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GOP senator compares Democrats to Hitler By / Raw Story — Permalink Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) compared Democrats' attempts to keep the filibuster to Hitler's moves in 1942 in a floor speech in the Senate Thursday afternoon, RAW STORY has learned. The following is a transcript of the particular section of the senator's floor speech, from the closed-captioned text taken by the Senate. | |
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Jeffrey Dubner: Anybody want to bet against absolutely nothing? UPDATE: Full text here and video here. Also, a minor point: We didn't bomb Paris in 1942. Taegan Goddard: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), quoted on the Senate floor by Raw Story (see video). Judd @ThinkProgress: A few minutes ago, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) went on to the Senate floor and compared those who opposed the nuclear option to Hitler. |
Atrios: Now we have the junior Senator from Pennsylvania comparing the entire Senate Dem caucus to Adolf Hitler. Jeralyn Merritt: Via Raw Story and Armando at Daily Kos - and of course, Crooks and Liars has the video: [quote] Said Santorum: "What the...[end quote] |
Say Good Night, Obi-Wan Slate — Permalink Bryan: Yo, Chris. We're here tonight because we've just emerged from the midnight screening of Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Also—and this may be slightly redundant—because we're big, fat Star Wars nerds. I mean, big. You, 30 years old. Me, 27. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: I like this from Chris Suellentrop: "What's great about Star Wars—and one of the reasons I think it has greater... Tyler Cowen: 3. Obi-Wan told Luke scores of lies, including the big whopper that his dad was dead. 4. The Jedi can't even keep us safe. Pejman Yousefzadeh: STAR WARS NERDS — I have to party with these people. UPDATE: I guess that Tyler Cowen is coming to the party as well. |
Gary Farber: NERD HEAVEN? "We're all nerds now" claims Adam Sternbergh in this New York piece. I don't think so. Nick Gillespie: For White Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Ewoks on Endor Ain't Enuff — This sort of thing is surely one of... |
Why Islam is disrespected By / Boston Globe — Permalink IT WAS front-page news this week when Newsweek retracted a report claiming that a US interrogator in Guantanamo had flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet. Everywhere it was noted that Newsweek's story had sparked widespread Muslim rioting, in which at least 17 people were killed. | |
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Dale Franks: Outrage, or the lack of it — Jeff Jacoby is outraged! Outraged, I tell you! "The Muslim riots should have been met by outrage and condemnation. La Shawn Barber: The person's spiritual condition is infinitely more important. Update: Read Why Islam is disrepected. James Joyner: Why Islam is disrespected (Boston Globe) [snipped quote] Sadly, no. Now, granted, Christians and Jews have certainly commited plenty of violence in the name of their religions. |
Glenn Reynolds: Still, with David Brooks, Jeff Jacoby and Tom Friedman all on the same page here, perhaps the press will begin to... Brian Keegan: Perhaps surprisingly to some, Jeff Jacoby strikes it right in Why Islam is Disrespected: [snipped quote] Jacoby's views don't surprise me. John Cole: What He Said — Pretty much: [snipped quote] Isikoff may have been careless, but he is not the problem. (via OTB and Instapundit) |
| Also: Marc @USSNeverdock, Orrin Judd | |
Prosecutor in probe of DeLay PAC raises funds for other side By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who denies partisan motives for his investigation of a political group founded by Republican leader Tom DeLay, was the featured speaker last week at a Democratic fund-raiser where he spoke directly about the congressman. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Ronnie Earle speaks, and other DeLay news — I'm not going to claim it was a smart idea for Ronnie Earle to give a speech at a fundraiser for a brand-new Democratic PAC. Glenn Smith: Michael Hedges of the Houston Chronicle wrote today that Ronnie Earle opened himself to criticism for delivering an... Pejman Yousefzadeh: But maybe get another prosecutor: [snipped quote] Once again, I repeat: If Tom DeLay did something wrong, then feel free to go get him. |
Captain Ed: Perhaps it helps when the Democrats have their own in-house district attorney with apparently no concern over any appearance of conflict of interest. Tom Maguire: Activate The "Auto-Discredit" Function — Via Matt Drudge, we get this laugher out of Texas: "Prosecutor in probe of... Orrin Judd: WHAT NONPARTISAN MEANS TO DEMOCRATS: Prosecutor in probe of DeLay PAC raises funds for other side: Earle's speech on... |
Guild Chief Under Fire for Comments About Attacks on Journalists in Iraq By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Linda Foley, national president of The Newspaper Guild, drew strong criticism today from some conservative groups for comments she made last Friday about the killing of journalists in Iraq. | |
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La Shawn Barber: Bloggers: Andi's World, Donald Sensing, Wizbang, InTheBullpen, Euphoric Reality, The Blue State Conservatives, The Word... John Cole: Oliver forwards me this, claiming I am part of a pile-on: "Foley told E&P Thursday that her words were taken out of... |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Update: Editor and Publisher has a rebuttal, a lame one, but still a rebuttal from Linda Foley. |
Latest 'Star Wars' Movie Is Quickly Politicized By / NYT — Permalink LOS ANGELES, May 18 - For sheer lack of subtlety, the light-saber-wielding forces of good and evil in George Lucas's "Star Wars" movies can't hold a candle to the blogging, advertising and boycotting forces of the right and left. (Or left and right.) | |
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Stanley Kurtz: Now check out this nonsensical assertion from today's New York Times: "As a rule, Hollywood studios go to great lengths... Armando @DailyKos: I haven't seen the movie and don't know anything about it, but this is quite the headline - Latest 'Star Wars' Movie... Robert Schlesinger: Robert Schlesinger: Sith Wars: Episode Deux — I was wrong about the scope of the war over Star Wars. |
Matthew Yglesias: With Me Or Against Me — Hm: [snipped quote] Okay, but it's not like Bush thought this up all on his own. John Cole: Cease and Desist — Everyone stop politicizing this damned movie. Now. Stop it. Kos @DailyKos: Idiocy at the NY Times — Groan. David Halbfinger, film writer for the NY Times: [snipped quote] Why don't they put this tripe behind the pay wall? |
Bashing Newsweek By / NYT — Permalink Maybe it won't be so bad being cut off from the blogosphere. I look around the Web these days and find that Newsweek's retracted atrocity story has sent everybody into cloud-cuckoo-land. | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: David Brooks in the NYT notes the two trends that have emerged in reaction to the story: Countless conservatives say the... Daniel Drezner: In today's New York Times, David Brooks is right to point out the blogosphere's misplaced foci, and suggests that... RCox: MSM Circles Wagons Around Newsweek — David Brooks looks forward to the coming decline in his influence joins the... |
Richard TPD: Newsweek, the Koran and a voice of reason — Strange, that at a time when the right wing has gone into over-drive... Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . David Brooks seems to think that those angry about the Newsweek screwup have forgotten who the real enemy is. Medium Lobster: Stop Newsweek... Before It Kills Again! Newsweek must be destroyed - for the sake of national security! |
| Also: Roger L. Simon, John Cole, Glenn Reynolds, Jesse Taylor, Jeff Jarvis, Steve M., Jim Romenesko, Orin Kerr, Rickheller @Centerfield, Attaturk | |
Report: Muslim World Largely Anti-American By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK — Anti-American feelings are widespread in the Muslim world and extend to U.S. consumer brands, according to a report released Wednesday. It suggested the U.S. burnish its image with a change in tone and by publicizing aid programs. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Shouldn't they already understand and know that a majority of the Muslim World is anti-American? Charles Johnson: I hope you're sitting down, because the Associated Press and the Council on Foreign Relations have a disturbing revelation for us: Report: Muslim World Largely Anti-American. Mark Krikorian: THE SKY IS BLUE ... ...the Pope is Catholic, and "the Muslim world is largely anti-American." |
Praktike: Oy Jeff Littlejohn points to an AP article about this CFR-sponsored study of attitudes toward the US in several Muslim countries. Cookie Jill: sometimes you really should read the polls, commander cookoo bananas and if you were such a business dude, wouldn't you... |
Generals Offer a Sober Outlook on Iraqi War NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 19 - American military commanders in Baghdad and Washington gave a sobering new assessment on Wednesday of the war in Iraq, adding to the mood of anxiety that prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to come to Baghdad last weekend to consult with the new government. | |
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Arianna Huffington: The major story that everyone should be talking about has the byline of John Burns and Eric Schmitt and is published in today's New York Times. Armando @DailyKos: Iraq Debacle — The NYTimes reports today that which is obvious to any who are willing to see: "American military... |
Matthew Yglesias: But in light of the renewed skepticism from the officers' corps here in the United States about the military situation... Guest @ThinkProgress: Today in the New York Times, American commanders provide a reality-based perspective on Iraq: [snipped quote] - Max Bergmann |
South Koreans Streamline Cloning of Human Embryos By / NYT — Permalink In what scientists say is a stunning leap forward, a team of South Korean researchers has developed a highly efficient recipe for producing human embryos by cloning and then extracting their stem cells. | |
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Tom Maguire: And in South Korea, this sounds like breakthrough stuff in therapeutic stem-cell cloning. K. J. Lopez: I'M DEPRESSED, NYTIMES IS ETHUSED "In what scientists say is a stunning leap forward, a team of South Korean... |
Armando @DailyKos: South Korea Makes Significant Advance in Stem Cell Research — Apparently, while Bush fiddles with Dobson and the... |
When Richer Weds Poorer, Money Isn't the Only Difference By / NYT — Permalink NORTHFIELD, Mass. - When Dan Croteau met Cate Woolner six years ago, he was selling cars at the Keene, N.H. , Mitsubishi lot and she was pretending to be a customer, test driving a black Montero while she and her 11-year-old son, Jonah, waited for their car to be serviced. | |
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Amanda Marcotte: Today's installment is an examination of the stress on what you might call cross-class marriages. (Via Feministe's brand-new blogger Jill!) Amanda Butler: The series has continued with a comparison of health care and health habits that focuses on three... |
Ogged @Unfogged: Distinctions — This is a pretty good article by the Times about a "cross-class" marriage, but I think they miss an... |
POMP AND POLITICS IN GRAND RAPIDS: Bush visit brings controversy By / Detroit Free Press — Permalink Calvin College may be predominantly Republican, but a visit from President George W. Bush on Saturday is stirring up some discontent among students, faculty and alumni. | |
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Tim Dunlop: "Profoundly Academic Purposeful Renewal Spirited Community Promising Futures Remarkable Investment" George Bush, also... David Bernstein: Says history professor Dale Van Kley, a 28 year veteran of Calvin College now teaching at Ohio State, "I can see that... |
John Cole: Bad Christians — Clearly, these people are going to hell: "Calvin College may be predominantly Republican, but a visit... |
NBC Airs New Quran Desecration Rumors NewsMax.com — Permalink NBC's "Today" show aired unsubstantiated claims on Tuesday that U.S. troops had desecrated the Quran on at least two occasions, in a report that echoed a now retracted Newsweek story that has inflamed the Muslim world and led to deadly riots. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: According to Newsmax, ">NBC's "Today" show aired unsubstantiated claims on Tuesday that U.S. troops had desecrated the... Ace: Won't Back Down: NBC Airs New Unsubstantiated Koran-Desecration Rumors — Circle the wagons, boys. |
Brian Stelter: "NBC's 'Today' show aired unsubstantiated claims on Tuesday that U.S. troops had desecrated the Quran on at least two occasions," NewsMax hypes. |
Christopher Hitchens: Just what we need - a Baathist fused with a sectarian Muslim Independent — Permalink It's always impressive to see someone perform who is unembarrassable. George Galloway's testimony was disgraceful, but - in a way that some disgraceful and shameless performers are - it was impressive. | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: Harry adds: Christopher Hitchens in a pay-per-view (as if we do) piece in the Independent: But he looks so much like... Pejman Yousefzadeh: HITCHENS ON GALLOWAY — I can't access the full article, but the best paragraph may well be quoted here. |
Praktike: Hitchen's riposte to Galloway — Those Brits sure are amusing: [H]e looks so much like what he is: a thug and a... Oliver Kamm: Hitchens on Galloway — Christopher Hitchens gets the measure of George Galloway in today's Independent (link requires fee): [snipped quote] Uncanny. |
The Age of Therapeutic Cloning Dawns By / TCS — Permalink "Humankind has now embarked into the 'Age of Therapeutic Cloning.' This is a scientific revolution of the first rank," asserts Bernard Siegel, executive director of pro-embryonic stem cell research Genetics Policy Institute in a press release. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: RON BAILEY looks at some promising new Korean research and says we've entered the age of therapeutic cloning. Sounds good to me. |
Julian Sanchez: Reason Writers Around Town — Ron Bailey, for one, welcomes our new Korean clone overlords over at TechCentralStation. |
Parties court blacks in filibuster fight By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans and Democrats injected racial politics into the struggle over President Bush's judicial nominees and the Senate's filibuster rules on Thursday, underscoring partisan differences while centrists of both parties pursued an elusive compromise. | |
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John Cole: If you haven't, here they are again in all their glory: [quote] "It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942.'' He said...[end quote] |
Orrin Judd: A SIMPLE CIVICS TEST: Parties court blacks in filibuster fight (DAVID ESPO, May 19, 2005, AP) [snipped quote] Okay,... |
Red Cross raised Koran disrespect concerns By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Red Cross told the Pentagon as early as 2002 detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison had reported U.S. officials mishandled the Koran, Red Cross and Pentagon officials said on Thursday. | |
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David Corn: And Reuters noted: The International Red Cross told the Pentagon as early as 2002 detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison had... |
Tom Tomorrow: Tom Tomorrow: It must be tough to be a right wing blogger Every time you get your story straight, somebody comes along and screws up the narrative. |
Netflix Takes Over Wal-Mart DVD Rentals AP — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is turning over its online DVD rental business to Netflix Inc., signaling that the world's largest retailer couldn't beat the Internet upstart at its own game. | |
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James Joyner: Netflix Takes Over Wal-Mart DVD Rentals — Netflix Takes Over Wal-Mart DVD Rentals - New York Times (AP) [snipped quote] Quite amazing, really. Tom Biro: Netflix takes on Wal-Mart's DVD rental business — In big news of the day, Wal-Mart's online DVD rental business has been taken over by Netflix, the Associated Press is reporting. |
Tarek @LiquidList: And, oh yeah, it just beat Walmart. There aren't many folks who can say that. Nobody beats Walmart, most of the time. |
CBS MOONVES: 'GHOSTS SKEW BETTER THAN GOD' Drudge Report — Permalink CBS head Leslie Moonves declared this week: "I think talking to ghosts will skew younger than talking to God." Moonves made the starling comments during a breakfast with reporters where he announced his new fall schedule. | |
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Tbogg: Alert the off-handed comment police — More outrage (see below) XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU MAY 19, 2005 14:22:05 ET... |
Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: Yep — Drudge has the story. |
American optimism stuns pollsters By / Washington Times — Permalink The American spirit is alive and well: A landmark study released yesterday from a New Jersey medical school finds that the majority of us are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future, even if catastrophe looms on the horizon. | |
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Jan Haugland: A poll found that most Americans are very optimistic about the future: A sampling: 82 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24... Betsy Newmark: Jennifer Harper reports on a poll that was recently done about Americans' optimism about their futures. |
McQ: America's unbounded optimism — Some intereresting results to a recent survey: "82 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24... TheAnchoress: Americans feel good. Pollsters stunned Wait a minute!!! This can't be right! Americans are "optimistic" about things? |
Fight on Judges and Filibusters Continues in Senate By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 19 - The Senate today renewed its intense partisan struggle over the fate of stalled federal court nominees and the governance of the institution itself as the two parties locked in a debate over the right of the minority to prevent votes on a president's judicial candidates. | |
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Jon Henke: No Principle, only Power — This will end badly... "The Senate today renewed its intense partisan struggle over the fate... |
Ann Althouse: Yes, I'm following the filibuster fuss. The arguments have all been spelled out already, however, and all that's left is to wait and see how the standoff resolves. |
History's Higher Ground By / WaPo — Permalink When Yale awarded President John F. Kennedy an honorary degree, he said he had the ideal combination — a Yale degree and a Harvard education. Today he might rethink that, given the Harvard faculty's tantrum that caused President Lawrence Summers's cringing crawl away from his suggestion of possible gender differences of cognition. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Ah, George Will, taking to the pages of a major newspaper op-ed page to cast random allegations in the time-honored dispute of Harvard versus Yale. Ramesh Ponnuru: RARELY HAVE I SEEN a less persuasive George Will column. How does he propose to get from "was" to "ought"? |
Digby: Try Again — I appreciate George Will's ongoing attempt to distance himself from the Theocratic freak show, I really do. |
Reid: Bush, GOP Seek to Reinvent Reality By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Republicans and Democrats injected racial politics into the struggle over President Bush's judicial nominees and the Senate's filibuster rules on Thursday, underscoring partisan differences while compromise-minded senators from both parties pursued an elusive agreement. | |
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John @PowerLine: Here's another one, which, as of this writing, has not been corrected: the Associated Press, in an article titled "Reid:... |
Steve Soto: Latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll Spells Trouble For GOP Congress Next Year (Thanks to Snarky Shark for the tip)... |
Dean vs. Russert: It'll be a scream By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink After Howard Dean last weekend declared Tom DeLay ought to be in jail, a longtime Democratic operative told me the party's national chairman had momentarily ripped off his muzzle but that it soon would be restored. My source erred, however, in believing that Dean ever had been muzzled. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Dean on Russert: Will be Muzzled or will it be Scream II — DeanRobert Novak Sun Times article today discusses Howard Dean's upcoming appearance on Meet the Press. Orrin Judd: MEETING OF THE MINDS: Dean vs. Russert: It'll be a scream (ROBERT NOVAK, May 19, 2005, Chicago SUN-TIMES) |
Taegan Goddard: Dean vs. Russert — Since being elected DNC Chairman last February, Howard Dean "has studiously avoided most national television exposure," Robert Novak writes. |
Abramoff, Tribes' Cash Spread Widely in U.S. Congress (Update2) Bloomberg — Permalink May 19 (Bloomberg) — Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of ethics questions involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, joined with his partner and Indian tribal clients to give money to a third of the members of the U.S. Congress, records show. | |
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Vance @BeggingToDiffer: THE JACK ABRAMOFF TOP 10 — According to this Bloomberg News research, the following politicians are the top ten... |
Matt Singer: The survey is not good for Montana's Junior Senator: [snipped quote] Burns doesn't know why he received more than twice as much money from these interests as any other US Senator? |
US held direct meeting with N. Korea: White House Reuters — Permalink MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Reuters) - U.S. and North Korean officials held direct talks last Friday and the American side used the session to urge North Korea to return to six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program, the White House said on Thursday. | |
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Praktike: I blame John Kerry — So manly: MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Reuters) - U.S. and North Korean officials held direct talks last... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Since I have discussed a number of times my displeasure with the idea that there should be bilateral conversations... |
Unanswered questions about Newsweek's false story By / Townhall.com — Permalink Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff says no one "foresaw that a reference to the desecration of the Koran was going to create the kind of response that it did." Newsweek assistant managing editor Evan Thomas says Muslim reaction "came as something of a surprise" to the magazine's editors. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: More Unanswered questions about Newsweek's false story — Marvin Olasky from Town Hall has some great questions for Newsweek that still need to be answered. |
TheAnchoress: Marvin Olasky has ripe questions for Newsweek I'm sort of off this subject for today, but these questions by Marvin... |
Democrats Appear Short of Votes to Block Bolton on Senate Floor Bloomberg — Permalink May 19 (Bloomberg) — John Bolton's prospects of being confirmed by the Senate as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations appear strong at this time with at least four Democrats saying they might support him and only one Republican saying he'll vote against. | |
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Rich Lowry: BLOOMBERG: BOLTON HAS THE VOTES TO PASS — From a Bloomberg report today: "John Bolton's prospects of being confirmed... |
Betsy Newmark: It looks like the Demcrats won't be able to block Bolton's nomination, but it isn't clear when the vote can be held. |
A Day at the Brain Spa By / Reason — Permalink At a Dana Foundation conference on neuroethics last week at the Library of Congress, University of Pennsylvania neurologist Anjan Chatterjee declared that we are already well advanced in the enhancement era of neuropharmacology. | |
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Gary Farber: ADDENDUM: Speaking of human enhancement, we already do it with drugs. Glenn Reynolds: RON BAILEY spends a day at the Brain Spa: [snipped quote] I think they'll do good business. |
Jonah Goldberg: A DAY AT THE BRAIN SPA — Ron Bailey describes a world where your brain can get a nice steam and rubdown. |
So why did the BBC send Wylie with Galloway? By / Scotsman — Permalink FROM a Scottish point of view, the most puzzling aspect of George Galloway's appearance in Washington this week was Bob Wylie. We first caught sight of the grinning and gangling BBC Scotland reporter at Galloway's side in Dulles airport. | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: Update by David T: The Scotsman and Oliver Kamm ask why BBC Scotland decided to send along George Galloway's long time... Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Jenny Hjul for the Scotsman tells us the story: [snipped quote] It would be a wonderful thing if we could get the governments on both sides of the Atlantic out of the news business. |
Oliver Kamm: British Back-scratching Corporation — A columnist in The Scotsman raises a good question that I was unaware of: [snipped quote] The cost-cutting is not the main issue here. Marc @USSNeverdock: Now comes more evidence of the BBC's support for Galloway. [quote] Galloway, reported Wylie, was the "Braveheart" on Capitol Hill.[end quote] |
FBI, ATF address domestic terrorism CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Violent animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists now pose one of the most serious terrorism threats to the nation, top federal law enforcement officials say. | |
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Attaturk: In OKLAHOMA... So naturally, nutjob Oklahoma Crank James Inhofe (that's right Nutjob & Crank), holds a "Dog & Pony Show"... Stanley Kurtz: RE: ECOTERRORISM — Here's a better link on the ecoterrorism issue than the one I provided below. |
Sadly, No!: CNN writes: [snipped quote] The media. Because if it weren't for CNN and MSNBC, 9-11 would have never happened. |
Bush's GOP Soiree Attracts a Veteran at Pressing the Flesh By / WaPo — Permalink When a news release crossed our desk yesterday proclaiming that a porn star named Mary Carey would attend a June dinner with President Bush , we figured it had to be a hoax. But it's true. It just won't be an intimate dinner with the prez. | |
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Danielle Crittenden: Then I open my Washington Post today and read that Los Angeles hard-porn producer Mark Kulkis will be bringing one of... |
Garrett M. Graff: As he explained in the column today: [snipped quote] Join him today for that last chat today at noon. |
Pregnant student defies graduation ban AP — Permalink MONTGOMERY, Alabama (AP) — A pregnant student who was banned from graduation at her Roman Catholic high school announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program. | |
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Oldman @BOPNews: Double-Standards — A pregnant girl was banned from attending her graduation at a Roman Catholic high school. |
Brian Keegan: Pregnant student defies graduation ban Because even though the school might have had the right to ban her participation, they weren't right. |
Pressure by White House Is Being Applied With Care By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 18 - At the White House, the official line on the fight over ending filibusters of judicial nominees is that it is a matter for the Senate to decide. | |
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Jack Balkin: Behind the filibuster controversy JB This New York Times article mentions in passing two key background issues in the filibuster fight. |
Eugene Oregon: Which makes things like this a bit hard to understand "Working closely with the Republican National Committee,... |
Approval of Congress Erodes in Survey By / WSJ — Permalink A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that disapproval of Congress's performance is higher than it has been since 1994, the year voters swept Democrats out of power on Capitol Hill. | |
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Charles Kuffner: And, as this WSJ/NBC poll shows, it may be partly a matter of how you ask the question. John Cole: The Arrogance of Power — Once more, we must revisit Jane's Law: [snipped quote] The public seems to agree:... |
Steve Soto: According to the poll, the largest drop-off in support for Congress has come from Republicans. Jeralyn Merritt: Today's example: A new poll that shows Americans have a sharply diminished view of Congress' performance: [snipped quote] Even the poll results can be viewed for free here.(pdf). |
Minutemen Are People, Too By / Opinion Journal — Permalink TUCSON, Ariz.—Anybody who appreciates a good yuck was sad to see the Minutemen pack up their pickups and go home. After all, it wasn't every day that we got to enjoy the spectacle of sunscreen-lathered ACLU observers chasing volunteer border-watchers through the desert. | |
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JD @SouthernAppeal: It's a column in Opinion Journal about the Arizona Minutemen and the challenges Arizonans face in dealing with illegal immigrants. |
John Derbyshire: THE TIDE IS TURNING — Opinion Journal runs a pro-immigration-enforceme nt piece. Pretty soon the federal government will have to start enforcing federal laws. |
The House's Chance to Get Real NYT — Permalink The taxpayers who wonder whether there is hope for moderation and bipartisanship in an increasingly polarized Congress may soon have an answer if the House Republican leadership reluctantly allows floor debate on a vital proposal to overrule President Bush's restrictions on stem cell research. | |
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Tom Maguire: Switching The Subject To Stem Cells — Per Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the Times, the House will soon vote on bills intended... |
Chris Mooney: The New York Times has this to say: "The debate promises to be an important gauge of Congress's willingness to allow the... |
Generals Offer Sober Outlook on Iraqi War NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 18 - American military commanders in Baghdad and Washington gave a sobering new assessment on Wednesday of the war in Iraq, adding to the mood of anxiety that prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to come to Baghdad last weekend to consult with the new government. | |
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David Sirota: David Sirota: Remember, Rummy admitted he doesn't know what success is — Arianna correctly points out that today's New... Cori Dauber: Which Is It? The Times today suggests a major drawdown of American forces is unlikely. Steve Soto: Pentagon Brass Tell The NYT That Things Aren't Going So Well In Iraq — Yup, things are going so well in Iraq, even... |
Randall Parker: US Officers In Iraq Offer Bleaker Assessment Of War Progress — Eric Schmitt and John Burns of the New York Times say US... James Joyner: Generals Offer Sober Outlook on Iraqi War — American generals in Iraq, while still optimistic of success, still worry... Suzanne Nossel: The Generals in charge of the military operation in Iraq now report that a recent rise in the insurgency and delays... |
| Also: Kevin Drum | |
An Exotic Evolution By / WaPo — Permalink Because the history of Washington has been written by humans, nobody has paid much attention to the fact that 18 Canadian squirrels were released at the National Zoo during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. | |
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Chris Mooney: Natural Selection in My Very Own Backyard — I've always wondered what was up with the black squirrel population here in... |
Bill @INDCJournal: Attack of the Canadian Black Squirrels! As immortalized in London, Ontario's hit song: "The Black Squirrels Of London." |
Fight on Judges and Filibusters Opens in Senate By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 18 - The Senate plunged into an intense partisan struggle on Wednesday over the fate of stalled federal court nominees and the governance of the institution itself as the two parties locked in a debate over the right of the minority to prevent votes on a president's judicial candidates. | |
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Ace: Filibuster Fight Gets Serious — A surprisingly balanced piece from the NYT. Key bits: [snipped quote] Again, at least they're serious. |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Why This Judicial Nominee Debate Annoys Me — Via the NYT (Fight on Judges and Filibusters Opens in Senate - New) we... |
President Attends International Republican Institute Dinner White House — Permalink Washington, D.C. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks. Please be seated. Thank you for that warm welcome. I thank John for that introduction. John McCain is a man of honor and integrity, and great personal courage — he's an outstanding chairman for the International Republican Institute. | |
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Derek Chollet: Last night at an event hosted by the International Republican Institute, he gave a pretty good speech on the importance of democracy and freedom. |
Orrin Judd: MORE: President Attends International Republican Institute Dinner (George W. Bush, 5/18/05, Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C.) |
The Killer Instinct By / WaPo — Permalink The Senate chaplain started yesterday's judicial showdown with a prayer for "patience and peace" and "unity where there is division." Thirty-three minutes later, the majority leader just about accused the minority of attempted murder. | |
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Zoe Kentucky: Hyperbolic Nitwits — Bill Frist is definitely one. [snipped quote] Hmmm, who was it exactly who said that judges may have earned actual death threats and assassination attempts? |
Brendan Nyhan: The nuclear option clown show continues — The Washington Post's Dana Milbank on the restraint and decorum displayed... |
Abuse Week By / Slate — Permalink On May 16, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan expressed outrage over Newsweek's story that a U.S. military report was going to acknowledge that guards at the Guantanamo Bay detention center had tried to put a copy of the Quran down a toilet. | |
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Brendan Nyhan: But the Bush administration's continuing effort to use these mistakes to delegitimize the press as a political... |
Jim Romenesko: (LAT) > "The problem with the Bush administration excoriating Newsweek's insensitivity to Islam isn't just hypocrisy," says Jacob Weisberg. |
UM president orders apology for release of letter By / AP — Permalink HELENA — A University of Montana dean has been directed to apologize for releasing a letter from a media foundation that said it would not give money for a new journalism building until Montana attitudes about nonresident landowners improved. | |
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Jim Romenesko: Journalism dean apologizes for releasing Cox chair's letter — Associated Press University of Montana journalism dean... |
Roger Ailes: Meet Your Liberal Media: Voice of The Common Man Edition — Further proof of Communist infiltration of the the fourth... |
Plan Would Broaden F.B.I.'s Terror Role By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 18 - The Bush administration and Senate Republican leaders are pushing a plan that would significantly expand the F.B.I.'s power to demand business records in terror investigations without obtaining approval from a judge, officials said on Wednesday. | |
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Phillip Carter: Today's New York Times reports that the Justice Department is in negotiations with the Senate intelligence committee to... Magpie @PacificViews: Unhappy with those terribly limited powers granted to federal law enforcement by the Patriot Act, Dubya's administration... TChris: Administration Wants Secret Power to Seize Records — Ever eager to grab more power while evading judicial scrutiny, the... |
Avedon Carol: Everyone in the country is urging that the Patriot Act, or an awful lot of it, should be scrapped or at least narrowed... Tarek @LiquidList: It's back! |
L.A. woman finds hate message in copy of Koran Reuters — Permalink LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Muslim group on Wednesday demanded a public apology from online bookseller Amazon.com for its part in delivering a used copy of the Koran with the words "Death to all Muslims" scrawled across the inside cover. | |
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Charles Johnson: MPAC Works the Desecration Angle — The term for this behavior is "pressing the advantage:" L.A. woman finds hate message in copy of Koran. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: More Koran desecrations "A Muslim group on Wednesday demanded a public apology from online bookseller Amazon.com for... |
CBS Cancels Weekday '60 Minutes,' Reassigning Rather to Sunday By / NYT — Permalink The chairman of CBS, Leslie Moonves, announced yesterday that he had canceled the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," a six-year-old spinoff of the Sunday evening staple. Virginia Heffernan, Times television critic, is posting frequent updates from the networks' upfront presentations. | |
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Brian Stelter: > New York Times: Dan Rather will report for the Sunday edition. Jim Romenesko: Additional items for May 19, 2005 > Boston mag expected to sue Boston Commonwealth mag over data (BH) > Rather to Sunday... |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: So CBS announced the addition to 60 Minutes Sunday of Dan Rather. [snipped quote] This, in my humble opinion, is just what 60 Minutes need. |
Another View of News Bias, as Selling Point By / NYT — Permalink TO the consternation of many journalists, there is a widespread, and increasingly noisy, belief that the media are biased. The report in Newsweek, now retracted, about Koran desecration by interrogators at Guantánamo Bay has only intensified the criticism. | |
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Virginia Postrel: The Economics of Media Bias My latest NYT column takes a look at the economic reasons media bias may not only persist... |
Glenn Reynolds: MEDIA BIAS AS MARKET SEGMENTATION: Virginia Postrel has some thoughts. |
The French must give Giscard a rocket By / Telegraph — Permalink Let's face it, when you hear the kind of Frenchmen who are lining up to oppose the new European constitution, you can't help wondering whether it might be a good thing after all. The communists are against it. The trade unions are against it. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Speaking of the coming referendum, read the most colorful Conservative politician Boris Johnson, writing in "The Daily... |
Peter Burnet: SUBLIMATION, FRENCH STYLE — The French must give Giscard a rocket (Boris Johnson, The Telegraph, May 19th, 2005) [snipped quote] Has it? |
Amendment Targets Role of Female Troops By / WaPo — Permalink In a bid to keep women out of combat, a House committee passed an amendment late last night that would block the U.S. military from allowing female troops into any new jobs related to ground operations without congressional approval. | |
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Cori Dauber: In its place comes a bill that none of the services can open slots involving ground combat to women without direct congressional approval. |
Echidne: Specifically: [snipped quote] Ironic, isn't it, that the original 1994 law was designed to expand opportunities for women... |
Newsweek dissembled, Muslims dismembered! By / Townhall.com — Permalink When ace reporter Michael Isikoff had the scoop of the decade, a thoroughly sourced story about the president of the United States having an affair with an intern and then pressuring her to lie about it under oath, Newsweek decided not to run the story. | |
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Steve M.: THE WOMAN WHO HARDLY EVER MAKES A MISTAKE — From the latest column by Ann Coulter (emphasis mine): Al-Jazeera also... |
S.Z.: Keeping Our Priorities Straight Shorter Ann Coulter: The real scandal is that Newsweek wouldn't print all the allegations about the Clenis. |
A Powerful Tribute to A Lawyer and A Gentleman By / WaPo — Permalink The poetic setting for Lloyd Cutler's memorial service would have been a courtroom. Or maybe the Oval Office. Possibly a classroom. But the number of people who loved and respected the consummate lawyer number in the thousands, so the law firm he founded rented out Constitution Hall yesterday. | |
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Josh Chafetz: THE WAPO HAS a nice article on the memorial service for Lloyd Cutler. |
Orin Kerr: Service for Lloyd Cutler: The Washington Post covers the memorial service for this most remarkable man here. |
Cherokee Tribe: Ward Churchill's Membership 'Honorary' AP — Permalink DENVER — An Oklahoma Indian tribe says an embattled University of Colorado (search) professor whose claim of Indian heritage is under investigation "could not prove any Cherokee ancestry." | |
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Ace: Okay, I didn't have that. So maybe he really is an Indian. Right? Wrong. [snipped quote] Ah. The tribe he "belongs" to is lying. |
Captain Scarlet: Boo Hoo, Bye Bye, You won't be missed II — Ward "little Eichmann's" Churchill gets smacked down by his "tribe". |
Villaraigosa's Support Goes Beyond Latinos LAT — Permalink Backing from his ethnic group made the mayor- elect's win a landslide. But, compared to 2001, his share of voters grew across the board. Antonio Villaraigosa won a crushing victory in the Los Angeles mayoral race by spurring a record Latino turnout and... | |
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Kevin Roderick: Here are some observations gleaned from the City Clerk's website and the Times exit poll: • Latino vote: The Times... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Bratton to Stay as LAPD Chief — Los Angeles has a new mayor-elect, Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa beat current mayor James Hahn. |
GOP Aides Say New Patriot Act Obliges Bush By / AP — Permalink The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee is working on a bill that would renew the Patriot Act and expand government powers in the name of fighting terrorism, letting the FBI subpoena records without permission from a judge or grand jury. | |
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James Joyner: GOP Aides Say New Patriot Act Obliges Bush (AP) [snipped quote] While much of what people criticize about the Patriot Act... Cookie Jill: judge hunting season in gop-land "in her first major public appearance since a disgruntled plaintiff murdered her... |
Vox Day: And speaking of national socialists — [snipped quote] Amerika, mein Amerika, nur die Gedanken sie sind frei... In other... John Cole: Enough is Enough — No. You don't get any more toys: "The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee is working on a... |
Galloway: The man who took on America Independent — Permalink It may not have been the "mother of all smokescreens" - as George Galloway memorably described the congressional investigation into the Iraq oil-for-food scandal - but his appearance certainly underlined the mother of all culture gaps between the parliamentary traditions of Britain and America. | |
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Attaturk: This article from the UK Independent hightlights this fact (in somewhat nationalistic terms) of how Britains Parliamentary System produces much better scrappers than we do. |
Brad Plumer: What between George Galloway and the recently-unveiled British memo, there's been a lot of revisiting the Bush... |
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 |
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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Daniel Drezner: I'm more interested in the point Anne Applebaum made yesterday in the Washington Post: "But surely the larger point is... Andrew Sullivan: ANNE GETS IT: Total sense from Applebaum. Compare her reasoned position with the rationalizations and excuses for military abuse made by Instapundit. Max B. Sawicky: After a cavalcade of lies from official sources and their toadies to justify an unnecessary, unjust war, the focus... |
Avedon Carol: (The right-wing seems to think that the only news source the people of Afghanistan have access to is Newsweek - like... 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". 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. |
| Also: Charles Bird, Tom Maguire, Andrew Stuttaford, Glenn Reynolds, Ramesh Ponnuru, Josh Marshall | |
U.S. Gives Anchorage $1.5M for Bus Stop By / AP — Permalink ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Tom Wilson is faced with a problem many city administrators would envy: How to spend $1.5 million on a bus stop. Wilson, Anchorage's director of public transportation, has all that money for a new and improved bus stop outside the... | |
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James Joyner: U.S. Gives Anchorage $1.5M for Bus Stop — The city of Anchorage, Alaska is faced with an unusual problem: How to spend $1.5 million in federal money for a bus stop. Ben Falk: A Bus Stop with Bells and Whistles — Senator Theodore "Uncle Ted" Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate... Jonah Goldberg: WHY TED STEVENS IS AN AWFUL SENATOR — Part 1,986,997.b: Anchorage's new $1.5 million bus stop. |
Radley Balko: Ted Stevens' Magic Bus Stop busstop.jpg Above, an Anchorage, Alaska bus stop for which Sen. Ted Stevens secured $1.5 million in federal tax dollars to "improve." Cookie Jill: the bus buck stops here u.s. gives anchorage $1.5m for bus stop and yet our soldiers lack effective body armor. SK Bubba: Anchorage gets in on bus stop action — Anchorage Alaska to receive $1.5 million in Free Federal Funding for a bus stop - just like Knoxville! |
| Also: Tully @Centerfield | |
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. Praktike: Elsewhere, the patron saint of Arab-American journalism, Anthony Shadid, is reporting on the tentative political reforms... 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... |
Damian Penny: Democracy in Syria? I'll believe it when I see it. Jan Haugland: A besieged Assad initiates reforms — Syria promises reforms: Beset by U.S. attempts to isolate his country and facing... Roger L. Simon: I don't think too many people are really ready to believe it yet, but the fact that it is even in the air you would... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Dean Esmay, Jonah Goldberg, Glenn Reynolds, Clayton Cramer, Betsy Newmark, FrancoAlemán | |
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. Red @ScaredMonkeys: Update: More from the NY Times [snipped quote] Sure it was Les, content was not an issue what-so-ever. Charles Johnson: MSM's Cynical Charades — CBS Cancels Its Wednesday Edition of '60 Minutes'. (Hat tip: lawhawk.) |
James Joyner: Update (1135): NYT has more details: "Already ranked among the lower-rated programs on television, the magazine program... 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, Dr. Steven Taylor, Laura Rozen | |
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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Judd @ThinkProgress: The LA Times Detonates Logic — Yesterday, in an editorial entitled "Nuke it Already" the LA Times argues in favor of... Joe Gandelman: But the L.A. Times, in an editorial, is seemingly shouting "Enough already!" and literally declaring: "Nuke It Already." Dr. Steven Taylor: In case you missed the following editorial from you yesterday, you should give it a look: Nuke It, Already [snipped quote] The source? |
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... Michelle Malkin: The latest headlines... Wash Times: Nominees head to Senate ABC: Senate Debates Bush's Judicial Nominee Washington Post:... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Arianna Huffington, Mathew @Centerfield, Dale Franks, Clayton Cramer, Tom Smith | |
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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John Hawkins: Howard Dean in 2005, on Tom DeLay: "I think he's guilty ... of taking trips paid for by lobbyists, and of... Brendan Nyhan: And he's not backing down: Howard Dean, national chairman of the Democratic Party, said Tuesday that he thinks House... Scott Sala: When blasted even from his own party, he refuses to step back. Instead he ratchets it up a notch today. |
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... Dirty Harry: Dean: Due Process For Bin Laden But Not DeLay — In God's gift to the Republicans own words: [quote] "I think [DeLay's] guilty...[end quote] |
| Also: TheAnchoress, Taegan Goddard | |
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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Cori Dauber: (Indeed, yesterday's column from Thomas Friedman noted that there are plenty of worse things happening in the Muslim word which stir not a single protester. Charles Bird: Time will tell if this is taken to heart. (cross-posted at Redstate.org) Update: Offering a wider perspective, Tom... Dr. Steven Taylor: A Stark Juxtaposition — NYT Special Voice, Thomas Friedman, identifies a stark juxtaposition in today's column: Outrage... |
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... Pejman Yousefzadeh: That having been said, he is quite right here: [snipped quote] Silence can be damning. |
| Also: Jeff Jarvis | |
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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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. James Joyner: CBS Cancels Wednesday '60 Minutes' — CBS has announced it is cancelling the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," the... 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." 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 | |
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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Dwight Meredith: The 11th Falsehood — Media Matters has compiled a list of ten falsehoods surrounding the filibuster of judicial nominees. Jeralyn Merritt: Save our Courts. Save the Republic. Move-On rocks. Update: Check out Media Matters Top Ten Filibuster Falsehoods. Echidne: The Top Ten Filibuster Lies — From Media Matters for America. For example: [snipped quote] Read the rest, too. |
Steve Soto: And if you want a good 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. Ellen Dana Nagler: Code Red in the Halls of Congress [Update: Thanks to BOP contributor paperwight, who refers us to Media Matters and... |
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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Arianna Huffington: And he's out there prostituting himself and providing cover for the administration's continued lies. 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. |
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... |
Who's Gonna Get Whacked? CBS News — Permalink (CBS) When it comes to "The Sopranos," everyone knows that on television, the boss of the mob is a swaggering Italian-American named Tony Soprano. But the real Godfather, the guy who created the show, is a modest Italian-American writer and producer named David Chase. | |
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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?" Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Didn't think so… CBS 60 Minutes had a special on this evening about the Soprano's filming their final season. |
Brian Stelter: FLASH: 60 Minutes Wednesday: Cancelled 60minwed.jpgCBS is cancelling "60 Minutes Wednesday." Michelle Malkin: Coincidentally enough, the feature story on tonight's show is titled, "Who's gonna get whacked?" More here and at TV Newser. |
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." 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. |
John @PowerLine: Parly Serious, Partly Lutefisk — Our friend Michelle Malkin points out that "It's not just Newsweek." 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. |
If You Want to Win in Sports, Wear Red By / AP — Permalink May 18, 2005 — If winning is everything, British anthropologists have some advice: Wear red. Their survey of four sports at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens shows competitors were more likely to win their contests if they wore red uniforms or red body armor. | |
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Jan Haugland: The red team or contestant tends to win: If winning is everything, British anthropologists have some advice: Wear red. Red @ScaredMonkeys: Its Good to be Red — Well this will be good news for Red Sox nation. Appears competitors wearing red are more likely to win their contests. |
Tom Maguire: Tell It To The Redcoats — Some revisionist Brit researchers present an intriguing study - "If You Want To Win In Sports, Wear Red" . |
Air Force Seeks Bush's Approval for Space Weapons Programs By / NYT — Permalink The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush's approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials. | |
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Giblets: Like all Space Terrorists, Abu Ming is merciless.So the Air Force wants to start building space weapons. Well good for them! Matthew Yglesias: For no discernable reason, the Air Force wants to weaponize space. Or, rather, they want to weaponize space because that would result in a very large Air Force budget. Mark Krikorian: Today's NY Times reports that the Air Force wants the green light to deploy weapons in space. |
Riggsveda @Corrente: Then think about what it would take to contain this infectious disease: [quote] "The Air Force, saying it must secure space to...[end quote] Joe Katzman: Over at DefenseTech.org, however, Bush un-fan Noah Shachtman notes that the New York Times May 18, 2005 article "Air... Lambert @Corrente: PNAC still hard at work: Now militarizing space — More good news: [snipped quote] Of course, militarizing space, along... |
Newsweak Reax NRO — Permalink Breaking: Jihadists hate us. Whatever Andy McCarthy's drinking, pour me a double. During the first few months after 9/11, many U.S. commentators did a great job of blaming us for the attacks. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: Here's Jonah Goldberg today: "But what on earth was gained by Newsweek's decision to publish the story — whether it was true or not? Charles Bird: I'll join Jonah and say that whatever McCarthy is drinking, I'll have a double. Finally, Flushgate is part of a malady that many are susceptible to. |
Ed Driscoll: "Breaking: Jihadists Hate Us" — Jonah Goldberg's take on Newsweek's debacle: Read More "Newsweek screwed-up a story... |
Spain's "Terrorgate"? NRO — Permalink Investigating 3/11. It has long been understood that the Spanish socialists shamelessly exploited the March 11, 2004, terrorist attacks in Madrid's train station for political advantage. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: See also Frank J Gaffney at NRO, and Fausta at Bad Hair Blog. FrancoAlemán: FRANK J. GAFFNEY, of the Center for Security Policy, has written an article, "Spain's 'Terrorgate'", on the National... |
Orrin Judd: MORE: Spain's "Terrorgate"? |
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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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... 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... |
Lindsay Beyerstein: Obviously, there are very good utilitarian reasons to hope that the filibuster is abolished later rather than sooner. 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. |
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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Cookie Jill: ball sprouting sighting at the press briefing? the press wore boxers... [snipped quote] was the american press inspired by the brit with the brogue? 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. |
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... |
Radio host Glenn Beck "thinking about killing Michael Moore" Media Matters for America — Permalink Clear Channel radio host Glenn Beck said he was "thinking about killing [filmmaker] Michael Moore" and pondered whether "I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it," before concluding: "No, I think I could. | |
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SK Bubba: New pinnacle of broadcast excellence — Wow! |
Atrios: "Thinking About Killing Michael Moore" — Sweet sweet love from the land of wingnuttia. |
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. |
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... Orrin Judd: THE EMPIRE JONES: A Quiet Transformation (David Ignatius, May 18, 2005, Washington Post) "As the United States was... Cori Dauber: The Pentagon's New Map — Oh, Chap's going to love this one. |
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. Dale Franks: The Colonial Office — Oh, sure, we won't call it The Colonial Office, but that's what it is. |
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. |
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. Byron LaMasters: The Houston Chronicle speculates: [snipped quote] These KBH rumors are getting a bit silly. What's next? |
Taegan Goddard: Hutchison Offered Promotion if She Stays in Senate — The "guessing game" over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX)... |
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. |