meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
Why Academia Shuns Republicans By / LAT — Permalink A few weeks ago, a pair of studies found that Democrats vastly outnumbered Republicans among professors at leading universities. Conservatives gleefully seized upon this to once again flagellate academia for its liberal bias. | |
|
Paul Waldman: Jonathan Chait takes up this question in his latest column. Juan Non-Volokh: Bainbridge Blasts Chait: Jonathan Chait wrote a rather dismissive LAT column on why there are so few conservatives in academia. The Poor Man: Because You Are Idiots — Jonathan Chait has a superb editorial on why so few academics are wingnuts: "But the rise of... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE ON IDEOLOGY AND ACADEMIA — In response to a rather silly and dismissive column by Jonathan Chait (one which rolls... Steve Bainbridge: Jonathan Chait Peddles Shopworn Stereotypes — In a LAT column, Jonathan Chait rolls out two old canards to explain the... Matthew Yglesias: The Wages of Anti-Intellectualism — Jonathan Chait writes that the reason you find so few Republican academics isn't... |
| Also: Nick Confessore, Greg Ransom | |
Kerik Withdraws His Name for Top DHS Job By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - In a surprise move, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik abruptly withdrew his nomination as President Bush's choice to be homeland security secretary Friday night, saying questions have arisen about the immigration status of a housekeeper and nanny he employed. | |
|
Lorie Byrd: UPDATE: This story quotes Kerik saying, "I uncovered information that now leads me to question the immigration status of... Steve Gilliard: Bernie Kerik withdraws name — I quit Kerik Withdraws His Name for DHS Chief [snipped quote] Bernie? Quit a job early? Steve M.: Kerik's out, for the wrong reason. I've recounted some of the dubious moments in his past. But they wouldn't have been a problem for him. |
Roger L. Simon: My "Nanny Problem" and Yours — Bernard Kerik has withdrawn his name from consideration for Homeland Security Director... Jeralyn Merritt: Bernie Kerik Withdraws From Consideration as HSA Chief — Bernie Kerik withdraws his name from consideration as Homeland... Glenn Reynolds: BERNARD KERIK has withdrawn his name from consideration for Homeland Security Secretary. |
Harvard hire's detainee memo stirs debate By / Boston Globe — Permalink A new Harvard Law School professor who wrote a controversial memo for the Bush administration on the handling of prisoners in Iraq has triggered angry debate among his colleagues, some of whom charge that the school faculty did not check his record thoroughly enough before hiring him last spring. | |
|
Juan Non-Volokh: Bainbridge cites current evidence that the academy can be quite hostile to folks with right-leaning views: the "controversy" over Jack Goldsmith's appointment at Harvard. Mike Rappaport: Jack Goldsmith — An interesting piece on international law scholar Jack Goldsmith, who headed the Office of Legal Counsel and has now been hired by Harvard Law School. |
Steve Bainbridge: Indeed, according to the Boston Globe, Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan (a former Clinton staffer) observed of... Glenn Reynolds: HARVARD is addressing its academic diversity problem, and it deserves congratulations for that. But diversifying an institution is never easy. |
Armor Scarce for Big Trucks Transporting Cargo in Iraq NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 - Congress released statistics Thursday documenting stark shortages in armor for the military transport trucks that ferry food, fuel and ammunition along dangerous routes in Iraq, while President Bush and his defense secretary both spoke out to defuse public criticism. | |
|
James Martin Capozzola: "Armor Scarce for Big Trucks Transporting Cargo in Iraq," by Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, December 10. Steve Gilliard: Not enough armor Armor Scarce for Big Trucks Transporting Cargo in Iraq By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT Published:... McQ: To bolster that point of view, today we learn that in the 2+ years of this problem which we have known about since the... |
David Allan Pell: Today, the big story is that many of the transport vehicles being used in Iraq are not protected by armor. Matthew Yglesias: The New York Times offers further information on the lack of armor for American vehicles in Iraq, while Armor Holdings,... Jesse Taylor: Spitballs — There is an armor shortage in Iraq. |
| Also: Julia @AmStreet | |
Borrow, Speculate and Hope By / NYT — Permalink "The National Association of Securities Dealers," The Wall Street Journal reports, "is investigating whether some brokerage houses are inappropriately pushing individuals to borrow large sums on their houses to invest in the stock market. | |
|
Avedon Carol: What else would be on my mind as Paul Krugman continues his busman's holiday with Borrow, Speculate and Hope? Tom Maguire: Krugman Rides Again (We Deride Again) Krugman continues his break from a break, warning us yet again about the perils of Social Securty privatization. Barbara O'Brien: In essence, Krugman writes today, the privatization scheme amounts to the government borrowing money to speculate on stocks. |
Steve Gilliard: Borrow, Speculate and Hope By PAUL KRUGMAN [snipped quote] There are two things which will eventually drive Wall Street away from this. Norbizness: (6) Forget personal accounts, The Left wants to take its Social Security money to the dog track down in San Antonio for dollar margarita Fridays. Julian Sanchez: Specious Speculation — In the course of raising some valid enough questions about the funding of a Social Security... |
| Also: Kevin Raybould, Steve Antler, Susan Madrak | |
Bill Moyers Retiring From TV Journalism By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) - "I was just in the editing room, working on the last piece," Bill Moyers says. "I thought: 'I've done this so many times, and each one is as difficult as the last one.' Maybe finally I've broken the habit." | |
|
MJA @SouthernAppeal: Bill Moyers, perhaps the most liberal "journalist" on television, complains in this AP report that the real problem in... Jay Rosen: Bill Moyers, who will retire from TV journalism next week: "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism... Greg Ransom: THE MOST DISHONEST man in journalism retires. You won't be missed, Bill Moyers. |
Tim Graham: PBS'S ROBUST HUMANIST CITIZEN-JOURNALIST — About that AP story on Bill Moyers today...I know everyone is properly... Betsy Newmark: He's found another issue that is much more important. [snipped quote] I guess he's missed out watching network news for the past couple of decades. |
'Scarborough Country' for Dec. 8 MSNBC — Permalink PAT BUCHANAN, GUEST HOST: Could Academy Award judges really choose Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" over Mel Gibson's biblical masterpiece, "The Passion of the Christ"? We'll soon find out. And if they do, will there be a red state revolt against Hollywood? | |
|
Steve M.: By now you may have seen what Donohue said last night on MSNBC's Scarborough Country in a discussion about Fahrenheit... Jeff Jarvis: The transcript is now up. Here's the quote Andrew Sullivan picked out: [snipped quote] A big believer in restraint, you are, Billy. |
Josh Marshall: Maybe the conservatives who go into paroxysms with charges of anti-Semitism any time the word "neoconservative" is... Andrew Sullivan: MALKIN AWARD NOMINEE: [snipped quote] - Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, Scarborough Country, December 8. |
Soldier admits his story of Iraqi boy's death a lie By / Boston Globe — Permalink When Army Sergeant Dennis Edwards spoke at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School last month, 100 students listened in rapt silence as he told chilling tales of battlefield horror in Iraq and criticized President Bush's motives for going to war. | |
|
Ace: An Anti-War Activist Lied, Because No One Died — When you need to slam the War in Iraq, nothing satisfies better than a... Clayton Cramer: Now the soldier admits that it didn't happen: [snipped quote] I would love to know the context of him telling this tale. |
Glenn Reynolds: ANOTHER "WAR CRIMES" STORY COLLAPSES: [snipped quote] Yes, they might. Some such stories are true, of course. But some aren't. Greyhawk: Teach Your Children — Meet Sgt Dennis Edwards: "When Army Sergeant Dennis Edwards spoke at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional... |
Liberal group blasts Democratic Party, outgoing chairman By / Tallahassee Democrat — Permalink WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The liberal group MoveOn.org threw down a challenge to the Democratic Party on Thursday, saying it should stop cuddling up to corporate America and shun "professional election losers." | |
|
Avedon Carol: "MoveOn.org has made the appropriate response to the DLC's attack on any Democrat that isn't DLC: The liberal group..." Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the New York Daily News notes MoveOn.org "threw down a challenge to the Democratic Party on Thursday, saying... |
Joe Gandelman: How To Destroy Your Political Party In One Easy Lesson — I'm not being cynical, mind you, but it just MUST have been... C. D. Harris: The left-wingnuts apparently aren't very pleased with Terry "GOP Mole" McAuliffe and want one of their own to be the next DNC Chair. |
Berlusconi cleared of corruption BBC — Permalink Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been cleared of corruption after a four-year trial. Mr Berlusconi had been accused of bribing judges in the 1980s to favour his business interests. | |
|
Jan Haugland: Berlusconi acquitted — Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been acquitted of corruption charges. KJL: BERLUSCONI in the clear |
Clayton Cramer: An Italian court found him innocent on one charge, and declared that the statute of limitations had expired on the rest. |
FCC Weighs Olympics Indecency Complaints By / Mediaweek — Permalink The Federal Communications Commission’s enforcement bureau has asked NBC for tapes of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, apparently in response to one or more indecency complaints. | |
|
Damian Penny: Bozell's at it again — Now someone is complaining about the Olympic opening ceremonies. |
Jeff A. Taylor: F**k the FCC — OK, if things were not goddamn absurd before, they sure as hell are now. |
Leading Egyptian Government Daily Columnist: Develop Relations with Israel and Drop the Negative Attitudes Towards Her MEMRI — Permalink Under the title "Relations with Israel," columnist Hazem Abd Al-Rahman, in the leading Egyptian Government daily Al-Ahram, calls for developing Egyptian-Israeli relations and dropping the negative attitude towards Israel. The following are excerpts from the article:(1) | |
|
Captain Ed: Drop Negative Attitudes Towards Israel: Egypt — Buffalo Springfield once sang, "There's something happening here, and... |
Roger L. Simon: The almost always reliable MEMRI quotes an oped in the leading Egyptian government paper Al Ahram advocating improved relations with Israel. |
Racism finds a home in white towers By / USA Today — Permalink Has white liberal Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., no sense of decency? His defamatory comments about Associate Justice Clarence Thomas as a prospective chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court support a corrupt racial universe, in which the best and brightest... | |
|
Jayson @PoliPundit: "America's Newspaper," the two million-plus circulation, USA Today, now is running this opinion piece by Armstrong Williams. |
Betsy Newmark: Armstrong Williams has a good point about how liberals look at black conservatives. "The United States now confronts a modern edition of Jim Crow. |
Fewer Teens Engaging in Sex, Study Finds AP — Permalink Fewer teens are engaging in sexual activity than in the past, and those that do are more likely to use contraceptives (search), the government said Friday. The National Center for Health Statistics said that for girls aged 15 to 17 the percentage who had ever had intercourse declined from 38 percent in 1995 to 30 percent in 2002. | |
|
Joanne Jacobs: Less sex — Fewer teen-agers are having sex, and those who do are more likely to use contraceptives, says a federal report. |
Clayton Cramer: Good News — It may upset Hollywood, but teens seem to be getting the message: [snipped quote] More teens are choosing... |
The Grapes of Protectionist Wrath By / TCS — Permalink U.S. oenophiles held their breath this week as the Supreme Court heard argument in cases challenging the constitutionality of New York and Michigan laws prohibiting their residents from importing wine from other states. | |
|
Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE ON THE WINE CASES — Stephen Bainbridge has a very good column discussing the wine cases heard this week by the... |
Steve Bainbridge: Wine Column — My latest TCS column discusses the Supreme Court's oral arguments in the interstate wine shipment case: The Grapes of Protectionist Wrath |
Bush Rejects Tax Hike for Social Security By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — President Bush on Thursday flatly rejected a payroll tax increase to shore up Social Security, narrowing the range of options available to lawmakers to address the retirement system's long-term financial needs. | |
|
Tim Lee: The issue itself would become front page news, but the Cato name would recede into the background. Well, it's happening. Howard Kurtz: "Although the president said he did not want to prejudge Social Security legislation under consideration in Congress,... |
Barbara O'Brien: Boy, were we wrong. The Boy King has put privatization at the head of his second-term "agenda." |
The Afghan Miracle By / WaPo — Permalink "Miracle begets yawn" has been the American reaction to the inauguration of Hamid Karzai as president of Afghanistan. Before our astonishing success in Afghanistan goes completely down the memory hole, let's recall some very recent history. | |
|
Joey Tartakovsky: But why should this be the case? The Taliban ruled, now they don't. Al-Qaeda plotted and trained there, now they don't. Pejman Yousefzadeh: In the meantime, read Krauthammer: [snipped quote] Now, before someone tells me off in the comments section, let me say... Betsy Newmark: Charles Krauthammer wonders why people aren't more impressed with what has happened in Afghanistan. |
Norbizness: One-tenth of an insufficient number is, in the field of mathematics, called hella-insufficient. (4a) The Left Presents—... Charles Johnson: Krauthammer: The Afghan Miracle — Charles Krauthammer wonders why mainstream media seems so unimpressed with The Afghan Miracle. Glenn Reynolds: CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WONDERS why events in Afghanistan haven't gotten more attention: "Afghanistan is the first graduate... |
| Also: Greg Ransom, Stephen Green | |
Measure Expands Police Powers By / WaPo — Permalink The intelligence package that Congress approved this week includes a series of little-noticed measures that would broaden the government's power to conduct terrorism investigations, including provisions to loosen standards for FBI surveillance warrants and allow the Justice Department to more easily detain suspects without bail. | |
|
Avedon Carol: Measure Expands Police Powers: Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) said that while he voted for the bill because of its... |
MWS @Centerfield: Shouldn't Someone Be Worried About Civil Liberties — Accroding to the Washington Post,... |
'Madrid attack' averted in London BBC — Permalink Police have prevented a terror attack in London on the scale of the Madrid bombings, according to a police chief. Speaking to BBC London on Thursday, Met Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said terrorism was a major issue for the UK capital. | |
|
Cori Dauber: With the usual caveat that I surf betwixt and between, so I can never say with certainty, I didn't notice one of the... Glenn Reynolds: BRITISH POLICE say they have averted a "Madrid-style attack" in London. |
KJL: "MADRID STYLE ATTACK" AVERTED IN LONDON according to police. But, "an attack is still inevitable." |
Buckleys team up to fire at politics By / Arizona Republic — Permalink Conservative patriarch William F. Buckley Jr. and satirical son-of-a-patriarch Christopher Buckley aggregated their respective talents Thursday to bestow upon a Phoenix audience a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of erudition, perspicacity and not least, mirth. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: This will be fun to watch when it appears on C-Span. |
Jack Fowler: THE BUCKLEY AND BUCKLEY SHOW — Bill and Chris's Excellent Adventure last night at the Goldwater Institute. |
A Judge Appointed by Bush After Impasse in Senate Retires By / NYT — Permalink Charles W. Pickering Sr., who was appointed by President Bush to a federal appeals court without Senate approval during a Congressional recess, announced his retirement on Thursday at a ceremony at the federal courthouse in Hattiesburg, Miss. | |
|
Steve M.: The New York Times has it: "Extreme special-interest groups opposed my nomination primarily due to their hostility to... |
TChris: Pickering Steps Down — Complaining of the "extreme special-interest groups" that opposed his appointment to the United... |
Jewish group blasts 'offensive' artwork The Age — Permalink Public art in Melbourne's CBD depicting dead militant Palestinian leaders has sparked an outcry from the nation's peak Jewish group. The Australian and Jewish Affairs Council has branded the artwork, which features the faces of two former Hamas leaders, offensive. | |
|
Tom Paine: So does Ted Lakpin of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (hi Ted, have your people call my people, lets do... |
Tim Blair: HAMART — The same brilliant artist who gave us this now presents his latest work — a celebration of Hamas: "The... |
A Domestic Policy in Sharp Focus WaPo — Permalink President Bush is moving quickly to create a new, tighter and more disciplined domestic policy team to pursue transforming the way Americans save for retirement, pay taxes and seek legal damages. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: From this morning's Washington Post article on the Bush agenda for the second term: "A senior Republican congressional... Steve Soto: In fact, it appears that Bush will travel the country to sell his domestic policies in his second term, convinced that... Josh Marshall: The Post discusses the president's domestic policy plans and particularly the effort to phase out Social Security. |
Jeffrey Dubner: The same way they roll out everything else: [snipped quote] The proxy P.R. is already well underway. David Allan Pell: The W Post reports that President Bush plans to mirror his Iraq roll-out strategy but this time he'll be focused on... |
Fists fly in game of strategy By / Washington Times — Permalink First things first. Dynamite is banned. Verboten. Does paper snuff wick? Or does it burn? Too ambiguous. Make a hitchhiker fist during a serious game of Rock Paper Scissors, and you'll be laughed out of the room. | |
|
Norbizness: (5) The Left believes that people will link to anything in order to compensate for their own lack of content. Betsy Newmark: Rock Paper Scissors is serious business. [snipped quote] And, the game was brought to America by a Frenchman. |
Captain Ed: Look out, ESPN poker challenges, here comes ... Rock, Paper, Scissors? [snipped quote] My first reaction to this story was, "You have got to be kidding me." |
Reporter Prompted Query to Rumsfeld WaPo — Permalink A reporter traveling with a National Guard unit prodded one of its soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld about the lack of armor for some U.S. military vehicles in Iraq, an exchange that made worldwide news Wednesday when the assembled troops cheered the question. | |
|
Bird Dog: When Reporters Manufacture News — You would've thought that Lee Pitts would've learned from the Rather/CBS document... Jesse Taylor: And we're still unprepared to do so. Oh, but the question was prompted by a reporter's query. |
Cori Dauber: Well, now, of course, it turns out that a reporter was involved in that question being asked, so much so that, according to the reporter, he shaped the entire event. Steve Soto: Both the Times and the Post gave the bitchslapping Rummy received wide play, and of course the right wing had its chance... |
It's Inauguration Time Again, and Access Still Has Its Price By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 - Tickets to all official inaugural events, including an "elegant" candlelight dinner with a special appearance by President Bush: $100,000. Tickets to all official inaugural events, two additional tickets to an "exclusive" lunch with Mr. Bush and Vice President Cheney, plus an all-access pass to any inaugural ball: | |
|
Sarah Posner: Everywhere You Look, You See Balls — Elisabeth Bumiller reports in today's New York Times that President Bush's... Richard TPD: [Via First Draft] I read earlier today about the obscene amounts of money the Bush administration is soliciting for its inauguration. |
SLZoll: From the NY Times: Mr. Bush's inaugural committee, seeking to raise more than $40 million, a record, sent out hundreds... |
Bush is opening doors with a diverse Cabinet By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — With little fanfare and not much credit, President Bush has appointed a more diverse set of top advisers than any president in history. Bush has named his White House lawyer, Alberto Gonzales, right, to be the first Hispanic to hold one of the powerful "big four" Cabinet jobs. | |
|
James Joyner: Bush's Diverse Cabinet — Bush is opening doors with a diverse Cabinet (Susan Page, USA Today) [snipped quote] Part of this the inevitable flow of history. Betsy Newmark: Susan Page in USA Today notes what several conservative bloggers had already noted. |
Roger Clegg: THE DIVERSITY THAT MATTERS — Amusing article this morning in USA Today, about how Bush has quietly appointed an administration that is racially and ethnically very diverse. |
Editor Backs Embed in Rumsfeld Incident, but Criticizes Aftermath By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK The editor/publisher of the Chattanooga [Tenn.] Times Free Press offered support late Thursday for his embedded reporter who has been criticized for working with a national guardsman to ask Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld a controversial question during a visit to Kuwait. | |
|
Norbizness: (2) The Left thinks that the mechanism by which Secretary Rumsfeld was actually asked a difficult, pertinent question is wholly beside the point. Susanna Cornett: As it turns out, the story was true. Here's the response of the reporter's editor. Joe Gandelman: While he defends the reporter asking the soldier to get the question out, he has criticized non-mention of that fact in... |
Bird Dog: The Chattanooga News is defending Pitts' dishonest tactics. Cori Dauber: But, yesterday, he provided several quotes to the trade pub I often link to, Editor and Publisher. Jason Van Steenwyk: UPDATE: His editor agrees with me, somewhat: "He is there to write stories; not make news himself." |
| Also: Lambert @Corrente, Tim Blair | |
Security Post Would Put Kerik Atop Field That Enriched Him By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 - Just five years ago, Bernard B. Kerik was facing lawsuits from a condominium association and bank over delinquent payments owed on a modest New Jersey condo he owned. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: The Times also takes another shot at Homeland Security nominee Bernard Kerik, who has committed the sin of actually... |
Susan Madrak: I repeat my earlier statement: If the Bush administration makes even one major appointment I can respect, I'll eat my hat. |
I Love the '80s By / Slate — Permalink It's official: As of last night, it is once again the '80s. Barbara Walters' heavily hyped year-end special, The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004, was an unrepentant throwback to that decade of guiltless consumerism and craven celebrity worship. | |
|
Nathan Nance: "Greed is good" — Guest post by Nate Nance Just skimming through Slate, I saw the headline "Who's more interesting, Paris Hilton or Karl Rove?" James Joyner: Dana Stevens has an amusing essay in Slate looking at Barbara Walters' The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004, in which Paris Hilton finishes second. |
Ace: And we now definitely have a trend in lazy cultural journalism, because gushing Margaret Cho fan Dana Stevens now... |
U.N. POWER PLAY New York Post — Permalink WHICH of the fol lowing recent news stories is the odd one out: The answer is, of course, news headline (d). No one is ever asked to resign for wrongdoing at the United Nations. | |
|
Bird Dog: The New York Post wonders when Kofi Annan will be held accountable. Good question. |
Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: [snipped quote] Indeed. The U.N. needs to be either fixed, or crippled so thoroughly that it can no longer harm U.S. interests in the slightest. |
Fighting Indecency, One Bleep at a Time By / WaPo — Permalink Aubree Rankin's work life is a cesspool of foul language, kinky sex and horrific violence. If any of those things disturb you, consider yourself warned: You might want to skip to a different story right now. Or you can stay right here and meet Mr. Sex Toy. | |
|
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics/Media: They Like To Watch — Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a piece in the Style section that should go... |
Jeff Jarvis: Meet your censor : The Washington Post went into the bowels of the Parents Television Council to meet the censors who... |
Palsgraf Railroad Injury Proximate Cause of Family Curse? By / LAW.com — Permalink Legal fame may arise from great accomplishments: See, for example, Earl Warren and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Other names become known for the issues for which they stand, like Miranda and Roe. Still others come to prominence via fortune — or misfortune. | |
|
Orin Kerr: The Palsgraf Curse: The New York law Journal reports: "The explosion at a Long Island Railroad station that injured... |
Arnold P. California: If you're in that less-than-select company and know about the exploding fireworks, the shaking train platform, and the toppling scale, you'll find this amusing and/or horrifying. |
Taliban contact US on amnesty proposal Pakistan Daily Times — Permalink KABUL: The US-led military in Afghanistan said on Wednesday that it had been contacted by Taliban members willing to lay down their weapons following an arms-for-amnesty offer by the US envoy to the country. | |
|
Norbizness: (4) The Left would like to remind everyone that this military action is over three years old, and still has one-tenth the soldiers of the overall military action in Iraq. Captain Ed: The Pakistan Daily Times publishes a report this morning stating that an amnesty program offered by the US to Taliban... Jason Van Steenwyk: Great News from Pakistan — A Pakistani English language newspaper is saying the recent elections in Afghanistan are... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: Apparently, the Taliban are so weakened nowadays that a number of Taliban fighters are jumping at opportunities to get amnesty and to become part of the political process. Glenn Reynolds: Then there's this: "KABUL: The US-led military in Afghanistan said on Wednesday that it had been contacted by Taliban... Andrew Sullivan: THE TALIBAN IN RETREAT? : Here's some great news from the real success story of the war on terror: Afghanistan. |
Social Security Subterfuge NRO — Permalink Don't be fooled by the all-new, crisis-free Krugman. Here's a fearless prediction: President Bush's vision of Social Security reform with private investment accounts will be enacted into law in his second term. It's in the bag. What makes me so sure? | |
|
Tom Maguire: However, I guess Don Luskin should be apprised of this. Ed Driscoll: Via Power Line, Donald Luskin also some thoughts; no heffalumps were harmed in the making of his essay. |
Steve Antler: Government bonds are kind of like savings kept under the bed, no? UPDATE: Don Luskin has more, with links. The Big Trunk: Paul Krugman's black magic — Donald Luskin's dissection of Paul Krugman's "everything is beautiful" New York Times... |
Social Security Changes Feasible, White House Says By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration said yesterday that it can create private Social Security accounts for younger workers without raising taxes or breaking the president's pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009. | |
|
Max B. Sawicky: ELEMENTAL — An odd, yet strangely exhilirating report from this morning's Post (background music here): 'The Bush... |
Steve Soto: Then, in losing all credibility once and for all on fiscal issues, the White House says that it can pay for... |
Let's Go to the Audiotape Slate — Permalink A week before the election, Slate published a consumer's guide in which we disclosed each pollster's methods and how they might affect that survey's numbers relative to the election returns. Now the returns are in, for pollsters as well as the public. | |
|
Steve Soto: Slate says that automated pollsters like Survey USA and Rasmussen did a better job predicting the final election outcome than did Gallup, Mason-Dixon, and Zogby. |
PoliPundit: Polls — Slate's Will Saletan, a liberal Democrat, takes an unbiased look back at pre-election polls. |
Government Says Terrorists May Use Lasers By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - 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. | |
|
Norbizness: (8) The Left doesn't want to hear any Austin Powers / Dr. Evil jokes about this one. KJL: LASER THREAT — Unnerving AP story: "WASHINGTON - Terrorists may seek to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into... |
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. |
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. | |
|
Steve M.: The researchers found that the mothers of homosexual women were at least five times more likely to have taken synthetic... 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. |
Clayton Cramer: Sexual Orientation & In Utero Drug Use — I'm not quite sure that I believe this claim, but it is still interesting: ... James Joyner: Slimming Pills Lead to Gay Children — Pregnant women who take slimming pills 'are more likely to have gay children'... |
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. | |
|
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. |
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." | |
|
Norbizness: (3) The Left is deeply gratified that the corporate Democratic Party has been bought out in a semi-hostile takeover by that music video production company. McQ: Now this is just funny — I can't help it, I just think it is. Mitch Berg: Titanic Survivors Demand More Iceberg Encounter — So, all you responsible, moderate Democrats out there; what do you think of this? |
Oliver Willis: The DNC Doesn't Seem To Get It — Democrats We're in the middle of a pissing match between the Washington Dems and the... Charles Johnson: Radical Left-Wing Hubris — Moveon.org says to the Democratic Party: "We Own You." Bird Dog: From Associated Press: [snipped quote] If MoveOn becomes the dominant influence, then we will see a Democrat Party that will become more left wing and more partisan. |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Hindrocket, KJL | |
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... | |
|
Norbizness: (7) The Left notes, with substantial sadness, the degeneration of one of the finest, most even-tempered political minds... Steve Gilliard: Those pesky Jews father coughlin rants O'Reilly attacked Media Matters: "the most vile, despicable human beings in the... Atrios: Falafel! Thanks Bill! Love you too! On Air America in a few... |
James Martin Capozzola: (2) DISCUSSION | BILL O'REILLY Unhinged Courtesy of Media Matters for America, where they have people who watch the... 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. |
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! | |
|
Norbizness: Of course, if you're reactionary enough, the act of asking a tough question of the Administration is worse/more important than the underlying subject-matter. Lambert @Corrente: Drudge (via the Poynter Institute) has his email. Here's the question, and Rummy's stammering response: "Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary. 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. |
Greyhawk: According to Drudge, Pitts, who writes for the Greeneville (Tn.) Sun also planted the notorious "dumpster diving" question for Secretary Rumsfeld. James Joyner: Drudge: Reporter Planted Troop Questions for Rumsfeld — Matt Drudge: "Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee... Susanna Cornett: The press soldiers on — The current resurgence of the "troops don't have adequate armor!" story apparently made its way... |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Donald Sensing, Glenn Reynolds, Roger L. Simon, Steve M., Tim Cavanaugh, Bill @INDCJournal, The Big Trunk, Jeff Jarvis | |
School defends slavery booklet 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." | |
|
Norbizness: Here Are Your Marching Orders — Do what now? (click for link/larger picture) (1) The Left is wholly against the... Roger Ailes: In the News and Observer piece, Stephenson "said the school is only exposing students to different ideas, such as how the South justified slavery. Steve Gilliard: Slavery sucked 179,000 men say you're wrong School defends slavery booklet Critic says text is 'window dressing' By T... |
Joe Gandelman: Ahh, Yes, Those Were The Days (Especially If You Were Into S&M) The Moderate Voice's illustrious Get A Life Club now... Jesse Taylor: The idea, however, that a contemporary whitewash of slavery's past has any place in a classroom is the most rank sort of historical and moral idiocy. Steve M.: VALUES — From the Raleigh News & Observer: Students at one of the area's largest Christian schools are reading a... |
| Also: Atrios, Edward _ | |
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. | |
|
Donald Sensing: Famous atheist: "I now believe" — I'm not sure how famous Antony Few is to the general public, but ABC News reports, Pejman Yousefzadeh: FINDING RELIGION — I only link to this story to point out that Anthony Flew's newfound religious beliefs correlate strongly with mine. Michael DeBow: Famous atheist changes his mind: This AP story reports the conversion, of sorts, of the philosoher Antony Flew:... |
Joe Carter: That's the question many will be asking afer hearing the recent news that British philosopher Antony Flew has given up... Greg Ransom: PHILOSOPHER ANTONY FLEW says new evidence has persuaded him to change his mind about the existence of God. Tim Blair: Antony Flew isn't suddenly a Christian; he has undergone something of a conversion, however: [snipped quote] If so, how come the cricket is currently rained out? |
| Also: Clayton Cramer | |
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. | |
|
McQ: Well, speaking of Humvees, today we find that there's excess capacity in the companies who are uparmoring Humvees, capacity the companies have been reporting to the Pentagon. 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? |
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. |
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. | |
|
Lambert @Corrente: "Rumsfeld replied that ''you have to go to war with the Army you have.'' (via Bloomberg)" Right. Donald Sensing: Proof: there is only one supplier for Humvee armor, Armor Holdings, Inc. (Smart money bought its stock today, btw.) PGL: Via Julia at American Street comes this Bloomberg story: "Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates... |
Steve M.: It might take some time to ramp up but we can do it.''... —Bloomberg News (Link via Sisyphus Shrugged.) Michelle Malkin: Meanwhile, Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq,... |
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). | |
|
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. |
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. | |
|
Tom Maguire: I only care because I think my guy Rudy might do better elsewhere, too. And even though Reps will be in Iowa, if the spotlight is reduced, that is fine too. 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... |
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... |
| Also: Greg Ransom, Ed Driscoll, Jayson @PoliPundit, Jesse Panuccio | |
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. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: Is it April 1, Part 2? Slow Joe Biden considers a run for the White House in 2008. 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,... |
Ezra Klein: Ladies and gentlemen, please offer a warm welcome to Joe "hair plugs ain't no shame" Biddddeeennnnn! Kos: End Iowa and NH advantages — I hate reading things like this (in a piece about Biden running 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. |
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. | |
|
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... James Martin Capozzola: Howard Dean says no. Arianna Huffington also says no. Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist, the Human Rights Campaign, a... |
Kash: The Next Civil Rights Movement — The New York Times reports that the leaders of the gay rights movement are debating... Tresy @Corrente: Imagine — In a parallel universe not run by sociopaths, not so far away... [snipped quote] Meanwhile, back here in the... KJL: "ANTIMARRIAGE AMENDMENTS" — The New York Times characterization of amendments that would protect traditional marriage/anti-gay-marriag e amendments. |
Bush Rules Out Payroll Tax Hike for Social Security AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush on Thursday ruled out raising taxes to finance the centerpiece of his second-term domestic agenda: a Social Security overhaul to help the system survive an impending wave of retiring baby boomers. | |
|
Atrios: Flip Flop — Look, this is gibberish. |
Matthew Yglesias: The president wants to make it clear that finding the $2 trillion he'll need to finance his proposed abolition of Social... |
Why U.N. Stays Mired in Its Defects By / LAT — Permalink Imagine if U.S. troops were accused of sexually exploiting children in impoverished nations. Imagine if a U.S. Cabinet secretary were accused of groping a female subordinate, whose complaint was then swatted aside by the president. Those would be pretty big stories, no? | |
|
Bird Dog: Max Boot summarizes the myriad defects of this ineffectual body. Glenn Reynolds: MAX BOOT: [snipped quote] Indeed. Read the whole thing. UPDATE: Er, it'll be easier to read the whole thing now that I've fixed the link, which was wrong before. |
James R. Rummel: Rope a Dope? So I'm reading Instapundit, and the good professor has a link to this LA Times op-ed. |
Officer Alleges CIA Retaliation By / WaPo — Permalink A senior CIA operative who handled sensitive informants in Iraq asserts that CIA managers asked him to falsify his reporting on weapons of mass destruction and retaliated against him after he refused. | |
|
Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: INTELLIGENCE DESIGN — From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Merits of these accusations (of which we can't be sure)... Kevin Drum: BAD INTELLIGENCE...Dana Priest reports today that a CIA case officer is charging that he was harrassed and then fired... |
Mary @LeftCoaster: Well, today Dana Priest has a story in the Washington Post about a former CIA officer suing his CIA managers for... Laura Rozen: &*! #$%^*@! From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Must read. Thanks to Eric Umansky. |
'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. | |
|
Tbogg: Ask Ken Mehlman to step out into the hall for a little while... Looks like George has a man date all lined up: What... Charles Kuffner: "Dig a hole, and dump them in it" — Inside the mind of Gerald Allen, the Republican state legislator from Alabama who... |
Oliver Willis: So what happens next? The President of our country is inviting this purveyor of sick hate into the people's White House. |
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. | |
|
Steve Soto: John Snow was asked to stay in his job at Treasury only after Bush was turned down by someone else on Wall Street. 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." |
Noam Scheiber: The way the Post and the Times reported the decision today, the White House felt like it had to end the uncertainty... 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." |
Touched by Cheney, and Boustany Basks in His Glow Arab News — Permalink LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana, 9 December 2004 — What a drive. Over the river and through the swamps. But so worth the time, because the Beatles are playing. Or is it the Stones? Or Outcast? Or Maroon 5? Actually, it's Cheney's band. | |
|
Bill @INDCJournal: Girls Gone Wild ... for Dick Cheney. [snipped quote] Who knew? I suppose that she did ... (Via Dean) UPDATE: Crossroads Arabia has a contextual perspective on the author. |
Dean Esmay: Interesting Arab News Article — Hmm. It appears that an Arab News reporter has caught a case of Cheney-Mania. Well. |
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. | |
|
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. |
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. | |
|
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. |
Libertarian: WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT FEDERALISM and why are these conservatives always jabbering on about it? |
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. | |
|
James Joyner: Zell Miller - Young Harris College Controversy — WaPo reports today that retiring Georgia Senator Zell Miller is Bound... 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. |
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"? |
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. | |
|
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,... | |
|
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. |
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. | |
|
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... |
