Your Pentagon: Sectarian violence is spreading in Iraq and the security problems have become more complex than at any time since the U.S. invasion in... [More]
September 1, 2006
A Vote of No Confidence
Now this is what I call going on the offensive. If any of you out there were still harboring fears that the Dems were planning... [More]
The Passion of the... DeLay?
Wow. I knew Tom DeLay had an ego, but this is just out of control: WASHINGTON - Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, with his... [More]
Bubbles Go Boom!
Hidden underneath the housing boom is a very dangerous time bomb. And if this report from Business Week is to be believed, it looks about... [More]
YouTube Politics
Eventually politicians are going to figure out that with the advent of broadband Internet access, it has become impossible to run away from your own... [More]
September 2, 2006
War On Terror News
Three big stories in today's NYT, both showing how our current approach to the "war on terror" is disastrous. Fist, to Afghanistan: KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept.... [More]
Westernization?
Pat Lang discusses our democratization project in Iraq: Believing deeply in a Utopian vision of human social progress and inclined to think that Israel would... [More]
September 3, 2006
Blair to Resign?
Potentially huge news out of the UK: Tony Blair will be served notice to quit Downing Street at a meeting of the Cabinet next week... [More]
Very Bad News in Iraq
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani now says it will be impossible to stop the spread of civil war The most influential moderate Shia leader in Iraq... [More]
Santorum Is A Jackass, Take #5479
Santorum apparently believes its OK to use a man's dead father against him. Or something. UPDATE: Want more of the debate against Casey? AmercaBlog has... [More]
The Truth About Iran's Nuclear Program
Laura Rozen has a new brief from The Institute for Science and International Security's on Iran's nuclear centrifuge program. The title? Iran's Centrifuge Program: Defiant... [More]
Best Ex-President Ever
One week each year. 2,733 new homes. Wow.... [More]
September 4, 2006
Making "Republican" A Dirty Word
This is hilarious. After decades of working to turn "Democrat" and "liberal" into dirty words, Republicans are worried that the tables might finally be turning... [More]
The Economy, In Pictures
Via Kevin Drum, and courtesy The Detroit Free Press, here's a useful yet depressing map showing state by state changes in median income over the... [More]
Zakaria: "It's 2006, Not 1938"
Fareed Zakaria offers some perspective: It's 1938, says the liberal columnist Richard Cohen, evoking images of Hitler's armies massing in the face of an appeasing... [More]
September 5, 2006
To War!!! To War!!!
It's a black and white world. You're either with us or the terrorists, good versus evil, and we will only deal with those wearing the... [More]
Goerge Allen Is A Wahoo No More
One of the most unique features of the University of Virginia is its student-run Honor Code System. It's a one-strike-and-done system with a code so... [More]
Plame Responsible For Finding WMD in Iraq
Well at least their claims about Valerie Plame finally make sense. If you're not planning on listening to pre-war intelligence on Iraq, outing the chief... [More]
Guess Who Said This?
"Today, students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Any... [More]
Lieberman Has Some Questions To Answer
From the Washington Times' sister publication, Insight On the News: GOP secretly channeled millions to Lieberman The White House funneled millions of dollars through major... [More]
September 6, 2006
"One Of The Hardest Parts of My Job..."
You really can't make this stuff up. This is what Bush said to Katie Couric today: "One of the hardest parts of my job is... [More]
I Thought This Was Treason?
A few months back, when the Washington Post exposed the existence of the CIA's secret prisons, we were told by members of this administration -... [More]
September 7, 2006
Honor the Dead. Tell the Truth (UPDATED)
Over the past few days, I've watched with growing interest as the progressive blogosphere has grown increasingly obsessed over ABC's forthcoming supposed-docudrama about 9/11. But... [More]
The Party of God
Apparently that title isn't just for Hezzbollah anymore. Via Andrew Sullivan, here's a quote from a committed Bush supporter and Republican Party member: "There are... [More]
The Return of the Secret Hold
It's baaaaack..... And this time A Democrat is to blame. Brilliant.... [More]
Count the Lies
The president's most recent speech on terrorism was a bit of a departure from his past efforts. Rather than a series of general platitudes and... [More]
If WWII Doesn't Work, Try The Civil War
Last week the comparison was between the "war on terror" and WWII. This week? This week its the Civil War. Newt is doing it. So... [More]
"We Have A Failed Strategy"
So say US military commanders, both active duty and retired: Debating issues of war and peace and America's role in the world aren't off limits... [More]
Armitige Was The Primary Source of the Leak
So Richard Armitage has admitted he was the first source of the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage acknowledged... [More]
And Then There Were None...
Obama's pork-busting bill has officially left the building. Next stop? The US House of Representatives.... [More]
The Misleaders
Mislead the nation and the Congress? At most you lose your job. But mislead Wall Street? That's something else entirely.... [More]
Stupid Leads
Tomorrow morning's WaPo runs with the following headline on A01: Long Debate Preceded Decision on Detainees And the lead? Issue divided president's key advisers and... [More]
Body Count in Baghdad Nearly Triples
Remember all those recent claims of progress in Iraq? Of the new Baghdad security plan finding success? Lies. Baghdad's morgue almost tripled its count for... [More]
The President Is "Willing to Negotiate With Congress"
What a great phrase. This is, of course, the way our system of government is supposed to work, and yet somehow the NYT portrays it... [More]
September 8, 2006
Say One Thing, Do Another
Bush says "we don't torture." But judging by his actions, what that statement means will depend on what the definition of "we" is. Take a... [More]
September 9, 2006
Rumsfeld Ordered No Post War Plans To Be Made
Another Army General speaks out: Months before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forbade military strategists from developing plans for... [More]
Saddam Saw al-Qaida As Threat
The long-awaited and much-delayed Senate Intelligence Committee report on pre-war intelligence has finally been released. Two major findings I'd like to call your attention to.... [More]
Thank God The Military Still Understands
From today's WaPo: The chief architect of the new Army field manual on interrogations said yesterday that the document aims to preserve the memory of... [More]
Stealing Another Page From the Soviet Playbook
The use of secretly funded, state-sanctioned propaganda was always supposed to be one of the things that separated us from our foes. Not anymore: At... [More]
The Nation Wants Investigations
But not impeachment. From CNN: Fifty-seven percent of the respondents said they think it would be good for the country "if the Democrats in Congress... [More]
New GWOT Strategy
Shorter version: If only our regimes were as repressive as theirs, they would understand we aren't their enemy!... [More]
September 11, 2006
Earth To Cheney
No, you jackass. It's not war critics that are abetting terrorists. It's your policies: The chief of intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq recently... [More]
Deception, Or Willful Ignorance?
Despite the release last week of a bipartisan Senate report concluding that bin Laden and Saddam saw each other not as allies but potential adversaries,... [More]
Remembering 9/11
Each of us has our own way of doing it. Andrew Sullivan's take today is without a doubt one of a kind. It should be... [More]
What Could Have Been
On February 12, 2002, Al Gore delivered a now largely forgotten speech before the Council on Foreign Relations. Like Kevin, I don't agree with everything... [More]
The Gravity Shifts?
Glenn Greenwald points to this appalling quote from John Yoo, one of the men behind this administration's approach to law: UC Berkeley law Professor John... [More]
1,000 Words
Sometimes an image really is all you need... [More]
Leaving Aside The "Partisan Rancor?"
Michael Tomasky makes a great catch. Both the NYT and the WaPo rightly noted Bush's ceremony this morning a the site of the Twin Towers.... [More]
September 12, 2006
Some Questions For The President (UPDATED)
In your address to the nation last night, you said the following: The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is... [More]
What A True Conservative Would Say
Via Gregory Djerejian, a speech from David Cameron, the U.K.'s Conservative Party leader: I also believe that we should try to debate foreign policy in... [More]
I Thought They Were Our Enemies?
Well now... this sure makes the whole balck-and-white worldview a bitmore complicated, now doesn't it?... [More]
September 13, 2006
The War Crimes Act
Via Andrew Sullivan, your president: "As long as the War Crimes Act hangs over their heads, they [interrogators] will not take the steps necessary to... [More]
"Time For Us To Go"
It appears true intellectual conservatives are finally beginning to stand up and call this administration what it truly is: radical. Yesterday I linked to comments... [More]
This Is Why We Fight?
Iraq, Iran, North Korea. They are, we were told, an axis of evil. They must be stopped. So I have to ask.... Was this part... [More]
Understanding Calls For Withdrawal
At the end of a long, thoughtful post on the ongoing debate over withdrawal from Iraq, Sam Rosenfeld adds this gem: The essence of a... [More]
Funny, That
Americablog: "I listen to my Democratic friends and I wonder if they're more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people," House Majority... [More]
Iraq War Vets Against Allen
Want to see what going on the offense on national security looks like? Check this out: (Hat tip: Greg Sargant)... [More]
It Will Come From The West...
It's a story as old as the American West iteslf: state poltiical leaders standing up against the attempts of Eastern intellectuals to meddle in local... [More]
A Defense That Is Nothing Of The Sort
Great catch by Andrew Sullivan. The Pentagon was hoping this Marine Corps general would provide a defense of their strategy in Anbar province. But instead,... [More]
Open Foot, Insert Mouth
Anyone this dumb really should not be allowed to hold public office.... [More]
The Meme Spreads
Over the past 24 hours or so, I've written several posts comparing the president's rhetoric about the war to his conduct of it. My take... [More]
"Drive Us Crazy, Into Bankruptcy"
Apparently Michael Chertoff thinks that one of al Qaeda's goals is to "drive us crazy, into bankruptcy," and that as a reuslt, we should understand... [More]
September 14, 2006
Princeton Scholars Show How To Hack An Election
Forget the tinfoil hats.... A team of scholars at Princeton have completed a thorough study of the very real security flaws in Diebold voting machines,... [More]
Bush Tells Barnes: Catching Osama bin Laden Is NOT Job #1
Via FoxNews and ThinkProgress, we learn the President of the United States has once again proclaimed that he's not terribly interested in capturing Osama bin... [More]
This Is Not Who We Are. This Is Not The Best We Can Do. (UPDATED)
Great catch by Josh Marshall on the history of the Geneva Conventions. They were left deliberately vague because it was believed this would make their... [More]
Enough Is Enough
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has had enough: "In light of the rantings that went on for 30 minutes by two colleagues from the other side,... [More]
Hitting The Trifecta!
First it was Cunningham.... Then it was DeLay.... Now its Republican Representative Bob Ney: Representative Bob Ney, Republican of Ohio, has agreed to plead guilty... [More]
September 15, 2006
"A Defining Moment for America"
I'm normally not a big fan of the Washington Post editorial page, but today they've got themselves a winner. The lead: A Defining Moment for... [More]
Following California's Example
There are all kinds of things I don't like about California politics. But this is most definitely not one of them. Kevin Drum: If you... [More]
September 16, 2006
A Solider Speaks
Andrew Sullivan gets some amazing emails from his readers, but this one may be one of the best.... [More]
September 17, 2006
Andrew Sullivan Calls For War Crimes Prosecutions
Wow. I know that Andrew Sullivan has been out in front on the issue f torture for quite some time, but nevertheless... this is impressive:... [More]
Senate to Investiage Coercion of Military JAGs
Senator John Warner (R-VA) has already indicated that the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee may look into Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) allegations that the White House... [More]
Number of the Day
26.... [More]
When The Only Thing You Know How To Run Is An Election.... (with multiple upadtes)
...this is what happens: After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq... [More]
Overlap
In what must be one of his most sarcastic posts to date, Matthew Yglesias lays bare the complete lack of progress in establishing rule of... [More]
Red Sox And Yankees Fans Agree
Aside from the "turncoat" bit, this is great:... [More]
Lying Liars...
Once upon a time, we were told the fate of the republic hung on how we responded to a small lie. Now? Not so much.... [More]
General Vessey Speaks
After hearing about this letter on Friday's NewsHour, I've been searching high and low for the text. As it turns out, the NYT has a... [More]
6 Years Later
Sen Lindsey Graham remembers civics 101: “There are three branches of government, not one.” And again: In a letter sent Friday to Condoleezza Rice, the... [More]
Outsourcing National Security
I understand that sometimes outsourcing jobs to the private sector makes sense, but this is simply ridiculous: At the National Counterterrorism Center — the agency... [More]
"Save Yourself, Blame Bush"
Earlier this week, I linked to a piece in Washington Monthly by conservative commentator and talk show host Joe Scarborough. Joe isn't happy with what's... [More]
Lieberman Forgets Our "Other" War
Nice. Apparently Joe Lieberman, a US Senator, doesn't realize that we still have troops serving in Afghanistan. Worse, he's criticizing those who argue that war... [More]
September 18, 2006
Corrput Congressmen Need Not Resign
This is so mind-bogglingly stupid I hardly know what to say. Now that Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) has pled guilty to accepting bribes and illegal... [More]
The Rhetoric of Torture: Compare And Contrast
A quote: Then there is the method of simply compelling a prisoner to stand there. This can be arranged so that the accused stands only... [More]
2008 Begins Now
Don't tell me Al Gore is not running in 2008. Go read this. And then don't ever say something so foolish again. My purpose is... [More]
In Your Name
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian police wrongly identified an Ottawa software engineer as an Islamic extremist, prompting U.S. agents to deport him to Syria, where he... [More]
More Military Resistance
(Tip o' the Cap: Andrew Sullivan)... [More]
"Don't Go"
Iraq in one word: anarchy. Journalists are in danger everywhere in Iraq these days, making it nearly impossible to report, and it only seems to... [More]
Preach On, Ma Brotha!
And don't tell me he's not running, either. 2008 is on.... [More]
September 21, 2006
The Return of the Roadless Rule
This is absolutely wonderful news: In a major victory for environmentalists and others who support conservation on public lands, a federal district court on Wednesday... [More]
Richard Branson Leads the Way
I've always admired Virgin CEO Richard Branson. Anyone who can take a small record shop and turn it into a multi-billion dollar international super-corporation really...