meme orandum
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Blaming the Messenger By / WaPo — Permalink "It's appalling that this story got out there," said the secretary of state. "Shaky from the very get-go," thundered the White House spokesman. "We've not found any wrongdoing on the part of U.S. servicemembers," declared the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. | |
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Dale Franks: OK, I know several of you are gonna want to flame me, but... Anne Applebaum has it exactly right in today's Washington Post. Tom Maguire: Via Glenn, we learn that Anne Appelbaum of the WaPo is telling us that from Guantanamo, there are [snipped quote] Oh,... Charles Bird: I agree with Anne Applebaum that the Koran flushing story is plausible, largely due to our own unfortunate actions. |
David Adesnik: The most compelling version of the liberal argument on this point is made by Anne Applebaum in her column from this morning entitled "Blaming the Messenger". Max B. Sawicky: After a cavalcade of lies from official sources and their toadies to justify an unnecessary, unjust war, the focus... Andrew Stuttaford: HMMM — Anne Applebaum: "Now, it is possible that no interrogator at Guantanamo Bay ever flushed pages of the Koran down... |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds, Ramesh Ponnuru, Josh Marshall | |
Syria Heralds Reforms, But Many Have Doubts By / WaPo — Permalink DAMASCUS, Syria, May 17 — Beset by U.S. attempts to isolate his country and facing popular expectations of change, Syrian President Bashar Assad will move to begin legalizing political parties, purge the ruling Baath Party, sponsor free municipal elections in 2007 and formally endorse a market economy, according to officials, diplomats and analysts. | |
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Michael J. Totten: And so it comes to pass. Lebanon's Cedar Revolution is reverberating powerfully inside Syria. Damian Penny: Democracy in Syria? I'll believe it when I see it. Brad Plumer: No Bumper For You — It's in the middle of a more serious article about reforms underway in Syria, but there's some... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But this is excellent news: [snipped quote] The dissidents are quite right to be cynical. But in their hearts, they should be rejoicing. Jan Haugland: A besieged Assad initiates reforms — Syria promises reforms: Beset by U.S. attempts to isolate his country and facing... Praktike: Elsewhere, the patron saint of Arab-American journalism, Anthony Shadid, is reporting on the tentative political reforms... |
| Also: Roger L. Simon, Dean Esmay, Clayton Cramer, Jonah Goldberg, Betsy Newmark, FrancoAlemán, Glenn Reynolds | |
CBS Cancels Its Wednesday Edition of '60 Minutes' By / NYT — Permalink Eight months after broadcasting a report critical of President Bush that was later disavowed, CBS said today that it had canceled the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes." Leslie Moonves, the chairman of CBS. | |
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Roger Ailes: BONUS FUN FOR ARMCHAIR ETHICISTS Compare Michelle Malkin's false reporting to the work of 60 Minutes II. James Joyner: Update (1135): NYT has more details: "Already ranked among the lower-rated programs on television, the magazine program... Charles Johnson: MSM's Cynical Charades — CBS Cancels Its Wednesday Edition of '60 Minutes'. (Hat tip: lawhawk.) |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Update: More from the NY Times [snipped quote] Sure it was Les, content was not an issue what-so-ever. Brian Stelter: "This was a ratings call and not a content call," Moonves said, according to the New York Times. Jim Romenesko: CBS pulls the plug on Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes" — New York Times Jacques Steinberg writes: "Already ranked... |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Laura Rozen, Dr. Steven Taylor | |
CBS Cancels Wednesday '60 Minutes' By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - CBS canceled the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," saying the decision was made because of poor ratings and not last fall's ill-fated story about President Bush's military service. | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: While all that was going on, the ratings (circulation) for the liberal newspapers were crumbling, as they have been for... Red @ScaredMonkeys: Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish; aka 60 Minutes II Goes Bye-Bye — CBS has announced it is cancelling the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes." James Joyner: CBS Cancels Wednesday '60 Minutes' — CBS has announced it is cancelling the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," the... |
Ezra Klein: Your 60 Minutes Are Up — With CBS canceling the viewer-allergic Wednesday edition of 60 Minutes, James Joyner couldn't resist a parting shot: [snipped quote] Huh. Ace: 60 Minutes II Cancelled — But it had nothing to do with Rathergate: "CBS said Wednesday it is cancelling the Wednesday... Brian Stelter: > Update #3: 10:14am: David Bauder reports that last fall's ill-fated story about President Bush's military... |
| Also: TheAnchoress | |
Nuke It, Already LAT — Permalink We usually like it when centrist senators like John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) try to galvanize the sensible center on behalf of some compromise, but we sincerely hope they fail in their attempt to preserve the Senate's filibuster. | |
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Roger Ailes: Compare Michelle Malkin's abject apology for her false statements to this L.A. Times editorial. Well, that one's a stretch, I guess. Juan Non-Volokh: UPDATE: The LA Times, on the other hand, stands on principle and advocates eliminating the judicial filibuster even... Betsy Newmark: Wow, who would have thought it? The LA Times is ready to pull the trigger on judicial filibusters. |
Joe Gandelman: But the L.A. Times, in an editorial, is seemingly shouting "Enough already!" and literally declaring: "Nuke It Already." Arianna Huffington: The vast left wing media conspiracy strikes again as the Los Angeles Times editorial page comes out... in favor of the "nuclear option" on Senate filibusters?! Michelle Malkin: The latest headlines... Wash Times: Nominees head to Senate ABC: Senate Debates Bush's Judicial Nominee Washington Post:... |
| Also: Mathew @Centerfield, Dale Franks, Tom Smith, Clayton Cramer | |
Dean jeers DeLay on eve of Valley trip By / Arizona Republic — Permalink Howard Dean, national chairman of the Democratic Party, said Tuesday that he thinks House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has committed crimes that could put the Republican in jail. DeLay's office fought back with Dean's own words from the 2004 presidential campaign. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Howard Dean, Just Keep Talking — Freedom of speech is a great thing and some people just don't know when to stop. Captain Ed: Despite the lack of any criminal investigation into DeLay — and the bogged-down ethics allegations that have now... Scott Sala: When blasted even from his own party, he refuses to step back. Instead he ratchets it up a notch today. |
Brendan Nyhan: And he's not backing down: Howard Dean, national chairman of the Democratic Party, said Tuesday that he thinks House... Patterico: Howard Dean in 2005, on Tom DeLay: I think he's guilty ... of taking trips paid for by lobbyists, and of... TheAnchoress: Yeah, I'm taking a break, today. I read this and I realize I am done for today. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
It's not just Newsweek By / Jewish World Review — Permalink If you want to hear an earful, ask an American soldier how he feels about our news media. You will invariably hear an outpouring of dismay and outrage over antagonistic and reckless reporting. I have stacks of letters and e-mails from soldiers and their families sharing those frustrations. | |
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Roger Ailes: Antagonistic and Reckless Reporting — Dismayed and outraged over antagonistic and reckless reporting? James Joyner: It's not just Newsweek [snipped quote] During the run-up to the Iraq War, Glenn Reynolds and others popularized the catch-phrase "They're not anti-war, they're on the other side." Michelle Malkin: IT'S NOT JUST NEWSWEEK — My new column is up, filled with many reminders that "It's not just Newsweek." Like this. And this. |
John @PowerLine: Parly Serious, Partly Lutefisk — Our friend Michelle Malkin points out that "It's not just Newsweek." Betsy Newmark: Michelle Malkin has a list that is, I'm sure, not exhaustive of examples that show the media's hostility to the military. |
Who's Gonna Get Whacked? CBS News — Permalink "The Sopranos" creator David Chase tells Bob Simon that the final season's plot is being kept secret, even to the actors. But one thing's for sure: anyone can get whacked. Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. More... EXPERIENCE THIS STORY: What's For Sale? | |
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James Joyner: Michelle Malkin notes the irony that tonight's episode of "60 Minutes" will be headlined by a feature entitled, "Who's Gonna Get Whacked?" Michelle Malkin: Coincidentally enough, the feature story on tonight's show is titled, "Who's gonna get whacked?" More here and at TV Newser. |
Brian Stelter: FLASH: 60 Minutes Wednesday: Cancelled 60minwed.jpgCBS is cancelling "60 Minutes Wednesday." |
Outrage and Silence By / NYT — Permalink It is hard not to notice two contrasting stories that have run side by side during the past week. One is the story about the violent protests in the Muslim world triggered by a report in Newsweek (which the magazine has now retracted) that U.S. interrogators at Guantánamo Bay desecrated a Koran by throwing it into a toilet. | |
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Dale Franks: Cognitive Dissonance — Something odd strikes me about today's column from Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Steve Soto: Friedman's Latest Ostrich Routine — Regarding Tom Friedman's latest column, wherein he once again blames the Muslims... Dr. Steven Taylor: A Stark Juxtaposition — NYT Special Voice, Thomas Friedman, identifies a stark juxtaposition in today's column: Outrage... |
Charles Bird: Time will tell if this is taken to heart. (cross-posted at Redstate.org) Update: Offering a wider perspective, Tom... Pejman Yousefzadeh: That having been said, he is quite right here: [snipped quote] Silence can be damning. Jeff Jarvis: Tom Friedman asks the right question and brings the right perspective to the Newsweek nonstory story: If that could... |
Bill Clinton: Iraq Changes Good for Region By / AP — Permalink COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Former President Clinton said Wednesday the political changes in Iraq, including parliamentary elections in January, will help bring stability to the region. Clinton met with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and a number of Danish lawmakers during his visit. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Newsweek and all other MSM, we are waiting for the printed copy of Clinton's story of his praise of what is transpiring in Iraq. Orrin Judd: Bill Clinton: Iraq Changes Good for Region (JAN M. OLSEN, 5/18/05, Associated Press) [snipped quote] The Clintons are... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: BILL CLINTON: NEOCON — Kudos to the former President for having the courage to say what few in his party dare to say. Jayson @PoliPundit: Um, no. Bill Kristol, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, or the evil Karl Rove????? Nope. William Jefferson Clinton. |
Senate Showdown on Judges and Filibusters Begins to Unfold NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 18 - The Senate opened a long-awaited debate today to decide if the minority can block a president's federal court nominees through filibuster, beginning intense exchanges over the separation of powers, the intricate rules of the Senate and the qualifications of candidates kept off the bench through Democratic procedural tactics. | |
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Lindsay Beyerstein: Obviously, there are very good utilitarian reasons to hope that the filibuster is abolished later rather than sooner. Laura Rozen: There are so many moving targets on the judges battle in Congress and how any and all of them may affect the timing of... |
Jeffrey Dubner: I haven't been able to blog much lately, but I've been following the nuclear option situation pretty closely and today's... Taegan Goddard: The New York Times notes Senate leaders "set a schedule for the debate on Wednesday, with the parties alternating hour by hour, each side tried to marshal its forces. |
Blowing Up an Assumption By / NYT — Permalink MANY Americans are mystified by the recent rise in the number and the audacity of suicide attacks in Iraq. The lull in violence after January's successful elections seemed to suggest that the march of democracy was trampling the threat of terrorism. | |
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Praktike: Suicide bombers — Robert Pape announces his findings on suicide terrorism: The leading instigator of suicide attacks is... Daniel Drezner: Suicide terrorism — it's not just for Islamic extremists — My colleague Robert Pape, author of the soon-to-be-released... |
Brendan Nyhan: Robert Pape on suicide bombing — Dan Drezner's post reminds me to plug Robert Pape's op-ed in today's New York Times. |
Galloway Deplores U.S. Probe of U.N. By / New York Sun — Permalink WASHINGTON - A left-wing member of the British Parliament, George Galloway, named by Senate investigators as having been granted lucrative rights by Saddam Hussein to buy oil under the U.N. oil-for-food program, testified under oath yesterday, declaring, "I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader, and neither has anyone on my behalf." | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Enter Claudia Rosett: "Between subpoenas issued in America and documents and testimony gathered in Baghdad and other... |
K. J. Lopez: RE: GALLOWAY — Here's Claudia Rosett |
Senate Showdown; Amber Alert; Fight for Iraq CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Building the World Trade Center, the Donald's way. Today, Donald Trump unveiled his own plan to rebuild the twin towers, making them stronger and one story taller. | |
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Digby: The right wing responded with their usual alacrity: Update: Transcript "ROTHENBERG: I simply wanted to add, Wolf, that... |
Atrios: One of today's wankers: "ROTHENBERG: I simply wanted to add, Wolf, that if you want to know who to blame ultimately for... |
House Scales Back Color-Coded Alert System By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department would be forced to scale back its color-coded alert system for nationwide terror threats and tailor public warnings to specific, targeted locations under a House bill approved Wednesday. | |
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Echidne: Homeland Security News — A House bill under consideration would change the way the color-coded terror alert system is... |
K. J. Lopez: DE COLORES, AS WE KNOW 'EM — Adios |
The Uzbek Dilemma By / TCS — Permalink It is difficult at this point to know what is really happening in Uzbekistan, but at first glance the scenario would appear to be one with which we are all too familiar from the history of authoritarian governments. | |
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Dale Franks: What to do about Uzbekhistan? Lee Harris has a very thoughtful piece about Uzbekistan in TechCentralStation today. Bunuel Cela: Read him in techcentralstation.com on the need to pose and solve properly the potential contradiction : prodemocracy/ antiterror and you will probably be convinced of that. |
Orrin Judd: IF THE TALIBAN COULD HAVE WON ELECTIONS IT WOULD HAVE HELD THEM: The Uzbek Dilemma (Lee Harris, 05/18/2005, Tech Central... |
U.S. Limiting Chinese Clothing Imports By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration said Wednesday it will impose new limits on imports of clothing from China. The action follows complaints that a surge of Chinese apparel to the United States was hurting U.S. companies. | |
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Jeff A. Taylor: Remember Smoot-Hawley — I'm not saying this is a sure thing, but look for the equity markets to tank tomorrow on news... |
Atrios: Free Trade — Without getting into a debate the broader issues, let's just remark that the modern Republican party... |
Tick, tick, tick: Dan Rather loses another perch at CBS NY Daily News — Permalink CBS said Wednesday it is cancelling the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," insisting the decision was made because of poor ratings and not last fall's ill-fated story about President Bush's military service. "This was a ratings call, not a content call," Moonves said Wednesday. | |
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Dirty Harry: Rather Takes Another Hit 60 Minuted II? Cancelled! What now, Dan? Cable access? |
Jeff Jarvis: Now that's canceled. Is Dan canceled? Nope. He'll contribute to 60 Minutes Sunday. |
Tipped! By / TCS — Permalink A few weeks ago, I suggested that we might have reached a tipping point, after which the influence of Big Media would rapidly decline. "Big deal," you may have thought. "Techno-avant-garde types like Reynolds are always waving their hands and talking about tipping points." | |
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Roger Ailes: Will Michelle Malkin's apology for her false claims be a tipping point for her publisher, Regnery? Barbara O'Brien: Today he writes that we've reached the tipping point that will cause the decline of the "influence" of "big media." Tom @ScaredMonkeys: The Tipping Point — Glenn Reynolds has a very thoughtful article over at Tech Central Station. |
Steve M.: I make it a rule not to link to Glenn Reynolds, but I see that Herr Dr. Dr. Instapundit believes the Newsweek story might be a tipping point. Joe Gandelman: The story is far from over (we still have not seen what, if any corporate fallout there will be) in the case of... TheAnchoress: A thoughtful column from Prof. Reynolds, wherein he picks up on an observation made by David Gergen on Hardball: ... |
| Also: Ed Driscoll, Rex Hammock, Jesse Taylor, Glenn Reynolds, Betsy Newmark | |
Hutchison may face tough choice By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink WASHINGTON - The guessing game over U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's possible run for Texas governor took a new twist Tuesday when a high-ranking Republican colleague said she could get a big promotion if she stayed in the Senate. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Enough to dangle some pretty big carrots in front of her. Taegan Goddard: Hutchison Offered Promotion if She Stays in Senate — The "guessing game" over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX)... |
Byron LaMasters: The Houston Chronicle speculates: [snipped quote] These KBH rumors are getting a bit silly. What's next? |
Fired New York Times editor tells all By / Raw Story — Permalink Former New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines, who resigned in the wake of the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal, has written a 23-page confessional in the month's edition of the Atlantic. Raines, who had a 25-year run with the Times, took the helm Sept. 5, 2001, just six days before Sept. 11. | |
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John Hawkins: The Media Is Brain Dead By Jayson — So, first we had the Jayson Blair scandal over at the New York Times. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: The Media is Brain Dead — So, first we had the Jayson Blair scandal over at the New York Times. |
A Quiet Transformation By / WaPo — Permalink As the United States was struggling with the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, the historian Niall Ferguson published a book arguing that America needed the modern equivalent of the old British Colonial Office to build political stability in far-flung places. | |
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Praktike: Good Ignatius — David Ignatius reads a lot of the same books I do, and today he links Niall Ferguson's Colossus and... Dale Franks: The Colonial Office — Oh, sure, we won't call it The Colonial Office, but that's what it is. |
DJ Drummond: David Ignatius, writing for the Washington Post, tries to compare the present-day United States to the 18th and 19th-century British Empire. Cori Dauber: The Pentagon's New Map — Oh, Chap's going to love this one. |
Senate Talks Continue As Fight on Judges Nears WaPo — Permalink With the Senate poised to open debate on President Bush's appellate court nominees, a bipartisan group of senators carried on furious negotiations yesterday aimed at heading off a constitutional showdown that threatens to poison relations between the two parties and disrupt normal business in Congress. | |
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Lorie Byrd: Nominees Should Rise Or Fall On Their Own Merits — Betsy Newmark makes a great point about a rumored compromise on judicial nominations that would throw Henry Saad overboard. Hugh Hewitt: Judges: The Washington Post is still peddling Harry Reid's version of reality. Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Going Nuclear by hilzoy Tomorrow morning, the Senate is scheduled to begin the debate that could lead to the Republicans invoking the 'nuclear option'. |
Joe Gandelman: LA Times Reminds Us: The Filibuster Is Sleazy — Today is the beginning of NO Day (Nuclear Option Day) and efforts are... Betsy Newmark: They're still working furiously to come up with a compromise to stave off the final showdown on judicial nominations. Taegan Goddard: Filibuster Deal is Close — With Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist pledging to bring up two of President Bush's stalled... |
| Also: Mathew @Centerfield | |
White House Presses Newsweek in Wake of Koran Report By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 17 - The White House pressed Newsweek on Tuesday to go beyond a retraction and "help repair the damage" to the image of the United States in the Muslim world after the magazine mistakenly reported that a Pentagon investigation had found that interrogators at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, tried to flush a Koran down a toilet. | |
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Jim Romenesko: Claim: WH is blaming mag for problems of its own making — New York Times Journalist Marvin Kalb says of the Bush... Tom Maguire: Revenge Of The Press (II) After the calm and patient questioning highlighted by Matt Drudge, Elisabeth Bumiller delivers... |
Suzanne Nossel: More on Newsweek — So now the Administration is calling on Newsweek to undo the "serious consequences" and "lasting damage" of its Koran report. |
The Top 10 filibuster falsehoods Media Matters for America — Permalink With Senate debate on two of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees beginning May 18, the heated rhetoric over the so-called "nuclear option" to ban Senate filibusters on judicial nominations has reached its boiling point. | |
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Steve Soto: And if you want a godd summary of the GOP's 10 biggest lies about the filibuster and the facts to debunk those lies, read this from David Brock's Media Matters for America. |
Echidne: The Top Ten Filibuster Lies — From Media Matters for America. For example: [snipped quote] Read the rest, too. |
Judge Lefkow speaks publicly on loss, security By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON — In her first major public appearance since a disgruntled plaintiff murdered her husband and mother in her Chicago home, U.S. District Court Judge Joan H. Lefkow today called for better protection for judges. | |
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DeDurkheim: From the Chicago Tribune: In citing recent criticisms of federal judges, Lefkow referred to the uproar surrounding Terri... |
ArchPundit: Lefkow Pushes Back — She points out how toxic remarks about the judiciary can be dangerous in the long run... |
'The Riddler' Frank Gorshin Dies at 72 By / AP — Permalink BURBANK, Calif. - Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 faces best known for his Emmy-nominated role as the Riddler on the "Batman" TV series, has died. He was 72. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: 'The Riddler' Frank Gorshin Dies, RIP — Actor Frank Gorshin, best known for his as The Riddler on the old "Batman" television series, has died at the age of 72. |
James Joyner: Frank Gorshin, Batman's Riddler, Dies at 72 'The Riddler' Frank Gorshin Dies at 72 (AP) [snipped quote] It always amuses... |
FBI: Grenade at Bush Rally Was Live AP — Permalink "/ President Bush in this former Soviet republic was capable of exploding. The statement by agent Brian Parmen contradicted initial reports by Georgian officials that the grenade either was not in condition to explode or that it was a so-called "engineering grenade" that wouldn't be fatal except at extremely close range. | |
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TheAnchoress: So that grenade thrown at Bush was live My granny would call that havin' an angel nearby. James Joyner: FBI: Grenade at Bush Rally Was Live — FBI: Grenade at Bush Rally Was Live (AP) [snipped quote] Not good. |
Michelle Malkin: REPORT: GRENADE FOUND AT BUSH RALLY WAS LIVE — AP reports the chilling news: [snipped quote] Hat tip: James Joyner. |
Desecration of Koran Had Been Reported Before By / WaPo — Permalink Newsweek magazine's now-retracted story that a military guard at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet has sparked angry denunciations by the White House and the Pentagon, which have linked the article to Muslim riots and deaths abroad. | |
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Steve M.: Add to that the repeated media reminders that Koran-desecration stories aren't new — see the middle of this New York... TheAnchoress: Better? :-) NG: (a cute but irrelevent remark about Emily Post)…see this story? Desecration of Koran Had Been Reported Before A: Yeah, seen it. Skippy: washpost |
Joe Gandelman: In fact, what we've seen here is journalistic negligence with huge consequences — and it doesn't matter if the... Cori Dauber: There's Mishandling and Then There's Mishandling — The Post tries to argue that the Newsweek story is old news, but the... Tom Maguire: However, frequent commenter "gt" scores a coup with this WaPo story, which buries the lead all the way at the bottom:... |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt | |
A Likely Script for The 'Nuclear Option' WaPo — Permalink The "nuclear option" will have a long fuse. If all goes as planned, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) will rise after several days of debate beginning today over one of President Bush's judicial nominees and call for an end to Democrats' delaying tactics. | |
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Tom Maguire: Hunter at the Daily Kos provides a helpful WaPo Backgrounder and equates filibusters by the majority with filibusters by the minority. Hunter @DailyKos: Understanding the Republican "Nuclear Option" — This Washington Post article is a useful reference point for exploring... Jesse Taylor: The Washington Post has a script for the nuclear option, so let's get to the relevant bit: "SENATOR PALPATINE: Anakin,... |
Captain Ed: As the Washington Post describes it, the script will likely follow this narrative. Taegan Goddard: The Washington Post provides the likely script for implementing the Republican "nuclear otpion." Link | Related News Mathew @Centerfield: The Senate is on the verge of starting the debate, predictions are being made, leadership on both sides has walked away... |
| Also: Jack Balkin, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Times circulation climbs to buck trend By / Washington Times — Permalink The Washington Times celebrated its 23rd anniversary yesterday with cake and champagne served to its employees at a midafternoon assembly, as its executives announced a substantial gain in audited circulation in the face of a national trend of declining U.S. newspaper numbers. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: Yesterday, the Wash Times' staff marked the paper's 23rd anniversary with cake, champagne, and the announcement that it... Jim Romenesko: Additional items for May 18, 2005 > Mink: Crusade to purify public broadcasting is Nixon Redux (St. Louis P-D) > NYT's... |
James Joyner: Times circulation climbs to buck trend (Washington Times) [snipped quote] While part of this growth is explainable by the... |
Villaraigosa Landslide LAT — Permalink Antonio Villaraigosa romped past incumbent James K. Hahn to make history Tuesday, winning election as the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since the city's pioneer days. | |
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Taegan Goddard: L.A. Mayor Defeated in Landslide — "Riding a huge wave of voter discontent," Antonio Villaraigosa "romped past"... Kos @DailyKos: Los Angeles-Mayor: It wasn't even close — Villaraigosa wins. [snipped quote] Strike one for the good guys. |
Ellen Dana Nagler: The LA Times has the details. |
British Lawmaker Lashes Out at Senators By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — British lawmaker George Galloway denounced U.S. senators on their home turf Tuesday, denying accusations that he profited from the U.N. oil-for-food program and accusing them of unfairly tarnishing his name. | |
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Avedon Carol: So, as Henley says: Muttering darkly that "If in fact he lied to this committee, there will have to be consequences," as quoted in the Post report, won't cut it. Jim Henley: Muttering darkly that "If in fact he lied to this committee, there will have to be consequences," as quoted in the Post report, won't cut it. K. J. Lopez: COLEMAN — Yes, yesterday was a terrible day to float Norm Coleman's name into the '08 mix. Galloway day was a mistake. |
Tbogg: Possibly because Coleman got (as my grandmother would have put it) "tore up from the floor up" for his pains. Laura Rozen: I have not followed this story closely but can someone tell me what is the source of Norm Coleman's documents on Galloway? |
Retirement at 70 By / WaPo — Permalink Our Social Security problem is just one aspect of a larger retirement revolution — an upheaval in medicine, life expectancy, work and lifestyles. Since Social Security's creation in 1935, life spans have increased dramatically. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Via Ezra Klein I see that Robert Samuelson, never one to shy away from urging other people to demonstrate "courage" by... Ezra Klein: Robert Samuelson gets his "seriousness" card punched today with a column advocating a raise in the retirement age to 70. |
Scott Elliott: According to Robert J. Samuelson, the greatly increased length of time seniors receive Social Security benefits has doomed it. Stanley Kurtz: THE COMING CRISIS |
Botched Report Puts Newsweek Editor in Front Of the Story By / WaPo — Permalink Mark Whitaker raced from one television studio to the next on Monday, trying to explain Newsweek's biggest blunder in two decades on "Nightline," "NewsHour" and "NBC Nightly News." The man who has run the magazine for more than seven years did not seem happy about it. | |
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Jim Romenesko: > Shy Newsweek editor is forced to go on TV, explain botched report (WP) > Friedman suspects retraction secretly... Cori Dauber: What we want to know is why Whitaker wasn't on television for almost 24 hours, leaving poor schmoe Dan Klaidman hanging... |
Paul Glastris: Guest: Paul Glastris — The Blur of Hindsight... Amidst all the attention being paid to the retracted Newsweek item... |
Editorial: Newsweek/It doesn't deserve the diatribes Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink The White House has gone ballistic over the retracted statement in the May 9 Newsweek that "investigators probing abuses at Guantanamo Bay have confirmed" that "interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, placed Qur'ans on toilets and, in at least one case, flushed a holy book down the toilet." | |
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Skippy: more get it the star tribune sees through the emporer's new journalistic standards: as for this short newsweek item... Captain Ed: The editors at the Strib today raise eyebrows by endorsing "fake but accurate" as a desirable journalistic standard not... Atrios: heh-indeedy — The Strib on Newsweek. |
Steve M.: Oh, and some of the editorials have been positively scathing; see the L.A. Times ("The United States has already been... Jeralyn Merritt: The Star Tribune calls the White House "Nixonian" and tells Newsweek to "resist." |
New York Times v. Janice Rogers Brown By / Village Voice — Permalink Editorials in The New York Times are the plenary voice of that newspaper. Accordingly, editorial writers should be as accountable as the Times' reporters—when the editorial sages ignore the facts in a story and deeply sully someone's reputation. | |
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Robert A George: Anyway, his latest column gives a strong defense of Judge Janice Rogers Brown against The New York Times characterization of her as being "extreme. K. J. Lopez: HENTOFF AND THE JUDGES — The Village Voice columnist defends Janice Rogers Brown and factchecks the New York Times in his latest. |
Mitch Berg: Hentoff On Brown — Nat Hentoff takes on the Times in re Janice Rogers Brown. [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. |
Shoe kick-starts active lifestyle BBC — Permalink It could be the ultimate incentive to get kids exercising - a shoe that controls the amount of TV they watch. The shoe - dubbed Square-eyes - has a unique insole that records the amount of exercise a child does and converts it into television watching time. | |
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Kevin Drum: EARNING YOUR TV TIME....Via Ann Althouse, here's a fascinating free market solution to the problem of child obesity: a new kind of shoe. |
Ann Althouse: Supervising kids with their own shoes. The BBC reports on a new kind of shoe: [snipped quote] Anything wrong with this? |
Heated Efforts in Senate to Avoid Filibuster Clash By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 17 - With a long-awaited confrontation over judicial nominees about to unfold, a cluster of rank-and-file Republican and Democratic senators swapped offers and counteroffers on Tuesday and met jointly with both party leaders in a frantic, but seemingly fruitless, attempt to avert the showdown. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: The New York Times includes a few paragraphs on why this debate will ultimately bleed the Democrats badly: "On Thursday,... |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Via the NYT comes the latest piece on the Judicial Wars: Heated Efforts in Senate to Avoid Filibuster Clash, including... |
Inside Politics By / Washington Times — Permalink Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Saturday that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay "ought to go back to Houston, where he can serve his jail sentence." | |
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Nick Gillespie: From the Wash Times: [snipped quote] Whole thing here (scroll down). |
Michelle Malkin: Background... Coalition for a Fair Judiciary Washington Times' Greg Pierce on a new offer Human Events: Who is Priscilla Owen? |
Metaphysics of a Magazine By / New York Observer — Permalink The invitation—my invitation—to the relaunch party for Radar magazine arrived in the form of Martha Stewart's head, in stiff paper, with a stick to glue it onto. | |
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Jim Romenesko: Radar is "alternately amused and appalled" by celebrity — New York Observer That's what Radar editor Maer Roshan tells... |
Rex Hammock: Most amusingly ironic magazine-related quote of all time: "Radar magazine, editor Maer Roshan said in a phone interview,... |
'Fresh query' over Galloway fund BBC — Permalink UK MP George Galloway could face a new inquiry into the finances of an appeal he set up to help a sick Iraqi girl. The Charity Commission has said it will contact US senators investigating claims Mr Galloway was given credits for Iraqi oil by Saddam Hussein. | |
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Damian Penny: Update: it's even worse than I thought: Galloway's "$1.4 million libel judgment" was actually for 150,000 plus "1.2m in costs". |
Harry @HarrysPlace: Update: The BBC website is now running the story. As is the Evening Standard. And the US news agency Associated Press. |
Tribe snubs prof By / Rocky Mountain News — Permalink Ward Churchill's claim of membership in the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians is fraudulent, according to a scathing statement released by the tribal office. The statement, issued May 9 in the name of the tribal leader, Chief George Wickliffe, and posted on its Web site Tuesday, does not mince words: | |
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Orrin Judd: HANDING HIM HIS SCALP: Tribe snubs prof (Cherokee band says Churchill's claim of membership a fraud (Charlie Brennan,... |
Jonah Goldberg: HEH — [snipped quote] More here. |
Questions over MP's document assertions By / Telegraph — Permalink In the heat of the exchanges between Mr Galloway and the US Senate yesterday, the MP made two questionable assertions. The first came in an exchange over documents found by The Daily Telegraph in the Iraqi foreign ministry in Baghdad two years ago, which... | |
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Scott Burgess: As I have repeatedly pointed out, and as the Telegraph confirms today: "He was wrong to say that they dated from an... |
Harry @HarrysPlace: The Telegraph was the only paper that picked up on Galloway's false claim that the Commission had looked at "every penny... |
Galloway bluster fails to convince Senate Scotsman — Permalink "I have met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him. The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and to give him maps the better to target those guns." - GEORGE GALLOWAY | |
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Jan Haugland: The Scotsman (Galloway is a Scot, though I doubt many of them are eager to admit it) wasn't impressed: GEORGE Galloway... Harry @HarrysPlace: Meanwhile the Scotsman breaks ranks with those papers who have viewed yesterday's events simply in terms of the... Clayton Cramer: From the Scotsman: "Despite a typically barnstorming performance full of bluster and rhetorical flourishes, the former... |
Captain Ed: The Scotsman notes that Galloway appeared evasive and deceitful during direct testimony and never did provide any answer... Paul @PowerLine: UPDATE: Here's an account by The Scotsman of Galloway's performance. Orrin Judd: CAN'T BLUSTER THE BLUSTERERS: Galloway bluster fails to convince Senate (GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN, 5/18/05, The Scotsman)... |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
Invasion of the America Snatchers By / Townhall.com — Permalink Huge chunks of the American population have been body-snatched by zomboid creatures from Canada, or possibly - shudder - Europe. That's the only conclusion one can draw from the latest monumental study from the Pew Center for the People and the Press. | |
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S.Z.: Invasion of the America Snatchers by Jonah Goldberg Jonah got really scared by the remake of Invasion of the Body... |
Betsy Newmark: Jonah Goldberg thinks he sees a parallel to the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In his comparison, liberals have been snatched away by Europeans. |
Owen nomination heads to Senate floor today By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink WASHINGTON - In what promises to be the start of a historic debate, Republicans will bring the appellate court nomination of Texan Priscilla Owen to the Senate floor today in a move aimed at ending Democratic filibusters of President Bush's judicial picks. | |
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Jo Fish: So later today we get to watch the republicans begin to shred 217 years of American History and Senate tradition for a... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Bill Frist has announced he will seek a vote on Priscilla Owne - an extremist whom Texans say wants to rewrite law from the bench. |
Journalists and the Military Opinion Journal — Permalink Newsweek deserves credit for coming clean about its dubious Koran desecration story in an attempt to head off further bloodshed. Already its "Periscope" report last week that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a copy of the holy book down a toilet... | |
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Donald Sensing: Today a lead editorial of the Wall Street Journal makes the point more strongly than I: "We aren't saying that... Ted Belman: Media bias at work — WSJ explains what lead Newsweek to publish the article on the desecration of the Koran "[..]Our... |
Ed Driscoll: The segment we linked to concentrated on the latter; an editorial in today's edition of Taranto's paper looks at the... |
Galloway and the mother of all invective Guardian — Permalink Whatever else you made of him, when it came to delivering sustained barrages of political invective, you had to salute his indefatigability. George Galloway stormed up to Capitol Hill yesterday morning for the confrontation of his career, firing scatter-shot insults at the senators who had accused him of profiting illegally from Iraqi oil sales. | |
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The Farmer: ~ Guardian UK Scott Burgess: My personal favourite, as recounted on page one of the Guardian by Oliver Burkeman: [quote] "Before the hearing began, the MP...[end quote] Clayton Cramer: Even the Guardian, among the most left-wing of British newspapers that don't have naked breasts on page 3, wasn't... |
Max B. Sawicky: MY NAME IS GEORGE, AND I'LL BE RIPPING YOU A NEW ASSHOLE This was great. I wanted to go watch but couldn't get away. Lindsay Beyerstein: Quoth the Respect MP — George Galloway keeps the art of invective alive at the Senate committee hearing: [snipped quote] Crooks and Liars has the video. Gene @HarrysPlace: Harry adds: The Guardian has more on this little episode: "You're a drink-soaked former-Trotskyist popinjay," Mr Galloway informed him. |
| Also: Attaturk, Roger Ailes | |
Galloway v the US Senate: transcript of statement By / Times of London — Permalink "Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader. and neither has anyone on my behalf. I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one - and neither has anyone on my behalf. | |
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Oliver Kamm: George Galloway MP, statement to US senators, 17 May 2005 "Yes, I did support the Soviet Union, and I think the... Mary @PacificViews: Consider this passage: [quote] "But perhaps you were confusing the Daily Telegraph action with the Christian Science Monitor.[end quote] Steve Clemons: And today, George Galloway just tore the smug triumphalism and conceit of Senator Norm Coleman away in one of the great orations of the year. |
Arthur Silber: Words like these are tragically unusual in our time, and what is most striking to me is Galloway's absolute, inviolable... Michael Froomkin: [Probably not: see update 3 below] Update2: A partial transcript. Includes goodies not in the video snippet linked above. Greg Saunders: Earlier in his address, Galloway also threw a couple more pointed barbs at the Bush Administration : "As a matter of... |
| Also: Catastrophile, Roger Ailes | |
Star Wars VI By / Weekly Standard — Permalink THE FINAL Star Wars is, as writer-director George Lucas promised, a tragedy—but it's not the tragedy Lucas thinks it is. Ever since he began making his second set of Star Wars movies a decade ago, Lucas said that Episode III: Revenge of the Sith would be... | |
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La Shawn Barber: Does that make me a Sci-Fi nerd? I can live with that. ;) Addendum: SPOILER ALERT! John Podhoretz hates the new movie. Darth Pod: DARTH VADER IS BLOGGING... ...and let me tell you, he's a whole lot more interesting and amusing than the awful movie. Ed Driscoll: Hopefully The Last Update: John Podhoretz definitely believes that Star Wars ROTS. |
TheAnchoress: John Podhoretz doesn't think much of the new movie, anyway. Don't read him if you don't like spoilers. Dr. Steven Taylor: More Sith Reviews — John Podhoretz, writing for the Weekly Standard was not impressed, starting his piece off with He also regails us with the following: [quote] "Hold me, Anakin!"[end quote] Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . John Podhoretz doesn't like Revenge of the Sith. Click for his take, but be warned that it contains spoilers. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, John Podhoretz | |
Newsweek Retracts Its Article on Koran LAT — Permalink The magazine says it was incorrect in reporting that a U.S. interrogator defiled the holy book. Newsweek on Monday retracted an article that said the U.S. military had confirmed that an interrogator at the Guantanamo Bay prison flushed a copy of the Koran... | |
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Avedon Carol: The media storm — I'm really disgusted with the Newsweek retraction, of course, but this is, after all, the same... Cori Dauber: Insult to Injury — The tone of the LA Times coverage of the retraction is very specific: not only was it White House... Garrett M. Graff: This "unnamed" Newsweek reporter in the LA Times: "A Newsweek journalist familiar with the reporting on the article... |
Jay Rosen: Newsweek's Take-Our-Word-For-It World — It was next-to impossible for us to judge the Periscope item for ourselves;... Patterico: The L.A. Times editors who approved this article evidently agree: [snipped quote] Make a mental note of this example. Kevin Drum: DOG BITES EDITOR....Let's see now.... The Newsweek retraction story is on Page 1 of the New York Times, Page 1 of the LA Times, and Page 3 of the Washington Post. |
| Also: Magpie @PacificViews, Jim Romenesko, Mark R. Levin | |
The Smug Delusion of Base Expectations NRO — Permalink Count me out of the Newsweek feeding frenzy. We're in the grips of a pathology. And it's not media bias. Here's the late-breaking news (you'll want to be sitting down for this): The mainstream media is ideologically liberal and instinctually hostile to George W. Bush, U.S. foreign policy, and the American military. | |
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Charles Bird: Or, as Andrew McCarthy called it, the smug delusion of base expectations: "Here's an actual newsflash — and one, yet... Andrew Cochran: With respect to "Newsweek," Steve cited Andrew McCarthy's column today and added, "I don't think the problem is... Damian Penny: Newsweek is not the villain — Andrew McCarthy - not the Brat Packer, but a former federal prosecutor (ho ho, I bet he never gets tired of that one) - gets it exactly right. |
Charles Johnson: The Smug Delusion of Base Expectations — Here are two pieces that point out the essential absurdity of mainstream... Hugh Hewitt: UPDATE: Bill Kristol has his take up at WeeklyStandard.com. Andy McCarthy has his at NationalReview.com. |
Newsweek Retracts Guantanamo Story By / WaPo — Permalink Newsweek issued a formal retraction yesterday of the flawed story that sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan and other countries, after the magazine came under increasingly sharp criticism from White House, State Department and Pentagon officials. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: There was, however, this odd juxtaposition: The Post's nearly-full page A3 coverage today was bylined by, as usual,... Hugh Hewitt: Will the Washington Post Company, Newsweek's owner, suffer similar fallout as those examples listed above? Probably not. Jim Romenesko: > Isikoff: We blame ourselves for not understanding ramifications (NYT) > Zelnick would have "reservations" about... |
Cori Dauber: Update: Editor Whitaker tells Howard Kurtz the same thing, that they issued the second statement, the explicit... RCox: Since the Washington Post owns Newsweek, it seems likely that Howard Kurtz did see the official statement but he isn't... Patterico: Exhibit 1 is from today's Washington Post: Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said he thought the magazine had already... |
News Transcript DefenseLINK — Permalink SEC. RUMSFELD: Good afternoon. In 1961, President Kennedy took office and found a U.S. defense establishment that was still largely arranged to re-fight World War II. He ordered an extensive consolidation of bases to meet the challenges of the Cold War that was then flaring into a somewhat dangerous phase. | |
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Tom Maguire: In his press briefing last May 12 (transcript), Gen. Myers said this: [snipped quote] Emphasis added. Steve Soto: Really? That's not what the Pentagon actually said last week Scott, on May 10th: "Q: Different issue. Jeralyn Merritt: It was just last Thursday, at a military briefing, that General Richard Myers said the protests and deaths had more to... |
LeanLeft: PBS, Newsweek, and the Right's War on the Press — Filed under: Politics Media — Kevin First, it is important to... Julian Sanchez: Olberman also points to this briefing: "GEN. MYERS: It's the — it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General... |
Funding for impotence drugs riles lawmakers By / Washington Times — Permalink The federal government will spend nearly $2 billion in the next decade on male impotence drugs under its Medicare program, according to a new cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that is fueling some lawmakers' efforts to end that spending. | |
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John Hawkins: However, in terms of ridiculous things our tax dollars may be spent on, there's going to be a new contender for the top... Arianna Huffington: The Times' look at the Big O comes on the same day as a report that over the next decade the federal government, through... Joe Gandelman: When 'Government' REALLY Means 'Enlargement' — Here's another example of government trying to straighten its citizens... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Until the political brain surgeons decided to include impotence drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to the covered list of drugs to the Medicare drug coverage program. Christy @ThinkProgress: The latest: According to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government is planning to spend almost $2 billion in the next decade on male impotence drugs. Cookie Jill: the moonie times" and yet they are all up in arms about giving money for women to prevent pregnancies.... probably caused by those 4 hour erections. |
Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism By / Washington Times — Permalink Pat Buchanan speaks of American conservatism in the past tense. "The conservative movement has passed into history," says the one-time White House aide, three-time presidential candidate, commentator and magazine publisher. | |
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R. J. Pestritto: As wrong as Buchanan's general view of the world is, and as wrong as his own view of immigrants is, it is hard to argue... Michael J. Totten: Buchanan: Conservatism is Dead — Pat Buchanan says American conservatism is dead. Ken Masugi: Pat Buchanan on the End of Conservatism — Pat Buchanan has served the conservative cause well—in earlier days. |
Jack Cluth: It may be dead, but it's offspring is doing even more damage — Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism "The conservative movement has passed into history. James Joyner: Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism (Washington Times) [snipped quote] While I often disagree with Buchanan's vision,... John Podhoretz: Posted at 11:50 AM PAT PILES ON [John Derbyshire] Excellent we-are-doomed-doomed talk from Pat Buchanan here. |
| Also: Zoe Kentucky, Steve Dillard, Taegan Goddard | |
Newsweek Retraction Has Hollow Ring for Some Pakistanis WaPo — Permalink KARACHI, Pakistan, May 17 — Politicians and religious leaders expressed skepticism Tuesday about Newsweek magazine's retraction of a report on the alleged desecration of the Koran in a U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said the move would do little to defuse Muslim anger. | |
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David Adesnik: For example, a front-pager from this morning reported that: "The report last week that U.S. military interrogators had... Lambert @Corrente: Newsweak: Sure looks like ratf**king to me! Here's an odd little detail: [snipped quote] So, WaPo publishes. Then the outrage. |
Cori Dauber: Isn't It Ironic — The Post makes a stunning point about why the Newsweek story made such a splash: Mosques and Islamic... |
The Secret Way to War By / New York Review of Books — Permalink It was October 16, 2002, and the United States Congress had just voted to authorize the President to go to war against Iraq. When George W. Bush came before members of his Cabinet and Congress gathered in the East Room of the White House and addressed the... | |
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Lambert @Corrente: We'll get around to that. Mark Danner's essay on The Downing Street memo (back) is terrific. Kevin Drum: We can hope, can't we? Mark Danner writes about the memo in the New York Review of Books this week. |
Avedon Carol: And, there's a big piece about it The New York Review of Books dated 9 June. And, of course, read everything that Digby says. |
These Five Senators Know Better Than to Go Nuclear. Don't They? By / American Enterprise Institute — Permalink The fate of the Senate now rests in the hands of a handful of Republicans who have been great figures of the Senate, custodians of its traditions and its essence. They will soon come to a crossroads on the "nuclear" option and the filibuster. | |
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Brendan Nyhan: The nuclear option is worse than I realized — Via Andrew Sullivan and Tapped, here's Norm Ornstein (PhD in political... Hunter @DailyKos: Via TAPPED, this May 4th column by the AEI's Norman Ornstein is remarkably good in laying out what, precisely, makes the "nuclear option" so nuclear. |
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Here's what Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute has to say about it: [snipped quote] I agree with Ornstein completely. Sam Rosenfeld: To add to what Matt said yesterday about conservative commentators' seeming inability to grasp the notion that Senate... |
Senate Defies Bush, Approves Highway Bill By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican-controlled Senate brushed aside a presidential veto threat Tuesday and passed a $295 billion highway bill, arguing that massive spending on bigger and better roads was necessary to fight congestion and unsafe roadways. | |
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New Donkey: Today's lopsided Senate passage of a $295 billion highway bill will provide a nice test for Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Pejman Yousefzadeh: Veto with verve. Veto with panache. Veto with 'tude. But above all else, veto. This is ridiculous beyond measure. |
Acidman: i'll believe it when i see it — George W. Bush is FINALLY threatening to veto a bloated spending bill, which will be a first for his presidency if he actually does it. |
Analysis: Cause and effect -- another look at Newsweek By / UPI — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) — An errant Newsweek item about a desecrated Koran at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba that sparked deadly riots in the Muslim world may not be entirely to blame for the violence. | |
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Cori Dauber: Here's Why We Love Pam Hess — I've linked to the work of the UPI's Pentagon correspondent before, and here (via Instapundit) is her analysis of the Newsweek situation. |
Glenn Reynolds: MORE ON NEWSWEEK: The UPI's Pamela Hess says that Newsweek blew it, but that the Bush Administration needs better PR efforts. |
Galloway takes on US oil accusers BBC — Permalink British MP George Galloway has told US senators who accused him of profiting from Iraq oil dealings their claims were the "mother of all smokescreens". In a combative performance before a Senate committee, the Respect Coalition MP accused the US lawmakers of being "cavalier" with justice. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The BBC reports: [quote] British MP George Galloway has told US senators who accused him of profiting from Iraq oil dealings their claims were the "mother of all smokescreens".[end quote] Oliver Kamm: BBC spins again — The BBC 'reports': "Earlier this month, Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour Party for his... |
Steve Soto: Instead, Galloway came and blasted both Republicans and Democrats alike for their support for the war, their "cavalier"... |
U.S. Detains Cuban Linked to 1976 Bombing By / AP — Permalink "/ Fidel Castro's government of masterminding a 1976 airliner bombing that killed 73 people. He had been seeking asylum in the United States. "/ CIA operative and Venezuelan security official, was taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities, the Homeland Security Department said in a statement. | |
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Robert Tagorda: The Department of Homeland Security would hate to give the impression of acquiescence, as the Associated Press notes:... |
SK Bubba: International diplomacy at work — Castro demands. Bush complies. |
Harvard Will Spend $50 Million to Make Faculty More Diverse By / NYT — Permalink Lawrence H. Summers, the embattled president of Harvard University, announced yesterday that the university would spend at least $50 million over the next decade to recruit, support and promote women and members of underrepresented minority groups on its faculty. | |
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James Joyner: Harvard to spend $50 million on diversity (Reuters) [snipped quote] See NYT story, too. Dr. Steven Taylor: Harvard to Spend for Diversity — Via the NYT: Harvard Will Spend $50 Million to Make Faculty More Diverse "Lawrence H... |
Tom Maguire: $50 Million For Diversity And All I Got... The Harvard press office does a great job, getting this headline in the... Orin Kerr: Harvard To Focus on Faculty Diversity: The New York Times reports: "Lawrence H. Summers, the embattled president of... |
The Memo That Won't Quit By / WaPo — Permalink Some two weeks after it was first leaked in London, a British memo about the run-up to war in Iraq is finally generating a serious amount of attention from the American media. | |
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Avedon Carol: Too right. Still, Kevin says Froomkin reckons the Downing Street memo is a UXB that may still provide some fireworks. |
Kevin Drum: Still, maybe there's some good news in all this: Dan Froomkin opines today that the British memo might be "less a dud than a bomb with a long, slow fuse." |
A Critic Takes On the Logic of Female Orgasm By / NYT — Permalink Evolutionary scientists have never had difficulty explaining the male orgasm, closely tied as it is to reproduction. But the Darwinian logic behind the female orgasm has remained elusive. | |
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Tbogg: Mrs. Darwin faked it — I hope it's not too late for the ID proponents in Kansas to add this to their arguments on why... Chris Lawrence: It's all about the O — The New York Times today attempts to get to the bottom of the question of the evolutionary... Ed Cone: Dr. Alcock on female orgasm "'The female orgasm,' she said, 'is for fun.'" NYT article on evolutionary purposes (maybe none) of female orgasm. |
Tom Maguire: And while we wait, let's note that today's Times is fountain of news on the intersection of evolution and sexuality, with the tip that the female orgasm is for fun. Jan Haugland: The female orgasm? I think we can now safely conclude that Dr. Elisabeth A. Lloyd has a miserable sex life. Orrin Judd: DUDE, YOU'RE HARSHING ON MY JUST-SO'S: A Critic Takes On the Logic of Female Orgasm (DINITIA SMITH, 5/17/05, NY Times)... |
| Also: Zoe Kentucky, Glenn Reynolds | |
Showdown looms on Capitol Hill as Galloway talks tough By / Times of London — Permalink A BRITISH MP will make an unprecedented appearance on Capitol Hill this morning to confront a panel of US senators who have accused him of being in the pay of Saddam Hussein. | |
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Charles Johnson: Galloway Rants for Senate — Today, pro-terrorist antisemitic MP George Galloway will confront the "Christian... Barbara O'Brien: The Times of London reports today, "Last week the seven Republicans and six Democrats on the Senate permanent... |
Scott Burgess: It's quite conceivable that Mr. Galloway expects the panel to be a bunch of virtually illiterate Bible-thumpers that he... |
'Good Morning America' Gains on 'Today' NYT — Permalink The "Today" show's lead over "Good Morning America" dwindled to perhaps 70,000 viewers last week, according to early estimates provided yesterday to NBC and ABC by Nielsen Media Research. | |
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Joe Gandelman: NBC's Today's Rating Lead May Vanish Tomorrow As ABC's Good Morning America Gains Fast — America's love-affair with... Jim Romenesko: Additional items for May 17, 2005 > Lehrer will raise "unshirted hell" if CPB goes after "NewsHour" (Inq) > Sun brief... |
Brian Stelter: Morning Show Wars: The Tightening Gap — "The Today show's lead over Good Morning America dwindled to perhaps 70,000... Cori Dauber: Perhaps the "News" Should Try Mentioning the News — Today Show ratings continue to tank. |
Fox Says Comments Were Misinterpreted By / AP — Permalink "/ Vicente Fox's office on Tuesday insisted his comments that Mexicans work jobs blacks don't want in the United States were misinterpreted, a day after he told leaders in the U.S. black community that he regretted "any hurt feelings." | |
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Chris Lawrence: Vicente Fox retracts anti-black comments — Steven Taylor links a story that says Fox blames the furor over his recent... |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Lost in Translation? Via the AP: Fox Says Comments Were Misinterpreted . Hmm. |
Stronach crosses floor to join Liberal cabinet By / Globe and Mail — Permalink In an explosive development leading up to Thursday's dramatic budget vote, Conservative MP Belinda Stronach has crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party as the new Human Resources Development Minister. | |
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Damian Penny: Damned if the Liberals might not pull this off. Update: a bombshell: Stroncach has crossed the floor. Rickheller @Centerfield: Canadian Flip — Something unusual has happened in Canada—a moderate Conservative politician who ran for party leadership has crossed the aisle to join the Liberals. |
Matthew Yglesias: But today comes the news that moderate Tory Belinda Stronach has had enough with the new, more rightwing Conservative Party and will be jumping ship to join the Liberal cabinet. |
Former GOP official says grand jury included Democrats By / AP — Permalink CONCORD, N.H. —A former Republican official charged with helping orchestrate political dirty tricks wants to know whether prospective jurors at his trial consider themselves aggressive or laid back, naive or perceptive. | |
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Echidne: Very Silly — This story is: [snipped quote] It's so silly that it might as well be the banner of our era. |
Josh Marshall: Tobin now says, in motions filed with the court, that his indictment in the case should be thrown out because the grand jury that indicted him included Democrats. |
British lawmaker blasts U.S. on Iraq allegations AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - British lawmaker George Galloway vehemently rejected a Senate subcommittee's claim that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative allocations under the U.N. oil-for-food program and accused its chairman of maligning his good name. | |
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Steve Soto: You might be able to see the testimony through this MSNBC video link. |
Jeff Goldstein: Galloway blasts U.S. on Iraq allegations — From the AP: [snipped quote] Reached for comment, the newly democratic... |
Galloway attacks Senate for 'mother of all smokescreens' By / Times of London — Permalink George Galloway, the Respect MP, attacked a US Senate committee today for its "schoolboy errors" over claims that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative contracts under the UN Oil-for-Food programme. | |
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Steve Soto: British MP George Galloway, today British Member of Parliament George Galloway came to Washington today and... |
Cookie Jill: old blighty...home to curiously strong mints and men with curiously strong words the brits have a way of ripping senators a new one and sounding so genteel. |
Harvard to spend $50 million on diversity Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Harvard University President Lawrence Summers, under fire for comments on women in the sciences, said the school would spend $50 million over 10 years to promote diversity on its faculty and reform the way women in science and engineering are treated. | |
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Michelle Malkin: BOWING TO HARVARD'S P.C. GODS — Harvard U.'s Larry Summers pays penance for his politically incorrect remarks about... |
K. J. Lopez: HARVARD FINE — Larry Summers earmarks $50 million for diversity promotion. |