Add another book to your Wish List. NYT has the advanced word: In the fall of 2003, Jack L. Goldsmith was widely considered one of the brightest stars in the... [More]
September 4, 2007
Quote of the Day
Ezra: Wondering why, amidst all that, Bush didn't get credit for naming the Justice Department building after RFK is like wondering why John Wilkes Booth doesn't get more credit for... [More]
I Believe the Childern Are the Future
Brilliant!... [More]
September 5, 2007
Sen. Craig to Unresign?
I really don't know what to say about this story. The idea that a US Senator would try to withdraw a months-old, signed plea agreement to a crime he quite... [More]
September 6, 2007
Switching Sides
One of the problems with being a blogger / political junkie is that sometimes you get so close to the whole process that you lose perspective. If you spend all... [More]
What's Missing Here?
Strategy and Thought. Brilliant.... [More]
Apparently Even Bush Knew...
Maybe "knew" is too strong a word. He was told, but he didn't listen. We - our government - knew, but the men making the decisions either didn't care or... [More]
Bury the Lede
Once again the Washington Post buries a critical story in the back pages of its paper: Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq Military Statistics Called Into Question Reductions in... [More]
"This is not a good night"
Carpetbagger watched the GOP / Fox News debate so that you wouldn't have to. Pay particular attention to the exchange between Paul and Huckabee. I know its crazy, but I... [More]
Quick Hits
A few loose ends at the end of a long day: + The Myth of AQI is an absolute must read. Andrew Tilghman was an Iraq correspondent for the Stars... [More]
September 7, 2007
Friday Quick Hits
I don't have time to blog today - I'm way behind on my reading for my comps in October - so here are a few links to tide you over... [More]
China Bans Reincarnation!
FP: China's atheist authorities have decided to play God—they have banned Tibet's Buddhist monks from reincarnating without permission. The State Administration for Religious Affairs said the new regulations on reincarnation... [More]
September 8, 2007
First Warner, then Craig, then Hagel?
A 60 seat, filibuster proof majority is seeming more and more likely every day. First John Warner decides to retire, then Craig sort-of-retires, and now Chuck Hagel? Of course only... [More]
The Dog That Did Not Bark
Via Kevin Drum, a great piece on Iraq from Slate's Fred Kaplan. Forgive the long excerpt, but I want to make sure everyone reads this: The dispute concerns what many... [More]
Quote of the Day
"In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong." -- J.K. Galbraith... [More]
September 9, 2007
What's Wrong With David Broder?
I realize that picking on Broder has become a predictable pass-time for bloggers, and as a result I usually do my best to avoid joining in. But this week I... [More]
File Under: Entirely Predictable
As you read this, keep in mind the concept of "six degrees of separation." On a global scale it may be closer to 42, but in the US 6 isn't... [More]
September 11, 2007
About the General and His Testimony
I didn't have time to watch Gen. Petraeus' testimony yesterday afternoon, and I refused outright to watch him sing and dance on Fox, so I'm not sure I have much... [More]
Craig Withdraws Guilty Plea
In case you missed it, Sen. Craig is calling for a do over. And his reasons are pretty hilarious In a "state of intense anxiety" following his arrest, Craig "felt... [More]
When Will They Learn?
One other thing about the Petraeus testimony. Like so many before him, the General trotted out the "no one could have predicted" line during his testimony. Only one problem -... [More]
I Wasn't Going To Say This, But...
...not only did Matt Yglesias beat me to it, he published it both on his blog and in the Guardian: Increasingly, I think Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot... [More]
What Happens When the Pentagon and Petraeus Don't Agree
Oh my. It looks like we are about to find out.... [More]
Know Thyself
Andrew Sullivan, less than one week after 9/11: The middle part of the country - the great red zone that voted for Bush - is clearly ready for war. The... [More]
Lieberman Is Insane
If it wasn't official before, it is now.... [More]
September 12, 2007
The AG Fight Matters, But Not Like This
Over at Digby's place, Tristero offers an argument today that I've often seen elsewhere but haven't yet responded to. Time to correct that... The Argument: If the Democrats don't fight... [More]
Quote of the Day
Taken from today's NYT column by Thomas Friedman "Great powers should never get involved in the politics of small tribes." - Lebanese historian Kamal Salibi... [More]
Quote of the Day II
"What is the way forward? What are we buying time for?" -Sen. Olympia Snowe, reacting to the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker yesterday on Capitol Hill... [More]
Misunderstanding Freedom of Speech
The First Amendment applies to the government, not civil society. If E!, a private cable TV network, doesn't want to broadcast someone's comments, they don't have to. It really is... [More]
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!
Tim takes the usual blogosphere gripe about the lack of accountability for failed predictions one step further: One of the striking things about the Washington foreign policy world is how... [More]
"The Work of Generations..."
When Cary Tennis goes epic, he goes really, really epic: So here is what you can do. You can recognize that this gnawing hunger is the work of generations. Families... [More]
September 13, 2007
Adm. Fallon on Petraeus: "an ass-kissing little chickensh*t”
Oh my - via ThinkProgress: Fallon told Petraeus [in March] that he considered him to be “an ass-kissing little chickensh*t” and added, “I hate people like that”, the sources say.... [More]
A Very Bad Day In Iraq
I don't do day-to-day updates on Iraq, but today's news is so bad that it cannot be ignored. First comes news of an assassination in Anbar province. Abu Risha, the... [More]
Virginia Goes Blue?
Picking up the second Virginia Senate seat in as many years just became a very real possibility. Former Gov. Mark Warner has just officially entered the race to replace retiring... [More]
Where's The Anti-War Vote?
Steve Benen has an interesting take on the support Clinton - the most hawkish of all of the Democratic candidates - seems to be getting from anti-war Democrats: If you... [More]
September 14, 2007
Questions For The NYT
On Fridays I have a bit of a break between the discussion sections I lead, and it usually provides enough time to sit and read the NYT while I'm having... [More]
I Agree With Bush! Wow!
About one thing, at least! Here are the first two lines from last night's speech: "In the life of all free nations, there come moments that decide the direction of... [More]
The Misues of Polls
Ezra Klein: It’s a fallacy atop an error built around something that isn’t happening. That's a quote from Ezra's takedown of Microtrends, the new book from one of Clinton's most... [More]
Enlarging the Sphere
Steve Bennen and Kos highlight today an example of one of the worst tendencies in modern journalism. In the interest of time and space, journalists paraphrase politicians. And that would... [More]
September 15, 2007
Un-Bothered By Ignorance Of His Own Past Decisions
NBC News Brian Williams, reporting after a luncheon with President Bush Notably, when asked about Robert Draper's new book, "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush" -- a portion... [More]
Naming Your Running Mate Early
I've long held a suspicion that the 2008 race would see one of the Democratic candidates announce a running mate before the nomination had been secured. With three top tier... [More]
What Thompson, Perot, and Reagan Do Not Have In Common
In an interesting analysis of Fred Thompson's entry into the presidential race, Morbo - posting over at Steven Bennen's place - makes the following mistake: Remember Ross Perot? In 1992,... [More]
Time to Beat Up on Broder Again
Right out of the gate he makes a major and entirely avoidable mistake: Now that the president has endorsed the Petraeus-Crocker plan for Iraq, it is worth noting one exchange... [More]
September 17, 2007
Health Care Day
I thought about trying to comment on Hillary's health care plan, but after reading what Ezra has to say, I think its probably best to let him handle the duties.... [More]
The Webb Amendment
Greg Sargent has big news on the status of Sen. Webb's troops readiness amendment. It looks like Democrats may in fact be rapidly approaching the magical 60 votes needed to... [More]
NRO On Democracy
Shorter NRO on Democracy: Good for Iraq, bad for DC. It's all about power, not principle! No Andrew, there is no way to justify this. DC residents are taxed, but... [More]
September 19, 2007
The House Of Wisdom
This is ridiculous: The U.S. military has introduced "religious enlightenment" and other education programs for Iraqi detainees, some of whom are as young as 11, Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M.... [More]
Embarrassing and Sad
Not all that long ago, the US Marine Corps was responsible for protecting US diplomats in our embassies around the world. But thanks to the geniuses who brought us the... [More]
Welcome Back NYT!
What better way to celebrate the re-emergence of the NYT columnists into the free world than to pick on Thomas Friedman? The man has one idea: the world is changing.... [More]
Troop Cuts? Hardly
I've wondered how military families were going to react to the spin. Here's a first look from Newsweek: Sept. 14, 2007 - In endorsing Gen. David Petraeus's recommendations on Iraq,... [More]
Moral Hazards
Ezra: Moral hazard is a pretty simple idea: The less you bear the consequences of your actions, the more reckless you'll be. And it's often applied to health care: The... [More]
I Hate To Say This, But...
I'm absolutely with Kevin Drum on this: Obama's "tax fairness" proposal is so silly that I'm actually beginning to rethink my support for him. Cutting taxes for 150 million Americans... [More]
Warner Disappoints Again
In case you haven't been following the twists and turns over the Webb Amendment, until the last day or so it looked like Sen. John Warner (R-VA) was going to... [More]
September 20, 2007
OMG! Paul Krugman Is A Vituperative Blogger!
I had a felling that Paul Krugman's new NYT blog was going to be good. But I had no idea it was going to be this good this fast. Take... [More]
Simply Nonsensical
Time to beat up Broder again. Sometimes I think the man doesn't read his own stuff. Bipartisanship is wonderful! Moderation is the best! If only everyone could get along! Don't... [More]
$2 Trilion
That's the projections for the cost of the president's new "Korea model" for Iraq. And that's on top of the $500 billion we have already spent. Josh Marshall has more... [More]
The Effect of Dynasty
Blumenthal @ Salon on Draper's take on Bush: Draper's unusual access enabled him to collect valuable anecdotes as well as to put a microphone in front of a president who,... [More]
Quote of the Day
Andrew Sullivan: Taking responsibility for one's past views and actions is not apparently in the current conservative book of virtues... [More]
Returning to Reality
I was planning on commenting today on David Brook's latest love letter to SecDef Gates, but it looks like Greg D beat me to it. First, Brooks: Robert Gates has... [More]
Another Unforced Error By Obama
This is ridiculous. He is skipping debates in Iowa? In Iowa? UPDATE: A (sort of?) defense of Obama from Garance Franke-Ruta here. I get the whole "Obama is building his... [More]
Age And Wisdom Are Not Necessarily Correlated
Most of the time I tend to agree with the idea that age brings wisdom. Wisdom, it has always seemed to me, is as much about understanding the context of... [More]
September 21, 2007
Simple Questions, Simple Answers
One of Josh Marshall's TPM readers asks a very important question here. Last night, news broke that the FBI had been taping phone calls placed to the senior Republican in... [More]
It's Not Just Rudy
Kevin Drum makes an important point here. More often than not, when Rudy speaks, he makes it clear that he doesn't actually know what he is talking about. Today's tax... [More]
Oh My.
There is literally nothing a conservative commentator can say that will get them in trouble. There is literally no line they can cross that would end their career. It just... [More]
The Iraq Realignment Is Coming
Chris Bowers has a great piece today making the case for a coming realignment based around opposition to the War in Iraq. I think he's right in his analysis, although... [More]
Brilliant Advert
This is how you do parody... [More]
Giuliani's Stunt
Actually, I'd go one farther than Steve Benen. Not only do I think the "surprise" call was staged, I'd be willing to bet money it wasn't even his wife on... [More]
"The most severe since the Great Depression""
Oh. My. God: Fresh economic shocks on the scale of the present credit squeeze will occur if US house prices continue to fall, one of the country's leading housing experts... [More]
The Seeds of Anti-Semitism? Hardly.
I usually avoid the whole "power of the Israeli lobby" debate, but today's WaPo column by Michael Gerson is so stupid that I have no choice but to respond. First,... [More]
September 22, 2007
Great Moments In Headline Writing
WaPo: Obama's Challenge: Gain Lead in Polls Well...duh!... [More]
September 24, 2007
If You Disagree With the President, You Must Be A Democrat
This isn't a new phenomenon. For years now, anyone on the right who has stood up to oppose the president has been declared an outcast, a traitor, and - gasp!... [More]
Krugman Gets Blogs
Imagine if more of the newspapers used blogs like this: Since I’ve just published an op-ed about the enduring influence of race on Southern voting, I’m sure to be accused... [More]
Coming to Their Senses?
What. They. Said: “THEY hate our freedoms.” So said George Bush in a speech to the American Congress shortly after the attacks on America in September 2001. But how well,... [More]
September 25, 2007
Ms. Moneypenny? Are You For Real?
Spencer Ackerman has an important story about Blakcwater in Iraq over at TPM. But I'm sorry...I can't get past the fact that there's actually someone in the Dept. of State... [More]
September 26, 2007
"No Matter What"
File this one under "things we've long suspected but lacked hard evidence for": In a revelation reminiscent of the Downing Street memo, the Spanish newspaper El Pais has obtained and... [More]
Speaking of National Nightmares...
This is very, very, very not good. In high-level meetings over the past several days, U.S. military officials have pressed State Department officials to assert more control over Blackwater, which... [More]
Meanwhile, Here At Home...
SCHIP reauthorization falls a few dozens votes short of the number needed to override Bush's promised veto. For the sake of some sort of bizarre ideological purity, Bush is going... [More]
He Doesn't Really Mean This...
There's no way that Andrew meant to imply that Cheney has "humility and grace," is there?... [More]
Cartoon of the Day
From the Atlantic:... [More]
Quick Hits
A few items that somehow didn't seem to deserve their own post but are nevertheless worth passing along: + There's a smackdown going on across the river from me. +... [More]
Another General Dissents...Will Anyone Notice?
This time it is Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in Iraq from mid-2003 to mid-2004. Scott Horton over at Harpers has more: For three months now, Sanchez has... [More]
Civilization Hangs By A Very Thin Thread
I've spent all day posting angry rants, so its time for something a bit more uplifting. If you remember the Cold War, go read this.... [More]
But What About Rudy? [Updated: And Norm?!?]
George Will spends his entire column today excoriating the NYT for giving MoveOn.org an illegal discount for its recent controversial ad. Amazingly, Will makes it through the entire article without... [More]
Campaign Finance Reform
Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority in the US Senate, has long been a vigorous opponent of campaign finance restrictions. McConnell has actually been pretty consistent when asked... [More]
Headline of the Day
McClatchy: Bush astounds activists, supports human rights What an unbelievably sad day for America that one of the nation's largest media chain could legitimately run an article with this headline.... [More]
Some Thoughts About the Democratic Debate Tonight
+ Someone must have told Hillary to start laughing, because she is doing it all the time, even when it doesn't much make sense. I know Jon Stewart commented on... [More]
September 27, 2007
More Evidence of a Bursting Bubble
NYT: Purchases of new homes fell to an annual rate of 795,000, an 8.3 percent decline from July, as inventory levels rose to their highest level since March, the Commerce... [More]
Bill Kristol Makes Prediction
This (via TPM) is the best news I've gotten all day, maybe even all week: Bill Kristol watched last night's Democratic debate, and he now says the odds are 2... [More]
Privatizing War
Josh Marshall is pledging to make it a major focus for TPM over the coming months, a project that he's kicked off with a series of posts outlining the problems... [More]
The Myth of Moral Hazards
I noticed this in today's NYT article about the GM-UAW deal, too. Kevin Drum explains the NYT's nonsense here. I begin to answer his question over on the blog for... [More]
More on the Debate
Tim Grieve is absolutely right about this exchange between Hillary and Russert. Hillary looked and sounded presidential in a way that no one else on the stage last night did.... [More]
Bad Bridges
Andrew Sullivan notes a recent study that demonstrates a negative correlation between level of congressional pork and the number obsolete bridges within a district. This result may seem counter-intuitive at... [More]
Primaries
Marc Aminder thinks he has the final schedule figured out: Jan. 5: Iowa caucuses (both parties) Jan. 8: New Hampshire primary (both parties) Jan. 12: Nevada caucuses (both parties) Jan.... [More]
Quote of the...Yesterday!
TPM Election Central reminds me to pass along the funniest moment in the debate last night: Biden: "Rudy Giuliani doesn't know what the heck he's talking about. He's the most... [More]
Letting bin Laden Escape....Again!
Looks like the Bush Administration may now 0 for 2.... [More]
Romney's Winner
Swampland reports on the results of the Romeny's campaigns user-generated content contest. Here's the winner: Can someone please explain to me what's going on with the kid in the wheelchair... [More]
September 28, 2007
Quote of the Day
Katie Couric: Is it my job to go over and say this war is terrible and withdrawal is necessary? I don’t necessarily think that is the case. … I don’t... [More]
BU's Bacevich Throws Down
In The American Conservative, no less Sycophant Savior General Petraeus wins a battle in Washington—if not in Baghdad. by Andrew J. Bacevich In common parlance, the phrase “political general” is... [More]
Mindless Hypocrisy
This is a great a catch by John Cole. The very same people who vigorously defend the right of the government to wiretap anyone anytime without a warrant are now... [More]
Santa Claus As A Secret Weapon
I don't have time to comment on this right now, but its quite interesting, and you really should go read it.... [More]
9/11 Made Me Do It!!!
Even for Rudy, this is a pathetic new low. How can anyone possibly think this man has the judgement and character necessary to be president? How?... [More]
A Nation of Tax Revolters? Hardly.
I know that I'm fighting a losing battle here, but I'm going to fight nonetheless. This story about our history being "founded in a tax revolt" is so deeply misleading... [More]
September 30, 2007
Qualifying Exam Schedule
I'll be taking my qualifying exams over 3 of the next 5 days, so you can and should expect a quiet week around here. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday are right... [More]
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