meme orandum
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RUMSFELD SET UP; REPORTER PLANTED QUESTIONS WITH SOLIDER Drudge Report — Permalink Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions! | |
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Donald Sensing: He agreed to act as a shill for Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts, who is embedded with the 278th RCT. Tim Cavanaugh: Twisted Metal — Drudge has the email in which Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts brags about having... James Joyner: Drudge: Reporter Planted Troop Questions for Rumsfeld — Matt Drudge: "Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee... |
Charles Johnson: The soldier who asked Donald Rumsfeld the question about armored vehicles yesterday was set up by a journalist—who then bragged about it in an email. Susanna Cornett: The press soldiers on — The current resurgence of the "troops don't have adequate armor!" story apparently made its way... Michelle Malkin: THE ARMOR GAP IS REAL — The latest Drudge scoop highlights an embedded reporter's self-congratulatory e-mail claiming... |
| Also: Steve M., Roger L. Simon, Glenn Reynolds, Jeff Jarvis, Bill @INDCJournal, The Big Trunk | |
Local & State By / Raleigh News & Observer — Permalink Students at one of the area's largest Christian schools are reading a controversial booklet that critics say whitewashes Southern slavery with its view that slaves lived "a life of plenty, of simple pleasures." | |
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Steve Gilliard: Slavery sucked 179,000 men say you're wrong School defends slavery booklet Critic says text is 'window dressing' By T... Atrios: Story: [snipped quote] Some book excerpts: * "Slavery as it existed in the South was not an adversarial relationship with pervasive racial animosity. |
Steve M.: VALUES — From the Raleigh News & Observer: Students at one of the area's largest Christian schools are reading a... Edward _: One conveying, more or less, "OMG, I Can't Believe They're Serious" Via Kos, comes this: "Students at one of the area's... |
Marine Once Thought Kidnapped Charged With Desertion AP — Permalink A Marine who was reported abducted in Iraq and later turned up in his native Jordan was charged Thursday with desertion. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun (search) was charged following a five-month investigation into his June disappearance from a U.S. military camp near Fallujah, Iraq, according a statement from the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (search). | |
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Michelle Malkin: The Lebanon-born Muslim Marine who was reportedly taken "hostage" in Iraq in July, was feared beheaded, and then... Charles Johnson: Wassef Ali Hassoun, who was reported kidnapped in Iraq, then turned up in Jordan, has been charged with desertion. |
Christopher Kanis: "Kidnapped" Marine charged with desertion — While I suspecte it all along, this is an instance where it's still disappointing to be proven right. |
Armor Holdings Could Boost Humvee Armor Output 22% (Update2) Bloomberg — Permalink Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) — Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq, said it could increase output by as much as 22 percent per month with no investment and is awaiting an order from the Army. | |
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Donald Sensing: Proof: there is only one supplier for Humvee armor, Armor Holdings, Inc. (Smart money bought its stock today, btw.) Michelle Malkin: Meanwhile, Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq,... |
Steve M.: It might take some time to ramp up but we can do it.''... —Bloomberg News (Link via Sisyphus Shrugged.) PGL: Via Julia at American Street comes this Bloomberg story: "Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates... |
Armor Holdings Could Boost Humvee Armor Output 22% (Update4) Bloomberg — Permalink Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) — Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq, said it could increase output by as much as 22 percent per month with no investment and is awaiting an order from the Army. | |
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Mark Kleiman: No, physical production capacity is not the problem in the slow provision of updated armor for military vehicles in Iraq, as Secretary Rumsfeld told the troops yesterday. Atrios: Remember folks, it isn't the sex, it's the lying... ...let me just add, kudos to Edmond Lococo of Bloomberg for doing this story. |
Andrew Sullivan: Here's a story about the sole company assigned to make protective plates for the army. Money quote: [snipped quote] So is it physics? |
Biden sets foot on road to 1600 Pennsylvania By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — You can never be too rich or too quick off the mark to express interest in the White House. Democrat Joe Biden says he'll decide about a 2008 presidential run in two years. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Is it April 1, Part 2: Slow Joe Biden considers a run for the White House in 2008. Todd Pearson: Biden v. McCain in 2008 — This was the matchup many of us wished for this year. Maybe we will get it in 2008. Kos: End Iowa and NH advantages — I hate reading things like this (in a piece about Biden running in 2008) |
Ezra Klein: Ladies and gentlemen, please offer a warm welcome to Joe "hair plugs ain't no shame" Biddddeeennnnn! Chris Bowers: Proceeding as if they're going to run — Biden strongly considers 2008: [snipped quote] Biden is a good man, but I don't... Taegan Goddard: Biden Eyes White House — Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) "became the first to declare his 2008 intentions, if not his candidacy,... |
O'Reilly attacked Media Matters: "the most vile, despicable human beings in the country"; called ADL president "a nut" Media Matters for America — Permalink FOX News host Bill O'Reilly lashed out at Media Matters for America and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on the December 9 Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly. He called Media Matters "the most vile, despicable human beings in the country"; called the ADL "an... | |
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Josh Marshall: Did the ADL and Media Matters get under the skin of Bill O'Reilly, embattled champion of Christmas ("nobody sticks up for Christmas except me ...")? Oliver Willis: I'm So Proud — Bill O'Reilly on Media Matters: [snipped quote] My mom is gonna be so proud. |
Atrios: Falafel! Thanks Bill! Love you too! On Air America in a few... |
MoveOn to Democratic Party: 'We Own It' By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back." | |
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Charles Johnson: Radical Left-Wing Hubris — Moveon.org says to the Democratic Party: "We Own You." KJL: MOVEON OWNS THE DNC — According to them. Better pour Mr. Beinart another drink. |
Hindrocket: The AP reports on MoveOn's surprising announcement of ownership: [snipped quote] I like it. |
Watching the Signs By / Weekly Standard — Permalink NOT SINCE 1952 has a presidential election lacked a sitting president or vice president as a contestant, and Ike was about as close as one could get to non-official incumbent. Before that, it was the 1928 race, and there, too, Herbert Hoover was, like Ike, a figure of towering popularity. | |
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John Hawkins: Rudy Giuliani Isn't As Strong A Candidate As He Appears At First Glance — In his latest Weekly Standard column, Hugh... Steve Bainbridge: Hewitt on Guliani — Hugh likes Rudy's chances: [snipped quote] I'm not a single issue voter. James Joyner: Rudy Giuliani in 2008 — With weeks yet to go before President Bush's second inaugural, Hugh Hewitt believes the race... |
Hugh Hewitt: My WeeklyStandard.com column looks ahead to 2008 and wonders whether Rudy hasn't already established himself as a favorite among party regulars. Steve M.: Yellow-dog Republican Hugh Hewitt attends a meeting of Republican women and — sometime after the group is "entertained... Greg Ransom: THE FIRST 2008 Presidential Straw Poll — and the winner is Rudy Giuliani. |
| Also: Ed Driscoll, Jayson @PoliPundit, Jesse Panuccio | |
Officer Alleges CIA Retaliation By / WaPo — Permalink A senior CIA operative who handled sensitive informants in Iraq asserts that CIA managers asked him to falsify his reporting on weapons of mass destruction and retaliated against him after he refused. | |
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Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: INTELLIGENCE DESIGN — From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Merits of these accusations (of which we can't be sure)... Kevin Drum: BAD INTELLIGENCE...Dana Priest reports today that a CIA case officer is charging that he was harrassed and then fired... |
Mary @LeftCoaster: Well, today Dana Priest has a story in the Washington Post about a former CIA officer suing his CIA managers for... Laura Rozen: &*! #$%^*@! From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Must read. Thanks to Eric Umansky. |
Groups Debate Slower Strategy on Gay Rights By / NYT — Permalink LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8 - Leaders of the gay rights movement are embroiled in a bitter and increasingly public debate over whether they should moderate their goals in the wake of bruising losses in November when 11 states approved constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriages. | |
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David Allan Pell: In fact, many gay groups are now (following the passage of gay marriage bans in 11 states) calling for a more moderate stance and a much slower strategy. Edward _: According to today's New York Times: "Leaders of the gay rights movement are embroiled in a bitter and increasingly... KJL: "ANTIMARRIAGE AMENDMENTS" — The New York Times characterization of amendments that would protect traditional marriage/anti-gay-marriag e amendments. |
Kash: The Next Civil Rights Movement — The New York Times reports that the leaders of the gay rights movement are debating... James Martin Capozzola: Howard Dean says no. Arianna Huffington also says no. Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist, the Human Rights Campaign, a... |
Government Says Terrorists May Use Lasers By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Terrorists may seek to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches, federal officials are warning in a bulletin distributed nationwide. | |
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James R. Rummel: CYA — This news item says that terrorists might just use lasers against commercial aircraft. |
Ezra Klein: Do They Have The Force, Too? From the AP: Government Says Terrorists May Use Lasers. |
Inspector General Had Reported Mismanagement, Security Flaws ABCNEWS — Permalink The man who has issued many critical reports about the mismanagement and security flaws at the Department of Homeland Security was told Wednesday night that he was out of a job. His year-end report, out today, alleges that millions of dollars have been wasted or are unaccounted for by the department. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Or that firing an aggressive Inspector General isn't really the right way to improve organizational performance? |
Josh Marshall: So, thank God, this guy, Clark Kent Ervin, the IG at Homeland Security, just got canned. |
Pregnant women who take slimming pills 'are more likely to have gay children' By / Telegraph — Permalink Women who take slimming and thyroid pills during pregnancy are substantially more likely to have homosexual children, according to research. A study of thousands of mothers and their adult children has revealed that Thyroxine - used to treat thyroid deficiency - and amphetamine-based diet pills appear to influence sexual orientation. | |
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Clayton Cramer: Sexual Orientation & In Utero Drug Use — I'm not quite sure that I believe this claim, but it is still interesting: ... |
Ampersand @Amptoons: At last, a good reason for pregnant women to take weight-loss pills. Just found this online - The Senate Judiciary Committee's 1993 "The Response to Rape" report. |
Zell Miller, Bound for K Street By / WaPo — Permalink Sen. Zell Miller, the Georgia Democrat who turned on colleague John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and campaigned for President Bush, will be trying his hand at government relations in the private sector when he retires from the Senate next month. | |
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Noam Scheiber: ZELL MILLER, MAN OF PRINCIPLE: Wondering why Zell Miller had to demean himself accepting a job as a Washington lobbyist—er, "senior policy adviser"? Dave Johnson: The Payoff — As someone who follows politics, I have noticed that people who speak out for the Republicans soon come into big money. |
James Joyner: Zell Miller - Young Harris College Controversy — WaPo reports today that retiring Georgia Senator Zell Miller is Bound... |
Famous Atheist Now Believes in God ABCNEWS — Permalink NEW YORK Dec 9, 2004 — A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century has changed his mind. He now believes in God more or less based on scientific evidence, and says so on a video released Thursday. | |
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Greg Ransom: PHILOSOPHER ANTONY FLEW says new evidence has persuaded him to change his mind about the existence of God. |
Clayton Cramer: Interesting Change Of Heart — From ABC News: "NEW YORK Dec 9, 2004 — A British philosophy professor who has been a... |
Cupertino teacher on Fox talk show By / Mercury News — Permalink Nearly 3,000 people packed the Flint Center in Cupertino for a live broadcast Wednesday of Fox News' ''Hannity & Colmes'' talk show featuring Stephen J. Williams, the teacher at the center of a reinvigorated debate about the place of religion in public schools. | |
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Dave Johnson: More Mush Journalism as New Lies Spread — Another story, this time in the local San Jose Mercury News about the "Declaration of Independence Banned" issue. |
Joanne Jacobs: More on religion in the classroom — For more on the teacher who says his principal won't let him assign historical... |
Media Matters asks CBSNews.com for correction By / Media Matters for America — Permalink In a December 8 article on CBSNews.com about "some Internet blogs [that were] also being used as proxies for campaigns," CBSNews.com's chief political writer David Paul Kuhn drew an unfounded comparison between, on the one hand, two South Dakota bloggers who,... | |
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Dave Johnson: Update - A great letter from Media Matters' President to CBS. CBS got it wrong. |
Atrios: They Get Letters — David Brock writes to CBS. |
Mineta, Chao, Norton, Jackson Stay in Cabinet Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush moved to complete his second-term Cabinet on Thursday with an announcement that the heads of the transportation, labor, interior and housing departments would remain in their jobs. | |
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Michelle Malkin: "Mineta: Basically, I would hope so." ...is staying in the Bush administration. KJL: &^%$@! Mineta is staying in the Cabinet. |
Deacon: Yes. Minetta is staying. |
Don't Lurch Right, Dean Urges Party By / WaPo — Permalink Former Vermont governor Howard Dean warned fellow Democrats yesterday to resist moving to the right to combat the Republican majorities in Washington, saying the party can be competitive in all regions of the country if members organize at the grass roots and stick to progressive principles. | |
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Steve Clemons: Dean is pressing the Dems not to lurch right. |
Taegan Goddard: The Washington Post notes Dean "outlined his views on how the party should respond to losses in the November election on... |
Laptops may damage male fertility BBC — Permalink Men who use laptop computers could be unwittingly damaging their fertility, experts believe. Balancing it on the lap increases the temperature of the scrotum which is known to have a negative effect on sperm production, researchers found. | |
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Avedon Carol: Via Keith Olbermann, who is still on the election fraud story, too. Laptops may damage male fertility. Sir George: Laptop Hazards — The BBC needs to keep up with the slash and burn disemployment initiative because their "journalists" keep posting dire warnings like this. Jan Haugland: Laptops a threat to male fertility — Laptops may damage male fertility if used, well, on the lap. |
Joe Gandelman: A friend recently warned me that if I sit at a computer too long my muscles would atrophy, but I don't think this is... James Martin Capozzola: (0) DISCUSSION | LAPTOPS & MALE INFERTILITY Enough Already Anyway And the blogosphere, contemplating the notion of... James Joyner: Laptops May Damage Male Fertility — Laptops may damage male fertility (BBC) [snipped quote] I seriously question the study's rather sweeping conclusions. |
| Also: Jesse Taylor, Chris Lawrence, Patrick Belton, Orin Kerr, Michael Froomkin | |
Why U.N. Stays Mired in Its Defects By / LAT — Permalink Imagine if U.S. troops were accused of sexually exploiting children in impoverished nations. Imagine if a U.S. Cabinet secretary were accused of groping a female subordinate, whose complaint was then swatted aside by the president. Those would be pretty big stories, no? | |
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James R. Rummel: Rope a Dope? So I'm reading Instapundit, and the good professor has a link to this LA Times op-ed. |
Glenn Reynolds: MAX BOOT: [snipped quote] Indeed. Read the whole thing. UPDATE: Er, it'll be easier to read the whole thing now that I've fixed the link, which was wrong before. |
Treasury Secretary Is Asked to Stay WaPo — Permalink President Bush invited Treasury Secretary John W. Snow yesterday to remain on the job after the White House withheld its endorsement for 10 days while aides hinted that he would be replaced. | |
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Liz Cox Barrett: The Washington Post's Mike Allen and Jonathan Weisman also rely today on anonymice to explain how, in the words of their colleague Howard Kurtz today, they "got Snowed." Kash: From the news conference yesterday: [snipped quote] When I heard this one of my favorite quotes immediately popped into my head: "I don't think any of us expected him to say that." |
Noam Scheiber: The way the Post and the Times reported the decision today, the White House felt like it had to end the uncertainty... |
Snow to Remain Treasury's Chief, White House Says By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 - President Bush asked Treasury Secretary John W. Snow on Wednesday to remain in his job, the White House said, after weeks in which Republicans close to the White House had talked openly about his impending departure and said administration officials were interviewing possible successors. | |
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Liz Cox Barrett: Today, the Times' David E. Sanger follows up with an A1 piece rife with yet more quotes from unnamed insiders —... |
Howard Kurtz: The New York Times also seems to blame the sources, which it found credible enough to rely on the other day: "President... |
The Democrats' Da Vinci Code By / American Prospect — Permalink As the Democratic Party goes through its quadrennial self-flagellation process, the same tired old consultants and insiders are once again complaining that Democratic elected officials have no national agenda and no message. | |
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Josh Marshall: At the moment the lead post is a smack-down of David Sirota's "Da Vinci Code" piece in the Prospect. |
Kevin Raybould: Populism v. Culture: A Way Forward — Ezra of Pandagon semi-approvingly links to an Ed Kilgore snarky little dismissal... |
'We have to protect people' Guardian — Permalink What should we do with US classics like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or The Color Purple? "Dig a hole," Gerald Allen recommends, "and dump them in it." Don't laugh. Gerald Allen's book-burying opinions are not a joke. Earlier this week, Allen got a call from Washington. | |
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Oliver Willis: So what happens next? The President of our country is inviting this purveyor of sick hate into the people's White House. |
Charles Kuffner: "Dig a hole, and dump them in it" — Inside the mind of Gerald Allen, the Republican state legislator from Alabama who... |
War Dames By / Washington Monthly — Permalink Last February, as the sun rose over a parched California desert, tanks from the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade reached a large enemy minefield. Their orders were to secure a hilltop in the enemy's rear area. | |
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Phillip Carter: As I write in "War Dames", for the December 2002 Washington Monthly, these changes reflected evolutions in the nature of... |
Matthew Yglesias: UPDATE: Phil Carter emails to say that the changes Owens is talking about — part of the Force XXI redesign — are old... |
Powell Says He Won't Run for Office By / AP — Permalink BRUSSELS, Belgium - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday he won't seek political office, dismissing suggestions that he run for governor or senator in New York. | |
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Captain Ed: Powell: I'm Not Running, Period — Colin Powell squelched speculation today that his retirement from the Cabinet had freed him up to run for political office. |
Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Secretary of State Colin Powell, quoted by the AP. |
Brudnoy, in cancer's grip, prepares for end By / Boston Globe — Permalink David Brudnoy's voice has filled the cars and kitchens of the everyday and the elite for nearly three decades, his thoughts shaping the way tens of thousands of listeners view the world beyond their doors. | |
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Michelle Malkin: DAVID BRUDNOY, CLASS ACT — One of the most gracious and intelligent radio talk show hosts in the business shocked the... |
Josh Marshall: According to this morning's Globe, David is standing at the threshold of death at Mass General, with cancer, once in remission, that has spread through his vital organs. |
The Plot Against Sex in America By / NYT — Permalink WHEN they start pushing the panic button over "moral values" at the bluest of TV channels, public broadcasting's WNET, in the bluest of cities, New York, you know this country has entered a new cultural twilight zone. | |
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Steve Clemons: Frank Rich writes in the coming issue of the New York Times Magazine (December 12 — next Sunday): When they start... Peter Burnet: IF YOU THOUGHT THE ZIONIST AND NEO-CON PLOTS WERE SCARY... The Plot Against Sex in America (Frank Rich, New York Times,... |
David Allan Pell: We've seen trends like this before, as Frank Rich explains: While "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was received with... Tbogg: Frank Rich on BushAmerica's fear of a humping planet: Such history, which seemed ancient only months ago, has gained in urgency since Election Day. |
Fumbling Federalism (Part Deux) By / TCS — Permalink We've previously seen the Bush Administration's lack of devotion to the principles of federalism in the debate over the Federal Marriage Amendment — which proposed to constitutionalize the precept that in all fifty states, marriage should be limited to being between one man and one woman. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: PEJMAN YOUSEFZADEH writes in TechCentralStation: [snipped quote] Indeed. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But just in case you haven't (ha!) behold my discussion on Ashcroft v. Raich and its consequences. |
GI Janes, By Stealth NRO — Permalink The Army tries to pull a fast one. The U.S. Army is quietly making a radical change in its personnel policy that may well see the 3rd Infantry Division redeploy to Iraq early next year with mixed-sex support companies collocated with combat units. | |
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Phillip Carter: However, today's column titled "GI Janes, By Stealth" gets it wrong. [So does the Washington Times in this news article. |
Matthew Yglesias: The National Review's Mackubin Owens has an interesting piece out about the Army's below-the-radar efforts to allow... |
Where Are They Now? By / Opinion Journal — Permalink We have been writing lately about Republicans. Let's pay some attention to Hillary Clinton, just for fun. I wrote a book about her more than four years ago. | |
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SLZoll: This week Peggy recalls that she once wrote a book about Hillary Clinton (I belive it was called Hillary Clinton Bad, Ronald Reagan Good). Betsy Newmark: Peggy Noonan has a very perceptive column on what Hillary Clinton is doing to get ready for 2008, how she's positioning... KJL: THE CASE AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON — Peggy Noonan goes back to the future. |
Ed Driscoll: On the left, Hillary Clinton. Of course, this playbill is subject to change between now and then. (Via PoliPundit.) Jayson @PoliPundit: Cue the Imperial Theme Music . . . . as Darth Vader, er, Hillary Clinton, approaches through the fog . . . Steve Bainbridge: Hillary — Peggy Noonan succinctly describes Hillary Past: [snipped quote] She then disposes of Hillary Future. |
Kerik made millions from agency contractor AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Bernard Kerik, President Bush's choice to run the Homeland Security Department, made $6.2 million by exercising stock options he received from a company that sold stun guns to the department — and seeks more business with it. | |
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Steve M.: And while AP's list of firms Kerik has worked for as a security consultant may interest you for other reasons (yeah, he... |
Dave Johnson: (I came across that just after reading this.) |
Ten Commandments Backed by Bush Administration in Court Fight Bloomberg — Permalink Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) — The Bush administration, saying that religion ''has played a defining role'' in the nation's history, urged the U.S. Supreme Court to permit Ten Commandments displays in courthouses. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Bush Backs Display of Ten Commandments — The Bush Administration has filed a brief with the Supreme Court, urging the... |
Atrios: Theocracy Rising — Lovely: [snipped quote] I wish the fine Christians who support this stuff would get their heads out... |
Federal Judge Charles Pickering to Retire By / AP — Permalink JACKSON, Miss. - Federal judge Charles Pickering, appointed by President Bush less than a year ago without Congressional approval, said Wednesday he will step down from the bench. President Bush elevated Pickering, 67, with a recess appointment in January, which temporarily sidestepped the confirmation process. | |
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Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Judged a Waste of Time — Old Charles Pickering is stepping down. Judge Pickering was the subject of a good deal of controversy a little while back. |
Holden: brave sir chuckie charles pickering bravely ran away. |
Can the Democrats Fight? By / WaPo — Permalink At the beginning of the Cold War, liberals had a national security problem. As the columnists Joseph and Stewart Alsop wrote in 1946, liberals "consistently avoided the great political reality of the present: The Soviet challenge to the West." | |
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Max B. Sawicky: I don't read it often, but the Peter Beinart article (sorry, subscription only) begs for some MaxSpeak attention,... Betsy Newmark: Meanwhile, Beinart has a column in the Washington Post making the same points he made in his New Republic article, but much shorter. |
Tarek @LiquidList: Peter Beinart's column in this morning's Post triggered this little reel, drawn from a correspondence with a colleague: There are a lot of good points in this piece. Greg Ransom: GIRLIE-MEN WANT TO KNOW — Can the Democrats Fight? |
Former Pantera Guitarist Killed on Stage By / AP — Permalink COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A gunman charged onstage at a packed nightclub and opened fire on the band and the crowd, killing top heavy metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other people before a police officer shot him to death, authorities and witnesses said. | |
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Ann Althouse: How sad to read of the death of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and others who were gunned down last night in Columbus, Ohio. |
Tarek @LiquidList: Music: I'm a Bad Man — I'm going to go ahead and pre-empt the conversation about this I would have with colleagues and... |
Elites lost to people power The Hill — Permalink The election of 2004 will be seen historically as the beginning of a dramatic reshaping of the techniques, methods and tactics of American politics. This year, the nation's political process was turned upside down as the elites lost power and the masses of average voters gained it. | |
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Frederick Maryland: Dick Morris' Delusions of "People Power" — Just when you thought the post-Election 2004 analytical drivel was over and... The Big Trunk: Power to the people — Dick Morris's retrosepective on the campaign emphasizes the role of blogs: "Elites lost to people power." |
Joe Rospars: Huge Lies, Criminals, and the Big Silence — Every once in a while you run across such a big, huge lie that so precisely... |
Bush on Notice Despite Win in Congress By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — President Bush has gotten a fresh education this week in how to deal with an increasingly feisty Congress as he heads into his second term. The protracted struggle to enact an overhaul of the nation's intelligence community showed that... | |
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Howard Kurtz: Well, the intel bill finally passed, and the Los Angeles Times sees a lesson for Bush: "President Bush has gotten a... |
Captain Ed: They conclude that Congress has put George Bush on notice that they can't be pushed around any more — when the Times... |
On Local Sites, Everyone's A Journalist By / WaPo — Permalink When fire destroyed a historic building in Brattleboro, Vt., in the wee hours of Saturday, the local daily newspaper had already been put to bed. But by dawn, local residents had posted photos and their own stories about the blaze on iBrattleboro.com, a local Web site where anyone can write the news. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Hyperlocal gets some hype : Leslie Walker writes in today's Washington Post business section about folks trying to make... |
Ed Cone: WaPo on local blog media...and the State of Things audio in which we discuss local online alt media and Greensboro101 (starts about halfway through the file). |
Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics CBS News — Permalink Internet blogs are providing a new and unregulated medium for politically motivated attacks. With the same First Amendment protections as newspapers, blogs are increasingly gaining influence. While many are must-reads for political junkies, are some Internet blogs also being used as proxies for campaigns? | |
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Tom Maguire: CBS Battles The Blogs — CBS has discovered ethical lapses in the blogosphere. Avedon Carol: "Atriotism CBS News proves once again in Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics that we need blogs to set them straight Tim Blair: Here's fact-dodging CBS trashing bloggers: "Case precedent on political speech as it pertains to blogs does not exist. |
Dave Johnson: Blogs vs "Journalists" — Most of you read Atrios' weblog, so you know that he has been writing about a CBS story -... Jim Boulet: O'REILLY, CBS WANT FEDS TO CONTROL BLOGGERS — FOX New's Bill O'Reilly and CBS chief political writer David Paul Kuhn... Bill Hobbs: In that report, CBSNews.com chief political reporter David Paul Kuhn wrote that blogs "could become new vehicles for the... |
| Also: SLZoll, Jon Henke, The Poor Man, Skippy, Captain Ed, Nathan Nance, Lambert @Corrente, Steve Gilliard, Atrios, Charles Johnson, Ed Cone, Kevin Drum | |
Special Ops Task Force Threatened Government Agents Who Saw Detainee Abuse in Iraq, Documents Obtained by ACLU Reveal ACLU — Permalink NEW YORK - Documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that a special operations task force in Iraq sought to silence Defense Intelligence Agency personnel who observed abusive interrogations and that the Department of Defense adopted questionable interrogation techniques at Guantanamo over FBI objections. | |
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Sarah Posner: Thanks to Freedom of Information Act requests by the Associated Press and ACLU, we now have even more evidence that top... |
Jeralyn Merritt: This information is coming to light as a result of the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act requests. Background is here. |
McCain Disdains Annan's G.O.P. Critics By / New York Observer — Permalink On Capitol Hill, the latest Republican fad is to get in front of a microphone or a TV camera and demand the resignation of Kofi Annan. According to certain members of Congress, the U.N. Secretary General must leave office immediately because of reported corruption in the oil-for-food program. | |
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Avedon Carol: McCain Disdains Annan's G.O.P. Critics also notes that with Tom DeLay in the family, among other things, Republicans are throwing stones from a glass house. Mark Goldberg: Joe Conason of the New York Observer offers us Sen. John McCain's take on the Coleman-Annan fracas: [snipped quote] It's... |
Ace: Distortion: McCain Did Not Quite Support Kofi Annan — I was pretty surprised to read the headline that John McCain was defending Annan, and ready to tear him (another) new one. |
WHAT IF IT'S NOT ISRAEL THEY LOATHE? By / Benador Associates — Permalink In his recent foray into Ramallah, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw identified the Palestine-Israel conflict as the most important issue between the West and the Muslim world. | |
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Jan Haugland: It is Israel that is hated by many Arabs for being pro-US. Right now there are 22 active conflicts across the globe in which Muslims are involved. Andrew Sullivan: Amir Taheri, in his latest column, "What If It's Not Israel They Loathe?" |
Cori Dauber: The always provocative Amir Taheri thinks we're in danger of doing just that. Jonah Goldberg: Great piece from Amir Taheri in the Jerusalem Post [Nod to Andrew Sullivan]: "In his recent foray into Ramallah,... |
Iraq-Bound GIs Grill Rumsfeld CBS News — Permalink (AP) After delivering a pep talk designed to energize troops preparing to head for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld got a little "talking to" himself from disgruntled soldiers. | |
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McQ: No excuses, Rumsfeld: Fix the problem — On Wednesday, in Kuwait, 31 year old National Guard Specialist stood up and... Skippy: cbsnews: [snipped quote] especially in an illegal pre-emptive invasion of a country with no capability of threat to the us, don! |
Cori Dauber: ABC, CBS, ("the grunts exercise their right of free speech" intoned Dan Rather as the intro) (the web page has only the... |
Sharpton Got $86,715 to Aid Kerry Campaign By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - All of John Kerry 's one-time rivals in the Democratic presidential primary eventually lined up to support him as the nominee, but only one got paid for it — Al Sharpton . | |
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Captain Ed: According to the Village Voice and AP's Nedra Pickler, the Democrats paid over $86,000 in fees and expenses to Sharpton... The Big Trunk: A man in full — Little Green Footballs directs us to this AP news story supplementing the mind-boggling Village Voice... |
Charles Johnson: Sharpton Got Paid — Professional race baiter Al Sharpton was paid to support John Kerry: Sharpton Got $86,715 to Aid Kerry Campaign. |
Questions for Mr. Kerik NYT — Permalink We've been puzzled by President Bush's choice of Bernard Kerik, who was the police commissioner under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, as the homeland security secretary. Before the Senate signs off on his nomination, there are a lot of questions to ask about Mr. Kerik's readiness for this job, and about some troubling parts of his record. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: NYTimes Questions Bernie Kerik's Nomination — The New York Times has some serious questions about Bush's nomination of... |
Steve Gilliard: The payoff, pt II time to get paid Questions for Mr. Kerik [snipped quote] Gail Collins lends a hand to Newsday by... |
Britain's secret plan for new global climate pact By / Times of London — Permalink TONY BLAIR is seeking to secure George Bush's backing for a new international treaty that would end America's isolation on global warming, The Times has learnt. | |
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Christopher Kanis: Talk about bang for your buck! Item: Blair and Bush working on new Global Warming pact. |
Rice Grad: Blair presses Bush on global warming... according to the Times. |
Michael Crichton By / Slate — Permalink Who dinosaured Michael Crichton? Was it a comet or just the responsibility of being America's prophet of doom? In his new book, State of Fear, Crichton once again ascends to the pulpit to warn us of an impending horror. | |
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Chris Mooney: Here is Michael Crichton, who has written an anti-environmentalist novel-slash-screed whose purpose is to debunk global warming. |
Christopher Kanis: SLATE PANS CHRICHTON'S State of Fear — Slate's criticism, of course, immediately qualifies the book for my Amazon wishlist. |
Snow staying at Treasury; Principi leaving VA CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Treasury Secretary John Snow has said "yes" to President Bush's request that he remain in his post in a second Bush administration, the White House said Wednesday. "The president is pleased that Secretary Snow decided to stay on for his second term. | |
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Avedon Carol: Today's hot topics — We've all had a good laugh about the surprise retention of Secretary of the Treasury John Snow,... Nathan Nance: It's Anthony Principi that's leaving. Kevin Drum: CABINET RESHUFFLE UPDATE....Treasury Secretary John Snow is staying on board after all, but Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi has resigned. |
Talking Dog: That would, of course, be the Bush Administration's announcement (along with the resignation of VA Secretary Anthony Principi) of the retention of Treasury Secretary John Snow. Michael Froomkin: Bad Deal: Snow Stays, Principi Leaves — The Cabinet lost one of its few competent members but retained one its most... |
Troops Put Tough Questions to Rumsfeld By / AP — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - Disgrunted U.S. soldiers complained to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumself on Wednesday about the lack of armor for their vehicles and long deployments, drawing a blunt retort from the Pentagon chief. | |
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Harley: Of course, it would be tantamount to admitting a mistake, so the man's not going anywhere. Which brings us back to the Prez's character. Glenn Reynolds: ARMOR: Various snarky antiwar readers seem to think that this story, in which Rumsfeld was challenged (by a member of my... Charles Johnson: Media Spin vs. Reality — Here's the mainstream media spin on Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Kuwait: Troops put tough questions to Rumsfeld. |
Deacon: As President Bush said today, "If I were a soldier overseas wanting to defend my country, I'd want to ask the secretary... Cori Dauber: (They've moved on on their web site, but the new story embeds the video of the first one.) Steve M.: A big cheer arose from the approximately 2,300 soldiers in the cavernous hangar who assembled to see and hear the... |
| Also: Jeff A. Taylor, Tim Dunlop, Oliver Willis, Mathew Gross | |
AWOL and AINO (American in Name Only) By / Townhall.com — Permalink Fugitive U.S. soldier Jeremy Hinzman is an unrepentant embarrassment to his country of birth. Last year, he deserted from the 82nd Airborne Division, fled to Canada and became the anti-war movement's sexiest man alive. | |
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Steve M.: Jimmy Massey, a former marine staff sergeant, told an immigration and refugee board hearing in Toronto that he and his... Christopher Kanis: This was in the context of criticizing the supporters of an American GI who deserted his unit with the 82nd Airborne,... John Hawkins: Here's one single sentence from Michelle Malkin's latest column: "Perhaps too much drug-addled '60s nostalgia has burnt out the bleeding-hearts pacifists' brain cells." |
Skippy: it's just an honor to be nominated, bitch we usually don't link (or even listen to) andrew sullivan, but meme-orandum... Captain Ed: Michelle Malkin reports on the activities of Jeremy Hinzman, a deserter who ran to Canada rather than fulfill his obligation to the Army. Andrew Sullivan: Here's one single sentence from Michelle Malkin's latest column: [snipped quote] One sentence; four cliche-ridden, playground insults. |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Greyhawk, KJL | |
Fourth Estate of Privilege NRO — Permalink Journalists want special rights. Maybe you haven't noticed, but the mainstream media are suffering from the perception that they're just the teeniest bit arrogant. Oh, who am I kidding? They behave like they're nobles or a priestly class. | |
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Howard Kurtz: National Review's Jonah Goldberg says the Valerie Plame leak probe should make clear that journalists don't deserve... Tom Maguire: An Argument Jonah Missed — Jonah Goldberg smites the journalists and their enablers who are whining that they are a... Jan Haugland: Journalistic privilegue — Jonah Goldberg compares big media journalists to a priestly class or nobles in the age of Henry VIII. |
Wind Rider: It was the subject of an interesting piece by The Newshour on PBS, which included the following exchange between Floyd... Glenn Reynolds: JONAH GOLDBERG ON JOURNALISTIC PRIVILEGE: [snipped quote] Indeed. Eugene Volokh: Journalist's Privilege: Jonah Goldberg (National Review Online) weighs in. Sounds like he and I largely agree. |
Fallujah, the Morning After By / Slate — Permalink Dec. 4—The main shopping road through town stretched long and straight, empty of any person or vehicle, the aluminum shutters of hundreds of shops twisted at a thousand angles, buildings ripped open, exposing demolished rooms and sagging roofs, telephone poles snapped and canted, the dangling lines curled and snarled like the webs of giant, crazed spiders. | |
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Jane Galt: Keep the aspidastra flying — This article by Bing West on Fallujah after the fight opens with a striking paragraph:... Ed Cone: Bing West in Slate: Fallujah, the Morning After — Politically, Fallujah was as infected as the air at the torture house at the corner of the park. |
James Joyner: Fallujah, the Morning After — Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Bing West has an... PoliPundit: Fallujah — A reporter sums up what happened in Fallujah: [snipped quote] And much more. |
Kerik's Surveillance Activity in Saudi Arabia Is Disputed WaPo — Permalink The autobiography of Bernard B. Kerik, President Bush's nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, recounts a difficult time 20 years ago when he was expelled from Saudi Arabia amid a power struggle involving the head of a hospital complex where Kerik helped command a security staff. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Kerik's past included being the morals enforcer for a big Saudi hospital. Steve Gilliard: It could be worse — A great mind at thought Kerik's Surveillance Activity in Saudi Arabia Is Disputed Cabinet Pick Is... |
Steve M.: Well, The Washington Post has an interesting story that also appears in Newsday and is best summed up by Newsday's... |
Border security up next, Bush says By / Washington Times — Permalink President Bush is vowing to help House Republicans enact tighter immigration-security controls "early in the next session" of Congress. The promise — made in a letter to members of Congress — was part of the final push by the White House to win support... | |
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Mark Krikorian: If the president keeps his promise to back these reforms, we could see another, even higher-stakes, fight between the... Howard Kurtz: There will be a second chapter to this saga, as the Washington Times reports: "President Bush is vowing to help House... Jayson @PoliPundit: But, President Bush is now on record, in writing, as saying that he'll work with the GOP-dominated Congress, on improving our nation's border security, early next year. |
Hindrocket: Susan Collins explains: [quote] "I think there is considerable support for overhauling our immigration laws and taking a look...[end quote] Greg Ransom: Unfortunately, the Driver's Licence and immigration measures recommended by the 9/11 Commission which could have... |
Deserters: We Won't Go To Iraq CBS News — Permalink (CBS) It's an offense punishable by death during wartime. It's been committed by 5500 soldiers since the war with Iraq began. The men, who have violated military orders and oaths, tell 60 Minutes Wednesday that it isn't cowardice, but rather the nature of the war in Iraq, that turned them into American deserters. | |
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Jeff @BeautifulAtrocities: GREAT MOMENTS IN JOURNALISM — Katie Couric to Tommy Frank: [snipped quote] I have a better question for you, Katie: how would you feel if you could fly? |
Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 12/8/04 2:37:53 pm: Other anti-war blogs that link to the same anti-war CBS story: No Capital, Daily War News, and bankrupt artist. |
Rumsfeld faces tough questions from troops AP — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (AP) — After delivering a pep talk designed to energize troops preparing to head for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got a little "talking to" himself from disgruntled soldiers. | |
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Thomas F. Schaller: Meanwhile, back on Planet Bizarro, where Republicans are now beyond criticism, we have Secretary Rumsfeld doing exactly that. Mark Leon Goldberg: According to this Reuters report, Army Spc. Thomas Wilson voiced the question seemingly on everyone's mind: [snipped quote] This comment apparently drew cheers from the audience. |
Joe Gandelman: Defense On The Defense(ive) It's somewhat ironic that unflattering publicity now swirls around the one cabinet member... David Allan Pell: That said, let's see how Rummy performed. |
Rumsfeld Fields Criticism in Rare Rank-and-File Exchange By / AP — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - Disgruntled U.S. soldiers complained to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Wednesday about the lack of armor for their vehicles and long deployments, drawing a blunt retort from the Pentagon chief. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Secretary of Denial — "Any problem mentioned, he's in denial." Susan Madrak: Posted at 1:00 PM |Click Here for Link| by Susan STUFF HAPPENS The troops got to question Rumsfeld: [snipped quote] Yeah,... |
Barbara O'Brien: Wow. By now you've probably heard that Rummy was grilled by a soldier in Iraq about shortages of armor. |
U.S. Iraq troops "use scrap as armour" By / Reuters — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has come under fire from troops who took up his invitation to ask tough questions about Iraq. | |
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Juan Cole: Rumsfeld, the Military Irrelevance of Fallujah, and Retina Scans — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was called on... |
Avedon Carol: [quote]Heroes and villains Long time gone and still much missed Metal - this guy has it: "Why do we soldiers have to dig...[end quote] |
God cut from Dark Materials film BBC — Permalink The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is to remove references to God and the church in the movie. Chris Weitz, director of About a Boy, said the changes were being made after film studio New Line expressed concern. | |
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Michael J. Totten: This article appeared yesterday at the BBC: "The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's... Kevin T. Keith: Now a planned movie being made from (what is apparently) a highly acclaimed youth fantasy-novel series about a war... |
Michele Catalano: His Dark Materials Shredded of All Relevant Materials — When I tell you the news of this made me cry, I am not exaggerating. Jesse Taylor: Willy Wonka Is An Affront To God's Will — In addition, the movies will be changed into the "His Drab Materials" trilogy at the behest of the conservative P.C. crowd. |
Disgruntled Troops Complain to Rumsfeld By / AP — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (AP) - In a rare public airing of grievances, disgruntled soldiers complained to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Wednesday about long deployments and a lack of armored vehicles and other equipment. | |
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Norbizness: My guess is that Rumsfeld, prompted by the stress of actually having to answer questions from people who know what... SK Bubba: Supporting our troops — Interesting exchange: [snipped quote] Rumsfeld should suit up and go over there and show those pansies how it's done. |
Jesse Taylor: Do Not Labor Under The Impression That Your Life Has Value — Don Rumsfeld: s**tting on the troops* since 2001. Sadly @SadlyNo: Or something like that: [snipped quote] This is the part of the post where we are reminded of this <a href="Get Your War On cartoon. |
Dude -- professor studies 'dude' AP — Permalink PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) — Dude, you've got to read this. A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a scholarly paper deconstructing and deciphering the word "dude," contending it is much more than a catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, skaters, slackers and teenagers. | |
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Ann Althouse: A linguist studies the word "dude." "To decode the word's meaning, Kiesling listened to conversations with fraternity members he taped in 1993. Betsy Newmark: I knew I should've stuck with linguistics as a career. Then I could do cool research like this guy. |
Orin Kerr: The Power of Dude: The Associated Press reports: [snipped quote] Well, duh. I mean, that's totally right. Lorie Byrd: This Link Is For Jayson — Betsy found a fun linguistics piece. |
Seeking Quick Loans, Soldiers Race Into High-Interest Traps By / NYT — Permalink From Puget Sound in the Northwest to the Virginia coast, the landscape is the same: the main gate of a large military base opens onto a highway lined with shops eager to make small, fast and remarkably expensive loans, no questions asked. | |
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DeLong: It's "Thin Red Line of Heroes" When the Drums Begin to Roll... Steve Clemons writes: [snipped quote] And here's from the... |
Jesse Taylor: Lots Of Interest In The Military — Via Brad DeLong: before you get shipped off to Iraq, trying to scrounge and scrap... |
Sailor opposed to Iraq war refuses to board ship By / San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes followed through on his plan: He refused to board his Navy ship yesterday morning when it sailed for Iraq with thousands of Camp Pendleton Marines. For nearly two hours, the weapons-control technician sat on his ship's pier at the 32nd Street Naval Station. | |
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Captain Ed: In an open letter to Pablo Paredes, who refused to go aboard his ship for deployment to the Arabian Gulf, Smash points... |
Smash: After all, you just took off your uniform and refused to go on deployment, so I doubt that military courtesy would make much of an impression on you. |
White House Briefing WaPo — Permalink Throughout the widely noted morale boosting and heavily caveated optimism of President Bush's speech to Marines in California yesterday, the president was framing his arguments in terms that are in dispute. | |
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David Allan Pell: Dan Froomkin has collected some interesting quotes. Wash Post: "The new director would have competition for the president's ear. |
Barbara O'Brien: Also in the Nooz: Be sure to read Dan Froomkin's WaPo column, "Framing the Social Security Debate." |
You Call That a Reform Bill? By / Slate — Permalink The intelligence-reform bill, which the House and Senate seem finally on the verge of passing, doesn't really reform much. Certainly it falls far short of the measures urged by the 9/11 commission, which set the legislative process in motion. | |
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David Allan Pell: Toothless Figurehead? Slate's Fred Kaplan calls the new director of intelligence a toothless figurehead. Matthew Yglesias: As Fred Kaplan explains, the small change in the legislative language will have big results, to wit essentially... |
Howard Kurtz: Slate's Fred Kaplan sees a bit of a charade: "The intelligence-reform bill doesn't really reform much. Eugene Oregon: Fred Kaplan explains [snipped quote] And just as he did with the Department of Homeland Security and the patients' bill... |
Troops put thorny questions to Rumsfeld CNN — Permalink (CNN) — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced tough questioning Wednesday from troops about to be deployed to Iraq. Soldiers at Camp Buehring, a staging area in the Kuwait desert, peppered Rumsfeld with queries about the standard of equipment they... | |
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Talking Dog: He joins Don "Support our Troops" Rumsfeld as the only confirmed cabinet retentions. |
PGL: So War is Expensive After All — Rumsfeld was in Kuwait hoping to cheer up the troops but faced a few tough questions:... |
Winning With the Tax Code By / NYT — Permalink Washington — SUCCESSFUL presidential campaigns are about the future. Bill Clinton understood that in 1992. Even as an incumbent, President Clinton was the candidate of change, challenging the policies of the Republican majority in Congress. | |
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McQ: Rahm Emanuel feels the key to victory is to take the tax reform issue away from Republicans. |
Max B. Sawicky: WE ONLY LOOK DEAD In the news, the Simplified Family Credit. |
Rebels Aided By Allies in Syria, U.S. Says By / WaPo — Permalink U.S. military intelligence officials have concluded that the Iraqi insurgency is being directed to a greater degree than previously recognized from Syria, where they said former Saddam Hussein loyalists have found sanctuary and are channeling money and other support to those fighting the established government. | |
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Chad Evans: Saddam Loyalists Operating Inside of Syria - Washington Post [snipped quote] Not at all a surprise, but still devastating towards Syria. Rich Lowry: IRAN & SYRIA — The Washington Post on fears about Iran's influence in Iraq and worries about the insurgency being aided from Syria. |
James Joyner: Iraq Insurgents Directed from Syria — Rebels Aided By Allies in Syria, U.S. Says (Thomas Ricks, WaPo, A01)... Jeff Quinton: Report: Iraqi Insurgency controlled from Syria — Drudge [snipped quote] UPDATE: Washington Post story |
Iraqi Empties Newsroom By / WaPo — Permalink Security for interim Iraqi President Ghazi Yawar, in town for a little shopping and diplomacy, was exceptionally heavy yesterday as he stopped by the fifth-floor conference room at The Washington Post for a chat with all the bigwigs. | |
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Captain Ed: As the Washington Post's Al Kamen reports, a specific set of Democrats had a much more personal interest in the money |
James Joyner: John Kerry Stiffs Staff — Al Kamen ("In the Loop," WaPo) [snipped quote] What the hell? |
Social Security numbers game By / The Hill — Permalink Republicans are pushing to rewrite budget rules in an attempt to remove financial obstacles that threaten the GOP's effort to reform Social Security. The potential move to craft budget language that would direct the Congressional Budget Office to score... | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: Ah, quit your worrying, all you have to do is change the way the Congressional Budget Office scores Social Security legislation. |
Kevin Drum: FORWARD TO THE PAST!...According to The Hill, Republicans have decided that the best way to get around the transition... |
Snow to Stay in Bush Cabinet for 2nd Term By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush asked Treasury Secretary John Snow on Wednesday to stay in his administration, and Snow agreed, keeping a key member of Bush's economic team in place. Snow walked to the White House to have lunch with other members of the team, and met with Bush, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. | |
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PGL: Jack Snow to stay at Treasury — When I heard this news, I was looking for someone to say the obvious reason why Bush... |
Josh Marshall: Take the wedgie, keep the cabinet post. Snow signs on for another term at Treasury. |
U.S. Troops Fire Complaints at Rumsfeld By / Reuters — Permalink CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld came under friendly fire Wednesday from troops who took up his invitation to ask tough questions about Iraq. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, quoted by Reuters. |
Josh Marshall: Don Rumsfeld responding to complaints from troops that they're forced to dig up scrap metal to fashion make-shift armor for their vehicles: [snipped quote] If ya think about it ... |
Rumsfeld faces thorny questions from troops CNN — Permalink (CNN) — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced tough questioning Wednesday from troops about to be deployed to Iraq. Soldiers in Kuwait peppered Rumsfeld with queries about the standard of equipment they would be using and about the Pentagon's... | |
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Kevin Hayden: Great. [snipped quote] The military buildup for this war was begun in October 2002, so we're 26 months into the process. |
Laura Rozen: Tough questioning of Rumsfeld, by US troops in Kuwait. |
Prepping for the Next Big Battle: The Supreme Court By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 - With the presidential race over and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist ill with thyroid cancer, the Washington advocacy establishment - that vast machinery of special interest groups, research institutions and pundits who thrive on the periphery of politics - is gearing up for the next big fight: the battle over the Supreme Court. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: A long New York Times article on the battle over the next Supreme Court nomination. Taegan Goddard: Now the New York Times says "the Washington establishment is gearing up for the battle over the Supreme Court." |
Ann Althouse: The NYT reports on the gathering fight over the next Supreme Court nomination: [quote] "This will be a repeat, and all the...[end quote] Betsy Newmark: The New York Times description of how the liberal interest groups are getting all geared up for a fight over the next... |
The Reliable Source By / WaPo — Permalink After a relationship of more than 30 years, Washingtonian magazine and writer Kitty Kelley are divorcing, and the terms are not amicable. Kelley is in a snit because the mag unceremoniously booted her from the masthead of its current issue, citing her controversial book "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty." | |
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Captain Ed: When she protested to her friend and editor Jack Limpert, he delivered the truth that the rest of us already knew about... Taegan Goddard: Washingtonian Boots Kelley — "After a relationship of more than 30 years, Washingtonian magazine and writer Kitty... |
Joe Gandelman: The Washington Post reports: "After a relationship of more than 30 years, Washingtonian magazine and writer Kitty Kelley are divorcing, and the terms are not amicable. |
The fourth estate rumbles for more privilege By / Townhall.com — Permalink Maybe you haven't noticed, but the mainstream media are suffering from the perception that they're just the teeniest bit arrogant. Oh, who am I kidding? They behave like they're nobles or a priestly class. Dan Rather, Brian Williams and Peter Jennings might as well wear flowing ermine robes. | |
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Jesse Taylor: One, nobody who works for a magazine that has at least four contributors/editors (Goldberg, Joel Mowbray, Rich Lowry,... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Jonah Goldberg Scores a TKO . . . over the national liberal media's ego-driven demagoguery. |