Brilliant! WASHINGTON - Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq and accusing... [More]
November 1, 2005
PREPARING FOR THE PANDEMIC
Kudos to Bush for finally stepping up and acting to prepare for a potential flu pandemic. But I do have a question: Isn't this something we should already have been... [More]
WHAT THE WORLD DOESN"T NEED NOW...
...is this. Pet radio? Are people really this dumb? This stupid? This oblivious to the fact that there are more important things in the world to worry about then whether... [More]
NO BUBBLE HERE. MOVE ALONG.
I heard on NPR over the weekend that the incoming chair of the Fed doesn't believe there's a housing bubble. Interesting. I'd love to get his take on this: California... [More]
NEVER AGAIN
Yet another reason to never, EVER buy another CD again. EVER. --------... [More]
November 2, 2005
MISSING THE POINT
McLellan doesn't get it. WASHINGTON - The White House sought to deflect politically charged questions Wednesday about President Bush's use of prewar intelligence in Iraq, saying Democrats, too, had concluded... [More]
ROUND UP TIME!
I spent a few hours tonight at BU's "Great Debate," a face-off over the teaching of Intelligent Design in high school bio classes (for the record, the ID side got... [More]
READ THIS. NOW.
I'm in the midst of a big news roundup post, but this one is too good to wait. Billmon is on it once again. Read it. Now. Go! Get out... [More]
November 3, 2005
STATS LESSON
God help this great land. WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly 7 million adults were in U.S. prisons or on probation or parole at the end of last year, 30 percent more... [More]
TIMELINES
Always remember to honour and respect the facts. When you don't, they bite! --------... [More]
THE OFF BUTTON
Not that I watch CNN much now, but after this I'm going to watch it even less. Unlike virtually everyone else on that network - please don't get me started... [More]
IN PICTURES
Worth more than 1000 words... Via CarpetBagger, this from the Wall St Journal: --------... [More]
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
The Good: It looks like Harry Reid's move to send the Senate into closed session earlier this week had multiple positive effects... It was great political theatre that resulted in... [More]
"THEY JUST LET ME ROT"
You're kidding. This guy is suing over 15 minutes? 15 minutes? He can't possibly be serious. Please tell me this really is a hoax. Please? --------... [More]
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
The headline: Public Supportive of Alito The lead: Supreme Court nominee has 49 percent of public's approval, a new survey finds. The question: If 51% of people oppose Alito, and... [More]
TRAVEL EXPENSES?!?
As A DJ, I've traveled all over the world, often flying top class and sleeping in hotels considered the best of the best. I know travel can be expensive. But... [More]
I HEART DC!
If you're one of the DC diaspora, you'll absolutely love this story It was Soul Food Thursday at Howard University last week, and many students were looking forward to their... [More]
DO YOU STILL SHOP AT WAL-MART?
Stop. Now. --------... [More]
WACKOS
Yup. DeLay is doing it. WASHINGTON - Republicans may control Congress and the White House, but a leading House Republican says they can't be blamed for runaway federal spending on... [More]
CLINTON V BUSH
All this nonsense about how Clinton believed and said the same things about Iraq.... Digby sends it straight into the cheap seats Clinton said that American policy was that if... [More]
November 4, 2005
JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE RELIGIOUS...
doesn't mean you're a good person: A congregation has lost faith in their pastor, after he sold their church without telling them, and scammed them out of more than half... [More]
IMPEACHMENT?
I realize that RawStory is making a big deal out of Zogby's latest poll, but c'mon... Let's be careful with this: A new poll of likely voters by Zogby International... [More]
WHY CAN'T HE JUST ASK HIM?
I'm getting really tired of this: MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday he would not comment on the status at the White House... [More]
THIS IS THE STORY THAT ENDS IT
This is it. Right here. I'm going on record right now to make this prediction. If this is true, this will be the end of the Bush adminsitration. Via Andrew... [More]
TEACH ON!
Looks like my boy Schweitzer has decided to lead a national civics lesson. Check this out: ``I'm going to stand up among a bunch of elected governors and say, 'Are... [More]
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
This is absurd: "There is a general agreement about the fact that citizenship in this country should not be bestowed on people who are the children of folks who come... [More]
ESPIONAGE, BITCHES!
Whooboy. Jane over at Firedoglake has some big news - John Dean, who nailed the prediciton on Fitzgerald's plans a few weeks back, thinks this is only the beginning of... [More]
THE MCKINLEY REALIGNMENT?
Last week I called out the Moose for what I thought was a less than stellar post. So its only fair that today, following this strong effort, I send some... [More]
AN HONEST GEM
Now here's something you don't see every day - conservatives openly admitting they want to use the judicial system "to change the culture". That apparently is the strategy behind the... [More]
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
True enough. But good lord. This is turning into a deluge: Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the head of the federal agency that oversees most government broadcasts to foreign countries, including the... [More]
November 5, 2005
A START. A PATHETIC START. BUT A START NONETHELESS...
Sure, its pathetic, but it is a start: According to a memo sent to aides yesterday, Bush expects all White House staff to adhere to the "spirit as well as... [More]
DO US ALL A FAVOR...
Send these guys down the river, and make sure they never, EVER come back. WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 - Representative Tom DeLay asked the lobbyist Jack Abramoff to raise money for... [More]
KURZWEIL DOES MOOG
How often in life do you see a music article this cool! --------... [More]
IT BEARS REPEATING...
I know that most of the readers of my blog have probably settled on this issue long ago, but as new information and evidence comes out, it is always worth... [More]
IMAGINE...
Here's a questionfor you.... Imagine if 6 years ago, the company once headed by VP Al Gore was in the news for something like this. What do you think the... [More]
CRUISE SHIP REPELS PIRATES
No. It's not a joke. Talk about a headline! --------... [More]
STEPPING UP
McCain isn't perfect, but its becuase of moments like these that I have a profound respect for him. WASHINGTON - Girding for a potential fight with the Bush administration, supporters... [More]
MORE BIG GOVERNMENT CONSERVATISM
Remember, as Ronnie said, "government isn't the solution to our problems; government is the problem." The FBI came calling in Windsor, Conn., this summer with a document marked for delivery... [More]
November 6, 2005
CONSISTENCY
Well you have to give the Bush administration credit for one thing - they sure are consistent in what they do. As Katrina showed, they put the wrong people in... [More]
THE WAY FORWARD
My 8:30am appointment with a student, plus the 75+ pages of papers that are due within the next month, kept me from watching the Sunday morning news shows today. But... [More]
REALIGN THIS!
Once upon a time, it was the Careter administration saying things like this: "It's like it's twilight in America," says one frustrated conservative. Reagan didn't buy it, and neither did... [More]
MIRACLES HAPPEN
It took decades, but finally... FINALLY.... this: WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 - In their long and frustrated efforts pushing Congress to pass legislation on global warming, environmentalists are gaining a new... [More]
November 7, 2005
OUR M.I.A. PRESIDENT
I just do not understand this. Today we heard this from the President: "Our country is at war, and our government has the obligation to protect the American people," Bush... [More]
MORE THOUGHTS ON TORTURE
Some thoughts from around the sphere.... Rick Shenkman @ HNN turns out attention to this quote from George Washington: If there were good grounds to suspect that the proscribed and... [More]
THE REVISION THING
Harper's nails it. A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies Posted on Monday, November 7, 2005. All text is verbatim from senior Bush Administration officials and advisers.... [More]
November 8, 2005
NEED MORE PROOF?
Need more proof that Diebold voting machines should be thrown in the garbage? Check this out: SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up to his Brentwood neighborhood polling station today... [More]
CHALABI'S IN TOWN, AND HE'S TAKING BOOKINGS!
In a post yesterday I noted that it had been reported that VP Cheney was going to meet Ahmed Chalabi, despite the fact hat he's currently under investigation by the... [More]
IMPLOSION?
A diarist over at DailyKos suggests it is a sign that the Republican Party is imploding. I think that's taking it a bit too far, but... it is a sign... [More]
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
This is just the first half of today's lead editorial in The New York Times: After President Bush's disastrous visit to Latin America, it's unnerving to realize that his presidency... [More]
JUST HEARD ON CNN
The NY Daily News' Thomas Defrank is on CNN right now talking about Cheney, the President, the CIA leak, and more. There were numerous bombs dropped here, but none bigger... [More]
BILL MOYERS AND THE TRUTH
Via LeftCoaster... Bill Moyers delivers yet another blistering speech. Its from late September, so I have no idea how it got so overlooked, but its online now and an absolutely... [More]
NEW PEW RESEARCH POLL VERY, VERY BAD FOR BUSH
Finding good news for the president in this poll is like playing a game of "Where's Waldo." Except Waldo isn't there. Wait wait. No. Here he is. "Strong GOP Support... [More]
MCCLELLAN IS LOSING IT
Laura Rozen has excerpts from today's White House press briefing. A few things... First off, I still love Helen Thomas. Second, I'm beginning to love the rest of the people... [More]
November 9, 2005
NOVA GOES BLUE
Wow... For once I'm very, very proud of my hometown. Check it out. NoVa goes blue. Very, very blue. --------... [More]
WHY BLOGS MATTER
Josh Marshall is expanding his efforts once again, and in his announcement he has laid out what may be the best case I've ever seen for why blogs are changing... [More]
A BRILLIANT ANALOGY
I've been trying to figure out how to work the whole Terrell Owens fiasco into a post, but it looks like the Moose beat me to it: And V.P. D.C.... [More]
PREACH ON, SUlLY!
Wow - Sully has several strong posts today about the challenges we face in rebuilding Iraq. His position has been growing more and more strident over the past few months,... [More]
JUST HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?
It seems each new poll has Bush lower than the last. Take, for example, this: Want more? According to the poll, Bush’s approval rating stands at an all-time low of... [More]
THE "I" WORD
If this post from Josh Marshall is to be believed - and for the record, I think it is - there's apparently a solid case for it. For example: ‘Torture... [More]
WHEN IT COMES....
it will come from the West. It's coming. Can you feel it? Tip o' the hat to Sirota. He's got the West on lock down! UPDATE: From Gadflyer, this letter... [More]
A PATTERN THAT REPEATS
OK, so let me get this straight. Saddam had to go because he didn't abide by International treaties and agreements. And once he was gone neither did we. Saddam had... [More]
WHAT WAS THAT?
What was that I was just saying about scandals? Tomorrow's NYT Front Page: WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 - The lobbyist Jack Abramoff asked for $9 million in 2003 from the president... [More]
November 10, 2005
IF NOT THE BASE, THEN WHO?
Wow. New Fox News poll pegs Bush at 36%. That's right. 36%. But that's not even as shocking as the anlaysis they're providing: "The key to understanding Bush's rating is... [More]
KINDA FUNNY ACTUALLY
I have to admit... this is kinda funny "If I would do another 'Terminator' movie I would have Terminator travel back in time and tell Arnold not to have a... [More]
November 11, 2005
NEWSFLASH? HARDLY
Here's a question: What exactly does a religious leader have to do for people to stop paying attention to him? Pat Robertson is at it again today. Yes, we know.... [More]
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Founding Father George Washington, 1797: If there were good grounds to suspect that the proscribed and banished characters were engaged in a conspiracy against the Constitution of the People's choice,... [More]
ONE MORE TIME...
I feel like a broken record on this one. This is called a logical fallacy. The White House went on the offensive in the debate over the Iraq war yesterday,... [More]
PROOF DEFINITIVE: MY HAT WORKS!
Want to know what its like to live in the learning capital of the world? This is what it is like: Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve... [More]
STILL BELIEVE ROVE IS A BOY GENIUS???
This is what the masses about the man: WASHINGTON - Two crucial pillars of President Bush's public support — perceptions of his honesty and faith in his ability to fight... [More]
WONKETTE NAILS IT
One perfect sentence. Sometimes a mission that's accomplished still needs a strategy for victory. Happens all the Goddamn time One perfect photo: --------... [More]
November 12, 2005
THAT ADVERSARIAL PRESS
They're baaaaaaaack! President Bush and his national security adviser have answered critics of the Iraq war in recent days with a two-pronged argument: that Congress saw the same intelligence the... [More]
THE MEDIUM LOBSTER SMACK DOWN!
After this, I think the debate over torture has been officially settled. After eight centuries of ossified due process and doddering dedication to the rule of law, it's refreshing to... [More]
I NEED SOME SOLDIERS!
Pretty funny. --------... [More]
THE SECRET LEVEL
Damn - I must have missed this one. --------... [More]
STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
UPDATE: Well, you have to give him some credit for this. He's not backing down. Cliff ahead? Floor it! Original post below.... --------------- Two brilliant bits of stupidity from Bill... [More]
WELCOME TO THE CLUB!
Wow. Yesterday, Chris Bowers over at MyDD dropped the "R" word. Today, Kos picks it up and runs. Welcome to the club guys! Glad you could finally make it! Now...... [More]
THE FIRST THREE WORDS
John Edwards comes out swinging. Hard. I was wrong. Three little words. That's all it takes, just three little words. Almost three years ago we went into Iraq to remove... [More]
November 13, 2005
HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE
You know you've got problems when the generally mild tempered Economist is tearing you a new one: This week saw the sad spectacle of an American president lamely trying to... [More]
November 14, 2005
WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD
I know. I know. Up is down. Left is right. And according to the conservative Wall St. Journal, torture is good for America. Once upon a time conservatives claimed to... [More]
SO MUCH TO SAY...
But so little time.... Once again, our beloved president has decided to question the loyalty and patriotism of people who exercise their right to object. In Bush's world dissent is... [More]
BUSH'S AMERICA
This is what it looks like: As the Senate prepared to vote Thursday to abolish the writ of habeas corpus, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl were railing about lawyers... [More]
"WE DO NOT TORTURE"
His words, not mine. What then will his response to this? This story isn't going away. The days of spin trumping reality are over. They pushed too far, and although... [More]
November 15, 2005
DISSENT
One of the grand-daddys of American political history, Arthur Schlessinger Jr., is over at HuffPo droppin' knowledge on Bush's attack on dissent. A taste: During the Second World War, within... [More]
MORE ESSENTIAL READING
The more I read Froomkin, the more respect I have for the man. Why is it that more analysis can't be like this? Amid all the tumbling poll numbers of... [More]
RETIREMENT?
Woah. John Dean says Cheney won't serve out his term if the Dems retake Congress in 2006. You know... his health and all... Let's imagine for a minute he's right.... [More]
THE PARTY OF BIG IDEAS
So much for that "Dems have no new ideas" talking point. Take a look at the morning's NYT: WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 - In a sign of increasing unease among Congressional... [More]
ONE IN TEN?
This is unbelievable: Fewer than one in 10 adults say they would prefer a congressional candidate who is a Republican and who agrees with Bush on most major issues, according... [More]
SMACK!
Hey Mr. President.... Want some wood? Decoding Mr. Bush's Denials To avoid having to account for his administration's misleading statements before the war with Iraq, President Bush has tried denial,... [More]
MORNING!
Here's some happy reading for your Tuesday morning! As Congress and the White House struggle to trim up to $50 billion from the federal budget over five years — just... [More]
THE INNOVATION AGENDA
Add a more explicit national security frame to this new plan from House Dems and you've got a home run. We must make the decision now to ensure that America... [More]