roger L. Simon: I have seen no reference to it so far, but perhaps I have missed it. The NYT does not mention it, nor does the AP. |
The Fourth Election By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — "Welcome to the world's interrelated four-month, four-nation election cycle" was the challenge posted here in October. So far, voters who support implanting freedom in the Middle East have won three in a row, electing President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, the American ally John Howard in Australia, and George Bush here. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Safire writes today about the forces in the world favoring freedom's march, and Annan is not only not among them, he has... |
Jesse Taylor: William Safire Explains It All — William Safire busts out the newspinion reporting that's made him such a beloved... |
A broken window into civilization By / Townhall.com — Permalink As we marveled over the basketball brawl between players and spectators at a recent Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game - and then the fourth-quarter melee between Clemson University and University of South Carolina football players - I kept thinking, "broken windows." | |
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Steve M.: Syndicated righty columnist Kathleen Parker falls for a myth: As we marveled over the basketball brawl between players... Betsy Newmark: Kathleen Parker applies the broken windows theory to popular culture. Now, we just need a Rudy Giuliani to come along and show that the theory works. |
Orrin Judd: IF IT'S BROKE, FIX IT: A broken window into civilization (Kathleen Parker, December 1, 2004, Townhall) |
Wounded or Disabled But Still on Active Duty By / WaPo — Permalink After an anti-tank mine destroyed his foot and part of his leg in Iraq, Capt. David Rozelle, 31, considered his future. In another era, the commander of a cavalry troop would have been heralded for his bravery and likely issued a medical retirement. | |
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Phillip Carter: According to this moving article by Anne Hull in the Washington Post, more and more severely wounded combat vets like... |
Barbara O'Brien: But it gets worse - today, the Washington Post reports U.S. is keeping seriously wounded and disabled soldiers on active duty. |
Jesusland for thee, but not for me By / Townhall.com — Permalink Federalism! It's not just for conservatives anymore! That's right. All of a sudden, liberals have discovered federalism and states' rights. I discovered this while listening to a recent episode of NPR's "Talk of the Nation," in which host Neal Conan and various callers discussed the idea as if some lab had just invented it. | |
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Lorie Byrd: Federalism For All — I will have to steal this excellent explanation of federalism from Betsy Newmark (who stole it... Betsy Newmark: Jonah Goldberg sums it all up with a great analogy that I will have to purloin and use with my classes now. |
Orrin Judd: Jesusland for thee, but not for me (Jonah Goldberg, December 1, 2004, Towmhall) [snipped quote] The diuscussion with... |
America's New Political Capital By / Slate — Permalink It's hard to imagine it, but there once was a time when people used the phrase "political capital" to mean "seat of government." Now the most common usage of "political capital" means the power that popularity confers on a politician, or something like that. | |
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Nick Confessore: Slate's Chris Suellentrop does a funny and definitive take on "political capital," and the president's belief that he has large amounts of it to spend. |
David Cohen: THE WORD HE'S LOOKING FOR IS "POWER" — America's New Political Capital: President Bush infects Washington with his... |
Barghouti to Seek Palestinian Presidency By / AP — Permalink RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Associates of Marwan Barghouti said Wednesday the jailed Palestinian uprising leader has decided to run for president, reversing an earlier decision and throwing Palestinian politics into disarray. | |
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Captain Ed: Apparently, my analysis was a bit too optimistic: [snipped quote] Hmmm. The Palestinians either convinced him to run, or could not talk him out of it. |
Orrin Judd: THEIR CUOMO: Barghouti to Seek Palestinian Presidency (IBRAHIM BARZAK, 12/01/04, Associated Press) [snipped quote] It... |
Embassy sounds alarm over growing dangers in Iraq By / Independent — Permalink Disintegrating security in Baghdad was underlined in a sombre warning yesterday from the British embassy against using the airport road or taking a plane out of Iraq. The embassy says a bomb was discovered on a flight inside Iraq on 22 November. | |
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Holden: The British Embassy in Iraq has ordered its staff not to use the road linking Baghdad to the Baghdad International... |
Steve Gilliard: Embassy sounds alarm over growing dangers in Iraq By Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad 30 November 2004 "Disintegrating... |
It's time for a rational debate By / Townhall.com — Permalink The International Committee of the Red Cross has accused the United States of torturing enemy combatant prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to documents leaked to The New York Times this week. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Linda Chavez, a reminder of the kind of quality person Bush would instinctively choose for his administration, demonstrates that swimmingly. Betsy Newmark: Linda Chavez asks some important questions. |
Tbogg: Shorter Linda Chavez — You call that torture? I treated my illegal Guatemalan slave maid worse. |
An epidemic of election challenges By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink This hot new trend of challenging legislative elections is getting out of hand. State Rep. Talmadge Heflin has drawn most of the media attention, but three other losing candidates have joined him, setting an all-time record. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Hotshot Casey is thinking along the same lines. Meanwhile, Greg does the math and sees blaming the voters as Heflin's only viable strategy. |
Byron L: (Also Via Kuff). The Houston Chronicle has more. Why did Jack Stick contest his election loss to Mark Strama? One reason. |
Get rid of Election Day, election chiefs say Miami Herald — Permalink Florida's election supervisors, impressed by the success of early voting, proposed dramatic reforms Tuesday that would eliminate Election Day, replace it with an 11-day election season and do away with precincts. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Early voting all the time — Via Political Wire, the state of Florida liked its early voting experiment so much, it is talking about getting rid of Election Day. |
Taegan Goddard: 11 Day Election Proposed — [snipped quote] the Miami Herald reports. |
The Freedom Haters By / WaPo — Permalink Just in case anyone actually thought that all of those people waving flags on the streets of Kiev represent authentic Ukrainian sentiments, the London Guardian informed its readers otherwise last week. | |
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John Hawkins: Quote Of The Day: Hatred Of America Is Greater Than Love Of Freedom For Some On The Left — Lefty Anne Applebaum echoes... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Anne Applebaum has this editorial pointing out the silliness of the practice: [snipped quote] This "freedom-hating" of... Orrin Judd: BETTER RED THAN RED: The Freedom Haters (Anne Applebaum, December 1, 2004, Washington Post) [snipped quote] By the end of the race was not John Kerry part of this phenomenon? |
James Joyner: The Freedom Haters (WaPo, A25) "Just in case anyone actually thought that all of those people waving flags on the... Arthur Chrenkoff: Update: Anne Applebaum does the demolishment job on "freedom haters": "Many of the same people who found it hard to say... KJL: "FREEDOM HATERS" — Anne Applebaum on Ukraine and accusations that the Ukranians protesting in the streets of Kiev are... |
| Also: Stephen Green, Greg Ransom | |
Secretary and Son By / Opinion Journal — Permalink "He is a grown man, and I don't get involved with his activities and he doesn't get involved with mine." Thus did the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan distance himself at speed Monday from news that his own son, Kojo Annan, had received money right up until early this year from one of the U.N.'s prime contractors under the Oil for Food program. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: See also Claudia Rosett, who points out that in addition to being an absentee Secretary-General, Kofi Annan appears to be an absentee father as well. KJL: KOFI AND SON — Claudia Rosett's latest. |
Cori Dauber: Of course, it never changes because the UN, Kofi, Kojo, or Kojo's company comes clean, but because the press (which... |
The Future Is Uncertain NRO — Permalink Last spring, Jason West, the mayor of New Paltz, New York, made what became the single most important and powerful argument for gay marriage: It's inevitable. "It's inevitable that we'll have same-sex marriage in this country, because it's a generational question.... Give it ten or 20 years when we're holding state legislatures and Congress. | |
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Greg Ransom: THE YOUNG are turning against gay marriage. Someone should email InstaPundit on this one. |
PoliPundit: But the numbers tell a different story: "After the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling in Goodridge, opposition to gay marriage among adults skyrocketed. |
Kofi Annan Must Go By / Opinion Journal — Permalink It's time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign. Over the past seven months, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which I chair, has conducted an exhaustive, bipartisan investigation into the scandal surrounding the U.N. Oil-for-Food program. | |
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Cori Dauber: Just imagine it — I mean, the headline would just write itself: US Senator Calls for UN General Secretary to Resign to Save Organization's Credibility. John J. Miller: "KOFI ANNAN MUST GO" — Sen. Norm Coleman on Kofi: "All of this adds up to one conclusion: It's time for Kofi Annan to step down. |
Bird Dog: Another on the Dump Kofi Bandwagon — Senator Norm Coleman has had enough. [snipped quote] It's time for a no confidence vote. |
The Making of a Wise Man By / NYT — Permalink STEPHEN A. SCHWARZMAN was standing backstage at the Kennedy Center in Washington last month, perusing the speech he would give in honor of Lorne Michaels, the creator of "Saturday Night Live." It had been a giddy night for Mr. Schwarzman, the Wall Street financier and the recently appointed chairman of the center. | |
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Noam Scheiber: STEPHEN SCHWARZMAN USED TO BE THE NEXT TREASURY SECRETARY: Sunday's New York Times included a truly fascinating Landon... |
Ramesh Ponnuru: HOW NOT TO GET a Cabinet position. |
U.N. Report Urges Big Changes; Security Council Would Expand By / NYT — Permalink UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 30 - The United Nations on Tuesday proposed the most sweeping changes in its history, recommending the overhaul of its top decision-making group, the Security Council, and holding out the possibility that it could grant legitimacy to pre-emptive military strikes. | |
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James Joyner: UN Security Council Expansion Proposed — U.N. Report Urges Big Changes; Security Council Would Expand [RSS] (NYT) "The... Hindrocket: Not Much New at the U.N. A United Nations report issued yesterday proposed, in the words of the New York Times,... Pejman Yousefzadeh: REFORM BEYOND ANNAN — I could actually get behind a number of the reforms listed here and meant for the United Nations:... |
Roger L. Simon: A Question about the United Nations Reform Report — The New York Times and many other outlets have written today about... Captain Ed: UN Proposes New Paths To Greater Irrelevancy — The UN has proposed sweeping changes to its structure and its... |
U.S. Rules Out Dam Removal to Aid Salmon By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 - The Bush administration on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of removing federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers to protect 11 endangered species of salmon and steelhead, even as a last resort. | |
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Hecate: The NYT reports that: The Bush administration on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of removing federal dams on the... |
Chris Mooney: That's what the federal government seems to be claiming in the Pacific northwest. |
Sistani pulls main Shia parties together to dominate Iraq poll Guardian — Permalink Iraq's Shia parties have built a powerful political alliance uniting moderates with extremists and seem likely to dominate next month's general election. The coalition, formed in weeks of private negotiations, will put forward a joint list of candidates. | |
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Juan Cole: Rory McCarthy of the Guardian tells us more about the Shiite mega-list being formed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, which will probably dominate the elections. |
Orrin Judd: THE CLERIC WHO WOULD BE KARL ROVE: Sistani pulls main Shia parties together to dominate Iraq poll (Rory McCarthy,... |
Shiites rally to Iraq vote's call By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink BAGHDAD — Around the gold-domed mosque of Kadhimiya, in the heart of one of Baghdad's oldest Shiite neighborhoods, fresh white banners exhorting Iraqis to vote flutter in the winter sunshine alongside posters of snowy-bearded ayatollahs. | |
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Juan Cole: The enthusiasm of the Shiites for the elections is the point of her second piece. |
Steve Gilliard: Rise of the Shia another day, another blown pipeline Shiites rally to Iraq vote's call They see chance to end Sunni... |
Bush shields shrimp industry By / Washington Times — Permalink The Bush administration yesterday said Chinese and Vietnamese shrimp are sold at unfairly low prices in the United States, siding with U.S. fishermen as they try to fend off overseas competition. | |
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Robert Tagorda: Dan Drezner notes the latest bout of protectionism: Bush Shields Shrimp Industry (Washington Times) [snipped quote] This... |
Daniel Drezner: Jeffrey Sparshott explains the Bush administration's heroic act of protectionism in the Washington Times |
Rather's Ruin By / American Enterprise Magazine — Permalink Seldom in the course of a Presidential campaign does a media drama upstage the election itself, but for a short while in September, Americans tuned out politics and tuned in to "The Decline and Fall of Dan Rather." | |
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Ace: Chris Weinkopf stumbles across a dead horse and decides maybe there's something to be gained from kicking it after all:... Hindrocket: Reader James Phillips points out that it's now available online, here: "Seldom in the course of a Presidential campaign... |
Charles Johnson: Rather's Ruin — At the American Enterprise, Chris Weinkopf dubs Power Line and LGF the "Woodward and Bernstein" of Rathergate: Rather's Ruin. |
The Grassroots Can Save Democrats By / Opinion Journal — Permalink The staggering defeat of the Democratic Party and its ever-accelerating death spiral weren't obvious from the election results. Two factors masked the extent of the party's trouble. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Now Joe Trippi is recommending that the Democrats need to do the same thing - motivate their base, particularly, young people to come out and vote. Lorie Byrd: Trippi Discusses Future of Democrats — Before you dismiss this WSJ article by Joe Trippi as the rantings of a loser, give it a read. Orrin Judd: NEED ANY HELP LOADING THAT GUN? : The Grassroots Can Save Democrats: Howard Dean paved the way to future victories. |
Yuval Rubinstein: Joe Trippi Says... Joe Trippi has written an op-ed (in the friggin' WSJ, of all places) discussing how the Kerry... Pejman Yousefzadeh: SHORTER JOE TRIPPI — If it weren't for people like me, John Kerry would have lost by a lot more. Taegan Goddard: Democrats Defeat Was Worse Than You Think — Joe Trippi argues that the "staggering defeat of the Democratic Party and... |
| Also: Charles Johnson | |
Don't get mad with spammers. Get even By / Guardian — Permalink Spammers may be about to get a taste of their own medicine. A British company is today launching software that it claims will allow computer users to hit back at the mass mailers who clog up our inboxes with sales pitches for pornography, get-rich-quick schemes and cheap medication. | |
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Kevin Drum: Now that sounds like a worthwhile use of spare CPU cycles. Details here. James Joyner: Make Love, Not Spam — Don't get mad with spammers. Get even (The Guardian) [snipped quote] Interesting. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "VENGEANCE IS MINE" SAYETH THE E-MAIL USER — I wholeheartedly endorse this idea: "Spammers may be about to get a taste of their own medicine. Joe Gandelman: SPAMMERS May Soon Get Theirs... GOOD NEWS for those of us who are sick and tired of getting all those ads telling us we need an "enlargement." |
Kerry Team Seeks to Join Fight To Get Ohio County to Recount WaPo — Permalink Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential campaign asked an Ohio judge yesterday to allow it to join a legal fight there over whether election officials in one county may sit out the state's impending recount. | |
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Taegan Goddard: And the Washington Post notes the Kerry campaign is seeking to join a legal fight regarding a possible recount in Ohio. |
Captain Ed: Kerry Flip-Flops On Concession — For those who argued that an official recount demand from the Ohio Democratic Party... |
What happened to Iraq's oil money? MSNBC — Permalink After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the United States took control of all of the Iraqi government's bank accounts, including the income from oil sales. The United Nations approved the financial takeover, and President Bush vowed to spend Iraq's money wisely. | |
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Tom Gevaert: Oh, that's right - we aren't letting the BFEE steal 8.8 Billion dollars in oil money from under our property like the Iraqis are*. Tom @Corrente: Remember how Iraq's oil money was essentially given to us to manage by the U.N. Well, um, we screwed that up big time: [snipped quote] We apparently lost $8.8 B. Holy cow. |
Cori Dauber: TO SOME EXTENT LEAKAGE — NBC's resident hype artist, Lisa Myers, expert in finding real stories then pumping them for... |
Publisher: 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year Reuters — Permalink BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) — A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year. | |
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Norbizness: Yes, I know everyone's on this case, but that's why blog is the #1 Super Fun Time addition to the lexicon. Michele Catalano: when it's a blog Publisher: 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year The word of the year isn't even a real word. Betsy Newmark: Blog is the number one looked-up word for this year. That's for the people who just realized that there were such things as blogs around this year. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Still, dictionary publishers Merriam-Webster have made "blog" their word of the year, based on the fact it has been one... C. D. Harris: A Few Of My Favourite Things — Merriam-Webster's Top 10 Words of the Year: blog incumbent electoral insurgent hurricane... Charles Johnson: Number One Word of the Year: "Blog" — Dictionary publisher Merriam Webster says the word "blog" is their #1 word of the... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, PoliPundit, Jan Haugland, James Joyner, SK Bubba, Joanne Jacobs, Hei Lun, Greg Ransom, Glenn Reynolds, Roger L. Simon, Tyler Cowen | |
Kofi Annan Must Go By / WSJ — Permalink It's time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign. Over the past seven months, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which I chair, has conducted an exhaustive, bipartisan investigation into the scandal surrounding the U.N. Oil-for-Food program. | |
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Charles Johnson: Kofi Annan Must Go — Senator Norm Coleman says, "Kofi Annan Must Go." LGF adds, he shoulda been gone a long time ago. Dale Franks: General Kofi Annan to take a powder. Roger L. Simon: Pressure for the United Nations Secretary General to resign has been ratcheted up by Senator Norm Coleman in an oped in tomorrow's WSJ with the blunt title Kofi Annan Must Go. |
Hugh Hewitt: Senator Norm Coleman calls of Kofi Annan to step down. This is a very good thing, and other voices should follow. Wretchard: According to a signed article in the Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Annan was at the helm of the U.N. for all but a few days... The Big Trunk: Coleman calls for Kofi break — In tomorrow's Wall Street Journal, Senator Norm Coleman declares: "Kofi Annan must go." |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Ted Belman, Betsy Newmark, Lorie Byrd, Mitch Berg, Orrin Judd, Glenn Reynolds, Greg Ransom | |
Netherlands Hospital Euthanizes Babies By / AP — Permalink AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - A hospital in the Netherlands - the first nation to permit euthanasia - recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives. | |
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Liz Cox Barrett: Remaining on the right for a moment, Hugh Hewitt contends that the mainstream media (or "MSM," in blogger shorthand) is... Captain Ed: A Question Of Values — The Netherlands admitted today that Dutch doctors have carried out euthanasia without requests from the patients or their families. Hugh Hewitt: The Groningen Protocol — There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who will react with horror and alarm to... |
Joe Carter: The Groningen Protocol: Infant Euthanasia and the Substance View of Personhood The recent news that doctors in the... Charles Johnson: Netherlands Hospital Euthanizes Babies — Today comes news that a Dutch hospital has not only proposed guidelines for euthanizing babies—they've started doing it. Porphyrogenitus: Progressive Europe — Our more civilized and ethical European allies have taken the next logical step forward in late-term abortions. |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Ed Driscoll, Jayson @PoliPundit, Steve Verdon, JD @SouthernAppeal, Orrin Judd, KJL | |
A Hush Over Hollywood By / Human Events — Permalink Somewhere in the world, a filmmaker creates a short documentary that chronicles what he perceives as the excesses of anti-abortion activists. An anti-abortion zealot reacts to the film by killing the filmmaker in broad daylight and stabbing anti-abortion tracts onto his body. | |
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McQ: Hey Hollywood, where's the outrage? I got a bit of a chuckle out of a Pat Sajak column. Yes, that Pat Sajak. Ace: Astonishly enough, just about the whole thing is quotable; I've had to cut a lot of great stuff just to comform with fair use. Roger L. Simon: More Van Gogh — Pat Sajak has logged in on the curious absence of condemnation on the part of the Hollywood community of the Jihadist slaughter of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh. |
Avedon Carol: Media moments — Here's a knee-slapper: Pat Sajak can't understand the Hush Over Hollywood - that is, the non-reaction... Steve M.: This is not a joke: A Hush Over Hollywood by Pat Sajak ...So I'm trying to understand the nearly universal lack of... Betsy Newmark: Pat Sajak has a great column pondering the lack of outrage coming out of Hollywood condemning the murder of Theo Van Gogh. |
| Also: Mitch Berg, Joel Foreman, Ed Driscoll, Jeff Jarvis, Andrew Sullivan, John Cole, KJL | |
Who Is John Stott? By / NYT — Permalink Tim Russert is a great journalist, but he made a mistake last weekend. He included Jerry Falwell and Al Sharpton in a discussion on religion and public life. Inviting these two bozos onto "Meet the Press" to discuss that issue is like inviting Britney Spears and Larry Flynt to discuss D. H. Lawrence. | |
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Ezra Klein: That Sneaky Brooks — Great point by Matthew Yglesias on the nonsense that is Brooks' lastest column on John Stott. Noam Scheiber: ANDREW ON BROOKS: I was going to write something in response to yesterday's David Brooks column, but I never got around to refining my thoughts on it. Jesse Taylor: The Red Lobster Strikes Again — I'm reading over this David Brooks column (accurately this time, folks), and I'm a bit... |
Matthew Yglesias: Piling On — In addition to what Noam and Andrew Sullivan had to say about David Brooks' latest. Andrew Sullivan: By picking a theologian in London, David Brooks strains somewhat to exculpate his conservative allies from the taint of intolerance. Steve M.: That's David Brooks in today's New York Times, singing the praises of John Stott, a British preacher and writer who is one of the major figures in the world evangelical movement. |
| Also: Eugene Oregon, Norbizness, Ed Cone, Betsy Newmark, Tom Tomorrow, QD @SouthernAppeal, Rich Lowry | |
Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guantánamo By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 - The International Committee of the Red Cross has charged in confidential reports to the United States government that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion "tantamount to torture" on prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. | |
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Steve M.: Because the International Red Cross did more or less what they did — it made a (non-public) report to the U.S... Kevin Raybould: Torture at Gitmo — The Red Cross has found behavior "tantamount to torture" at Gitmo: "The International Committee of... John Hawkins: Red Cross: Al Qaeda May Violate Geneva Conventions By Scott Ott — Just a day after The New York Times leaked excerpts... |
Michael Froomkin: Red Cross Accuses US of Torture at Guantanamo — Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guantánamo The International... Robert M. Jeffers: Good times are comin', but they're sure comin' slow.... As Lord Acton said, power corrupts. Mark Kleiman: Now it comes out that the International Committee of the Red Cross has described some of what's going on at Guantanamo as "tantamount to torture." |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Steve Soto, Susan Madrak, Jack Balkin, Jeralyn Merritt, Charles Johnson, Laura Rozen, Skippy, Tom Tomorrow | |
Homeland Security Secretary Ridge Resigns By / WaPo — Permalink Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told President Bush earlier today that he is resigning from his job overseeing the most ambitious U.S. government reorganization since the 1940s, sources who know him said. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Tom Ridge Resigns — There's another job opening in the Bush adminstration — a super-high-profile one held by a man who... Jesse Taylor: An Accomplished Man — Tom Ridge has resigned. I'll miss...that thing he did. What does the Homeland Security Director actually do, again? Kevin Drum: If John Snow and Tom Ridge both go, that will be three of Bush's top four cabinet officers and eight altogether. |
James Joyner: Update (1351): It's official Homeland Security Secretary Ridge Resigns (WaPo) [snipped quote] I'd be more excited by Rudy... Chris Lawrence: At this rate, there may soon be nobody left in the administration for Democrats (or, for that matter, me) to complain... Laura Rozen: Here's the Post's take on possible replacements: Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the NSC's Frances Townsend, and former Virginia governor James Gilmore. |
| Also: Jeff Quinton | |
Early anti-Bush demos fizzle in Canada AFP — Permalink OTTAWA (AFP) - Hopes for early mass protests in the streets of Ottawa on the eve of Tuesday's visit by US President George W. Bush fizzled out, as journalists outnumbered demonstrators. | |
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Damian Penny: Demonstrations without demonstrators — Hopes for early mass protests in the streets of Ottawa on the eve of Tuesday's... Dean Esmay: Maybe I'm Not So Mad At Canada After All — Not when reporters outnumber protestors, anyway. Smash: What if They Threw a Protest... ...and Nobody Came? [snipped quote] Heh. Chris Alemany has more local reaction to Bush's visit to Canada. |
Charles Johnson: What If They Gave a Protest and Nobody Came? Early anti-Bush demos fizzle in Canada. (Hat tip: Ted.) Betsy Newmark: You can't make this stuff up. [snipped quote] Now we know what happens if they give a protest and no one comes. KJL: WHERE ARE ALL THE BUSH HATERS? Canadian protests of Bush visit aren't all that. |
| Also: Will Collier | |
Of Mosul and Men By / American Prospect — Permalink For months now, skeptics of George W. Bush's Iraq policy have been warning that the present path could lead to bloody civil war. More recently, proponents of a continued U.S. military presence have been warning that bloody civil war would be the result of a withdrawal. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Curiously, when I read this Belgravia Dispatch response to this Matt Yglesias column, I see an extension of the mindset that's keeping Rumsfeld in office. Matthew Yglesias: The Iraqi Civil War — As I say in today's column, civil war isn't a possibility, it's a reality |
Gregory Djerejian: Matthew Yglesias—seemingly largely based on the murder of some Kurds in Mosul by perpetrators beholden to an unholy... |
Congress Trims Money for Science Agency By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 - Congress has cut the budget for the National Science Foundation, an engine for research in science and technology, just two years after endorsing a plan to double the amount given to the agency. | |
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Jim Miller: This New York Times article prompted me to go back and do what I should have in the original post, find some numbers on research spending. Nick Confessore: The latest bit, courtesy of The New York Times: [snipped quote] It's not clear whether this was simply a case where... The Poor Man: Bread And Circuses — [snipped quote] Mars, bitches. Mars. |
Dan Gillmor: Cutting Basic Research, Cutting Our Future — NY Times: Congress Trims Money for Science Agency. Jesse Taylor: At Least The Rock And Roll Museum's Funded — Why do Republicans hate innovation? |
Anti-evolution teachings gain foothold in U.S. schools By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Dover, Pa. — The way they used to teach the origin of the species to high school students in this sleepy town of 1,800 people in southern Pennsylvania, said local school board member Angie Yingling disapprovingly, was that "we come from chimpanzees and apes." | |
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Chris Mooney: But a recent San Francisco Chronicle story on the Dover Area School District's intelligent design caper begins as... Rickheller @Centerfield: Teachin' Evolution — The school board in the town of Dover, Pennsylvania has voted to require the teaching of... David Allan Pell: Those who doubt that or doubt the existence of a cultural war in this country need look no further than Dover,... |
Steve Verdon: Bad Science Reporting — Why must we be saddled with reporters who don't understand basic scientific terminology? Chris Bowers: But, employing an argument that was ridiculed by most of the state's newspapers and by legions of legal experts, Giles... |
Humble Rather earned departure fit for an icon By / Hollywood Reporter — Permalink There was a telling moment in a telephone interview I conducted with Dan Rather a little more than a year ago in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of CBS. "I'm not a large part of the legacy (of CBS)," Rather offered. | |
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Charles Johnson: Dan Rather Talks to Spirits — Well. I knew Dan Rather was ... strange. I just didn't know how strange. JD @SouthernAppeal: Dan Rather chats with the ghost of Edward R. Murrow: No, really. That's what it says. "Ed Murrow's ghost is here. |
Greg Ransom: RATHER WEIRD — Dan Rather claims he's seen and talked to the ghost of Ed Murrow on the third floor of the CBS building. Oliver Willis: Rather: Nutty — Now, while I think way too much praise has been lavished on the right's idealogical warriors who have... |
Finding Safire's Keepers By / Slate — Permalink William Safire asserted in his Nov. 1 New York Times column that journalists have a special name for stories they deliberately withhold from publication until they can do the most political damage. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Spinning Keepers — Slate editor Jack Shafer fisks a William Safire column, which Shafer claims tried to sell the... Matt Welch: Hair-Splitter Nitpicked — Jack Shafer reference-checks William Safire. |
Matthew Yglesias: Jack Shafer offers up a fitting coda to William Safire's career as an op-ed columnist: [snipped quote] Sadly typical. |
U.S. Officials Say Iraq's Forces Founder Under Rebel Assaults NYT — Permalink MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 29 - Iraqi police and national guard forces, whose performance is crucial to securing January elections, are foundering in the face of coordinated efforts to kill and intimidate them and their families, say American officials in the provinces facing the most violent insurgency. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: How's it going? Poorly, reports today's Los Angeles Times. Very poorly, according to The New York Times. Steve Soto: The New York Times reports this morning that Iraq's security forces, which we have recruited and trained, are crumbling under the pressure applied by the insurgents. Nick Gillespie: Meanwhile, Back in Iraq... The NY Times reports from Mosul that [snipped quote] On the flip side, there's this: [snipped quote] Whole thing here. |
Cori Dauber: There's a front page story in the Times that tries to come to grips with the situation on the ground among Iraqi units. Rich Lowry: SOBERING... ...report today in the NY Times about the performance of Iraqi troops and police. |
Officials: Ridge to announce resignation CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge will announce Tuesday afternoon that he is stepping down from his post, DHS officials have told CNN. Ridge, 59, is expected to make the announcement at 2:45 p.m. ET. | |
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Talking Dog: Amidst the same group of news that noted that the Jeopardy! champion got knocked off, and that "blog" was... Taegan Goddard: Ridge Resigns — Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge will announce this afternoon that he is stepping down from his post, CNN reports. |
Jeff Jarvis: Color him Orange : So Tom Ridge is gone. I have no regrets and had many complaints. |
Reid announces new office created By / Las Vegas Review-Journal — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the incoming Senate minority leader, said Monday he is forming a communications "war room" to promote Democrats' messages and respond to Republican criticism. | |
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Atrios: Good News — Except, um, you didn't actually have one before? |
Chris Bowers: Minority Leader Reid On Message — This is promising: [snipped quote] I was not thrilled when Reid became minority leader, but I am impressed by this media innovation. |
Changing America, changing tastes By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — A growing demand for goat meat among New York City Muslims has been a boon to a livestock auction tucked away in the middle of Amish country. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Mmm...Goat — Not a lot of food-blogging on this site, but since Dan Drezner mentioned it, it seems worth noting that... Joe Gandelman: So what's the big deal about this story about the increasing demand for goat meat: isn't that like the meat in some of the fast food we eat? |
Daniel Drezner: It's all about the goats — Andrew Martin has a fascinating front-pager in today's Chicago Tribune about how rising... |
Another Shoe Drops on the Subject of Airport Security By / NYT — Permalink WE have been hearing a lot from women who object to the way they are being handled, literally, at airport checkpoints. The chorus of protests from women about what they strongly regard as inappropriate body pat-downs has been loud, sustained and persuasive. | |
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James Joyner: Another Shoe Drops on the Subject of Airport Security — Joe Sharkey relates some complaints of passengers annoyed by... Ann Althouse: Just deal with it. You've got to learn how to behave in airports. [snipped quote] I say deal with it. |
Jeff Jarvis: And so I got pissed reading Joe Sharky's travel column in The Times today about a guy who gets pissy about taking off his shoes. Kevin Drum: JUST CLEARING MY THROAT HERE....Joe Sharkey writes today about the thing that really bugs me about airport security procedures: their inconsistency. |
AIDS a sign of moral "immunodefficiency" - Vatican Reuters — Permalink VATICAN CITY, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Tuesday blamed the spread of AIDS on an "immunodeficiency" of moral values among other factors and called for education, abstinence and greater access to drugs to fight the disease. | |
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Jesse Taylor: A Note To The Vatican — Stop helping. UPDATE: A word to the not-so-wise. The issue isn't the greater access to drugs or aid to poorer countries, which is great. Steve Gilliard: Sexual abstinance for priest: an idea who's time has come — Where a number of Catholic Clergy needs to be AIDS a sign... |
Atrios: Moral Immunodefficiency — Some constructive rhetoric from the Vatican: The Vatican on Tuesday blamed the spread of AIDS... |
A Dwarf Known as Al Qaeda By / LAT — Permalink The threat posed by the group is hugely overblown. The German federal police, the BKA, was once famous for its relentless, coolly efficient pursuit of terrorists. Hundreds of BKA agents eliminated the first three generations of the Red Army Faction, a terror organization that killed scores of politicians and civilians in the 1970s and 1980s. | |
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Kevin Drum: Today in the LA Times, Dirk Laabs chimes in on the subject and recounts the conclusions of Germany's famed terrorist... |
Orrin Judd: AFTER THE DWARF IS TOSSED:: A Dwarf Known as Al Qaeda: The threat posed by the group is hugely overblown. |
Iran hails UN nuclear 'victory' BBC — Permalink A top Iranian official has claimed a "great victory" over the US after the UN said it would not punish Iran's nuclear activities with sanctions. Hassan Rohani said Iran would never give up its right to nuclear power. | |
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Charles Johnson: Iran is Laughing at the West — Iran taunts the US, gloats over the Europeans' silly "agreement," and mocks the toothless IAEA: Iran hails UN nuclear 'victory'. Glenn Reynolds: Some might say that this story answers the question. |
Porphyrogenitus: The International Community Scores a Victory — A follow up to this post on Iran's nuclear weapons program and the... |
Ridge resigns Homeland Security post AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, whose name became synonymous with color-coded terror alerts and tutorials about how to prepare for possible attack, resigned Tuesday. Ridge submitted his resignation in writing to President Bush on Tuesday morning but indicated he will continue to serve until Feb. 1. | |
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Orrin Judd: IDEAL SPOT FOR A DEMOCRAT: Ridge resigns Homeland Security post (Associated Press, November 30, 2004) [snipped quote] How... |
Steve Soto: Now It Is Ridge's Turn To Go — Tom Ridge is the latest Bush Administration official to bail out, and he is probably taking the color coded alert system with him. |
Ex-Norwegian PM wants east Jerusalem as Palestinian capital AFP — Permalink OSLO (AFP) - Former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjoern Jagland called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital as a first step towards stabilizing the region. | |
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Emperor Darth Misha I: More Northern Idiots (Via LC & IB LGF) "OSLO (AFP) - Former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjoern Jagland called for the... |
Charles Johnson: Total Appeasement, Norwegian Style — In Oslo, former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjoern Jagland (say that ten times... |