meme orandum
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Blogs Not Yet in the Media Big Leagues By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — Whether they are seeking immortality or just letting off steam, Web bloggers are multiplying in number and are seemingly affecting American media and political insiders, at the very least. But whether bloggers are directly influencing the broader public is questionable. | |
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Mickey Kaus: Plus—NPR caves to MOMA — Mystery Pollster was skeptical of blogger triumphalism—until Gallup's poll purporting to... Cori Dauber: From the Gallup poll: Whether they are seeking immortality or just letting off steam, Web bloggers are multiplying in... Tom Biro: Americans, blogs, and information dissemination — The Gallup News Service published the results of a recent poll about... |
Kevin Drum: MORE BLOG RESEARCH....Gallup did a poll recently that concluded that blogs are "not yet in the media big leagues." Terry Heaton: Blogs are (apparently) no big deal — I'm troubled by this new Gallup Poll, Blogs Not Yet in the Media Big Leagues. Deacon: Good news for political bloggers — The Gallup organization has concluded that blogs are "not yet in the media big leagues." |
| Also: Andrew Sullivan, Avedon Carol | |
President Participates in Social Security Conversation in Alabama White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I'm honored to be here on the campus of Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, what a great place. (Applause.) And I want to thank Guin Nance and all the good folks for helping to set up this trip. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Here are the transcripts from Bush's events in Louisville and Montgomery yesterday. Today, Bush has events in Memphis and Shreveport. Judd @ThinkProgress: The Fix Isn't In — Speaking in Alabama yesterday, President Bush repeated a familiar claim: "We're fixing the deficit." Atrios: Bamboozlepalooza Follies — Think Progress misses the most interesting part of this exchange: THE PRESIDENT: Let me ask you something about the Thrift Savings Plan. |
Kos @DailyKos: An "oops" moment — Stolen from Think Progress: "There was a remarkable exchange during President Bush's meticulously choreographed townhall meeting in Alabama yesterday. Chris Bowers: Republican Honesty — Even the highly scripted moments of Bush propaganda are open to revealing insights: [snipped quote] Good lord. |
Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee By / TCS — Permalink In September of 2000, less than two years before the passage of McCain-Feingold, the liberal magazine The American Prospect put out a special issue devoted to campaign-finance reform. It was called, "Checkbook Democracy." | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Speeching truth to power — From Ryan Sager's "Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee": [snipped quote] For about eight... Michelle Malkin: McCain and Feingold: "There is no reason to think the FEC should or intends to regulate blogs" Volokh on optional free... Glenn Reynolds: FREE SPEECH FOR ME, but not for thee. A look at federal election law. |
Captain Ed: Ryan Sager Follows The Money — Ryan Sager writes a powerful column in today's Tech Central Station that exposes the big money behind campaign-finance reform and the BCRA. Ramesh Ponnuru: CAMPAIGN FINANCE "REFORM" and its special interests. |
Prof accused of plagiarism By / MSNBC — Permalink University of Colorado officials investigating embattled professor Ward Churchill received documents this week purporting to show that he plagiarized another professor's work.Officials at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia sent CU an internal 1997 report detailing allegations about an article Churchill wrote. | |
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Charles Johnson: Churchill Accused of Plagiarism, Buyout Near — We have two pieces of news today about University of Colorado wacademic... Ace: Ward Churchill Accused of Plagiarism — For crying out loud, if you're going to do shabby work, can't you at least do your own shabby work? |
Betsy Newmark: Today there emerges even more evidence that the guy has committed academic fraud by plagiarizing an article and then threatening the woman he plagiarized if she complained. K. J. Lopez: WARD CHURCHILL is being accused of plagarism. (There's no excuse for bad writing and thinking when you steal it!) |
Democrats Are Divided, as Some Back G.O.P. Bills By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 10 - Rapid-fire victories by Republicans on business-friendly legislation are exposing fissures among Democrats who are upset by their party's response to bills that sailed through in the early days of the Congressional session, with the latest example being the bankruptcy measure approved on Thursday. | |
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Steve Soto: Hell, even the NYT says that the GOP was surprised at how many Democrats sold out yesterday, and is portraying a divided Democratic caucus. Lambert @Corrente: Ben "Dover" Nelson — Beautiful! [snipped quote] Um, remember Max Cleland? The instant he showed signs of weakness, the wolves were on him. |
Tom Maguire: The NY Times salutes George Bush for his ability to reach across the aisle and achieve broad bipartisan support for his agenda. Rich Lowry: Here's the Times on the latest: "As the bankruptcy bill emerged, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts,... |
Under my keyboard the desk shakes. The bloggers are on the march By / Times of London — Permalink SINCE THE DAYS of Caxton the tools of my trade have been familiar. Whatever I write is somehow transformed into letters incised in relief. This miracle — the printing craft was called "the mystery" — has not changed in essence since the Middle Ages. | |
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Jan Haugland: Simon Jenkins of the London Times proudly recalls when he was totally wrong about the development of that passing fad we... Avedon Carol: Bloggers are apparently on the march but not yet in the big leagues. Norm Geras: I miss Simon Jenkins's 'quake' and 'rant' about blogging. Since others have already amply covered it, I shall hold off and even desist. |
Scott Burgess: I only ask because that's the behaviour that the Times' Simon Jenkins ascribes to bloggers, a group that he lazily... Harry @HarrysPlace: Quacks and Cranks — Simon Jenkins in The Times, like most people who it seems only read the lunatic fringe of the American blogosphere, is not impressed by blogs. Jay Rosen: To Liberate From the White House the White House Press — Dan Weintraub, who covers politics at the Sacramento Bee,... |
Falling Tree Injures Accused Mississippi Klansman By / Reuters — Permalink PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (Reuters) - A suspected Ku Klux Klansman who faces trial on murder charges next month for the notorious 1964 slayings of three civil rights workers is in serious condition in a Mississippi hospital after a falling tree crushed both his legs, officials said on Friday. | |
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Chris Lawrence: Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy — Edgar Ray Killen, accused of involvement in the 1964 "Philadelphia Three"... Riggsveda @Corrente: A Good Walk Spoiled — Will God forgive me for not only not caring about this old man's pain, but actually enjoying it? |
Tom Maguire: If A Tree Falls In The Woods... If a tree fell on a Klansmen in the woods and there was no one around to hear it, would it make a sound? Orrin Judd: NATURE ABHORS A KLANSMAN: Falling Tree Injures Accused Mississippi Klansman (Kenneth Billings, 3/11/05, Reuters) [snipped quote] Who called 911? |
U.S. Only Partially Informed About Italian By / AP — Permalink ROME - U.S. forces in Iraq were only partially informed about last week's Italian intelligence mission to release a hostage, which ended with a shooting on the road to Baghdad airport and the death of secret service agent Nicola Calipari, Italian newspapers said Friday. | |
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McQ: No Coordination by Italians in Sgrena shooting — More information is coming to the fore about the Sgrena affair. Cori Dauber: Here are the reports in two major Italian papers today: Both newspapers cited a report by Gen. Mario Marioli, an Italian who is the coalition forces' second-in-command. |
Captain Ed: Two Italian newspapers now say that the general in charge of the Sgrena operation did not inform the US that Calipari's... Orrin Judd: U.S. Only Partially Informed About Italian (ALESSANDRA RIZZO, 3/11/05, Associated Press) [snipped quote] There's a reason we keep things hidden from friends: shame. |
U.S. and European Allies Agree on Steps in Iran Dispute NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 10 - Europe and the United States have agreed on a joint approach to negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program after months of dispute, with the Bush administration agreeing to offer modest economic incentives and the Europeans agreeing... | |
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Dan Froomkin: Special to washingtonpost.com — In the three years since Karen Hughes left the White House and her job as counselor to... Matthew Yglesias: The Bush administration gets smart and flip-flops on Iran, maintaining a fig leaf of non-participation in the European... |
Jeremy Reff: Iran, redux — Hate to jump above Will, but the WaPo and Times jump on the amen corner (see below). |
Churchill buyout near By / Denver Post — Permalink FRIDAY UPDATE BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS & 9NEWS: An attorney for Ward Churchill, the professor who compared some Sept. 11 victims to a Nazi leader, said today he expects to reach a settlement with the University of Colorado "within the next day or so" on the embattled professor's future. | |
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Charles Johnson: And the University of Colorado is getting ready to hand Churchill a few hundred grand to get him to leave: Churchill buyout near. Jeralyn Merritt: CU and Ward Churchill Reach Money Deal — Ward Churchill's lawyer has confirmed that there will be a final buyout... |
Betsy Newmark: The Denver Post reports that the University of Colorado is close to a buyout deal for Ward Churchill. |
Personnel Announcement White House — Permalink President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate one individual to serve in his Administration: The President intends to nominate Michael D. Griffin, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. | |
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Gary Farber: The new appointment: [snipped quote] I demand to know why the President is nominating such an ill-educated man!?! |
Shannen Coffin: PAUL CLEMENT — The President has nominated Deputy Solicitor General Paul Clement to be the next Solicitor General. |
Hughes Is Set to Rejoin White House Team By / WaPo — Permalink Karen P. Hughes, the longtime adviser to President Bush often described as the most powerful woman ever to work in the White House, plans to return to Washington soon to rejoin the president's team as he sets forth on an ambitious second-term agenda, according to White House officials and outside Republican advisers. | |
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Josh Marshall: In his piece breaking the story today, Peter Baker notes sources who "said Hughes will not be a formal member of the... Orrin Judd: BIG MAMA'S HOUSE: Hughes Is Set to Rejoin White House Team (Peter Baker, March 11, 2005, Washington Post) |
Taegan Goddard: She's Back — Karen Hughes, "the longtime adviser to President Bush often described as the most powerful woman ever to... Michelle Malkin: KAREN HUGHES RETURNS — According to the Washington Post, [snipped quote] More: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. |
Frank Rich to Resume Column in Op-Ed Section NYT — Permalink The New York Times announced yesterday that Frank Rich, the front-page columnist in its Arts & Leisure section, would move next month to a redesigned Op-Ed package that will be expanded to two pages in the Week in Review section, following the editorials. | |
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Tbogg: Good news for people who love good writing — In an attempt to make up for putting David "Bobo" Brooks on their editorial pages, the NY Times brings back Frank Rich to the Op-Eds. Rich Lowry: FRANK RICH... ...back to the Op-Ed page. |
Avedon Carol: Meanwhile, Frank Rich, who was shuffled off to the Arts & Leisure section a few years back, is now returning to the Op-Eds. |
Confirming judges: The constitutional option San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink Politicians have notoriously short memories. With Democrats still retaining enough votes to filibuster President Bush's judicial nominees, many Republicans seek to weaken or eliminate the ability of senators to mount judicial filibusters. | |
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Mike Rappaport: Amending the Filibuster Rule: The Constitutional Option — My op ed piece, written with John McGinnis, on the filibustering of judicial nominees has now been published. Glenn Reynolds: LAW PROFESSOR MIKE RAPPAPORT has thoughts on filibusters. |
Deacon: The constitutional option — Law professors Michael B. Rappaport and John C. McGinnis explain why the Senate majority's... |
Bush Finds Some Republicans Need Wooing By / NYT — Permalink MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 10 - When President Bush began barnstorming on behalf of his Social Security plan last month, his goal at many stops was to convince Congressional Democrats that backing his call for individual investment accounts would be good politics. | |
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Dan Froomkin: Richard W. Stevenson writes in the New York Times: "When President Bush began barnstorming on behalf of his Social... |
Skippy: reuters: [snipped quote] people disagreeing with awol in the same room? we bet brett bursey would have been proud... |
The End of Poverty By / Time — Permalink It is still midmorning in Malawi when we arrive at a small village, Nthandire, about an hour outside of Lilongwe, the capital. We have come over dirt roads, passing women and children walking barefoot with water jugs, wood for fuel, and other bundles. | |
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Daniel Drezner: Should Jeffrey Sachs get $150 billion per year? Time's cover story this week (alas, subscribers only — Aha! |
Gary Farber: HEY, EVERYBODY, I'VE GOT A BARN! So let's end poverty now! |
Poll shows Romney bid for president faces hurdles By / Boston Globe — Permalink A majority of Massachusetts adults said Governor Mitt Romney should not run for president in 2008, according to a Boston Globe poll that also indicated Romney would face a tough battle if he seeks reelection to a second term as governor in 2006. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: A new poll indicates that he is popular and the state's voters approve of the job he is doing. 50% of Massachusetts... Taegan Goddard: Romney Has Trouble at Home — "A majority of Massachusetts adults said Governor Mitt Romney should not run for president... |
Shawn @LiquidList: In today's Boston Globe, this is evidenced loud and clear: "A majority of Massachusetts adults said Governor Mitt... K. J. Lopez: The main hook is a poll finds Massachusetts doesn't want Romney to run for president, but they didn't want Kerry too, either, as it turns out. |
Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed Again NYT — Permalink It was good to learn yesterday that the military commander in Iraq has issued definitive rules about how to treat captives in American prison camps. Unfortunately, that was about the only good news in the newest Pentagon report on prisoner abuse, actually a... | |
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Christy @ThinkProgress: According to the New York Times, "Vice Admiral Albert Church III, now director of the Navy staff, admitted…that, well, he had not actually read them." |
Norbizness: I don't care what you say, I'll drop an Admiral Akbar hip-hop CD cover on you morning, noon, and night if you don't... |
Yarnold to Leave 'San Jose Mercury News' for Enviro Group Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK David Yarnold, editor of the San Jose Mercury News, is leaving the paper to head Environmental Defense, a non-profit group headquartered in New York, according to a memo he sent to staff Wednesday. | |
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David Hogberg: From Editor and Publisher: "David Yarnold, editor of the San Jose Mercury News, is leaving the paper to head... |
Michelle Malkin: Another good catch: David Hogberg of Oh, That Liberal Media reports on departing San Jose Mercury News editor David... |
FIXING SOCIAL SECURITY: TINKER TROUBLE By / New York Post — Permalink PRESIDENT Bush wants to save Social Security from demographic disaster: Within two decades, too few workers will be working to support too many retirees. But the centerpiece of Bush's plan would also protect workers from a subtler threat: As the Baby... | |
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Mickey Kaus: Nicole Gelinas makes the interesting argument that able-bodied 67-year olds who retire on Social Security—in an era... |
James Joyner: Geezer Envy — Nicole Gelinas makes an interesting argument about the Social Security reform movement: "As the Baby... |
GOP phone jammer sentenced By / Union Leader — Permalink CONCORD — Even a leniency plea from a former foe could not keep the state Republican Party's former executive director out of jail for masterminding a scheme to jam opponents' get-out-the-vote phone banks on Election Day 2002. | |
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Josh Marshall: You've probably seen already that former New Hampshire Republican party Executive Director, Chuck McGee was sentenced to... Taegan Goddard: GOP Operative Gets Prison For Phone-Jamming — Despite "a leniency plea from a former political foe," a federal judge... |
Jay Tea: Crank calls and flat tires — A rather tawdry chapter in New Hampshire politics came to a close yesterday, as the former... |
Iraq War Compels Pentagon to Rethink Big-Picture Strategy By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq is forcing top Pentagon planners to rethink several key assumptions about the use of military power and has called into question the vision set out nearly four years ago that the armed forces can win wars and keep the peace with small numbers of fast-moving, lightly armed troops. | |
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Wretchard: The first, by Mark Mazzetti of the Los Angeles Times, depicts a military establishment that has been hijacked by... Orrin Judd: SHOULD HAVE HANDED THE COUNTRY TO CHALABI AND SISTANI 18 MONTHS AGO: Iraq War Compels Pentagon to Rethink Big-Picture... |
James Joyner: Iraq War Compels Pentagon To Rethink Big-Picture Strategy (Mark Mazzetti, LAT, p.1) "The war in Iraq is forcing top... |
Plan to Reimburse Cost of Combat Gear Has Fallen Behind By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - The Pentagon has not developed guidelines for allowing soldiers, their families and charities to be reimbursed for the cost of some combat equipment they bought for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite a new law that called for such a plan by February. | |
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Norbizness: (2) Nearing the two-year anniversary of Operation: Enduring Clusterf**k, and civilians and soldiers buying combat equipment have not yet been reimbursed. |
Tbogg: We're busy running a war here... The Pentagon has been too busy fulfilling the neocons dream of empire not winning and... |
U.S. to Join Europe in Strategy With Iran By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON Mar 11, 2005 — In a policy shift, the Bush administration will go along with European efforts to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon by using diplomatic carrots now, with the threat of U.N. sticks later. | |
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Jan Haugland: The new Iran policy Roger L. Simon links to an article summing up the Bush administration's new and revised Iran policy. |
Roger L. Simon: The New Iran Strategy ...Well, not so new, since it's been floated and floated for the last couples of weeks... in which... |
They're Back, and Still Unworthy NYT — Permalink The Senate is preparing for a major showdown over the Democrats' use of the filibuster to block a handful of President Bush's judicial nominees. When the arguments about procedures are over, the key question will remain: Has Mr. Bush put up men and women who deserve lifetime appointments to the federal bench? | |
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Dwight Meredith: Another Update: The New York Times notices that Griffith was practicing without a license. |
Armando @DailyKos: The NYTimes Ed Board gets it right: "The Senate is preparing for a major showdown over the Democrats' use of the... |
UK went to war on one page of legal advice Guardian — Permalink The cabinet secretary yesterday astonished politicians by disclosing that Britain went to war against Iraq on just one page of legal advice from Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general. | |
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Norbizness: , Amanda, and Lindsay] Apparently, great nations can make disastrous decisions affecting thousands of lives based on some random doodles on a single piece of paper. |
Jesse Taylor: A Sheet Of Looseleaf — Really, Britain, it's okay. We tortured people based on a memo. |
Sarbanes to Forgo Another Senate Term WaPo — Permalink Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes will announce today that he will not seek another term in the Senate, a Senate Democratic official confirmed, ending a 34-year congressional career in which the liberal Maryland Democrat played a role in crises ranging from the Watergate impeachment proceedings to the corporate accounting scandals earlier this decade. | |
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Fng: Washington Post has this: Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes plans to announce this afternoon that he will not seek another term,... |
Taegan Goddard: Sarbanes Will Retire — Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) "will announce today that he will not seek another term in the Senate," the Washington Post reports. |
Wal-Mart off the school-supply list By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer — Permalink When it's time to pick up supplies for her third-grade classroom, Jennifer Strand would prefer to steer clear of Wal-Mart. The teacher is convinced the retail giant isn't paying workers a fair wage, but in the northeastern Washington town of Colville — population 5,000 — the only other option is a small stationery section in the local grocery store. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Shop Elsewhere — The Washington Education Association has taken a stand against Wal*Mart. |
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: True That — Jesse wraps his head around the hypocrisy of free market ideologues: "It's amazing how the... |
Labor to Bolster Hahn Endorsement By / LAT — Permalink Labor leaders backing James K. Hahn's reelection attributed the mayor's tepid support from union members on Tuesday to ongoing devotion to Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa among much of the rank and file and limited efforts by some unions on Hahn's behalf. | |
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Ezra Klein: Because Labor lost last time, if they lose this time their endorsement is proved basically worthless. Kevin Roderick: Also: Labor leaders said Thursday they will turn out more union members for Hahn in the runoff. |
Nathan Newman: Why are Los Angeles unions spending hundreds of thousands of dollars telling union voters to ignore what they spent $1.5 million saying four years ago? |
U.S. Gaining World's Respect From Wars, Rumsfeld Asserts By / WaPo — Permalink Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld upheld the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan yesterday as powerful demonstrations of U.S. military prowess that will make other countries think twice about making "mischief" around the world. | |
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Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Memo to Donald Rumsfeld — I can't believe that Rumsfeld would have the gigantic balls to assert that our... |
James Joyner: Rumsfeld: U.S. Gaining World's Respect From Wars — U.S. Gaining World's Respect From Wars, Rumsfeld Asserts (Ann Scott... |
A Fine Rendition By / NYT — Permalink AS Congress and the news media wail about the Central Intelligence Agency's "rendition" program - its practice of turning suspected terrorists over for detainment and questioning in third countries - it is time to focus on the real issue at hand. | |
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Rich Lowry: But I think his bottom line in this piece about how CIA operatives tend to get scapegoated when the political climate... |
Orrin Judd: A Fine Rendition (MICHAEL SCHEUER, 3/11/05, NY Times) "AS Congress and the news media wail about the Central... |
Typing error causes nuclear scare BBC — Permalink The Sudanese government had a nasty shock this week, when it read on a US Congress website that the Americans had conducted nuclear tests in the country. A House of Representatives committee report mentioned tests conducted in Sudan between 1962 and 1970. | |
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Patrick Belton: FUN WITH TYPOS: What the House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee meant to write was that the United States... James Joyner: Typing Error Causes Nuclear Scare — Typing error causes nuclear scare (BBC) [snipped quote] Amusing. |
Jan Haugland: Typing error caused nuclear scare in Sudan — It shocked the Sudenese government to learn on the US Congress website... |
Seeing the Good in North Korea By / Weekly Standard — Permalink A FRONT PAGE STORY in the March 1, 2005 Los Angeles Times was headlined "North Korea, Without the Rancor." The author, Barbara Demick, met with a North Korean businessman in a North Korean-owned karaoke bar in Beijing. The article presented this "businessman's" view of the world. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Posted at 9:OO AM, EST — My WeeklyStandard.com column, "Seeing the Good in North Korea," recaps the Los Angeles Times' recent glowing coverage of Kim Jong Il's despotism. |
Greg Ransom: HUGH HEWITT has more on the coverage of North Korea in the pathetic LA Times: "There are no circumstances that justify... |
Blogging Clicks With Colleges By / WaPo — Permalink First the Internet turned colleges upside down, extending classrooms and changing the way people learned. Next came Napster and other file-sharing tools, then Web logs. Now blogs are morphing into the next big thing on campus: wikis. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Blogging hits the campuses. |
James Joyner: Here's an example from the front of WaPo's page at the moment: Blogging Clicks With Colleges (WaPo, B01) |
Schieffer Drops Anchor at CBS News By / WaPo — Permalink March 10: Day 1 of Conservatives Don't Have Dan Rather to Kick Around Anymore — otherwise known as Bob Schieffer's First Day as Temporary Permanent Anchor of the "CBS Evening News." | |
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Garrett M. Graff: Schieffer Promises 'To Find Out What Happened' bobschieffer.jpg Bob Schieffer made his debut on CBS last night—or, as... |
Brian Stelter: Schieffer Signs On: Notes & Quotes > Washington Post: "March 10: Day 1 of Conservatives Don't Have Dan Rather to Kick... |
A Year After Madrid Attacks, Europe Stalled in Terror Fight By / WaPo — Permalink MADRID, March 10 — Last March, when a series of bombs ripped through four rush-hour commuter trains, killing 191 people and injuring more than 1,500, the attack was widely seen as Europe's 9/11 — a shock that would force governments to take coordinated action against a terrorist threat that had moved to their soil. | |
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FrancoAlemán: The truth is that, as the Washington Post reports today, "[a]bout 75 people — the majority of them Moroccan nationals... |
Cori Dauber: Supposed to be. |
Pentagon Seeks to Transfer More Detainees From Base in Cuba By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 10 - The Pentagon is seeking to enlist help from the State Department and other agencies in a plan to cut by more than half the population at its detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in part by transferring hundreds of suspected... | |
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Orin Kerr: The Bush Administration is now responding to this trend — by moving detainees out of Guantanamo Bay. Jeralyn Merritt: Rendition Comes Out of the Closet — Now that everyone knows about the CIA's rendition program that sends detainees to... |
Orrin Judd: WHAT THE CIVIL LIBERTARIANS HAVE RENDERED: Pentagon Seeks to Transfer More Detainees From Base in Cuba (DOUGLAS JEHL,... |
Welfare vs. Wall St. By / WaPo — Permalink Let's suppose Congress approves President Bush's "personal accounts" for Social Security. The Social Security system would then become the largest single investor in U.S. stocks. By 2050 Social Security could hold 25 percent of all stocks, estimate economists at Goldman Sachs. | |
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Susan Madrak: ECONOMIC FALLOUT — Oh dear, oh dear. What does it mean when I find myself agreeing with Robert Samuelson? |
Yuval Rubinstein: But even Samuelson isn't buying the idea that private accounts (under the tender lovin' care of Wall Street) would... |
Senators May Block Social Security Vote WaPo — Permalink President Bush's bid to add individual accounts to Social Security faces such formidable opposition in the Senate that its supporters may be unable to bring it to a vote, according to a Washington Post survey of senators. | |
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Chris Bowers: And now, the latest development, with the Fainthearted Faction collapsing, he is overtly giving up and asking for a... Taegan Goddard: Game Over? [snipped quote] Link | Related News Josh Marshall: Tells the Washington Post he won't support private accounts under any circumstances. |
Orrin Judd: FILIBUSTERING THEMSELVES: Senators May Block Social Security Vote (Charles Babington and Jim VandeHei, March 11, 2005,... Atrios: Game over. |
Bahrainis protest arrest of activists Aljazeera — Permalink A protest has been staged briefly outside a police station in Manama, demanding the release of three Bahrainis detained for their links to a banned website. A brother of one those detained said he and his fellow demonstrators planned to hold protests once a week before the police station until the trio are released. | |
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Jan Haugland: Protest against arrest of site admins in Bahrain — A group of people staged a peaceful protest outside a police station... Glenn Reynolds: BAHRAINIS PROTEST BLOGGERS' ARREST: More here. |
Jeff Jarvis: More reports here and here. [via Instapundit] We must keep attention on the plight of bloggers jailed in Bahrain and Iran. |
DNA ties traffic-stop suicide to Lefkow case AP — Permalink CHICAGO - A man who filed bizarre, rambling lawsuits over his cancer treatment and shot himself to death during a traffic stop appears to be the lone killer of a federal judge's mother and husband, police said late Thursday. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Now there's a better case to discuss this issue: The murders of Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow's husband and mother by Bart Ross who, it turns out, was quite insane. |
David Neiwert: I'll have more on that point soon. UPDATE: Ross's DNA matches that found on the cigarette butt in the Lefkow home. |
Why it is hard to share the wealth New Scientist — Permalink THE rich are getting richer while the poor remain poor. If you doubt it, ponder these numbers from the US, a country widely considered meritocratic, where talent and hard work are thought to be enough to propel anyone through the ranks of the rich. | |
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Jon Henke: Economics and Psychohistory — Kevin Drum points me to this very interesting piece about "econophysicists", who are... Kevin Drum: Apparently a breed of researchers who call themselves "econophysicists" have been studying income inequality and have... |
Greg Ransom: DOES PHYSICS explain weath distribution in the United States better than economics? |
President Discusses Strengthening Social Security in Kentucky White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. It's great to be back in Louisville, thank you all. (Applause.) Thanks for being here today. I think you're going to find this to be an interesting dialogue about an important subject. | |
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Skippy: the ol' skippy mailbag let's open the ol' skippy mailbag... judd legum of think progress brings us their "interview"... Jayson @PoliPundit: Your President At Work — Here's a transcript of Dubya's speech, from earlier today, regarding the National Ponzi Scheme. |
Atrios: Privatization Opponents Are Racists — This is pretty stunning. Bush yesterday: "And so there are guidelines as to what you can invest in. |
UPDATE 1-Bush tries soothing seniors' Social Security fears By / Reuters — Permalink MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush enlisted the help of some grandfathers to try to soothe fears among senior citizens about his plan to create private accounts out of the Social Security retirement program. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Goodnight, moon — It's really grotesque to watch Bush "assuring Seniors that their benefits are safe" (Reuters). |
Skippy: reuters: [snipped quote] people disagreeing with awol in the same room? we bet brett bursey would have been proud. |
DeLay Treated for Heart Condition AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was treated for a heart condition Thursday at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, his office said. The Texas Republican was released and returned home after a series of tests. | |
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Tbogg: Then there is this: DeLay Treated for Heart Condition About 5000 bloggers just made the same joke. |
Jack Cluth: DeLay Treated for Heart Condition Wait a minute…Tom DeLay has a heart?? So much for my theory that he's the Tin Man, eh?? |
Bumper sticker evokes road rage St. Petersburg Times — Permalink TAMPA - Politics has always been divisive, splitting families and turning friend against friend. This week, though, a Tampa woman learned that simple Bush-Cheney bumper sticker can bring trouble, if not danger, from a total stranger. | |
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Ann Althouse: Consider this news story (via Memeorandum): "[A] Tampa woman learned that simple Bush-Cheney bumper sticker can bring trouble, if not danger, from a total stranger. Charles Johnson: PEST Sufferer Snaps — Traumatized beyond healing by the 2004 election, disgruntled Tampa moonbat Nathan Alan Winkler could finally take no more: Bumper sticker evokes road rage. Baldilocks: Though I really wanted to do it just to start something, cooler parental heads prevailed, however. Good thing, too. |
James Joyner: Bush Bumper Sticker Evokes Road Rage — Hillsborough: Bumper sticker evokes road rage (St. Petersburg Times) [snipped quote] Quite likely. John Hawkins: Liberal Reality Catches Up To Their Rhetoric — To be honest, I'm surprised this sort of incident doesn't happen all the... Roger Ailes: Grand Old Police Blotter Classic: Republican Road Rage Edition — Let me remind those wingnuts making sport of an... |
| Also: McQ, C. D. Harris, Orrin Judd, Rickheller @Centerfield, Michelle Malkin, PoliPundit | |
Gender bias in IKEA instructions? CNN — Permalink Norway's prime minister says company should alter brochures that show only men assembling furniture. OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA is guilty of sex discrimination by showing only men putting together furniture in its instruction manuals, Norway's prime minister says. | |
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Jay Tea: Michelle recently chimed in on the whole IKEA kerfuffle about them not showing women in their instruction manuals,... Michelle Malkin: MY REAL BEEF WITH IKEA — So, I'm sure you've all seen this P.C. run amok story getting lots of blog buzz today. Charles Johnson: IKEA Dhimmitude Watch — The IKEA furniture store chain uses only pictures of men in their instruction manuals, and the... |
David Bernstein: Authoritarian Cultures Clash: Coercive egalitarianism versus traditional Islam: "Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA... Jan Haugland: Sex-discrimination in IKEA instruction manuals — One of the big stories in Norway today was the protests against... Captain Ed: IKEA, the Swedish furniture behemoth, has been targeted for allegations of gender bias because the manuals for their furniture show no women assembling them. |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Jonah Goldberg, McQ, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Blocking Move By / TNR — Permalink At a town-hall meeting last month in Philadelphia, Rick Santorum, the stalwart conservative senator from Pennsylvania, was pitching President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, speaking the reassuringly nonideological language of insolvency dates and rates of return. | |
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Steven L.: Following it to the New Republic Online site, I found the talking points that we may expect to see on the Social Security debate. Rich Lowry: Just read Jonathan Chait's TNR piece in favor of Democratic obstruction on Social Security. It's well done, even if I disagree with it. Matthew Yglesias: Obstructionism and Conspiracies — Last time I was just a smidge slow in implementing the always-link-to-Jon-Chait. .. |
Dale Franks: No private accounts, ever! onathon Chait gives the game away in his screed in The New Republic against Social Security privatization. Max B. Sawicky: RETURN THIS — Via Josh, essential reading on Social Security, from Jonathan Chait at TNR. Chait explodes the "higher rate of return" canard: . Yuval Rubinstein: Step Inside the World of Cokie Roberts (If You Dare) Via Josh Marshall, this article by Jon Chait on the ideological... |
| Also: Josh Marshall | |
Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming By / NYT — Permalink A core group of influential evangelical leaders has put its considerable political power behind a cause that has barely registered on the evangelical agenda, fighting global warming. | |
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Norbizness: (6) When it comes to issues as important as this, you welcome any help you can get, even from people who think the Earth they're saving is under 10,000 years old. Fred Clark: Climate change — It's good to see Rich Cizik's picture in The New York Times. Jesse Taylor: Evangelicals are challenging the Bush team on global warming, declaring that stewardship of the Earth calls us to be socially and environmentally responsible. |
Nathan Newman: GOP v. Religious Voters on Global Warming — Okay, this gets interesting, as the National Association of Evangelicals... Mipe @ThinkProgress: Our Exclusive Interview with Rev. Jerry Falwell — Last October, the National Association of Evangelicals released a... Dave Johnson: Gonna Get Smeared — Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming. |
| Also: Tim Dunlop, McQ, Chris Mooney, Orrin Judd, Susan Madrak | |
The man who Democrats hope can take that Hill Christian Science Monitor — Permalink WASHINGTON - Rahm Emanuel entered the room with a résumé as outsized as any second-term congressman: top aide to President Clinton, millionaire investment banker, professional ballet dancer, volunteer at an Israeli supply base during the Gulf War. | |
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McQ: No more "Mr. Nice Guy" — Rham Emanuel has been named chair of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Orrin Judd: CO-OPT HIM: The man who Democrats hope can take that Hill: The edgy and brash Rahm Emanuel is becoming a leading voice for the party on policy. |
James Joyner: Democrats Pin House Hopes on Rahm Emanuel — The man who Democrats hope can take that Hill (CSM) [snipped quote] As... Taegan Goddard: The Democrats' Man on the Hill — The Christian Science Monitor runs a good profile of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), "the... |
Cat Shoots Owner AP — Permalink BATES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said. | |
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Jack Cluth: When animals attack — Is the cat named Emeril? (via Laurence Simon) Man shot by his cat while he was cooking dinner Cat... Steven L.: Link AP (Mich.) "A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said." DJ Drummond: Blue Meanies — Even the pets are mean in the blues states, it seems. |
Clayton Cramer: But then again, I don't have a cat quite this dangerous: [snipped quote] Still, it is a good reason to keep your guns properly secured. James Joyner: Cat Shoots Owner — Cat Shoots Owner (AP) [snipped quote] Serves the idiot right for leaving a loaded 9mm without the safety engaged laying on the counter. Rich Lowry: CAT SHOOTS BACK "BATES TOWNSHIP, Mich. Mar 10, 2005 — A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats... |
Who Is a Journalist? By / Slate — Permalink In the Valerie Plame case, two well-known reporters have been sentenced to jail for refusing to rat out a confidential source or sources who told them the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA agent. | |
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Howard Kurtz: Slate Editor Jacob Weisberg takes a broader view of the who-is-a-journalist question: "Many old-line journalists have... Captain Ed: Jacob Weisberg of Slate writes today that a journalist doesn't get made by an HR department or a university program, but... Garrett M. Graff: Two very interesting pieces today on journalism: one by Slate's Jacob Weisberg that asks, "Who is a journalist?" and... |
James Joyner: Who Is a Journalist? - Anybody Who Wants to Be So argues Slate's Jacob Weisberg. S.Z.: Also, Slate's Jacob Weisberg asks "Who is a Journalist," then answers, "Anybody who Wants to be." Tom Biro: Opened doors — On Wednesday evening, Slate's Jacob Weisberg wrote that in today's world, "anybody who wants to be" a journalist can do so. |
New Interrogation Rules Set for Detainees in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - After clashing with Afghan rebels at the village of Miam Do one year ago, American soldiers detained the village's entire population for four days, and an officer beat and choked several residents while screening them and trying to identify local militants, according to a new Pentagon report that was given to Congress late Monday night. | |
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Cori Dauber: What he doesn't mention is that the actual frame of the Times article is made clear in their headline, "New Interrogation Rules Set for Detainees in Iraq." Captain Ed: The New York Times has a preliminary look at the Church findings as well. Robin Burk: The NYT has an article up this morning ahead of his appearance, as does the WaPo. (h/t Kevin McCullough, who says a Pentagon report will also probably be out today.) |
James Joyner: New Interrogation Rules Set For Detainees In Iraq (NYT p. 1 rss) "[...] The report finds that early warning signs of... Jeff Goldstein: Church Report Vindicates Military Leadership — From ABC News: [snipped quote] James Joyner characterizes the report's... Michelle Malkin: Captain Ed takes note of the New York Times' buried lead. |
Insiders Fear Jackson Will Commit Suicide By / Fox News — Permalink Michael Jackson's close friends now really fear that he will commit suicide. I am not kidding. The scene this morning at the courthouse in Santa Maria has convinced people who ordinarily do not say these things that Jackson is in serious mental trouble. | |
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Scott Sala: Jackson's latest attempt to skew the public opinion that he is weak and defenseless by showing up in pajamas,... Damian Penny: But according to "Fox 411", they haven't been paid in three months. |
Tbogg: Take this about Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson's close friends now really fear that he will commit suicide. I am not kidding. |
Bloggers Parse Pool Reportage On Bush Doings By / WSJ — Permalink WASHINGTON — In describing a mundane trip on Air Force One not long ago, Ron Hutcheson, White House reporter for Knight Ridder Inc. newspapers, made a small joke. "Flight and motorcade uneventful," Mr. Hutcheson wrote. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Cooper pulls the curtain up on that hallowed Washington institution, the White... Dan Froomkin: Pool Follies Christopher Cooper exposes the not-so-sordid and really-not-so-interesting underbelly of White House pool reports in the Wall Street Journal. |
Jay Rosen: Do read the Wall Street Journal on "pool reports," which used to circulate only among the White House correspondents, now becoming widely-distributed by e-mail and changing tenor. Garrett M. Graff: WSJ: Wonkette Has Made Pool Reports Boring — The front page of the WSJ's Marketplace section today examines how... |
May No More NRO — Permalink Department stores are on the outs, like the MSM. Many years ago, press critic A. J. Liebling remarked that the news we receive is dependent on the whims of downtown dry-goods merchants. | |
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Jesse Taylor: I don't really know, although Cathy Seipp asks the question and summarily proceeds to butcher a Jack Benny anecdote. Glenn Reynolds: CATHY SEIPP LOOKS AT the demise of department stores. I wouldn't mind, if they were replaced by Samuel's. |
Kevin Roderick: On the demise of department stores — May Co.Taking off from the news that Robinson's-May will soon vanish from the... |
Rethinking the Iwo Jima Myth By / LAT — Permalink On Feb. 19, 1945, 30,000 Marines splashed ashore on a small volcanic island in the central Pacific. After four days of bitter fighting, a small patrol reached the peak of Mt. Suribachi, where it planted a U.S. flag in an iconic scene captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal. | |
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Eugene Volokh: "Rethinking the Iwo Jima Myth": Max Boot, who has written on military history, has an op-ed on this subject, which... Greg Ransom: THE WASTE that was Iwo Jima: "If Ted Kennedy had been in the Senate in 1945 [and FDR had been a Republican — gr] he... |
Betsy Newmark: Max Boot helps us to revisit the Iwo Jima myth. |
Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane AP — Permalink BRUSSELS, Belgium Mar 10, 2005 — A group of unarmed Iranians staged a protest aboard a Lufthansa jet at the Brussels airport Thursday, refusing to leave the plane and calling for the return of the monarchy in Iran, officials said. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: HOPE — From small gestures may large tyrannies be overthrown. (Thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi for the link.) Jonah Goldberg: IRANIANS PROTEST — A reader who sends me email about developments in Iran just sent me this: [snipped quote] Here's a wire story on it. |
James Joyner: Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane — Unarmed Iranians Stage Protest on Plane (AP) [snipped quote] I can hardly... |
Need Some New Luster? Try Rosie O'Donnell's Method: Create It by the Blogful By / NYT — Permalink Rosie O'Donnell, who spent most of the last five years extricating herself from public life, is back, though in a post-celebrity sort of way. Ms. O'Donnell, former K Mart spokeswoman, former talk show host, former magazine editor and publisher, and former Broadway producer, has a new title: blogger. | |
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Howard Kurtz: And thanks to the NYT for telling us that the latest addition to the blog universe is Rosie O'Donnell. |
Gary Farber: Despite the fact that there continue to be ten articles a day, more or less, on the Rolling Juggernaut Of Blogs, they're... |
Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison Abuse By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Top commanders in Iraq put intense pressure on interrogators to extract useful intelligence information from prisoners, yet that does not explain the sexual humiliation and other abuse of prisoners under U.S. control, an investigation has concluded. | |
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Charles Johnson: US Review: Leaders Did Not Order Abuse — Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison Abuse. Edward _: A Few Bad Apples — By Edward So the bad apples have been isolated, there is no connection to the top brass, and... |
James Joyner: Update (0951): AP weighs in: Probe: Pressure on interrogators not excessive (CNN) Probe: Leaders Didn't Order Prison... |
Bush: Social Security wobbly, personal accounts are safety net By / AP — Permalink LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two grandpas and their granddaughters joined President Bush on Thursday in making his case that Social Security was on wobbly footing and private investment accounts would help provide a safety net for future retirees. | |
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PGL: Update: Joshua Marshall listens to President Bush trump even the Andrew Roth school of funny finance: "Bush: Social Security wobbly, personal accounts are safety net" |
Josh Marshall: The latest free-form policy improvisation from our president. |
Wisconsin death has Lefkow tie Chicago Tribune — Permalink Investigators early today said a man who shot himself in the head during a traffic stop in Wisconsin had a suicide note claiming responsibility for the slaying of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother last week. | |
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David Neiwert: Lefkow killings: Not terrorism — The Chicago Tribune is reporting that a suicide in Wisconsin may have uncovered the... Charles Kuffner: Apparently, he was a lone nutter with a grudge against a list of people, and he killed himself when pulled over for a routine traffic stop. K. J. Lopez: LEFKOW MURDER — A man in Wisconsin kills himself and leaves a suicide note claiming he killed that Chicago judge's husband and mother. |
Kevin Aylward: Man Admits To Lefkow Murders In Suicide Note — Hot off the presses of the Chicago Tribune:Investigators early today... Orrin Judd: SOME SUPERIOR PATROLLING: Wisconsin death has Lefkow tie: Source: Note blames judge for loss of 'his house, his job and... |
U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, March 9 - After years of campaigning against Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim party in Lebanon, as a terrorist pariah, the Bush administration is grudgingly going along with efforts by France and the United Nations to steer the party into the Lebanese political mainstream, administration officials say. | |
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Joseph Alexander Norland: From the NYT, 2005_03_09: U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon "After years of campaigning against Hezbollah,... Betsy Newmark: Rich Lowry has some interesting inside dope about Hizbollah in Lebanon. "2. Hizbollah is not an independent actor. Matthew Levitt: Contraty to press reports that the U.S. position on Hizballah has shifted toward that of France and other countries... |
Tim Dunlop: U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role By STEVEN R. WEISMAN March 10, 2005 "After years of campaigning... Roger L. Simon: Not to feel too relaxed, I noticed the link to this morning's Syria coverage in the NYT on LGF. Charles Johnson: NYT Claims US is Softening Toward Hizballah — I suspect the New York Times of trying to create a show of support for... |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Kevin Drum, Orrin Judd, Rich Lowry, Atrios | |
Matthews of 'Hardball' Retreats from Speech After Muslim Protest By / New York Sun — Permalink A prominent talk show host has canceled a speech to a conference of Indian-American hoteliers after coming under pressure from Muslim organizations and human-rights groups, who said another speaker invited to the meeting has a record of condoning anti-Muslim violence. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: Matthews Backs Out of Speech chrismatthews.jpgUnder pressure from Muslim groups, Chris Matthews (he of the not-so-huge... Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 3/10/05 7:38:14 am: In a story on a CAIR tantrum that caused Chris Matthews of "Hardball" to cancel a speech... |
McQ: So when I found an article about Chris Matthews cancelling an upcoming speech to the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association, I thought, this is too good to be true. Brian Stelter: "Scheduling Conflict: Hardball Host Cancels Speech Amid Pressure From Muslim Groups — MSNBC Hardball host Chris... |
The enemy within By / Guardian — Permalink In the heat of the battle over the Florida vote after the 2000 US presidential election, a burly, mustachioed man burst into the room where the ballots for Miami-Dade County were being tabulated, like John Wayne barging into a saloon for a shoot-out. | |
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Steve Clemons: John Bolton as Political Operator, Ideologue and Neo-Primitive — Sidney Blumenthal's column today exposes the... Orrin Judd: THE ANTI-AMERICANIST ON THE GRASSY KNOLL (via Daniel Merriman): The enemy within: How an Americanist devoted to... |
Mark Leon Goldberg: RISE OF THE NEO-PRIMS? Sidney Blumenthal unpacks the Bolton nomination in the Guardian today. K. J. Lopez: WHY DO I LINK TO THESE THINGS — Sidney Blumenthal vents on John Bolton in the Guardian. |
Pro-Syrian Lebanese Premier Reappointed By / WaPo — Permalink AMMAN, Jordan, March 10 — Only 10 days after the Lebanese opposition celebrated his resignation, the pro-Syrian legislator Omar Karami returned as Lebanon's prime minister Thursday in a sign of how swiftly the political winds have shifted over recent weeks of street protests. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Just think what would have happened at the height of Watergate if there had been massive demonstrations calling for... K. J. Lopez: THE CEDAR REV GOES ON — Chatting with Farid Ghadry, president of the U.S.-based Reform Party of Syria, this morning... |
McQ: Additionally, Aoun charged, the rally wasn't spontaneous, but instead an "elaborately staged affair": "This was not a... Bill @INDCJournal: Its immediate result is by no means assured or easy, but of course it was ... |
Judge Orders Arrest of Michael Jackson AP — Permalink SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) - An angry judge issued an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson on Thursday after he failed to show up for his child molestation trial on time and his attorney announced the singer was being treated for a serious back problem. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Michael Jackson Nearly Arrested Due To Tardiness — For accused child molester Michael Jackson today almost became a day when he would have gotten the advice "Don't drop the soap." K. J. Lopez: THREE MINUTES LATE — This ridiculous Michael Jackson circus this morning (he walked into court in pajama pants if you... |
Jeralyn Merritt: The judge has issued an arrest warrant and given Jackson one hour to appear or he will forfeit the $3 million bail. |
Adviser: Accounts won't wait USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — The top White House economic adviser rejected as "absolutely a non-starter" bipartisan proposals that the administration put aside its drive to create individual investment accounts in Social Security and focus first on extending the system's solvency. | |
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Dan Froomkin: But Susan Page and Andrea Stone write in USA Today: "The top White House economic adviser rejected as 'absolutely a... |
PGL: I'll skip my usual Barro-Becker sermon of why this is funny finance and just go to this story highlighted by the same... |
Berlusconi signals shift in 'hostages' policy By / Independent — Permalink Any Italians rash enough to go walkabout in Iraq are now on their own, prime minister Silvio Berlusconi told the Senate yesterday, in his first official pronouncement on the killing of Nicola Calipari last Friday. | |
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Baldilocks: The Answer — For all the who-done-what and why in the Sgrena uproar, the simple question of 'why' is answered:... |
Orrin Judd: EVEN THE ITALIANS TIRE OF BEING SUCKERS: Berlusconi signals shift in 'hostages' policy (Peter Popham, 10 March 2005, Independent uk) [snipped quote] Bold? |
U.S. Quits Pact Used in Capital Cases By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration has decided to pull out of an international agreement that opponents of the death penalty have used to fight the sentences of foreigners on death row in the United States, officials said yesterday. | |
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Captain Ed: US Quits The Consular Notification Provisions Of Vienna Convention — In a surprise move, the Bush administration... Ken Masugi: It now develops that we're pulling out of the dubious treaty that caused this terrible problem (which we're still stuck with, of course). James Joyner: U.S. Quits Pact Used in Capital Cases (WaPo) "The Bush administration has decided to pull out of an international... |
Barbara O'Brien: Writes Charles Lane at WaPo, "In a two-paragraph letter dated March 7, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informed... Mark Krikorian: SOVEREIGNTY WATCH — Kudos to the administration for withdrawing from part of a treaty that gives the World Court... Jeralyn Merritt: Wednesday, the U.S. officially withdrew from the Vienna Convention protocol it proposed and ratified in 1963:... |
| Also: Eugene Oregon | |
Hell is other people removing your cigarette By / Telegraph — Permalink France's National Library has airbrushed Jean-Paul Sartre's trademark cigarette out of a poster of the chain-smoking philosopher to avoid prosecution under an anti-tobacco law. "Smoking," the Left-wing existentialist wrote, is "the symbolic equivalent of destructively appropriating the entire world." | |
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Wretchard: "It Never Existed" — According to the Telegraph, French authorities have airbrushed the cigarette out of John Paul Sarte's photograph. Betsy Newmark: The wonderful French have decided that it would violate some law about not showing people smoking so they have... |
Roger L. Simon: And now this? Okay, I remember years ago Piere Mendes France had that wine sobriety campaign on the Metro, but Jean-Paul Sartre without a cigeratte? |
A Gardener of Color In a Mostly White World By / WaPo — Permalink By tomorrow, Sherry Santifer will have entered close to 60 pots of forced bulbs in the Philadelphia Flower Show. It is a quest that starts alone in a chilly greenhouse, where the bulbs are potted up, and ends under the very public spotlight of the most prestigious flower show in the land. | |
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Roger Clegg: Well, the Washington Post's "Home and Garden" section today descends to self-parody with an article about the appalling shortage of minority ... horticulturalists. |
Radley Balko: Via NRO, the Washington Post today descends into self-parody with an article in the Home & Garden section that bemoans the dearth of — ready for this? — minority horticulturists. |
Lefkow tie to suicide is probed Chicago Tribune — Permalink A man who shot himself in the head after a traffic stop in Wisconsin on Wednesday was found wearing a suicide note that included an admission that he shot Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother, investigators handling the case said. | |
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Tom Maguire: Judge Lefkow Case - A Major Break — The Chicago Tribune has a major story taking the Judge Lefkow case in a new... |
Glenn Reynolds: SHOCKINGLY, MATT HALE MAY BE INNOCENT: A bizarre twist in the Lefkow murder case. |