meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
|
|
Jurors reach verdict in Jackson trial CNN — Permalink SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) — Jurors in the Michael Jackson child-molestation trial told the trial judge Monday that they have reached a verdict. The announcement came after about 32 hours of deliberations. The verdict will be read at 1:45 p.m. (4:45 p.m. ET). | |
|
Zoe Kentucky: In 15 minutes it's all over! Finally— it's the Michael Jackson trial verdict! Damian Penny: Long national nightmare soon to end — The Michael Jackson verdict will be revealed at approximately 4:30PM Eastern. Steve Bainbridge: Whacko Jacko got off. Personally, I don't believe anybody associated with this trial came off very well. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Does it really seem appropriate to cheer a man or whatever who admits to sleeping with boys? Joe Gandelman: CNN reports: "Jurors in the Michael Jackson child-molestation trial told the trial judge Monday that they have reached a verdict. Julian Sanchez: Actually nothing criminal, according to the jury: Jackson's been acquitted on all counts. |
| Also: Ann Althouse, James Joyner, Smash, Sadly, No! | |
Prewar British Memo Says War Decision Wasn't Made By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 12 - A memorandum written by Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet office in late July 2002 explicitly states that the Bush administration had made "no political decisions" to invade Iraq, but that American military planning for the possibility was advanced. | |
|
Brad DeLong: Department) David Sanger leads his article in this morning's New York Times with: Prewar British Memo Says War Decision... Captain Ed: David Sanger at the New York Times discovers another memo from British sources that completely undermines the central... McQ: For the Downing Street Memo crowd: memo wars — We now have an new memo: [snipped quote] Seems fairly straight forward. |
Natasha @PacificViews: Downing Street Blues — From David Sanger at the New York Times: Prewar British Memo Says War Decision Wasn't Made "A... Tom Maguire: Does this latest NY Times story (buried in Section A) quash the hopes of our friends on the left, who hold out hopes... Juan Cole: Linguist Jean-Philippe Marcotte at Stanford, in an email to me today, contrasts the Pincus article to the treatment... |
| Also: Nico @ThinkProgress, Gerry @DalyThoughts, John Cole, Cernig, K. J. Lopez | |
An End To 'Everybody's Press'? By / TCS — Permalink TCS Editor Nick Schulz interviewed FEC Commissioner Brad Smith about regulation of speech on the Internet and what it might mean for blogs, websites and the future of technology and politics. NICK SCHULZ: Your colleague, Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, said in a recent interview: | |
|
Dale Franks: Nick Schulz, the editor of TechCentralStation, interviews FEC Commissioner Brad Smith, and the news for the Internet in general, and blogging in particular, doesn't look good. Pejman Yousefzadeh: BRADLEY SMITH ON THE FEC AND BLOGGING — FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith is interviewed on potential FEC regulations regarding blogging. Mike Rappaport: Interview with FEC Commissioner Brad Smith — Here is an excerpt but read the whole thing: "We are starting to turn the purpose of regulation on its head. |
Kos @DailyKos: FEC Comissioner Bradley speaks (again) FEC commissioner Brad Smith is interviewed over at the conservative Tech Central Stations regarding FEC regulation of the Internet. Orrin Judd: SUPPOSE WE CHANGE OUT OF OUR PAJAMAS? : An End To 'Everybody's Press'? Steve Bainbridge: (We were Salvatori Fellows together at Heritage back in the day). Nick Schulz has a great interview with Brad at TCS. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
How Deep Throat Fooled the FBI The Nation — Permalink The recent dramatic revelation about W. Mark Felt—the former top FBI man who has confessed to being Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's secret source during the Watergate scandal—has yielded what seems to be the final chapter in the Deep Throat saga, and thus the conclusion to a three-decade-long whodunit rich in detail, psychology and irony. | |
|
David Corn: It's an amusing tale that adds another level of intrigue to the Deep Throat saga. (Click here to read the whole piece.) Jim Henley: No comment yet, add yours? » Oh the Non-Alanis Irony Nixon tasked Mark Felt with finding out who the hell this Deep Throat guy was, according to the Nation. |
Taegan Goddard: How Deep Throat Fooled the FBI — David Corn and Jeff Goldberg have an exclusive in The Nation that reports Mark Felt... Orrin Judd: DUPED: How Deep Throat Fooled the FBI (David Corn & Jeff Goldberg, 6/13/05, The Nation) [snipped quote] we've had plenty of bad presidents but rather few who were complete losers. |
RAGE AT AUTHOR AFTER CLAIM: BILL RAPED HILLARY, CONCEIVED CHELSEA Drudge Report — Permalink Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton turned furious and considered legal action after learning bestselling author Ed Klein would allege in a new book: Bill Clinton raped her — resulting in the conception of daughter Chelsea Clinton! | |
|
Jan Haugland: According to Drudge, a site I wash my hands after linking, Edward Klein's newest Hillary Clinton expose book "The Truth... Joe Gandelman: A Sign Of How Far Journalism, Politics, And Internet News Has Fallen — A new charge in a book that Bill Clinton raped... Dr. Steven Taylor: Klein's Rape Charge — Matt Drudge is reporting that Ed Klein's new book on Hillary (yes, as advertised to the left)... |
Kevin Drum: Yesterday, for example, came the latest from wingnut land: an allegation that Chelsea Clinton was conceived only after Bill Clinton raped Hillary on a vacation in Bermuda. Paul @PowerLine: For what it's worth — I agree with Captain Ed, Lorie Byrd, Bulldog Pundit and others that conservatives should eschew... Ezra Klein: Hillary Haters — In one of the weirdest stories I've ever read, Matt Drudge is reporting that Ed Klein's upcoming,... |
| Also: Gerry @DalyThoughts, Betsy Newmark, Jon Henke, Tom Maguire, Marc @USSNeverdock, Captain Ed, Clayton Cramer, John Cole, Ann Althouse, Ace, Lorie Byrd | |
High Court Rejects Enemy Combatant Appeal By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court refused Monday to be drawn into a dispute over President Bush's power to detain American terror suspects and deny them traditional legal rights. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: Related news development: High Court Rejects Enemy Combatant Appeal James Joyner: Supreme Court Rejects Enemy Combatant Appeal — High Court Rejects Enemy Combatant Appeal (WaPo) [snipped quote] While... |
Jo Fish: It could happen 2 U — The El Supremo's have just handed (it seems) the 1600 Crew another victory in their war on Everyone who's not a Rich White Guy Campaign Contributor. Andrew Sullivan: SENTENCE OF THE DAY: "But justices declined to address a separate issue: whether American citizens arrested on U.S. soil... |
Michael Jackson acquitted of molesting teenage boy By / AP — Permalink SANTA MARIA - A jury acquitted Michael Jackson on Monday of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor at his Neverland ranch - exonerating the pop star who insisted he was the victim of mother-and-son con artists and a prosecutor with a vendetta. | |
|
Michelle Malkin: MICHAEL JACKSON RIOT WATCH — So, the verdict is due in less than 15 minutes. Hurry up and get it over with already. |
Ed Driscoll: He Beat It — [snipped quote] —Hugh Hewitt on the Michael Jackson verdict. |
Michael Jackson Jury Reaches Verdict By / AP — Permalink SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The jury in the Michael Jackson trial reached a verdict Monday in the child molestation and conspiracy case against the pop superstar. Sheriff's deputies and court officials said the verdict was to be read after attorneys and Jackson reached the courthouse. | |
|
Kevin Aylward: REUTERS/Rick Wilking The jury in the Michael Jackson trial has reached a verdict.SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — The jury in... Smash: Jacko Verdict — MICHAEL JACKSON has been found NOT GUILTY of one count of conspiracy, seven counts of child molestation... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: NOT GUILTY? Michael Jackson acquitted on all counts of child molestation. |
As Iraqi Army Trains, Word in the Field Is It May Take Years NYT — Permalink MAHMUDIYA, Iraq - A small but telling test of Iraq's fledgling army came recently in this troubled farm town south of Baghdad, when a group of Iraqi soldiers, ending a house raid and rushing to board pickups they use as troop carriers, abandoned the blindfolded, handcuffed man they had come to arrest. | |
|
Cernig: The New York Times reports credible estimates from Americans working with the Iraqis in the field who " believe that it... Ed Cone: This national media story doesn't sound so great, but it's certainly not about a "transitory setback" or of "inflated... Kevin Drum: Of course, it's also worth pointing out that the "political process" itself is still not going very well, and the training of Iraqi troops looks to be a long, hard slog indeed. |
Praktike: Train & Equip — Apropos of the recent discussions of "train & equip," here's a solid Times piece on the efforts of Gen. Petraeus. Hugh Hewitt: Two stories stand out: "As Iraqi Army Trains, Word in the Field Is It May Take Years," from the Times, and "Fewer applying to US military academies" from the Boston Globe. Gregory Djerejian: The Iraqi Insurgency Is Not Dead — Wretchard, of the Belmont Club: "A casual observer can't help but notice that three... |
| Also: Attaturk, John Cole | |
Cheney: Guantanamo policy 'is the correct one' CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday he doesn't believe revelations about the treatment of prisoners at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay have become an image problem for the United States and that the facility should not be shut down. | |
|
Jo Fish: Teabag Dick — Dick, and I use that term perjoratively, Cheney says that all the bad things being said about GITMO are just whining and hot air from disgruntled ex-detainees. Randy Paul: Here: [snipped quote] Still waist deep in the big muddy and those two fools keep saying, push on. |
Tim Dunlop: A few bad men — American Vice President Dick Cheney today endorsed the abuse and torture of prisoners at Guantanamo... |
Military action won't end insurgency, growing number of U.S. officers believe By / Knight Ridder — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - A growing number of senior American military officers in Iraq have concluded that there is no long-term military solution to an insurgency that has killed thousands of Iraqis and more than 1,300 U.S. troops during the past two years. | |
|
Cernig: On Sunday, Knight Ridder in Washington reported that "growing number of senior American military officers in Iraq have... Mary @LeftCoaster: He should start talking to the senior Military officers who believe that this war won't be won by military action. |
Kevin Drum: According to Knight Ridder's Tom Lasseter, even the military brass doesn't think so anymore: [snipped quote] Elsewhere in... John Cole: Many in the military agree: "A growing number of senior American military officers in Iraq have concluded that there is... |
Lost to the Only Life They Knew By / LAT — Permalink ST. GEORGE, Utah — Abandoned by his family, faith and community, Gideon Barlow arrived here an orphan from another world. At first, he played the tough guy, aloof and hard. But when no one was watching, he would cry. | |
|
Richard TPD: Religious cults aren't unique to China — This is right here in my backyard, and it makes me totally sick. |
Atrios: Bobo's World — Link: "ST. GEORGE, Utah — Abandoned by his family, faith and community, Gideon Barlow arrived here an orphan from another world. |
Thrillionaires: The New Space Capitalists By / NYT — Permalink Paul G. Allen's first foray into rocketry, as he recalls it, was inauspicious. "My cousin and I tried to build a rocket out of an aluminum armchair leg," he said. At just 12 years old, the future billionaire raided his chemistry set for zinc and sulfur, and packed the fuel mixture into the tube. | |
|
Lambert @Corrente: [quote] Many self-professed "space geeks" say the possibility that entrepreneurs like Richard Branson of the Virgin Group may...[end quote] |
Gary Farber: You've read about them, but this is a nice look at those funding private space travel: the Paul Allens and Jeff Bezos's. |
Katie Holmes Converting to Scientology AP — Permalink LONDON - Katie Holmes says she's converting to the Church of Scientology, embracing the religion of her boyfriend, Tom Cruise. Holmes, in London to promote her new film, "Batman Begins," said Monday that she's excited about her lessons in Scientology, a religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Acting Like A Dork On Oprah Can Pay Off The news we HAD to know: overexposed mega-star Tom Cruise' beloved Katie Holmes is going to convert to guess which religion? Warren Bell: KATIE HOLMES NEEDS HELP — And I guess she's going to get it from Scientology. |
Ace: May I Interrupt For An Important Announcement [New Vintage] Katie Holmes Converting to Scientology Why? |
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans Support Troop Reductions in Iraq By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds most Americans favoring a partial or complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq, and for the first time, a majority say they would be upset with the president if he decided to send more troops. | |
|
Derek Chollet: I flew home yesterday morning to find this article blaring across the right-hand column of the USA Today about the new... Kos @DailyKos: U.S. Public: 'Get out of Iraq! ' Gallup: [snipped quote] Then there's this |
Steve Soto: But check this out from Gallup's online summary of their poll: "More generally, 72% of Democrats say they... |
The long march to Mao By / The Australian — Permalink FOURTEEN years after readers last heard from her in her bestseller Wild Swans, Jung Chang is back with another monumental offering. Wild Swans, which told the story of modern China through the lives of Chang's grandmother, her mother and herself, became... | |
|
Ed Driscoll: Mao: "The Great Poet And Visionary" — Orrin Judd links to a profile that appears in The Australian of Jung Chang and... |
Peter Burnet: LACKING IN NUANCE — The long march to Mao (Peter Wilson, The Australian, June 14, 2005) [snipped quote] Surely we can all agree that his poetry redeems him. |
Upheaval on Los Angeles Times Editorial Pages By / LAT — Permalink Michael Kinsley shook up the editorial staff of The Los Angeles Times recently, transferring four of his eleven writers, letting one go, and outsourcing some editorials to freelancers. Michael Kinsley is not unaccustomed to controversy as an editor. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Michael Kinsley Edges LA Times Editorial Pages Into The 2st Century — Michael Kinsley. one of the most independent and... Hugh Hewitt: "Upheaval on Los Angeles Times Editorial Pages" is a morning headline in the New York Times. Ogged @Unfogged: Outside The Blog — In a good article about changes on the L.A. Times editorial page, the first hint I've seen in a major publication that blogs aren't the hot new thing anymore. |
Richard Reeb: The NY Times reports today that Michael Kinsley (whom some of you may remember was Bill Buckley's young protege' on... Jeff Jarvis: Here's editorial page editor Michael Kinsley on the changes, quoted in the NY Times: [snipped quote] : Ross Mayfield... Dr. Steven Taylor: The NYT on the LAT's op/ed Page — The NYT has an interesting piece on Michael Kinsely's attempt to shake-up (indeed,... |
| Also: Kevin Roderick, Jim Romenesko, Stirling Newberry, Kevin Drum | |
Survey: Most States Allow Speed Cushion By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Authorities patrolling U.S. highways tend to give motorists a cushion of up to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit before pulling them over, says a survey by a group of state traffic safety officials. | |
|
Steve Bainbridge: "(Link)" Ace: Sammy Hagar Won't Like This Story. [Dave at Garfield Ridge] Hell, if Ace won't post anything, I might as well offer you something. |
Justin @SouthernAppeal: I really don't have much of an opinion on this but nonetheless I find it interesting that there's such a brouhaha over... |
Many Americans Call O'Reilly a Journalist By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — About 40 percent of Americans say they consider talk show host Bill O'Reilly a journalist - more than would define famed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward the same way, according to a poll conducted this spring. | |
|
Atrios: Read this: WASHINGTON (AP) — About 40 percent of Americans say they consider talk show host Bill O'Reilly a journalist... |
Jim Romenesko: About 40% of Americans consider FNC's O'Reilly a journalist — Associated Press Bill O'Reilly did better than Bob Woodward in the Annenberg survey. |
Children to be labeled 'criminal' by age 3 WorldNetDaily — Permalink A leaked 250-page report on proposed crime-fighting strategies, drawn up on instructions of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, recommends training nursery workers to target children as young as 3 years of age as potential criminals. | |
|
Joanne Jacobs: Spotting criminals in nursery school — Children as young as 3 should be identified as potential criminals if they're... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF NIPPING PROBLEMATIC BUDS . . . But isn't the idea that is the subject of this post a little extreme? |
Iraq News Increases Calls for Troop Withdrawal Pew Research Center — Permalink The steady drip of negative news from Iraq is significantly undermining support for the U.S. military operation there. With the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq exceeding 1,700, there is widespread awareness of the rising American death toll. | |
|
Steve Soto: 46% In New Pew Center Poll Say Bring Troops Home As Soon As Possible (Graphic courtesy of the Pew Center) Late today,... |
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Pew Poll: Nearly half of all Americans unaware of number of soldiers killed in Iraq — Pew. |
Saddam composed in face of judge's questions By / Reuters — Permalink BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Stroking his beard, Saddam Hussein looked relaxed and confident as a judge questioned him about the killings of dozens of Shi'ite villagers, a test case Iraq's government believes might make for a swift trial. "Answer the question. | |
|
Gateway Pundit: Saddam's aides appear tired in the new videos that were released: Iraqi officials have suggested a trial could start in... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: (Emphasis added.) Suffered? Suffered??? Suffered%#@%! |
Katie Holmes embracing Scientology AP — Permalink LONDON, England (AP) — Katie Holmes says she's embracing Scientology, the religion of her boyfriend, Tom Cruise. Holmes, in London to promote her new film, "Batman Begins," said Monday that she's excited about her lessons in Scientology, a religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. | |
|
Skippy: all is lost katie holmes is willingly submitting to a spiritual lobotomy. also, jocko is a free...er, man! |
K. J. Lopez: The poster thing is: [snipped quote] Think of the Jake Ryan groupie who have a renewed hope. |
Senate to Atone for Lynching Ban Delays AP — Permalink The Senate seldom says it's sorry, although it is now ready to officially express its remorse over the failure to outlaw lynching in the United States. A resolution that the chamber was likely to take up Monday voices regret for the Senate's unwillingness... | |
|
Ted @CrookedTimber: However, as Brad R. notes in the comments, there's no beating the masters at their own game: The Senate is poised to... John @PowerLine: Cognitive Dissonance Alert — The Senate is poised to apologize for its failure to enact anti-lynching legislation between 1890 and 1952. |
Steve M.: Yes, this is a good thing, I suppose: The Senate seldom says it's sorry, although it is now ready to officially express... |
Al Qaeda and Al Capone By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink During the Great Depression and Prohibition, organized crime flourished with the rise of smuggled liquor. Bootleggers begot gangsters, murderers and crime kingpins. In Chicago, one of the most powerful crime lords of the day was Al Capone. | |
|
See Dubya: UPDATE: Here's another comparison between the Terror War and the hunt for Capone-this time looking at the multi-agency task forces and prosecution strategy. |
Andrew Cochran: Bill West on Deporting Terrorist Suspects: "Al Qaeda and Al Capone" — In a column in FrontPage Magazine today, Bill... |
Senate Democrats develop new filibuster strategy By / Washington Times — Permalink Senate Democrats are in the early stages of several filibusters against executive nominees that they hope will be more effective than those they have abandoned in recent weeks against President Bush's judicial appointments. | |
|
Captain Ed: Rather than argue about "extremism" — an argument that they lost on the merits — Democrats will now produce endless... Jayson @PoliPundit: Now? They've been reduced to this: Sniffing around for political crumbs. |
Hugh Hewitt: Given the news of a new Democratic filibuster strategy in the offing, it seems like the "deal" cut by the McCain Caucus... |
Immigration Law as Anti-Terrorism Tool By / WaPo — Permalink Soul Khalil woke with a start. Her split-level home in Burke was shuddering, and the oppressive hum of a helicopter filled the room. Then she heard the pounding on the front door. "Police!" the voices yelled. She shook her husband. "Hassan! | |
|
Phillip Carter: "Enemy combatant lite" — same tough punishment; less process — The Washington Post publishes the second of a 2-part... Mark Krikorian: AL CAPONE, CALL YOUR OFFICE — The Post today explores how immigration violations are being used as an anti-terrorism tool. |
Andrew Cochran: It's an excellent response to the Washington Post piece today on the same topic, which gives too much voice to... Cori Dauber: The Post writes about the use of immigration violations to get at people suspected of terrorism links when other routes... |
Poll: USA is losing patience on Iraq By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — Nearly six in 10 Americans say the United States should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq, a new Gallup Poll finds, the most downbeat view of the war since it began in 2003. | |
|
David Sirota: Now, though, with a new poll showing almost 60 percent of Americans favor a withdrawal, more Democrats are springing into action. Juan Cole: 2. You wouldn't expect nearly 6 in ten of Americans to say they want at least some troops withdrawn from Iraq. 1. Arthur Silber: Unfortunately for those who smear everyone who actually tries to think about the impossible situation that Bush has... |
Steve Soto: As New Memos Emerge, Public Support For Keeping Troops In Iraq Falls — As a follow-up to Mary's post below on the... McQ: UPDATE: A new poll shows that patience about Iraq is dropping in the US. James Joyner: Good News from Iraq - One Step at a Time — Arthur Chrenkoff begins his periodic OpinionJournal Iraq good news roundup (also here and here) with, [snipped quote] True enough. |
| Also: Oliver Willis | |
Personal view: Forget global warming. Let's make a real difference Telegraph — Permalink Last Tuesday, 11 of the world's leading academies of science, including the Royal Society, told us that we must take global warming seriously. Their argument is that global warming is due to mankind's use of fossil fuels, that the consequences 100 years from now will be serious, and that we therefore should do something dramatic. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: Poor Bjorn Lomborg. He is engaged in what is probably a fruitless task - trying to use logic and a knowledge of... |
Tom Maguire: Global Warming — Betsy Newmark comes out swimging, with a link to a Bjorn Lomborg piece in the Daily Torygraph. |
Pentagon Analyst Indicted in Info Leak By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — A Pentagon analyst has been indicted on charges he leaked classified military information to employees of a pro-Israel group, according to court papers made public Monday. | |
|
Justin Raimondo: After all, why else would the Israelis be running spies like Larry Franklin, the 58-year-old Pentagon analyst, whose... |
Laura Rozen: Here's an AP wire story on the May 26 sealed indictment against Franklin, which was unsealed today. |
For Chinese, Peasant Revolt Is Rare Victory By / WaPo — Permalink HUAXI, China — A hard rain had fallen most of the night. Xu Juxian, a wiry farmer's wife with straggly black hair, said the downpour leaked copiously into the ragged tents where elderly protesters had been camping for more than two weeks. | |
|
Alameida @Unfogged: Revolutionary — This is a very interesting article in the Washington Post about a sucessful peasant rebellion in rural China. Orrin Judd: MORE: For Chinese, Peasant Revolt Is Rare Victory: Farmers Beat Back Police In Battle Over Pollution (Edward Cody, June... |
Richard TPD: Huaxi Peasant Revolt — The Washington Post today offers a massive four-page analysis of the recent peasant uprising in... |
Vatican Gets Victory in Italian Referendum AP — Permalink ROME (AP) — Efforts to loosen Italy's assisted-fertility laws in a referendum failed Monday because low voter turnout invalidated the balloting — a victory for the Vatican. An Italian poll worker counting votes at the close of a referendum on the fertility law in Rome. | |
|
Sarah Wildman: According to the Associated Press, Italians simply didn't vote, which is what Benedict hoped would happen. |
K. J. Lopez: A B16 WIN in Italy |
AL FRANKEN OVERSTAYS WELCOME AT TALK FEST Drudge Report — Permalink AIR AMERICA's Al Franken became "The Guest Who Wouldn't Leave" after receiving an award at a talk-radio convention in New York over the weekend. NY POST's John Mainelli reports Monday: The liberal talk-show host was finally forced off the stage — amidst... | |
|
Lorie Byrd: UPDATE II: Maybe I was wrong about Franken being serious. Is this how you run for the Senate? |
Ace: Get Out The Hook [John from WuzzaDem] Man, I bitch about Drudge, then he gives us this gem: AL FRANKEN OVERSTAYS WELCOME... |
On Radio, More Laughter From the Left By / WaPo — Permalink NEW YORK — Stephanie Miller is watching Fox News, as she does every night, looking for laughs. "It's like Comedy Central for liberals," says the Los Angeles radio host. "They don't know they're funny — they just are. It's a right-wing freak show." | |
|
Rickheller @Centerfield: Generational Shift — One of liberal Air America's talk show hosts is the daughter of Goldwater's running mate... Betsy Newmark: How do you make a mistake like this one at the Washington Times? |
Michelle Malkin: WaPo's Howard Kurtz reports that liberal radio network Air America says its audience is "running ahead of projections." |
Step by Step By / Opinion Journal — Permalink "You can't fix in six months what it took 35 years to destroy." These words, spoken by Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's first democratically elected Prime Minister in half a century, should be inscribed in 3-foot-tall characters as a preface to all the reporting from Iraq. | |
|
Captain Ed: Arthur Chrenkoff gives us the Step By Step on Iraq in Opinionjournal today. Cori Dauber: There are a large number of items worth paying attention to in this installment in that regard. FrancoAlemán: A NEW ROUNDUP by Arthur Chrenkoff of the good news from Iraq. Yes, there's a lot of them. Click here to send me an email |
McQ: UPDATE: Meanwhile, it's left up to those like Arthur Chernkoff to tell the other side of the Iraq story, the one that... Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Iraq, 13 June 2005 — Note : Also available at "The Opinion Journal" and Chrenkoff. Jan Haugland: More good news from Iraq — Arthur Chrenkoff has published part 29 in Good news from Iraq, appropriately titled 'Step by step.' |
| Also: Mitch Berg | |
The Contradiction of 'Deep Throat' By / WaPo — Permalink The news that W. Mark Felt, former deputy director of the FBI, is "Deep Throat" — that it was he who played a key role in exposing and bringing to justice the people who authorized the 1972 Watergate break-in — came as an unexpected revelation to many. | |
|
Jim Romenesko: > Claim: DT wasn't one individual, but rather a committee of sorts (VV) > Revelation of Felt as DT is filled with... |
Matthew Yglesias: The Op-ed You Actually Need To Read John Nields on Deep Throat. |
Pentagon Funds Diplomacy Effort By / WaPo — Permalink The Pentagon awarded three contracts this week, potentially worth up to $300 million over five years, to companies it hopes will inject more creativity into its psychological operations efforts to improve foreign public opinion about the United States, particularly the military. | |
|
Barbara O'Brien: We Are All Conspiracy Theorists Now — Let's all give a robust "WTF?" to this WaPo article from Saturday: "The Pentagon... Xan @Corrente: We start here at the WaPo "The Pentagon awarded three contracts this week, potentially worth up to $300 million over... |
Billmon: I didn't even have anything that could reasonably be called evidence, until today, when I came across this story:... Laura Rozen: An investigative reporting challenge from Billmon: Who is Lincoln Alliance? More background from the Washington Post. |
What if CNN hadn't happened? By / Detroit Free Press — Permalink CNN was born 25 years ago this month. It was a simple yet awesome invention, the brainchild of Ted Turner, who saw a world of satellites and cable and got the idea for a 24-hour news channel. Turner is a man who often asks "Why not?" rather than "Why?" | |
|
Jim Romenesko: Albom: We all feel a lot smarter with cable news, but... Detroit Free Press The problem is, according to Mitch Albom, is... |
Brian Stelter: There Are Times When Mitch Albom Wishes Cable News Didn't Exist... Mitch Albom's opinion of cable news: [snipped quote] (Via Romenesko) |
Aoun's poll win gives him major voice in Lebanon By / Reuters — Permalink BEIRUT (Reuters) - Firebrand former general Michel Aoun scored a stunning win on Monday in Lebanon's parliamentary elections to emerge as the main Christian political force in the country, only weeks after returning from exile. | |
|
Juan Cole: You wouldn't expect the anti-Syrian "Lebanese Forces" faction of Christians to be crushed by returned Gen. Michel Aoun,... |
Joe Gandelman: The fat lady has not yet sung in Lebanon... MORE READINGS: Key facts about Aoun Old War Rivals Take Battle to Lebanon... |
Unforgiven By / Weekly Standard — Permalink NO ISSUES have dominated recent political debate more than the fight over President Bush's judicial nominees and the controversy over U.S. treatment of detainees in the war on terrorism. | |
|
Hugh Hewitt: Over at WeeklyStandard.com, Paul Mirengoff writes about another resident of Senate Limbo, William Haynes. |
Scott @PowerLine: Stand up for William James Haynes — We proudly present Paul's Daily Standard column on the judicial nomination of... |
Nine Killed in Bombings Around Iran AP — Permalink Bomb blasts struck Iranian government buildings in the capital of an oil-rich border province, followed within hours by two other bombs in central Tehran, killing a total of nine people days before Iran's presidential elections. | |
|
Juan Cole: You would not expect that Iraq, instead of being a beacon of democracy to neighbors like Iran, seems instead to have been a beacon of car bombings. |
Steve M.: Although the amount is small — and Iran's government may try to bar Iranians from accepting funds — the move is a... |
One Nation, Uninsured By / NYT — Permalink Harry Truman tried to create a national health insurance system. Public opinion was initially on his side: Jill Quadagno's book "One Nation, Uninsured" tells us that in 1945, 75 percent of Americans favored national health insurance. | |
|
Tom Maguire: Krugman Back On Health Care — Paul Krugman is back on health care. Justin @SouthernAppeal: Thus says the inimitable Paul Krugman in today's op-ed. Matthew Yglesias: Today's Paul Krugman column joins me in attacking from the left the various liberal folks and groups out there rushing... |
Ezra Klein: Medicare For All — I've been trying to decide whether or not to link to Krugman's column today. Steve Antler: Paul Krugman: The cost of health care is exploding, the number of uninsured is growing, and corporations that still... Attaturk: From Krugman: [snipped quote] Without universal health care, large corporations are going to go under or cut those with health insurance free. |
| Also: Atrios | |
The Wisdom We Need to Fight AIDS By / NYT — Permalink There's a church in southern Mozambique that is about 10 yards long, with a tin roof and walls made of sticks. Women gather there to sing and pray and look after the orphans of AIDS victims. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Nicholas Kristof. Here's a whole different way being born in Africa sucks. David Brooks. |
Peter Burnet: MOCK ON, MOCK ON, VOLTAIRE, ROUSSEAU... The Wisdom We Need to Fight AIDS (David Brooks, New York Times, June 12th, 2005)... |
A Report by U.S., Criticizing U.N., Urges Reforms By / NYT — Permalink UNITED NATIONS, June 12 - A Congressionally mandated panel will report this week that the United Nations suffers from poor management, "dismal" staff morale and lack of accountability and professional ethics but will acknowledge the broad changes proposed for the organization by Secretary General Kofi Annan and urge the United States to support them. | |
|
Pudentilla: pot: "kettle is black" — [snipped quote] perhaps all these criticisms are well-founded. but they might equally be made... |
Attaturk: Ironic Newstory of the Day — A Congressionally mandated panel will report this week that the United Nations suffers... |
Iraq's Sunnis say things never worse AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has been in power less than two months, and minority Sunni Arabs — the dominant force in the nation's relentless and bloody insurgency — are struggling to find a place in the country's future. | |
|
Juan Cole: You wouldn't expect Sunni Arabs of Iraq to say that now is the worst they have ever had it. — Will blog more Monday afternoon. Andrew Olmsted: Iraq's Sunnis complain that things in Iraq have never been worse, an unsurprising claim given their privileged status under the Hussein government. |
Marc @USSNeverdock: You're breaking my heart! This AP article will just break your heart over the Sunnis desperate plight. Let's start with the headline. |
To Our Readers LAT — Permalink First, thanks for making it to this page, which is no small feat on a Sunday. The editorial page, which runs in this section on Sundays and in the California section on other days, is the one place in the newspaper where the Los Angeles Times as an institution expresses its own point of view, as formulated by its editorial board. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: It was revealed in this seemingly institutional announcement that the paper ran yesterday — an announcement that,... Tom @BeggingToDiffer: WIKITORIALS — Via Kevin Drum I see that the LA Times' online version will be offering a feature called "wikitorials",... Jim Romenesko: > "In the coming weeks and months, these pages will change" (LAT) |
Jeff Jarvis: Sticki wiki : Via Dan Gillmor at Bayosphere, I see that the LA Time is planning to start wikitorials — wikified... Kevin Roderick: LAT edit page in the news * A To Our Readers note on Sunday from L.A. Times Editorial Page Editor Andrés Martinez... Kevin Drum: THE FUTURE OF EDITORIALS?...Yesterday morning, I read this on the LA Times editorial page: "Watch next week for the... |
Southern star By / Salon — Permalink RICHMOND, Va. — As you drive south from Washington on Interstate 95, the high-tech corridors of northern Virginia give way to green grass and rolling hills and something that begins to look like the South. | |
|
Edm Staff: Gov Warner: Dems Need 'Aspirational, Future-oriented, Hopeful Vision' — Salon.com's Tim Grieve continues his excellent... Ed Cone: Mark Warner, Democrat from Virginia — Salon's Tim Grieve has a Q&A with Virginia gov Mark Warner, who seems to be running for President (click thru ad to read it.) |
Jerome Armstrong: NM's Richardson is testing the waters in NH this week, and VA's Warner, who just formed a national PAC, is out in Iowa... Matt Singer: Salon Profiles Mark Warner — And I like what I read. The Washington Post had an earlier article asking whether Warner... |
Knighted Muslim vows to speak out BBC — Permalink The Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain says he will not dilute criticism of the establishment because he has received a knighthood. Sir Iqbal Sacranie told Sky's Sunday with Adam Boulton the honour would not make it more difficult for him to speak out over issues such as the Iraq war. | |
|
Marc @USSNeverdock: So, what do they do? They give a knighthood to the "Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain", Iqbal Sacranie. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: What would Saladin think — [snipped quote] We have certainly gone a long way since the Crusades. |
Some Held at Guantánamo Are Minors, Lawyers Say By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 12 - Lawyers representing detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, say that there still may be as many as six prisoners who were captured before their 18th birthday and that the military has sought to conceal the precise number of juveniles at the prison camp. | |
|
Andrew Sullivan: I know we're supposed to treat all detainee affidavits as suspect (and with good reason) but some have corroborating... Jeralyn Merritt: Report: Six Juveniles Held at Guantanamo — The New York Times reports Monday that six of the detainees held at... |
Riggsveda @Corrente: And that includes the 14 year old: [quote] "Lawyers representing detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, say that there...[end quote] |
Camera of Sean Penn, Journalist, Confiscated in Iran Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Iran was rocked by bombings on Sunday, killing at least nine and wounding more than 30, as dozens of journalists from around the world gathered in advance of the presidential election this Friday. | |
|
Arthur Chrenkoff: Today, I'm happy to report on the latest developments in the Penn saga: "Several hundred women at a sit-in outside the... Charles Johnson: Mullahs Confiscate Spicoli's Camera — Sean Penn ran right up against the totalitarian boot today; his camera was... K. J. Lopez: SEAN PENN'S CAMERA SEIZED IN IRAN — Couldn't have happened to a better guy. |
Laura Rozen: In advance of Iran's presidential elections Friday, Iranian women demonstrators demanding an end to gender... Pejman Yousefzadeh: For helping prove via his own example that Iran is an authoritarian state. I'm sure, of course, that none of us knew this before. Forkum: UPDATE — June 13: From Editor & Publisher: Camera of Sean Penn, Journalist, Confiscated in Iran. |
Time report fuels Guantanamo criticism CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay drew fresh criticism Sunday following a Time magazine report on a logbook tracing the treatment of a detainee who officials believe was intended to take part in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. | |
|
Scott @PowerLine: Regarding Time's "Inside the interrogation of Detainee 063" (Mohammad al Kahtanni), Dr. Brian Byer writes: "On the CNN... Frederick Maryland: According to CNN: [snipped quote] Now that our own documents (not just detainees' allegations) point to abuse, the Bush... |
Captain Ed: If this is all they've got, perhaps the get-Gitmo hysteria will finally go away. (via INDC Journal, who adds a worthy... |
Hundreds of Women Protest Sex Discrimination in Iran By / NYT — Permalink TEHRAN, June 12 - Hundreds of women staged an unauthorized demonstration in Tehran today, protesting sex discrimination under Iran's Islamic leadership just days before the June 17 presidential elections. | |
|
Betsy Newmark: The New York Times has the story. "The protest was the first public display of dissent by women since the 1979 revolution, when the new regime enforced obligatory veiling. David T: Gene adds: According to The New York Times report, "The protest was the first public display of dissent by women since... Norm Geras: More here: "The mainly young protesters, many in their teens, defied the security forces' assaults and chanted slogans... |
Praktike: Also in Iran, a few hundred women staged a daring protest in front of Tehran University. Lots going on there these days. Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE FROM IRAN — Via Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, we have this. Robert Mayer: Middle East — Iran Babes of politics — IRANIAN WOMEN PROTEST GENDER APARTHEID This is big. Keep reading, you'll see why. |
| Also: Armando @DailyKos, Ann Althouse, Amanda Marcotte | |
Lawmaker's home sale questioned By / San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON - A defense contractor with ties to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took a $700,000 loss on the purchase of the congressman's Del Mar house while the congressman, a member of the influential defense appropriations subcommittee, was supporting the contractor's efforts to get tens of millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon. | |
|
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Cunningham defends deal with defense firm's owner — Copely News Service via Right Wing News: "A defense contractor... Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: From an article in the San Diego Union Tribune: [quote] "A defense contractor with ties to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took...[end quote] Josh Marshall: As this article in today's San Diego Union-Tribune explains, the house sat unbought and unoccupied for 261 days. |
Avedon Carol: Meanwhile, Josh Marshall notes a mysteriously bad real estate investment and sudden economic turnaround. Funny about that.... John Hawkins: Take a look at this sweet deal Cunningham got and tell me it doesn't look like just as sleazy as Hillary Clinton's... Orrin Judd: HOUSING BUBBLE BURSTS: Cunningham defends deal with defense firm's ownerM (Marcus Stern, June 12, 2005, COPLEY NEWS... |
| Also: Kos @DailyKos, Roger Ailes, Gail Heriot | |
US will 'have to face' military draft dilemma: senator AFP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States will "have to face" a painful dilemma on restoring the military draft as rising casualties result in persistent shortfalls in US Army recruitment, a top US senator warned. | |
|
Cernig: Joe Biden thinks it will be the Draft. Atrios: Drafty — Biden: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States will "have to face" a painful dilemma on restoring the military... Kos @DailyKos: Meanwhile, Joe Biden uttered the "D" word. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Joe Biden. Ah, so Joe ("Copycat") Biden is viewed as a "top US Senator" in the mind's eye of the international liberal media. Captain Ed: Now that we're eight months past the election, however, the Democrats now insist that the draft should be considered:... Lambert @Corrente: When your enemy's drowning, throw him an anvil! So why is Joe Biden (D-MBNA) talking about needing a draft? |
| Also: Oliver Willis, Jeralyn Merritt | |
TIME Exclusive: Inside the Wire at Gitmo Time — Permalink New York - TIME has obtained the first documented look inside the highly classified realm of military interrogations since the Gitmo Camp at Guantanamo Bay opened. The document is a secret 84-page interrogation log that details the interrogation of 'Detainee 063' at Guantanamo Bay. | |
|
See Dubya: (The whole story is only available to Time subscribers; but here's a press release; here are excerpts from the log; and here's Brother Lileks' incomparable japing.) Clayton Cramer: From this Time magazine account sounds like the military is using very clever psychogical techniques that, while they... Arthur Chrenkoff: Aguileragate — Never mind flushing Korans down the toilet - this is the true scandal of Guantanamo (compiled by "Time"... |
Juan Cole: You wouldn't expect Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Prison to have been put in "stress positions," or physically poked... Avedon Carol: Left in the West has a good take on that, too. Time magazine has a big piece looking "Inside the Wire at Gitmo." Marc @USSNeverdock: Time Magazine's "exclusive" inside look at the interrogation techniques used on "Mohammed al Qahtani, who is widely believed to be the so-called 20th hijacker" reveals - not much. |
| Also: Captain Ed, Sean Daniel, Bill @INDCJournal | |
Transcript for June 12 MSNBC — Permalink PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS." This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. | |
|
Brendan Nyhan: John Harwood and David Broder close ranks on MTP — The second half of today's "Meet the Press" featured a typically inane pundit "roundtable." Hooman Majd: Hooman Majd: Curt Weldon, Amateur Spy — On Meet The Press this morning, Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) and Senator... Arianna Huffington: But today, even the shtick was gone. Maybe what they say about D.C. lacking a nightlife isn't true, and Tim Russert really tied one on Saturday night. |
Praktike: UPDATE: Little Russ actually made himself useful this morning, apparently. Laura Rozen: Here's the relevant portion of this morning's transcript: [snipped quote] It's curious that Weldon claims here he knew nothing about Mahdavi's association with Ghorbanifar. Taegan Goddard: Tim Russert on Meet the Press yesterday: "Her goal is to raise $60 million for the Senate race, spend $20 in New York... |
| Also: Atrios | |
Cheney Criticizes Dean Over Remarks AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Howard Dean is "over the top," Vice President Dick Cheney says, calling the Democrats' chairman "not the kind of individual you want to have representing your political party." "I've never been able to understand his appeal. | |
|
Avedon Carol: Personally, I think it's hilarious that raving crackpot barbarian Dick Cheney thinks he is in any position to criticize Dean. Joe Gandelman: UPDATE III: Dick Cheney has taken the political ball thrown into the arms of the GOP and is running with it. Oliver Willis: Sounds Like A Compliment To Me — The ethically challenged, criminally corrupt Dick Cheney talks about Howard Dean:... |
Steve Soto: And while Fox, AOL, and other GOP tools in the media reported on Lyin' Dick Cheney's blast at Dean today, Dean had the... Eriposte @LeftCoaster: Here's Cheney on Dean (bold text is my emphasis): [snipped quote] At least AP did some fact-checking about the "never won... Attaturk: Your Daily Sack o' Dick — Mr. Warmth, kept alive through the miracle of direct current: [quote] "I've never been able to understand his appeal.[end quote] |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt | |
The Left Gets a Memo By / LAT — Permalink After about the 200th e-mail from a stranger demanding that I cease my personal cover-up of something called the Downing Street Memo, I decided to read it. (By mentioning 200 e-mails, I do not intend to brag. I'm sure Tom Friedman got many more.) | |
|
Digby: I'm not sure what Michael Kinsley is saying here, but I agree with Kevin that it's absurd to think that the meeting... Andrew Sullivan: Kinsley's right, though, as usual. All the memo shows is one individual's take on what was going on in Washington. Captain Ed: Today, however, he scores on the ridiculous nature of the Downing Street Memo that has the Left all atwitter. |
Jim Romenesko: Kinsley doesn't buy the fuss over the Downing Street memo — Los Angeles Times "Nevertheless, I am enjoying it, as an encouraging sign of the left's revival," says Michael Kinsley. Riggsveda @Corrente: Well, Kinsley has shot his keyboard off, no doubt in the service of "balance", and unleashed a spray of indiscriminate... Juan Cole: This passage is unambiguous and refutes the weird suggestion by Michael Kinsley that the Downing Street Memo did not... |
| Also: Jesse Taylor, James Joyner, Cernig, Kevin Drum, Kevin Roderick, Barbara O'Brien | |
Scream 2: The Sequel Newsweek — Permalink June 20 issue - By the glamour-challenged standards of Washington, it was a big-box-office move. On short notice last Saturday, C-Span decided to cover—live—a normally snooze-inducing meeting of the Democratic National Committee. | |
|
John Cole: Today, Howard has a long piece outlining the problems with Howard Dean titled the Scream 2: the Sequel, in which Fineman... John Hawkins: Quote Of The Day: Howard Dean's Real Problem — Lefty Howard Fineman explains the real problem with Howard Dean's (the... Chris Bowers: Small Donors Take Over Democratic Party — Two corporate parties no more (emphasis mine): [snipped quote] I'd love to see the avergae donation to the RNC, by way of comparison. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But in the end, organization does not mean a hill of beans without votes, and votes are what the second Howard may be... Matt Singer: In an article highlighted at Kos for being surprisingly fair, Howard Fineman compares Dean's recent statements to Russell Crowe's recent phoning of a hotel employee. Daveweigel @DailyKos: Since we're all so quick to post when someone bashes Howard Dean or writes something inaccurate about DNC fundraising,... |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
Center Court By / NYT — Permalink Within hours of the compromise reached by a bipartisan group of senators last month that defused, or at least delayed, a showdown on judicial filibusters, interest groups on the right and the left were denouncing the deal in the most aggrieved terms. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: On the subject of Jeffrey Rosen's article, I think it's worth pointing out that denunciations of the way special... David Allan Pell: Looking for the Middle — Jeffrey Rosen has a very interesting piece in the NYT Sunday Magazine in which he argues that... William J. Dyer: In an essay called "Center Court," Prof. Rosen takes this data for his premise: [snipped quote] Now, although I never... |
Sam Rosenfeld: Before it degenerates into an ill-considered paean to the Schwarzenegger centrists who will save our republic from... Ramesh Ponnuru: VOX POP — Jeffrey Rosen argues in the New York Times Magazine that the Supreme Court, for good or ill, reflects public opinion better than elected officials do. |
Extracts from an Interrogation Log Time — Permalink 0225: The detainee arrives at the interrogation booth a Camp X-Ray. His hood is removed and he is bolted to the floor. SGT A and SGT R are the interrogators. A DoD linguist and MAJ L (BSCT) are present 0235: Session begins. The detainee refuses to look at SGT A "due to his religion. | |
|
Juan Cole: Some of the log of an interrogator has been published by Time magazine. 9. Cori Dauber: A Question of Balance — You can't yet access the entire cover package from the web unless you subscribe to Time... |
Jason Van Steenwyk: Humiliation: A call for papers — This journal of the early days of the captivity and interrogation of the 20th... Jeralyn Merritt: Time Magazine's Series on Guantanamo Inside the Interrogation of Detainee 063 Extracts from an Interrogation Log... |
Who can stop the rise and rise of China? The communists, of course By / Telegraph — Permalink Seventy years ago, in the days of Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan, when the inscrutable Oriental had a powerful grip on Occidental culture, Erle Stanley Gardner wrote en passant in the course of a short story: "The Chinese of wealth always builds his house with a cunning simulation of external poverty. | |
|
Dale Franks: More Contrarianism on China — Weighing in on whether the "Asian Century" will be a Chinese or an Indian Century is Mark... Jan Haugland: PS: Mark Steyn is far more skeptical to China, and to the fashionable idea it will take over the world. Larry Kudlow: China: No Future — Mark Steyn has a great piece in this morning's Telegraph. |
Orrin Judd: "WITH A BROW LIKE SHAKESPEARE AND A FACE LIKE SATAN" (via Frederik Jacobsen): Who can stop the rise and rise of China? Roger L. Simon: That would be cooperating with totalitarianism, obviously the antithesis of what we are trying to do. (hat tip: Wichita Boy) MEANWHILE: On topic - Steyn the Man. Ed Driscoll: Steyn's title says it all: "Who can stop the rise and rise of China? |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
MAG: CHRISTINA AGUILERA MUSIC USED AS TORTURE IN GITMO Drudge Report — Permalink New York - TIME has obtained the first documented look inside the highly classified realm of military interrogations since the Gitmo Camp at Guantanamo Bay opened. The document is a secret 84-page interrogation log that details the interrogation of 'Detainee 063' at Guantanamo Bay. | |
|
Digby: Apple Corp — Isn't it interesting that the bad apples who were just having some kicks on the night shift at Abu Ghraib... Amanda Marcotte: The Drudge Report has got the first glimpse of a secret 84-page interrogation log that Time Magazine has obtained from Gitmo. |
Charles Johnson: Gitmo Aguilera Torment — The true horror of Guantanamo Bay is only now being revealed: The Aguilera horror. |
States Ranked: Smartest to Dumbest CNN — Permalink The smartest state in the union for the second consecutive year is Massachusetts. The dumbest, for the third year in a row, is New Mexico. These are the findings of the Education State Rankings, a survey by Morgan Quitno Press of hundreds of public school systems in all 50 states. | |
|
Ace: As brak says: WTF? Update by Jen: This proves it. California is full of retards. Ranks 43rd out of 50 states for smart folks. Acidman: i would rather be dumb — This is absolute bulls**t. Ann Althouse: Wisconsin's #5, so should I approve of this silliness? We love rankings and we love lists, so here I am linking. |
Jay Tea: Educational idiot savants — There's a new study out, and it proclaims that Massachusetts is the smartest state, while New Mexico is the dumbest. Joe Gandelman: A new study has just come out that ranks the 50 states from the smartest to dumbest — which is of interest to me... |
Memo: U.S. Lacked Full Iraq Plan By / WaPo — Permalink A briefing paper prepared for British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top advisers eight months before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq concluded that the U.S. military was not preparing adequately for what the British memo predicted would be a "protracted and costly" postwar occupation of that country. | |
|
Ed Cone: Somebody made some serious mistakes in planning this war. Shouldn't they be the ones held accountable? Brad DeLong: Wolfowitz Math: $208 Billion < $30 Billion — Unqualified Offerings writes: : "Walter Pincus of the Post, writing about... David Adesnik: What the WaPo actually reported on Sunday's front page was that [snipped quote] As Kevin Drum points out, this isn't exactly a revelation (even if Juan Cole calls it a "bombshell"). |
Tom Maguire: Let's excerpt the lead from the latest Times piece: [snipped quote] Now, here is the Sunday WaPo story on the same memo... Faiz @ThinkProgress: Using the Downing Street Minutes to bring light to these Briefing Papers, the Washington Post's Walter Pincus wrote a... Matthew Yglesias: The Washington Post ran a good front-page story by Walter Pincus yesterday on some new British memos providing further... |
| Also: Kevin Drum, Steve Soto, Juan Cole, Randall Parker, Billmon, Pontificator @DailyKos, Cookie Jill, Cori Dauber, Attaturk, Barbara O'Brien, The Poorman, Atrios, Jeralyn Merritt, Oliver Willis, Lindsay Beyerstein, Jim Henley | |
Ministers were told of need for Gulf war 'excuse' By / Times of London — Permalink MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal. | |
|
Rep. John Conyers: The London Times also covered the disclosure of new British Memos confirming the pre-war deal and highlighting the lack of a post-war plan. Steve M.: I suppose I ought to be paying more attention to the Downing Street Memo, especially now that a second memo that corroborates the first one has surfaced. Juan Cole: Bush and Blair Committed to War in April, 2002 — Leaked Cabinet Briefing Shows British Knew War was Illegal The London... |
Oldman @BOPNews: Here be Dragons — Recently there's been a lot more talk about the Downing Street Memo. Cernig: Yet Another Leak - The Downing Street Briefing — There's been yet another leak made to the Times of London by it's... Brad DeLong: (And We Could Use a Better Press Corps...) The Downing Street Memo acquires more steam: Ministers were told of need... |
| Also: Jack Balkin, Nellie B, Kevin Drum, Talking Dog, Steve Soto, Andrew Sullivan, Judd @ThinkProgress, Skippy, Jeralyn Merritt, Magpie @PacificViews, Marty Kaplan, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Cookie Jill, Jesse Taylor, Barbara O'Brien, The Poorman, Lindsay Beyerstein, Attaturk, Billmon, Roger Ailes, Josh Marshall | |
Lessons from the voucher schools JSOnline — Permalink Now 15 years old, Milwaukee's school choice program is very much like a teenager - heartwarmingly good at times, disturbingly bad at others, and the subject of myths, misunderstandings and ignorance, even by the adults entrusted with its welfare. | |
|
Dirty Harry: It's been fifteen years since the school choice program began, and judging by this very fair article in today's... Ezra Klein: Further, the reality of vouchers, that they simply let a thousand parochial flowers bloom, is its own problem. |
Kevin Drum: VOUCHER SCHOOLS IN MILWAUKEE...The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a quite fascinating story today about their city's... John J. Miller: SCHOOL CHOICE — The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel runs an extensive series of articles on school choice, beginning today. |
Nuts all round Guardian — Permalink American sentimentality may once have seemed endearing, but now we know it's just another instrument of evil. Every aspect of American culture has begun to stink of the grave. The pizzas and hamburgers: this is how world tyrants fuel themselves. | |
|
Norm Geras: It's rare however to find quite so concentrated an instance of the phenomenon as in this review by Lucy Ellmann of... Jan Haugland: Lucy Ellmann surely doesn't hold back. American sentimentality may once have seemed endearing, but now we know it's just another instrument of evil. |
Jason Van Steenwyk: An insipid book review — I response to the first paragraph of this Guardian book review: Anti-american cynicism once... Gary Farber: Lucy Ellman begins a book review with this throat-clearing: [snipped quote] I'll leave this simply as a Rorshach. |
Dean tells Dems: "People want us to fight" By / Salon — Permalink Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough despite suggestions from some congressional Democrats that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric. | |
|
Rickheller @Centerfield: Dean is right that Democrats want him to fight, but shouldn't his shots at Republicans hit their targets? |
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Private Parts — Donna Brazile: idiot. [snipped quote] Note to Donna: If you say "privately" to a reporter, it's no longer private. |
New Tack Against Illegal Immigrants: Trespassing Charges By / WaPo — Permalink The police chief of this tiny whitewashed New England town has crafted his own border-control policy — he has charged illegal immigrants from Mexico with trespassing in New Hampshire. The novel legal strategy has made a minor celebrity of W. Garrett Chamberlain. | |
|
Ace: He's charging them with trespassing. As usual, the Mexican government, the ACLU and the open borders crowd are not pleased. |
Jay Tea: The Washington Post sent a reporter to New Ipswich, and he did his darndest to do a hatchet-job on the chief, his town, and the state in general. |
Arrest for 'gay' horse jibe is absurd, says Tatchell By / Telegraph — Permalink Police officers who arrested a student for calling a police horse "gay" have been accused of "absurd heavy-handedness and over-reaction" by a leading campaigner for homosexual rights. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Naysayer Arrested — Police in England arrested a student for nagging a horse: [snipped quote] Actually, we understand... |
Andrew Stuttaford: PC PC — From the Sunday Telegraph: "Police officers who arrested a student for calling a police horse "gay" have been... |
A Revitalization For Washington's U Street Corridor By / NYT — Permalink FOR much of the first half of the 20th century, the U Street area of Washington thrived as the heart of the city's African-American community, pulsing with culture, entertainment and soul. | |
|
Matthew Yglesias: Neighborhood News — I woke up this morning to find my very own neighborhood — the eastern end of the U Street Corridor — profiled in The New York Times. |
Will Baude: I do wish to note, though, this N.Y. Times story about the revitalization of the 14th/U-Street corridors, i.e., my neighborhood this summer. |
Behind Every Grad... By / NYT — Permalink You don't expect to learn much at a graduation ceremony - especially if you're the commencement speaker. But I learned about a truly important program at the Williams College graduation last Sunday. Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times Forum: Thomas L. Friedman's Columns | |
|
Betsy Newmark: Thomas Friedman writes about what seems like a beautiful program at Williams College. |
Joanne Jacobs: The other students — Every year, Williams College seniors nominate a high school teacher who's had the most influence on their lives, writes Tom Friedman in the New York Times. |
Howard and Hillary sing the same tune NY Daily News — Permalink Howard Dean is all the rage. The loudmouth leader of the Democratic Party has set off fireworks with his nasty broadsides at Republicans. He's been so harsh that some in his own party want to muzzle him. Here's a taste of the tone: | |
|
Betsy Newmark: Michael Goodwin notes the similarities between what Hillary Clinton and what Howard Dean say about the Republicans. |
Alexander K. McClure: Michael Goodwin analyzes the public statements of Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton and finds precious little difference between them. |
Videotape of Serbian Police Killing 6 Muslims From Srebrenica Grips Balkans By / NYT — Permalink SPIONICA, Bosnia, June 9 - Safeta Muhic is glued to her television set, feverishly flicking channels for another chance to see Serbian gunmen killing her brother. Safeta Muhic, with a photomontage of her family, learned of the death of her brother, top left, when she saw a video of the police killing him. | |
|
Ann Althouse: The theory saves us from needing to think about the historical details of the period — what happened in Bosnia? — and allows us to contemplate American culture. |
Cori Dauber: Now they're learning some of the truth and it's a shock to the system. Hopefully the word, "Srebrenica" isn't one we've forgotten. |
Storm Clouds In California Newsweek — Permalink When 20-year-old Hamid Hayat left his home in California a little more than two years ago, he was like a lot of young Americans—aimless and a bit unsure about his future. Rail-thin and addicted to videogames, he lived with his parents in Lodi, Calif., a small farming town south of Sacramento. | |
|
Marc @USSNeverdock: America - Newsweek Shills for Terrorists — Newsweek just can't seem to stop shilling for the terrorists. Let's set the scene shall we? |
Charles Johnson: Jihad In California — Newsweek's Michael "Koran in a Commode" Isikoff has a new article about the Lodi terrorism... |
Howard Dean Renews Attacks on Republicans By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough even though some congressional Democrats have suggested he should tone down his rhetoric. | |
|
Joe Gandelman: Dean told the crowd:""People want us to fight," Dean told the national party's executive committee. " |
PoliPundit: Howard Dean: God's Gift to the GOP — Howard Dean will continue with his shrill, hateful rhetoric: [snipped quote] I hope Dean remains the Democrats' chairman forever! |
No Smoking Gun By / WaPo — Permalink After about the 200th e-mail from a stranger demanding that I cease my personal coverup of something called the Downing Street Memo, I decided to read it. It's all over the blogosphere and Air America, the left-wing talk radio network: This is the smoking gun of the Iraq war. | |
|
Riggsveda @Corrente: But what prompted this unplanned post was finding this poison in the op-ed pages of the Washington Post. |
Judd @ThinkProgress: Kinsley's Sloppy Downing Street Whitewash — On the Washington Post Op-Ed page this morning, Michael Kinsley - an editor... |
Rare Bomb Explosions Kill Eight in Iran AP — Permalink TEHRAN, Iran - Four bombs exploded in the capital of an oil-rich province on the Iranian border with Iraq on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding at least 36, state-run television reported. The bombings came days before the presidential vote and were the deadliest in Iran in more than a decade. | |
|
Charles Johnson: Arabs vs Persians? Bomb Explosions Target Iranian Elections. |
Jan Haugland: Deadly blasts target the Iranian government — Iranian government buildings were targeted by four bomb explosions in the... |