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THIS MIGHT BE INTERESTING: Robert
By Ed Driscoll · May 31, 2003 10:43 PM ·
THIS MIGHT BE INTERESTING: Robert McNamara is the latest subject of a documentary by Errol Morris. Roger Ebert writes: When Errol Morris first showed Robert McNamara the Interro-tron, the former defense secretary balked. "What's THAT?" he asked the famed documentarian. Morris explained that his device linked two video cameras and two video screens so that he and his subjects can look each other in the eye while talking. In most video interviews, the subject is looking to the side of the camera. With the Interrotron, he is looking straight down the barrel--making eye contact with the viewer.I don't know how well an interviewer Morris is, but McNamara would certainly be a fascinating subject. He and Johnson cocked up the Vietnam war so badly, that they tarnished America's military reputation for decades. It was only with Desert Storm that the American military's reputation was restored, and only because the American military completely rethought and revised its tactics, not the least of which was insisting that commanders in the field not be second guessed by the White House during a battle, unlike McNamara and Johnson, who were naive enough to believe that as fluid as war as Vietnam could be controlled on a daily basis from 10,000 or so miles away in Washington DC. "WEIRD PLACES": Peter Kilborn of
By Ed Driscoll · May 31, 2003 02:19 PM ·
"WEIRD PLACES": Peter Kilborn of the New York Times makes a revealing "ALL WILL BE REVEALED": My
By Ed Driscoll · May 31, 2003 11:14 AM ·
"ALL WILL BE REVEALED": My review of the new Led Zeppelin DVD is online at Blogcritics. ANDREW SULLIVAN and a reader
By Ed Driscoll · May 31, 2003 10:29 AM ·
ANDREW SULLIVAN and a reader thoroughly deconstruct the Bush "dry drunk" meme that seems to have (temporarily at least) replaced the "he's a dummy", and the chickenhawk riffs. By the way, do the folks on the left really want to use this attack? It may very well make it that much tougher for somebody who actually did inhale (or worse) in his past to actually get into office in the future. DON'T BOGART THE REMOTE, YASSER:
By Ed Driscoll · May 30, 2003 01:04 PM ·
DON'T BOGART THE REMOTE, YASSER: More than you ever want to know about Yasser Arafat's sleeping habits, via Ben Domenech. DID THE PC MOVEMENT KILL COMEDY IN HOLLYWOOD?
By Ed Driscoll · May 30, 2003 12:29 PM · Hollywood, Interrupted
That's the subtext that I'm drawing from the post in NRO's The Corner. Orrin Judd has a theory that all comedy is conservative. I agree with that to a certain extent, but it's definitely true that at some point on the leftward curve, humor seems to be anathema--there's just too many shibboleths that risk offending. With the PC movement allowing anyone and everyone to claim victimhood, it's got to be tougher to write a funny script in Hollywood. And increasingly, Hollywood's obsessions (anti-war, vegetarianism, Scientology, an obsession with race, rococo sexual politics and of course, bashing anyone whose politics are to the right of Jerry Brown) aren't playing well out in the heartland. Perhaps that explains why Mel Brooks' Broadway version of The Producers was set in the past, and the Austin Powers movies makes fun of the '60s and '70s--humor was allowed back then. Or why My Big Fat Greek Wedding, about a traditional Greek family whose daughter is marrying a spineless WASP who believes in many of those same Hollywood trends I just mentioned) was such a hit. DON'T BLAME THE COP IN
By Ed Driscoll · May 30, 2003 11:11 AM ·
DON'T BLAME THE COP IN NYC, CNSNews reports: New York's finest have a message for city residents and visitors angry over a wave of misdemeanor criminal, traffic and parking citations issued under orders from City Hall: "Don't Blame the Cop!"Is there anybody in New York who actually likes Bloomberg and his policies? Does he actually think they're improving the quality of life there? I wonder how all this will play out next year when the GOP's convention is in town. WELL, HER INITIALS SEEM APPROPRIATE:
By Ed Driscoll · May 30, 2003 11:06 AM ·
WELL, HER INITIALS SEEM APPROPRIATE: Why is Barbra Streisand suing an Singer/actress Barbra Streisand has filed a $50 million lawsuit against amateur photographer Kenneth Adelman for posting a photograph of her Malibu, Calif., estate on his website. The site features 12,000 other photos of the California coastline as part of a project to document coastal erosion for scientific and other researchers.The article says the photographer as and his wife spent the bulk of last year "photographing the entire California coastline from their private helicopter in public airspace from an elevation of 500 feet using a standard photo lens, not the telescopic kind of lens used frequently by paparazzi". So why is he being persecuted by Streisand, who in theory, should be a fan of coastal erosion studies. THE BILL SHOW: The great
By Ed Driscoll · May 29, 2003 01:37 PM ·
THE BILL SHOW: The great P.J. O'Rourke does one of the things which he does best: savage Bill Clinton: Clinton understands what motivates the North Koreans. It's the same thing that motivates him, although North Korean revelations were explosive in more than the New York Post sense. Clinton explained matters to the audience: "Why were they building bombs? It's the only way anyone pays attention to them."As O'Rourke writes, Clinton "has an understanding of foreign policy's deep, broad, and murky waters. Former world leaders do. They acquire it suddenly upon leaving office." Read the whole thing. THE TAX REVOLT TURNS 25:
By Ed Driscoll · May 29, 2003 01:59 AM ·
THE TAX REVOLT TURNS 25: June 6 will mark the 25th anniversary of California's Proposition 13. Michael J. New of the Cato Institute has some thoughts. THE NEW LINEUP: Steven Den
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 07:07 PM ·
THE NEW LINEUP: Steven Den Beste looks back at a post he wrote in March of 2002 of who are allies would be in the war to liberate Iraq, and reassesses who's had our back--and who's been ready to put a switchblade into it. Den Beste also has a nifty analysis of General Tommy Franks' tactics in the run-up to the war. ANOTHER COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER HECKLED, this
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 06:54 PM ·
ANOTHER COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER HECKLED, this time at Smith College. Jonathan V. Last writes: When the speaker took the podium, a handful of graduates walked out. Others turned their folding chairs around and sat with their backs to the stage for the entire address. So did a number of parents and guests.Who was this rabidly pro-war speaker who was heckled by the idealist left-wing college students? Click on over and find out for yourself--I don't want to spoil the surprise. SURPRISE, SURPRISE
It turns out that al Jazeera, the Arab TV network, was on Saddam's payroll, writes Stephen F. Hayes. And in their own way, so was CNN, of course. The jury is still out as to exactly why the BBC was so biased towards the Baathists, however. BLOGCRITICS IS BACK ONLINE: Al
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 05:53 PM ·
BLOGCRITICS IS BACK ONLINE: Al Barger has a nice rebuttal to Maureen Dowd and her use of "psychobabble as a weapon". I still can't InstaPundit to open, although Glenn writes on his backup site that for some it's simply loading slowly. AMBULANCE CHASERS ARE FINALLY UNDER
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 05:24 PM ·
AMBULANCE CHASERS ARE FINALLY UNDER ATTACK THEMSELVES, says Ronald Bailey of Reason. Who knows--maybe someday we'll look back on their attempt to ban Oreos as their high water mark, the point at which the tide finally turned against them. Maybe. TO ULTIMATELY EMERGE FROM THE
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 04:19 PM ·
TO ULTIMATELY EMERGE FROM THE WILDERNESS, Tony Blankley writes, the Democrats have three models to choose from: Robert Taft, Wendell Wilkie or Ronald Reagan. Who they choose to model their presidential candidates on will say much about their future. THE EIGHT YEAR ONE-TERMER: Earlier
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 02:59 PM ·
THE EIGHT YEAR ONE-TERMER: Earlier today (scroll down), I quoted Dick Morris, who said Bill Clinton "was a one-term president who lived in the White House for eight years". Clinton's inaction on terrorism during the second term will likely cost the Democrats the election in 2004, Donald Lambro writes: The Democrats' biggest challenge in 2004: Convince independent and swing voters that their party can protect the United States.Clinton could have eliminated this issue, but as Byron York wrote shortly after 9/11, the polling data just didn't support his doing the right thing: So Clinton talked tough. But he did not act tough. Indeed, a review of his years in office shows that each time the president was confronted with a major terrorist attack — the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, the Khobar Towers attack, the August 7, 1998, bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole — Clinton was preoccupied with his own political fortunes to an extent that precluded his giving serious and sustained attention to fighting terrorism.In the short term, he survived. But Clinton's indecision--or rather, his decision to do nothing--has caught up with his would-be successors, as the buck did not stop on his desk. PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS tax cut
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 02:31 PM ·
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS tax cut bill into law. As Lawrence Kudlow writes: Tax cuts under John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton (during his second term) all produced faster economic growth, more jobs and higher tax revenues. Indeed, the Clinton 1997 capital-gains tax cut was the driving force for late-decade budget surpluses. Revenues in this period soared as profits accrued from stock market gains and stock options. It was a near-perfect illustration of the Laffer Curve, which says, in clear terms: Tax something more, get less of it; tax something less, get more of it. The less we penalize work and investment, the more work and investment there will be. DEEP IN THE WHICHY THICKETS:
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 02:03 PM ·
DEEP IN THE WHICHY THICKETS: Jonah Goldberg analyzes the recent Times article on (groan) "Hipublicans": All of this adds up to the real secret of campus conservatism's modest success, as Colapinto suggests. The "establishment" on campuses is thoroughly liberal or left-wing, and college kids like to challenge the establishment. The condescension and astonishment we're all used to hearing from the Times has to do with the fact that even rich, spoiled, and successful liberals — like Howell Raines, to name just one — cannot fathom that liberalism is today the atrophied status quo, and that the one-time rebels are now the silly and pompous establishment they once believed they were rebelling against.Or as I recently headlined a post, diversity for me, but not for thee. UPDATE: Meanwhile, alternative student newspapers are a growing campus phenomenon. Sheri Annis writes, "If only a small percentage of these young writers join the mainstream press, it could look very different a decade from now." CAN'T OPEN INSTAPUNDIT OR BLOGCRITICS?
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 11:36 AM ·
CAN'T OPEN INSTAPUNDIT OR BLOGCRITICS? Glenn Reynolds, on his DICK MORRIS WRITES, "A second
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 11:26 AM ·
DICK MORRIS WRITES, "A second term is a terrible thing for a president to waste. Sidney Blumenthal's new book makes clear how totally Bill Clinton wasted it. He was a one-term president who lived in the White House for eight years." If Morris doesn't totally cut Blumenthal's book to shreds, these articles pretty much finish the job. IT'S TWO, TWO, TWO TOPICS
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 11:15 AM ·
IT'S TWO, TWO, TWO TOPICS IN ONE: James Lileks not only deconstructs the techniques that make up the archetypal New York Times story, he explains how "Heienkein [sic]screwed the pooch several years ago when switched ad campaigns": It decided it didn’t want to be a premium beer for people who had premium tastes, and instead it went for the Xtreme market. The brand had been nurtured for decades as a symbol of taste and refinement, and now it’s slacker-hooch? Great move. Putting out a can in the shape of a keg to cement the frat-boy connection - another great move. The ad reps should have gone to the store and looked who bought it: Dad. He thought he was an aesthete when he was in college, drinking Heneken while everyone else pounded down the Fox Deluxe and Walter and Falstaff and other iterations of the eau de dead mouse imbibables; now he’s the golf geek with madras shorts, white legs, dark socks and sandals. The guy who still has a reel-to-reel for his Gil Evans collection, the guy who wonders why Leroy Neiman doesn’t apppear in Playboy anymore, the guy who’s noted in his social circle for his ability to use the Internet, but who’s never used the right mouse button. No, he’s not hip. But he makes $174,000 a year. By all means, alienate him in an attempt to win over that lucrative Kinkos demographic!Did Lileks actually ever meet my dad? He got several details about the old man (who started drinking Heineken when Lowenbrau began to be brewed in the US instead of being an import) dead-on. (Another nice touch: How many different ways did Lileks attempt to spell MAN BITES DOG ALERT: Los
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 11:03 AM ·
MAN BITES DOG ALERT: Los Angeles Times Editor John Carroll actually admits that his paper has a liberal bias, in a memo to his staff. Matt Welch has more on Reason's "Hit & Run " Weblog. NEXT THEY'LL TRY TO BAN
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 10:32 AM ·
NEXT THEY'LL TRY TO BAN OREOS: CNSNews.com writes that "a British legislator has proposed banning sport utility vehicles from congested city streets, and his comments prompted howls of protest from motoring groups." Geez--this from the country that brought you the Range Rover. MAUREEN DOWD'S HIDDEN CORRECTION, as
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 09:35 AM ·
MAUREEN DOWD'S HIDDEN CORRECTION, as spotted by Joanne Jacobs. GALLING THE FRENCH: Donald Rumsfeld
By Ed Driscoll · May 28, 2003 09:33 AM ·
GALLING THE FRENCH: Donald Rumsfeld hits them where it hurts, according to Jed Babbin. WELL THIS CLEARS IT UP!
By Ed Driscoll · May 27, 2003 09:19 PM ·
WELL THIS CLEARS IT UP! Andrew Sullivan quotes from an exchange between Howie Kurtz and Lawrence O'Donnell, the creater of "Mr. Sterling," whom Kurtz describes as "the absurdly idealistic senator played by Josh Brolin" in the NBC TV series: KURTZ: One thing these programs have in common, conservatives are practically invisible. President Bartlett in "The West Wing" is a Democrat. Martin Sheen, in fact, made anti-war ads before the invasion of Iraq. "Mr. Sterling" is a California liberal based loosely on Jerry Brown. Why aren't there any Republicans?Of course not. But I know someone who does... QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Attention,
By Ed Driscoll · May 27, 2003 05:39 PM ·
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Attention, Wachowski Brothers: put down the bong and step away from the script." --James Lileks plugs into the Matrix Reloaded and takes aim with deadly accuracy, as usual. IN THE LIGHT: The new
By Ed Driscoll · May 27, 2003 04:27 PM ·
IN THE LIGHT: The new Led Zeppelin DVD is just staggering. Expect a full review on Blogcritics in the not-too-distant future. If you don't have your copy yet, just click on the image below. ![]() DIVERSITY FOR ME, BUT NOT
By Ed Driscoll · May 27, 2003 04:26 PM ·
DIVERSITY FOR ME, BUT NOT FOR THEE: College professor Mike S. Adams decided to conduct a little experiment in campus diversity and tolerance: It all started when I noticed that a colleague of mine had a "Mondale/Ferraro '84" sticker on the filing cabinet in her office. I also noticed that another colleague had one posted on the front of his office desk.Which explains why movements such as this one are growing--and rapidly. UNDERPERFORMIN' NORMAN UPDATE: Speaking of
By Ed Driscoll · May 26, 2003 09:21 PM ·
UNDERPERFORMIN' NORMAN UPDATE: Speaking of smoking, what's Norman Mineta been puffing lately? Jeff Johnson of CNSNews.com writes: Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) Friday that, prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, aviation security officials had not considered that a hijacker might commandeer an airplane for any reason other than taking hostages.Of course. But that's never stopped Mineta from trying. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR ETHICS:
By Ed Driscoll · May 26, 2003 09:14 PM ·
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR ETHICS: Robert W. Tracinski writes on "The Hazards of a Smoke-Free Environment": Supporters of local tobacco bans have made their choice. Rather than attempting to protect people from an unwanted intrusion on their health, the tobacco bans are the unwanted intrusion.Read the whole thing. MONA CHAREN ON JAYSON BLAIR
By Ed Driscoll · May 26, 2003 09:10 PM · Oh, That Liberal Media!
MONA CHAREN ON JAYSON BLAIR, on the spiffy new Washington Times Website: I don't believe for a minute that the New York Times is populated by racists making life bitter for black journalists. But if the accusation were lodged against the Bush administration or Citibank or Fox News, who doubts that the New York Times would believe it and broadcast it to the world? So how do you like them apples, Howell Raines?This approach isn't likely to help either. I'M BACK, after a weekend
By Ed Driscoll · May 26, 2003 07:23 PM ·
I'M BACK, after a weekend jaunt to Seattle with my wife to visit some mutual friends. Watch for regular blogging to resume shortly. A JAYSON DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 05:54 PM ·
A JAYSON DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND! James Taranto writes that Jayson Blair imitates Seinfeld. Actually, it's worse than that. Blair imitates...George Costanza. FEW RISE TO DEFEND WHITMAN,
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 05:31 PM ·
FEW RISE TO DEFEND WHITMAN, as she announces her exit from the EPA. Which makes sense--environmentalists aren't going to like any Republican, and conservatives don't like anyone as squishy in their politics as Whitman. On the other hand, she was apparently extremely helpful during Bush's 2000 campaign, and was due for some slot in the administration. Orrin Judd writes, "This would be an ideal time for George W. Bush to strip the administrator of Cabinet rank and fold the agency into the Interior Department. Won't happen." FLASHBACK: James Lileks, in January:Nowadays,
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 02:44 PM ·
FLASHBACK: James Lileks, in January: Nowadays, if you point out that someone’s a Communist, you might well be accused of - dum dum DUMMMM - McCarthyism. The term has morphed from its original meaning. It no longer means falsely accusing someone of being a Communist. It now includes correctly identifying someone as a Communist, or ascribing a taint to someone because they don’t reject the Communists in their midst. (I’ll admit there’s a significant difference between the two.)It's also come to mean any attack on the left by an organization that it disapproves of. Meaning, any organization (or person) is subject to being labeled with the "M" word. Flashforward to this article by Jonathan Calt Harris on Campus Watch: * John Esposito of Georgetown University disparages Campus Watch as "the rantings of a self-appointed McCarthyite organization."As Harris writes, "Campus Watch has no intention that any scholars lose a position or be deprived of freedom of speech. Rather, it seeks to spur discussion of what it perceives as a faulty, extremist, intolerant, apologetic, and abusive record in Middle East studies." Jonathan Tabin recently wrote, "Administrators justify [commencement] speeches-- and condemn the walk-outs and boos that they are now drawing-- by saying that its their job to "challenge" students-- but by an amazing coincidence, these "challenging" speakers sure tend to reflect the bias of the administration. Funny how that works." And funny how they don't like to be challenged, themselves. EXPLOSION IN THE MAIL ROOM
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 02:28 PM ·
EXPLOSION IN THE MAIL ROOM AT YALE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Not many details yet, according to AP. UPDATE (3:00 PM): "A member of the responding bomb squad confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb." UPDATE (3:06 PM): InstaPundit has lots of links and news. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "He
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 02:12 PM ·
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "He has the best possible actors. If you have a disagreement with them, you can always use them to wash your car." --The late Zero Mostel, on Jim Henson and the Muppets. SCHOOL BOARD SETTLES COMPLAINT BY
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 02:08 PM ·
SCHOOL BOARD SETTLES COMPLAINT BY PRO-GUN COALITION: "Public schools in Montclair, N.J., can't distribute gun control literature to students, then refuse to distribute materials explaining the other side of the story, a court has ruled", according to CNSNews.com. 900 LEFT FEET: Julia Gorin
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 01:50 PM ·
900 LEFT FEET: Julia Gorin on why "diversity" trips up the Democrats. (Link via Jay Bryant.) THE WHICH BLAIR PROJECT: Scott
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 01:37 PM ·
THE WHICH BLAIR PROJECT: Scott Ott reports an momentous decision reached today by The American Professional Editors Society. OUT FROM THE SHADOWS OF
By Ed Driscoll · May 21, 2003 12:17 PM ·
OUT FROM THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN: My (lengthy) interview with Allan Slutsky, the author of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and the prime mover behind the film, is online at Blogcritics.org. ARI FLEISCHER IS LEAVING THE
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 11:51 PM ·
ARI FLEISCHER IS LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE. Could Christie Whitman be next? Frankly, I hope the next head of the EPA isn't as squishy an environmentalist as she's been. UPDATE (3/21/03, 12:10 PM): She's resigned. "SHEEPLE": Can't say I heard
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 10:12 PM ·
"SHEEPLE": Can't say I heard the word before, but James Lileks brilliantly deconstructs it--and Robert Sheer--in a typically excellent Bleat. ACUTE SAHS CARRIERS: Arnold Beichman,
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 08:31 PM ·
ACUTE SAHS CARRIERS: Arnold Beichman, writing on the spiffy new revamped Washington Times Website, has identified a virulent condition, more dangerous than SARS. What is SAHS? Well, Norman Mailer, Margaret Drabble and Susan Sontag are all carriers. "MEMO TO DEMOS": Rich Galen,
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 08:25 PM ·
"MEMO TO DEMOS": Rich Galen, a "Double Secret Undercover Operative" for the Democratic party, has released a double-top secret memo concerning the 2004 presidential campaign. Here's the executive summary: I believe we have a great opportunity to be victorious in the Presidential election of 2004. We just have to find a different country to run in.But do read how he reached that conclusion. TACITUS HAS AN EXCELLENT ESSAY,
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 06:38 PM ·
TACITUS HAS AN EXCELLENT ESSAY, TITLED "Why I am not a Democrat". Read the--I know it's a cliche, but just do it, huh?--whole thing. (Link via Patrick Ruffini, who has several new items himself.) THE NEW YORKER: It's so
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 03:11 PM ·
THE NEW YORKER: It's so right-wing, according to the Nation! UPDATE: Orrin Judd has more. THERE IS NO ANTI-AMERICANISM AT THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 02:25 PM · Oh, That Liberal Media!
And when I say there is none, I do mean that there is a certain amount, to paraphrase Monty Python. Stanley Kurtz writes: Howell Raines is not the real issue, and getting rid of Raines won't solve anything. The problem is Arthur Sulzberger Jr., and he's not going away. In his wonderful book, How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (and Found Inner Peace), Harry Stein lays out the disturbing facts about "Pinch" Sulzberger. (Sulzberger's father was nicknamed "Punch," and the none too flattering nickname for Junior is "Pinch.")Last fall though, the Times' readership fell over five percent. And that during the DC sniper crisis, the run-up to the war in Iraq, (and of course before the Jayson Blair fiasco). It will be very, very interesting to read what the Times' numbers are in a few months. MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE INVITED
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 11:06 AM ·
MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE INVITED DANNY GLOVER: Chris Hedges, a New York Times reporter, was booed off the stage Saturday at Illinois' Rockford College’s when he tried to give an antiwar speech during the graduation ceremonies: Elinor Radlund of Rockford read Hedges’ book on war and was horrified at what she said was the audience’s rude behavior. She was indignant she couldn’t hear the speaker.It's understandable that kids go into college as tabula rasae, but I thought by the time you got out of college, you should also have some ideas--and ideals--of your own. (Not that I did, until I left Soft America for Hard America, to use Michael Barone's analogies.) SERIOUS UPDATE: Here's a review of Hedges' book by Orrin Judd. VERY SILLY UPDATE: Here's a transcript of Hedges' speech by Scott Ott. CITIZEN BLAIR? Jayson Blair is
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 10:41 AM ·
CITIZEN BLAIR? Jayson Blair is looking for a book and movie(!) deal for his side of the story. I suppose Pixar could do a CGI moose, but who will play Howell Raines? TEST SNOBS: Why do affluent
By Ed Driscoll · May 20, 2003 10:37 AM ·
TEST SNOBS: Why do affluent parents oppose standardized student testing? Joanne Jacobs, linking to Debra Saunders, has some thoughts. DANNY GLOVER UPDATE UPDATE: I
By Ed Driscoll · May 19, 2003 10:39 PM ·
DANNY GLOVER UPDATE UPDATE: I haven't read anybody else mention this yet, but it's pretty staggering that MSNBC, a cable channel left for dead when it had Phil Donahue as one of its "stars", apparently has enough viewers on the right to get MCI to sit up and take notice. No wonder they've finally gotten enough sense to try and co-opt Fox New's audience--it's where the numbers are! THIS YEAR'S MOOSE MEME
By Ed Driscoll · May 19, 2003 09:03 PM · Oh, That Liberal Media!
Last year, the Moose was a suburban police chief tasked with apprehending the DC sniper. This year (or at least this week), he's the Beanie Baby symbol of all that is royally SNAFU at the New York Times. James Lileks writes: Adults no longer run the Times. To me the most interesting revelation of l’affair Blair hasn’t been the way a rising star was coddled and cosseted; it’s the Moose. The Beanbag Moose. As I understand the story, some of the Timespersons were on a retreat in a rural conference center. During one of the meetings, a moose wandered into the grounds, and everyone watched him out the window - but no one mentioned him, because it wasn’t germane to the subject of the meeting. This story has become Legend, and has taken on the form of a Beanie Baby, come to enlighten those of us who see the Moose but dare not speak His name. It’s a metaphor, you see. A metaphor for unnoticed mooses. (Anyone who's ever been on one of these retreats knows exactly what would have happened if you'd interrupted a meeting on synergistic strategies to say "hey, how come no one's talking about that big moose out there?" Four words: Monday morning drug test.) Now at the Times if you wish you cut to the quick, you place on the table your company-issued beanbag herbivore to symbolize your desire to speak freely.The moose made an appearance last week at the Times' infamous Astor Plaza movie theater meeting: On the empty stage, Sulzberger, Raines and Boyd sat side by side. They got no applause and no catcalls, though some audience comments were cheered.As Lileks wrote, "grown-ups do not use metaphorical mooses to break the ice." But then, as he also wrote, "adults no longer run the Times". REGIME CHANGE: The troops are
By Ed Driscoll · May 19, 2003 06:37 PM ·
REGIME CHANGE: The troops are massing at the border. Their general is champing at the bit. The next regime change is about to begin. RISKY TALK: Shell of Across
By Ed Driscoll · May 19, 2003 04:36 PM ·
RISKY TALK: Shell of Across the Atlantic Fisks actor Danny Glover, who is upset that he may be dropped as a spokesman by MCI because of his anti-war and anti-American comments. (An actor who's anti-liberation and anti-American. As another famous actor once said, I'm shocked. Shocked!) As Jonah Goldberg recently wrote: None of these people are being censored. They are being criticized. And only people so pampered, so spoon-fed with praise and encouragement, could confuse the free speech of others with the chilling of free speech in America.Ironically, when Elizabeth Hurley crossed a SAG picket-line in 2000, Robbins responded by saying: "We are bringing Hurley to trial," he foamed, "She will not get away with it." Note that "we." As Mr. Robbins, a prominent supporter of the strike, well knows, his comments are likely to resonate with those union officials responsible for deciding the former fembot's fate. The consequences of a "guilty" verdict could be serious. The equally influential Ms. Sarandon has supported calls for a lifetime ban on "scab" actors. If the case goes against Ms. Hurley she may never work in Hollywood again.Cross a SAG picket line, risk being banned from your career for life. But speak out in favor of keeping a brutal dictator in power, expect no consequences. What an astonishing mindset in Tinseltown. UPDATE: Glover has apparently since been axed as a spokesman for MCI, via a campaign orchestrated by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, about which Andrew Sullivan writes: As a matter of principle, I loathe boycotts and the screeching and self-righteous rhetoric that often accompanies them. I even defended Dr Laura's show against the mau-mauing gay left. So Scarborough's campaign leaves me with not a little distaste in my mouth. Still, it's not McCarthyism. The government is not involved; the argument is a valid one; no-one has a right to be a spokesman for corporate America, without public controversy or opposition. Glover hasn't been silenced; and he's free to continue to be an actor, where his views are likely to help, not hinder him. No one would complain if a similarly extreme right-winger were passed over by a major corporation. I don't like Scarborough's tactics. But Danny Glover can choose between his views and his corporate contracts. Perhaps, for his ideological consistency, it's about time he did.Sullivan's absolutely right on that last point, but...ideological consistency? From Hollywood?! Speaking of "self-righteous rhetoric", I'm sure Glover's comments about being released as a spokesman by MCI will at a minimum, echo the shrillness of Robbins', when he was recently disinvited to speak at the Baseball Hall of Fame. "THE FLORESCENCE OF THE ROT":
By Ed Driscoll · May 19, 2003 03:41 PM ·
"THE FLORESCENCE OF THE ROT": Winds of Change looks at the death of socialism. See also this recent post by Charles Johnson on the same subject. DARTH VADER'S PSYCHIC HOTLINE:
By Ed Driscoll · May 18, 2003 12:19 PM ·
(It's a short video clip that makes a nice double feature with another great Star Wars parody, Troops.) UPDATE: The credits state it was filmed in Knoxville (which is fast becoming a real hub of video production, thanks to Scripps Howard, who tapes many of their shows for HGTV, the DIY Network, and their other cable channels there). I wonder if Darth knows this Sith lord? FRANCE HAS COOTIES: Scott Ott
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 11:56 PM ·
FRANCE HAS COOTIES: Scott Ott has the err, details. THE TILTH AND THE FURY:
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 11:55 PM ·
THE TILTH AND THE FURY: Rich Galen goes organic! Well, sort of. "STANDARDS ARE OUT OF FASHION",
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 11:54 PM ·
"STANDARDS ARE OUT OF FASHION", writes Eric Burns of FOXNews.com: [Jayson] Blair started betraying trust more than three-and-a-half years ago. His job performance was a low point almost since the first day he held the job. Why was he not punished earlier? Why did it take until now to accuse him of violating the standards which the New York Times so ardently professes?Sadly, he's right, of course. LIFE IMITATES MONTY PYTHON, writes
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 09:46 PM ·
LIFE IMITATES MONTY PYTHON, writes Steven Den Beste, as the German government, facing an enormous financial shortfall, taxes "thingy". Thingy? You know, thingy....Thingy! Messrs. Dimsdale and Gumby could not be reached for comment, however. "THE WORST OF ALL POSSIBLE
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 11:35 AM ·
"THE WORST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS", writes Andrew Sullivan keeps on the current state of the The Times, adding, "The current leadership is the problem; everyone knows it; but no one will budge." Read his whole post. IS BUSH BEHAVING LIKE FDR?
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 10:54 AM ·
IS BUSH BEHAVING LIKE FDR? Scroll down for an interesting post on the Brothers Judd Blog. THX-1138 RELOADED
By Ed Driscoll · May 17, 2003 10:33 AM · Hollywood, Interrupted
My wife and a couple of friends and I saw the Matrix Reloaded yesterday, and I think I've figured out what the film is all about. Its plot makes far less sense than the first Matrix. Long scenes go on that could easily have been edited--or even cut--for pacing, and no one would have noticed. The dialogue is circular and often incomprehensible. Its best scene is a long, bitchin' car and motorcycle chase. It's about people trying to escape from a hermetically sealed world in which millions have no control over their lives after centuries of devastating war. In short, The Matrix Reloaded is George Lucas's seminal dystopian quasi-classic THX-1138 remade on a gazillion dollar budget, for the same studio that released THX (Warner Brothers). It's the only reason that makes sense as to how such an otherwise self-indulgent, poorly scripted and edited film would be allowed to be released. There are two action scenes that work: the afore mentioned car chase, and the Mission Impossible-style break-in to a nuclear power plant and hi-rise office building. The "wire-fu" stuff was fun in the first movie, and endlessly overdone in this one. And as a few critics have already noticed, Neo can fly in this movie, a power he acquired at the very end of the last film. So when 250 Agent Smiths open up a can of whoop-ass on him, why doesn't he just skedaddle, instead of sticking around and trying to fight them, particularly when they try to clone Neo into another Agent Smith? (Why, because everyone liked the wire-fu scenes in the first film, and this being a sequel, you're going to get them rammed down your throat, over and over again.) The last scene in the film though, sets up the last film of the trilogy quite nicely, which should be very interesting though. Hopefully they've done a better writing job on that film, however, and are currently doing a better editing job, based on the comments that this film is generating. Speaking of editing: please, please--no more Cornel West in the next film, huh? So should you see it? If the box office take is any indication, you probably already have. But if you haven't, as Jami Bernard wrote in the New York Daily News, go see it for the action scenes. (Monica Bellucci and Carrie-Ann Moss are pretty snazzy as well.) Don't bother looking for a plot, though. That corner of the Matrix's program seems to have been corrupted after the first movie. We'll see if they can rewrite the code in November. TWO, TWO, TWO ARTICLES IN
By Ed Driscoll · May 16, 2003 11:58 AM ·
TWO, TWO, TWO ARTICLES IN ONE: One issue of Smart TV & Sound that is, where I have two articles in the current issue (available everywhere). Buy a case or two--they make lovely birthday, Father's Day and Bar Mitzvah gifts! ![]() ALL THE BILLS THAT ARE FIT TO PAY
By Ed Driscoll · May 16, 2003 11:55 AM · Oh, That Liberal Media!
Andrew Sullivan (with an assist from The Smoking Gun), examines Jayson Blair's very large credit card bills, and their sudden payoff. MINUTEMAN UPDATE: Joanne Jacobs, at
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 08:08 PM ·
MINUTEMAN UPDATE: Joanne Jacobs, at the coincidentally labeled Joanne Jacobs.com says that U-Mass will retain their symbol. "Now there are plans to redesign the mascot to boost sales of hats and sweat shirts. It would help if the team would win more games, too", she writes. JUNE CARTER CASH DIED TODAY,
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 05:32 PM ·
JUNE CARTER CASH DIED TODAY, at age 73. NOW IT NEEDS TO BE
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 04:46 PM ·
NOW IT NEEDS TO BE PERMANENT: AP reports that "The Senate voted Thursday to suspend taxes on stock dividends for three years, restoring the centerpiece of President Bush's economic plan in a package of tax cuts that is still half the size he wanted." Good start guys--now let's make it permanent. UPDATE: Maybe it's not a good start. Virginia Postrel and The Volokh Conspiracy aren't too thrilled about its temporary nature. HOOVERED: What did J. Edgar
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 04:35 PM ·
HOOVERED: What did J. Edgar Hoover think of The Untouchables TV series? He wasn't too thrilled with it, according to Forbes.com: Hoover was furious that credit for federal crime fighting was going to a rival agency, the U.S. Treasury Department. The real-life Ness was a Prohibition agent who later became Cleveland's top cop. He died in 1957, and his memoirs formed the basis for the TV series. But most of the plots were largely fictional, drawn loosely from past headlines and often including the names of then-deceased but real-life hoodlums like Al Capone, Dutch Schultz and Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll.Nice to know then, as now, that taxpayers really get their "investment" money truly well spent. BUSH. GEORGE BUSH. Very funny
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 04:11 PM ·
BUSH. GEORGE BUSH. Very funny Photoshopped James Bond poster at Conservative Commentary. Makes a good double feature with Paybax. UPDATE: And this film as well. DR. LICKS: Just had a
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 03:31 PM ·
DR. LICKS: Just had a great conversation with Allan Slutstky, aka "Dr. Licks", aka the man who wrote Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and who sweated blood to turn it into a movie. Watch for an interview on Blogcritics in the not too distant future. ![]() UNTOUCHABLE: The great Robert Stack
By Ed Driscoll · May 15, 2003 12:35 PM ·
UNTOUCHABLE: The great Robert Stack died yesterday at age 84, of heart failure, according to the Internet Movie Database. I saw him just a few years ago on O'Reilly--he looked fantastic. He also "came out of the closet", to admit that he was one of the few Republicans (at least willing to admit it) in Hollywood. Sorry to hear of his passing away--he'll be missed. TOO HOT FOR DISNEY: In
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 11:21 PM ·
TOO HOT FOR DISNEY: In a remarkable moment of sanity all too rare for Hollywood, Disney has reportedly somehow come to their senses, and has dropped Fahrenheit 911, Michael Moore's anti-Bush project. (Link via Little Green Footballs.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SID:
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 10:50 PM ·
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SID: Andrew Sullivan reviews Sid Blumenthal's new book: This new Son of Man must be connected to the Old Testament. How to do so? By placing a scene at the start of the book in which the ghost of F.D.R. blesses the man from Hot Springs. So we start in Hyde Park. Sid goes ahead of a Presidential visit to pay his respects to his ancestors. The President follows, and places a red rose on F.D.R.’s and Eleanor’s white marble tomb. You’ll just have to take my word for it that I’m not making this following bit up: "An aide gently but insistently reminded [Clinton] that his time was limited. The turbulent world was tugging at him, starting with a boisterous crowd waiting at the local high school. ‘It’s so peaceful,’ Clinton whispered as he stared at the tomb. His mind was filled with great plans: universal healthcare, reducing the federal deficit, investments in education and the environment, cutting crime, remaking the welfare system, ending discrimination, to begin with."Read the whole thing (Sullivan's review, not necessarily Blumenthal's 800-page doorstop), as they say. FREE AT LAST DEPARTMENT: "SF
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 06:01 PM ·
FREE AT LAST DEPARTMENT: "SF lawyer says he's dropping suit against Oreo cookies" Once again, SF stands for science fiction: this suit should never have been launched in the first place, proving yet again, just how right Malcolm Muggeridge was. PROBE OF TIMES' PLAGIARISM SCANDAL
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 04:40 PM ·
PROBE OF TIMES' PLAGIARISM SCANDAL WIDENS: CNSNews.com has details, along with this tasty tidbit: With its famed, perceived integrity at stake, the Times held a Wednesday afternoon meeting open only to staff at a Manhattan theater to discuss the Blair matter.Oh to be a fly on the wall during that meeting! Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg weighs in on the scandal, and has a publishing announcement of his own to make. And in other journalistic news, Mark Steyn was fired by Canada's National Post, shortly after another great journalist, David Frum, left the paper. Besides being fantastic writers, I wonder what these two journalists have in common...? Don't email--I'll figure it out eventually. LIFE IMITATES RAY BRADBURY: Fahrenheit
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 11:07 AM ·
LIFE IMITATES RAY BRADBURY: Fahrenheit 451 turns 50. John J. Miller writes: Jules Verne is famous among science-fiction writers for predicting 20th-century technologies, such as submarines and rocket ships. Mr. Bradbury rivals him in "Fahrenheit 451." He envisioned the popularity of headset radios, plus interactive TV and live news broadcasts.I'd argue the last sentence, at least for the moment (Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders all seem to be doing just fine, thankyouverymuch), but as usual, Mr. Bradbury is spot-on. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the great dystopian novels of the 20th century, and can easily be read alongside the greatest, 1984, as a warning of the evils of socialism, taken to their logical extreme. As Ayn Rand (who could write a mean dystopian novel or two herself) once wrote: There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt.She must have read the mind of the bureaucrats in New Jersey. And Mayor Bloomberg. And the DEA. And MADD. (And those are just from links I pulled off my blog from the past two days.) "FOR WHOM THE BONG CHONGS":
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 09:59 AM ·
"FOR WHOM THE BONG CHONGS": I can't say I was ever that big a fan of Tommy Chong and his on-stage partner in tokes, Cheech Marin, even at their high point (hehe) in the 1970s. Sophmoric druggie humor just doesn't do much for me, especially when I can pop in a DVD of the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, or an early Woody Allen movie. But why is the DEA raiding head shops and busting people like Chong for "illegal drug paraphernalia"? BACK TO THE FUTURE: There's
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 01:34 AM ·
BACK TO THE FUTURE: There's a possible replacement for the Space Shuttle, Jeffrey D. Goldader writes in Tech Central Station. And it's been proven--from the Earth to the Moon. And back. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SOLUTION
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 01:26 AM ·
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SOLUTION OUTLIVES THE PROBLEM? Steven Den Beste has several examples--in several different areas--of what happens when a solution takes on a life of its own. Here's another one. CUE THE THEME FROM JAWS,
By Ed Driscoll · May 14, 2003 12:47 AM ·
CUE THE THEME FROM JAWS, Andrew Sullivan writes: Sheeeee's baaa-ack! "And so far, she's been playing her hand very very smoothly." THE MINUTEMEN: Joanne Jacobs and
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 09:34 PM ·
THE MINUTEMEN: Joanne Jacobs and Eugene Volokh come to their defense. Sad to see "Blue State" America returning to its pre-9/11 ways so quickly, isn't it? WAY TO GO CAVUTO: Neil
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 09:01 PM ·
WAY TO GO CAVUTO: Neil Cavuto has just torn Paul Krugman a new Clymer. COULD A FILM VERSION OF
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 08:47 PM ·
COULD A FILM VERSION OF ATLAS SHRUGGED FINALLY BE COMING TO THE BIG SCREEN? A production company has bought the rights to the book, and hired veteran screenwriter James V. Hart (who's written the screenplays to Contact, Hook, Bram Stocker's Dracula and Tuck Everlasting. The press release (linked to above) gives a bit of the background behind the numerous attempts to bring the novel to the screen. It will be interesting to see if this one finally makes it...but I'm not holding my breath waiting for it. (Besides, I can't hold my breath for three minutes, let alone three years!) (Found via Stephen Green, who's probably already wrangling for the director's chair.) DRIVE TO WORK drinking coffee,
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 05:55 PM ·
DRIVE TO WORK drinking coffee, listening to the radio, or having a bite to eat behind the wheel? You could soon be punished "by stiff fines and possible jail time if New Jersey politicians have their way", according to CNSNews.com. Pathetic is the word that comes to mind (at least in polite society) to describe this. GEE, MAYBE THIS TIME IT'LL
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 05:32 PM ·
GEE, MAYBE THIS TIME IT'LL WORK! Speaking of Michael Bloomberg, a consortium of ultra-high-powered New Yorkers write in the Wall Street Journal that Bloomberg is attempting to do something that's already failed twice: tax the city out of hard times. The Laffer Curve: you can run, you can hide, but you can't beat it. ROBERT BARTLEY WRITES, 'Michael Bloomberg
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 05:20 PM ·
ROBERT BARTLEY WRITES, 'Michael Bloomberg seems to think he's mayor of Ben Tre. That's the Vietnamese city etched into history by the quote "It became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it.'" DOES WARREN BUFFETT HATE YOUR
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 03:34 PM ·
DOES WARREN BUFFETT HATE YOUR GUTS? The evidence that Andy Kessler presents is pretty damning. DIANE SAWYER INSISTS that the
By Ed Driscoll · May 13, 2003 10:54 AM ·
DIANE SAWYER INSISTS that the Jayson Blair fiasco couldn't happen in TV journalism. The Media Research Center says it already has--at least twice. Meanwhile, the Cornerites note the astonishing timing of Jay and Katie swapping seats, just as the Blair story reaches critical mass. HOME MUSIC RECORDING, AND THE
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 11:15 PM ·
HOME MUSIC RECORDING, AND THE ALBUM THAT LAUNCHED IT: Long, slightly rambiling post of mine on Pete Townshend and home recording then and now, on Blogcritics. IS GOOGLE ABOUT TO WHACK
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 06:20 PM ·
IS GOOGLE ABOUT TO WHACK BLOGS? Sure sounds that way, doesn't it? JIMI HENDRIX'S ORIGINAL BASSIST DEAD:
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 06:17 PM ·
JIMI HENDRIX'S ORIGINAL BASSIST DEAD: Noel Redding was age 57. FORGET THE MATRIX: This film
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 05:09 PM ·
FORGET THE MATRIX: This film could be the summer blockbuster. It's that staggering in its scope, its ideas, its visuals. Lucas, Spielberg and Coppola will be humbled by its power. (Link via Dave Barry.) NICE SYNCHRONICITY: What does Jesse
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 04:02 PM ·
NICE SYNCHRONICITY: What does Jesse Jackson think about the whole Jayson Blair affair? I don't know, but I did find this quote amusing: "They choose culture and legacy over excellence, and it's insulting."Geez, Jesse, Howell Raines just said there are things that are more important than excellence! How can you argue with the editor of the New York Times? ACROSS THE ATLANTIC HAS A
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 03:25 PM ·
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC HAS A NEW SLOGAN: "Politics, culture, and war, as seen from opposite sides of theClearly, it's a granola-free zone. WAY TO GO MILPITAS!
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 03:14 PM · War And Anti-War
Milpitas is a small, sleepy suburb of San Jose. It's got a huge shopping mall (built out of the former Ford assembly plant that built Falcons and Mustangs), and lots of office space for Roxio, the manufacturer of CD-burning software. But the city made headlines last week when its city council on Tuesday "unanimously approved a resolution that recognizes the former Republic of Vietnam flag and sanctions its display at City Hall during ceremonies", as this the San Jose Mercury News article explains: Pham Huu Son, president of the San Jose-based Vietnamese-American Community of Northern California, said the South Vietnamese flag has been officially displayed in such cities as Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster in Southern California. San Jose has a proclamation that recognizes the flag, according to community leaders.There are victims of Communism? That must be news to the Times! (Now if only we could that flag restored in its homeland...) "THE PETER FACTOR": Another former
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 02:44 PM ·
"THE PETER FACTOR": Another former ABC reporter accuses Peter Jennings of left-wing bias. FLOODING THE ZONE, 24/7: Plenty
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 02:30 PM ·
FLOODING THE ZONE, 24/7: Plenty of material about the Jayson Blair scandal at TimesWatch. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: Andrew Sullivan writes,
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 01:00 PM ·
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: Andrew Sullivan writes, "wouldn't it be truly odd if what the NYT itself describes as its worst moment in 152 years didn't result in someone in authority taking real responsibility? No it wouldn't. Ever since Janet Reno and Waco, "taking responsibility" has come to mean that when presented with mountains of damning evidence, that you admit to doing wrong...and that that admission is expected to be punishment enough. Resigning, accepting punishment, shame: these things are just so dated in the brave new world of Soft America. BLAST FROM THE PAST: "JFK
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 11:58 AM ·
BLAST FROM THE PAST: "JFK Had Affair With Intern, Author Says". Right. Next thing you'll do is tell me that Nixon wasn't the first president to tape his meetings! (Link via Reason's Hit & Run blog.) "BUSH URGES AMERICANS TO CALL
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 11:27 AM ·
"BUSH URGES AMERICANS TO CALL FOR TAX CUTS": That's exactly what President Reagan did in the early 1980s to get his tax cuts passed, only he did it during a speech on prime time TV. It worked--Congress was flooded with calls, the tax cut passed, and the American economy was reborn. I've often wondered why no other president since has done that. At least Bush is telling people during his in-person speeches to do so, and the message was picked up by the Washington Post... ...and by this Blog! FLASHBACK: Quite a few years
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 10:25 AM ·
FLASHBACK: Quite a few years ago--long before Messrs. Blair and Blumenthal, the Times had another rather inventive reporter. BASHING THE PIÑATA: Jonah Goldberg
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 09:42 AM ·
BASHING THE PIÑATA: Jonah Goldberg weighs in on the Times' scandal, describing it as "a pinata. You can bash it from any angle and bear some reward". And David Frum writes: Blair’s biggest scoop in his career at the Times was a front-page story that accused the Bush White House of wrecking the sniper investigation for its own political purposes. Blair reported that the Bush administration had pressured the U.S. Attorney’s office in Maryland to force local investigators to end their questioning of John Muhammad at the very moment when Muhammad was about to confess. The story purported to rest on interviews with five unnamed law-enforcement sources.Meanwhile, Editor and Publisher.com has 14 unanswered questions for the Times. NEW PURITANS UPDATE: In the
By Ed Driscoll · May 12, 2003 09:36 AM ·
NEW PURITANS UPDATE: In the past, my eyes would have popped out like a Tex Avery cartoon over a headline that reads: These days, I'm not at all surprised. SPEAKING OF MLK
By Ed Driscoll · May 11, 2003 05:08 PM ·
Interesting connection found between Doctors King and Bennett, and their vices. PAGING DR. ORWELL: Are the
By Ed Driscoll · May 11, 2003 05:04 PM ·
PAGING DR. ORWELL: Are the words of JFK and Martin Luther King exclusive property of the left? WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW:
By Ed Driscoll · May 11, 2003 05:00 PM ·
WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW: Apparently, Jayson Blair wasn't the only person at the Times who cooked the books. THE TIMES AND SOFT AMERICA
By Ed Driscoll · May 11, 2003 12:16 PM · Oh, That Liberal Media!
As I've written before, I'm always a sucker for big picture organizing theories about how America and the world works. I loved Toffler's The Third Wave, Postrel's The Future and its Enemies, and Steven Den Beste's post last year about Transnational Progressivism. Yesterday, Glenn Reynolds linked to a U.S. News article by Michael Barone titled, "A tale of two Americas". Just as Postrel used the Stasists and Dynamists two illustrate two groups shaping our nation, rather than the traditional Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and leftists, etc., Barone is really onto something here, which may very well go beyond political affiliations: One of the peculiar features of our country is that we produce incompetent 18-year-olds and remarkably competent 30-year-olds. Americans at 18 typically score lower on standardized tests than 18-year-olds from other advanced countries. Watch them on their first few days working at McDonald's or behind the counter in chain drugstores, and it's obvious that they don't really know how to make change or keep the line moving. But by the time Americans are 30, they are the most competent people in the world. They produce a stronger and more vibrant private-sector economy; they produce scientific and technical advances that lead the world; they provide the world's best medical care; they create the strongest and most agile military the world has ever seen. And it's not just a few meritocrats at the top: American talent runs wide and deep.It's a nice bit of syncronicity that Barone's essay appears the same day that Matt Drudge linked to the New York Times' plagiarism scandal, which Andrew Sullivan has been covering for at least most of the previous week. Newspapers used to be part of Hard America--witness all those cliches in the movies that date back to the Front Page and His Girl Friday, as well as Ed Asner's hard-bitten Lou Grant character from the 1970s. So how did the Times end-up joining Soft America, which editor Howell Raines tacitly admits to doing when he says that the Times' affirmative action push "has made our staff better and, more importantly, more diverse"? When did diversity become better than quality for the world's most influential newspaper, in the world's most important and competitive city? In Redneck Nation, Michael Graham wrote that during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the left castigated the South for its obsession with race, and then, rather than moving towards a color-blind society as Martin Luther King had rightly demanded, became race-obsessed itself. When does the pendulum swing back? In Hard America, people succeed and fail based on the quality of their work: through skills and brainpower, rather than through skin color or gender. Will the Times to learn anything from their scandal? One of Andrew Sullivan's readers writes, "real soul-searching...needs to go on at the Times. From Raines' initial comments, it's not happening." UPDATE: Patrick Ruffini has a pretty good suggestion for the how the Times could take a good first step towards rejoining Hard America. ANOTHER UPDATE: Scott Ott has more (or less) on Raines' next move. ANOTHER 'NOTHER UPDATE: Well, I hadn't seen this one coming, but it does have a certain logic to it! (Via Instapundit.) THE COUNTERCULTURE MEETS CENTCOM: H.D.
By Ed Driscoll · May 11, 2003 12:14 PM ·
THE COUNTERCULTURE MEETS CENTCOM: H.D. Miller links to photographs of Steven Stills (of Crosby, Stills, Nash and occasionally Young fame) visiting Central Command Headquarters at McDill AFB in Tampa. CentCom has had other musical celebrities visit as well, but as Miller writes, "sorry, folks, no sign of the Dixie Chicks." URBANE LEGENDS: Terence P. Jeffrey
By Ed Driscoll · May 10, 2003 09:04 AM ·
URBANE LEGENDS: Terence P. Jeffrey cautions in The Washington Times, to be wary of whoever the press dubs with the "U" word: The Sunday London Times cast into question not only the quality of Scotch Mr. Aziz drank, but also his urbanity itself. The "seemingly urbane deputy prime minister," sniffed the Times, "was exposed as a lover of Glasgow's Grand Old Parr blend."Jeffrey ends his article with a perfect example of someone who the vast majority of the press would never be caught dead using the "U" word to describe. Naturally, it's the one former world leader who might actually deserve the word. PROTESTING THE PROTESTORS: Greenpeace is
By Ed Driscoll · May 9, 2003 02:34 PM ·
PROTESTING THE PROTESTORS: Greenpeace is planning a "Run for Your Life" 5K road race at Liberty State Park in New Jersey on Saturday. But the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) will conduct a counter demonstration "alleging that the environmental group has committed 'eco-manslaughter' through its support of international policies limiting development and the expansion of technology to the developing world's poor", according to CNSNews. The protest makes a nice bookend to the award that Greenpeace won last year in Johannesburg, when they were handed the "Bulls**t Trophy" (yes, that's the trophy's real name) by African and Asian farmers, for their contribution to the "preservation of poverty" in developing countries. REMIND ME NOT TO FLY
By Ed Driscoll · May 9, 2003 01:06 PM ·
REMIND ME NOT TO FLY AIR CONGO ANYTIME SOON: 200 sucked out of plane when a cargo door failed. LANDING ON THE LINCOLN: One
By Ed Driscoll · May 9, 2003 10:00 AM ·
LANDING ON THE LINCOLN: One point about President Bush's landing on the USS Lincoln that I don't think I've seen mentioned is how it ties in with Karl Rove's strategy of keeping the president somewhat out of the public eye. Unlike Clinton and Gore, who seemingly never saw a photo-op they didn't like, because Bush has had less media exposure, when he does a showy move such as landing on aircraft carrier--its impact is magnified that much. The contrast between Clinton and Bush provides yet another lesson for future presidents. IS THERE AN AL QAEDA
By Ed Driscoll · May 9, 2003 09:52 AM ·
IS THERE AN AL QAEDA CONNECTION IN ITALY? Charles Johnson writes, "Investigators analyzing computers seized from an Italian mosque discovered photos of the World Trade Center downloaded on September 4, 2001, and pornographic images used to encode Al Qaeda messages in a process known as steganography." DON'T STOP THE CRIME, IF
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 04:00 PM ·
DON'T STOP THE CRIME, IF YOU CAN'T DO THE TIME: A UK farmer who shot to death a burglar and was convicted of manslaughter for his troubles continues to rot in an English prison, having had his parole request rejected Thursday by the British High Court. For a brief look at how England has gotten to this despicable point, see this 2002 essay by Paul Craig Roberts. A QUOTE THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES:
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 01:51 PM ·
A QUOTE THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: "Here in France I feel at home", says Madonna, as she thanked the country for opposing the liberation of Iraq. THE DREADED "D" WORD: Has
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 10:16 AM ·
THE DREADED "D" WORD: Has the Fed finally figured out the dangers of deflation? Possibly, says Orrin Judd. But is it too late? HAS TED NUGENT JUST DUG
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 10:04 AM ·
HAS TED NUGENT JUST DUG HIMSELF INTO A HOLE he can't get out of? Eric Olsen has details on Blogcritics. LIFE IMITATES TOM WOLFE, PART
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 09:50 AM ·
LIFE IMITATES TOM WOLFE, PART II: Why is the University of Massachusetts considering retiring its Minuteman mascot? The school's athletic director says it's because of "gender, firearms and ethnicity issues". THE FIFTY STATE DREAM: GOP'ers
By Ed Driscoll · May 8, 2003 09:47 AM ·
THE FIFTY STATE DREAM: GOP'ers believe they can take all 50 states in the 2004 presidential election, according to Deborah Orin in the New York Post. LIFE IMITATES TOM WOLFE: Clarence
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 05:44 PM ·
LIFE IMITATES TOM WOLFE: Clarence Thomas is called "unworthy" of giving the graduation speech at the University of Georgia Law School. (He's apparently going to be allowed to speak, however.) Meanwhile, Antioch College saw nothing "unworthy" about allowing convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal to give a (pre-recorded) speech at its commencement, back in 2000. Tom Wolfe's upcoming novel may have just had its ending written for it. LAWYERS PROVE IRAQ/AL-QAIDA CONNECTION: ABCNews.com
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 11:38 AM ·
LAWYERS PROVE IRAQ/AL-QAIDA CONNECTION: ABCNews.com reports, "Judge Awards $104 Million in 9-11 Case". HART'S WAR: Gary Hart chose
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 11:23 AM ·
HART'S WAR: Gary Hart chose not to run for the presidency, but he's quickly bounced back, thanks to Donald Rumsfeld. Well, that's what Scott Ott writes, at least... WAL-MART BANS THREE MEN'S MAGAZINES:
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 10:42 AM ·
WAL-MART BANS THREE MEN'S MAGAZINES: Maxim, Stuff and FHM, all of whom go to extremes in terms of how close they can get to showing nudity. I'm sure their editors are furious, but when you push the envelope, don't be surprised when someone pushes back. CENTENNIAL: Mark Steyn looks at
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 10:36 AM ·
CENTENNIAL: Mark Steyn looks at Bob Hope at age 100: Success on that scale breeds a particular kind of contempt. Younger comics who for 30 years have despised Hope as a pro-war establishment suck-up forget that he more or less invented the form they work in: the relaxed guy who strolls on and does topical observational gags about the world we live in. When he started eight decades ago, there were no “stand-ups”; it was an age of clowns – weird-looking guys in goofy costumes taking frenzied pratfalls and telling ethnic gags in stage dialects – German, Irish, Negro. In the 1920s in Cleveland, Hope did as he was told and played in blackface wearing an undersized derby and an oversized red bow tie. But even then he knew enough, unlike most of the fellows he worked with, not to get trapped by the conventions.And thus, the classic Hope persona, and an American institution was born (yes, I know Hope was born in England, but his on-stage wiseguy character is strictly all-American). CAN'T SAY THAT I'M SURPRISED
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 10:27 AM ·
CAN'T SAY THAT I'M SURPRISED BY THIS HEADLINE: "UC Berkeley program funded by Saudis with links to terrorism". STEPHEN GREEN ON FILE SHARING:
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 10:22 AM ·
STEPHEN GREEN ON FILE SHARING: It's "here to stay. Reprise and Steely Dan chose to profit by it. Madonna chose to annoy her most diehard fans." Exactly. By the way, does anybody know what happened to MP3.com? Their customer service--for paying, premium members--seems to move at a glacial pace. IT'S SUPER BOWL OR BUST
By Ed Driscoll · May 7, 2003 01:39 AM ·
IT'S SUPER BOWL OR BUST FOR THE EAGLES THIS YEAR, according to Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. Fortunately, Philadelphia fans are known for their patience and understanding if the Eagles fail to make it... BILL BENNETT AND JESSE JACKSON:
By Ed Driscoll · May 6, 2003 11:45 AM ·
BILL BENNETT AND JESSE JACKSON: Robert A. George writes: Compare Bill Bennett, as has been done before, with Jesse Jackson, i.e. as a "Moral Leader" for a specific part of the political spectrum (interestingly, both have also been "guilty" of being willing to talk good games, but then ducked when the opportunity arose to run for winnable, electable office). Jackson's various political and business shenanigans had been the source of much media copy for years.To see the double-standard in action, click here. A COUPLE OF INTERESTING ENVIRONMENTAL
By Ed Driscoll · May 6, 2003 11:40 AM ·
A COUPLE OF INTERESTING ENVIRONMENTAL POSTS on the Brothers Judd Blog today. Unfortunately, Blogger's archives are doing their usual disappearing act, so just keep scrolling down. THEY'VE GOT THE BEST SEARCH
By Ed Driscoll · May 6, 2003 11:37 AM ·
THEY'VE GOT THE BEST SEARCH ENGINE, so when will Google go public? CELEBRITY SMACKDOWN: Right Wing News
By Ed Driscoll · May 6, 2003 11:34 AM ·
CELEBRITY SMACKDOWN: Right Wing News opens a big can of well-aimed whoop-ass at Janeane Garofalo. It's a riot. GEORGE GALLOWAY UPDATE: He's been
By Ed Driscoll · May 6, 2003 11:07 AM ·
GEORGE GALLOWAY UPDATE: He's been suspended from Britain's Labour Party, "pending internal party investigations", according to its general secretary, David Triesman. UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds has links to additional recent articles on Galloway. BOB JONES UNIVERSITY BARS STUDENTS
By Ed Driscoll · May 5, 2003 10:36 PM ·
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY BARS STUDENTS FROM SAN FRANCISCO, FOR FEAR OF AIDS: OK, I found that quote in the alternate universe where Mr. Spock has a goatee, and Lt. Uhura saucily displays her bare midriff while on duty. But back in this universe, AP reports that "The University of California at Berkeley will turn away new students from SARS-infected China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong this summer in what is believed to be the first such move by a major U.S. university to prevent the spread of the virus." It should be fun to see if any flak comes to Berkeley for their actions. TERESA HEINZ UPDATE: Back on
By Ed Driscoll · May 5, 2003 10:11 PM ·
TERESA HEINZ UPDATE: Back on April 24, we quoted from this Jay Nordlinger column, in which he very presceintly described Sen. Kerry's wife as being a "Martha Mitchell for our time", who's "going to be a big story in the '04 campaign". She certainly is a pistol in Lloyd Grove's "Reliable Source" column: "Now, politically, it's going to be Teresa Heinz Kerry, but I don't give a [bleep], you know?" explains the 64-year-old Heinz, who generally uses the surname of the late senator John Heinz (R-Pa.), who was killed in a 1991 plane crash. "There are other things to worry about."Kerry's damage control team will be getting quadruple overtime running around after her. And they'll certainly earn it. UPDATE: A reader of NRO's Corner Weblog asks a very good question about Ms. Heinz's late husband. SORRY FOR THE LACK OF
By Ed Driscoll · May 5, 2003 09:52 PM ·
SORRY FOR THE LACK OF POSTING TODAY: Working on multiple articles, simultaneously. ANOTHER GREAT DRUDGE JUXTAPOSITION: The
By Ed Driscoll · May 5, 2003 09:49 PM ·
ANOTHER GREAT DRUDGE JUXTAPOSITION: The kicker reads, "Would amount to one of the largest bank robberies in history...", followed by the headline, in screaming 72 point Helvetica Bold all caps: $1 BILLION REMOVED FROM IRAQI CENTRAL BANK BY SADDAM'S SON, followed by... Gotta love the way Matt can line up those headlines. "WHAT THE FIRST LADY SAW":
By Ed Driscoll · May 5, 2003 08:15 PM ·
"WHAT THE FIRST LADY SAW": Will Hillary Clinton's new memoir, Living History be a deadening read? Nick Gillespie of Reason says count on it: While Clinton certainly has access to first-rate material—both in terms of politics and in terms of a one-handed read—her entire public persona is built upon obfuscation, privacy, and stoicism in the face of public humiliation. Seneca himself caved under pressures far lighter than those generated by the revelations of Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinski, not to mention Travelgate, Whitewater, and the Vince Foster suicide. Such personality characteristics hardly mark her as exceptional in politics—indeed, they are the tools of the trade. But no one wants to read a memoir by a politician who doesn't take off the mask, and it doesn't seem as if Clinton's will be slipping any time soon.Gillespie writes that the initial printing of Living History will be "a stunning 1 million copies." Just as record companies guaranteed that a record would ship platinum in the 1970s by pressing a zillion initial copies, Simon & Schuster will no doubt make the top of the New York Times bestseller list with that size run. But look for lots and lots of copies to eventually turn up in the cut-out bin. WHAT WOULD LEE ERMEY THINK
By Ed Driscoll · May 4, 2003 12:25 PM ·
WHAT WOULD LEE ERMEY THINK of the Marine-like way Bill Parcells handled his first practice with the Dallas Cowboys? PATRICK RUFFINI WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S
By Ed Driscoll · May 4, 2003 12:24 PM ·
PATRICK RUFFINI WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE between the Democratic presidential candidates, and has some thoughts. "TOUGH TO SWALLOW": Quarterback Donovan
By Ed Driscoll · May 4, 2003 12:23 PM ·
"TOUGH TO SWALLOW": Quarterback Donovan McNabb lashes out to the press at the loss of key Philadelphia Eagles players to free agency. DID DICK GEPHARDT LIE ABOUT
By Ed Driscoll · May 4, 2003 12:22 PM ·
DID DICK GEPHARDT LIE ABOUT HIS FATHER? Gephardt claims his father was a strong union man. His brother claims that dad was a staunch Republican. One of them's lying--and brother Don isn't running for the presidency. Didn't Gephardt learn from Al Gore's hyperbolic flexibility with reality? To paraphrase Ken Layne's famous riff, we have the Internet. We can fact-check your... I'LL HAVE A LARGE DIET
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 08:48 PM ·
I'LL HAVE A LARGE DIET COKE, hold the swastikas. Found via Reason's Hit & Run blog. MARSHALL, MARSHALL, MARSHALL! A brief
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 08:29 PM ·
MARSHALL, MARSHALL, MARSHALL! A brief look at how the Marshall "stack" amplifer was born. Another recent post of mine from Blogcritics. THE PROBLEM WITH MUSIC: Steve
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 08:27 PM ·
THE PROBLEM WITH MUSIC: Steve Albini, the producer of Nirva's hit album, In Utero, looks at the recording industry, and does not like what he sees. Via a recent post of mine on Blogcritics. THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 08:23 PM ·
THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS, the Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother Number 1, Mr. Dynamite, James Brown, is 70 years young today. Happy Birthday JB! ANOTHER MASS GRAVE FOUND IN
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 08:07 PM ·
ANOTHER MASS GRAVE FOUND IN IRAQ: Charles Johnson has the details. MONA CHAREN has some domestic
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 01:42 PM ·
MONA CHAREN has some domestic good news. CROSS YOUR FINGERS: American and
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 12:03 PM ·
CROSS YOUR FINGERS: American and Russian astronauts will return tomorrow from the ISS via a Russian Soyuz capsule that will land on the barren Kazakh steppes. AP reports that Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit "will be the first NASA astronauts to land in a foreign spacecraft--and in a foreign land". UPDATE: They made it back just fine. IN DEFENSE OF BILL BENNETT:
By Ed Driscoll · May 3, 2003 11:50 AM ·
IN DEFENSE OF BILL BENNETT: Andrew Sullivan take on the recent gambling allegations against him. Over the years, the left has given Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Jane Fonda, Woody Allen, Al Gore and (last but not least) Bill Clinton a pass for their various crimes and misdemeanors (to coin a phrase), most of which are more severe than excessive gambling. So why is Bill Bennett suddenly being smeared? EVERY WAR IS VIETNAM UPDATE:
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 04:07 PM ·
EVERY WAR IS VIETNAM UPDATE: Eric Olsen writes: Ancient socialist, peacenik, and folk legend Pete Seeger has recorded a new version of his Vietnam War-era protest song, "Bring Them Home" (seems kind of moot about now) with help from Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco, and Billy Bragg. I would expect nothing different from Seeger, who at 84 is as crusty and pissed off with the establishment as ever.Of the anti-war left, Olsen asks, "Pete Seeger will be 84 tomorrow: he is allowed to live in the past, but what is your excuse?" THE ENDLESS OWENS FILLIBUSTER: Senate
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 04:02 PM ·
THE ENDLESS OWENS FILLIBUSTER: Senate and Congressional Republicans send a "Warning to Senate Democrats: 'Don't Mess With Texas'". INTERESTING BOOKNOTES ON C-SPAN THIS
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 03:34 PM ·
INTERESTING BOOKNOTES ON C-SPAN THIS SUNDAY, as Brian Lamb interviews Dorothy Rabinowitz, the author of No Crueler Tyrannies: Accusation, False Witness, and Other Terrors of Our Times: "No Crueler Tyrannies" recalls the hysteria that accompanied the child sex-abuse witch-hunts of the 1980s and 1990s: how a single anonymous phone call could bring to bear an army of recovered-memory therapists, venal and ambitious prosecutors, and hypocritical judges -- an army that jailed hundreds of innocent Americans. The overarching story of "No Crueler Tyrannies" is that of the Amirault family, who ran the Fells Acres day care center in Malden, Massachusetts: Violet Amirault, her daughter Cheryl, and her son Gerald, victims of perhaps the most biased prosecution since the Salem witch trials. Woven into the fabric of the Amirault tragedy -- an unfinished story, with Gerald Amirault still incarcerated for crimes that, Ms. Rabinowitz persuasively argues, he not only did not commit, but which never happened -- are other, equally alarming tales of prosecutorial terrors: the stories of Wenatchee, Washington, where the single-minded efforts of chief sex crimes investigator Robert Perez jailed dozens of his neighbors; Patrick Griffin, a respected physician whose life and reputation were destroyed by a false accusation of sexual molestation; John Carroll, a marina owner from Troy, New York, now serving ten to twenty years largely at the behest of the same expert witness used to wrongly jail Kelly Michaels fifteen years previously; and Grant Snowden, the North Miami policeman sentenced to five consecutive life terms after being prosecuted by then Dade County State Attorney Janet Reno who spent eleven years killing rats in various Florida prisons before a new trial affirmed his innocence. "TAPE SHOWS EXHAUSTED, CONFUSED SADDAM":
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 03:19 PM ·
"TAPE SHOWS EXHAUSTED, CONFUSED SADDAM": Was this his last speech, or the last speech of a Saddamalike? By the way, incredible timing: contrast how a Saddam who looks "exhausted, at times confused and seemingly resigned to defeat", with the BSD who arrived on the Abraham Lincoln yesterday must be playing in the Middle East: The landing thing was supposed to be third world, its for Al Jazeera and Co. Bush is remembering to talk to the rest of the world here, its his bit for those that don't dig the nuances of 1st world foreign policy. Quick translation: I'm the "swingingest" alpha male on the block, all that stuff about American cowardice by Al Queda, et al was as accurate as Bagdad Bob's press conferences.Anybody know what Al-Jazeera is saying about all this? "INCOME RISES, POVERTY FALLS, FOR
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 02:50 PM ·
"INCOME RISES, POVERTY FALLS, FOR BLACK FAMILIES IN THE 1990s": Jesse and Al, call your offices. "BUSH TOUTS TAX CUTS IN
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 02:31 PM ·
"BUSH TOUTS TAX CUTS IN SILICON VALLEY": "In your face, Gray Davis" sounds like the subtext of where he chose to give the speech. DESPITE HER DAD'S LAWSUIT, Michael
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 01:23 PM ·
DESPITE HER DAD'S LAWSUIT, Michael Newdow's daughter recites the Pledge of Allegiance regularly. IT'S GOING TO BE A
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 01:06 PM ·
IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG SEASON FOR THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Quarterback Mark Brunell was just told by owner Wayne Weaver that he's a lame duck this year. THE BUSH/TRUMAN CONNECTION: Gleaves Whitney
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 12:36 PM ·
THE BUSH/TRUMAN CONNECTION: Gleaves Whitney on George W. Bush's landing and speech on the U.S.S. Lincoln, and its historical precedents. THE CADBURY CHOCOLATE CONTROVERSY
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 10:50 AM · The New Puritans
David Frum writes: While Donald Rumsfeld takes his victory lap in Iraq and Americans celebrate the capture of yet another al Qaeda creep, the British media are consumed by a controversy over ... chocolate. It’s worth paying attention--because a similar story will in all likelihood be coming on this side of the Atlantic very soon.Frum has some interesting observations as to why. And speaking of the battles over tobacco, its recent ban in New York bars isn't doing much for the city's quality of life. CAREER DAY: with special appearances
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 12:36 AM ·
CAREER DAY: with special appearances by Buck the Marine, Tom Daschle, George W. Bush, and Donald Rumsfeld. Let's listen to Donald telling a class of first graders what he does: A Secretary of Defense must thirst for blood. He must love nothing more than to see the enemy cower before him, begging for mercy. But you must not be merciful. The enemy will see that as weakness, and we must never show weakness, for we are the United States of America."Read the whole thing, class. IS THERE A PRO-MARXIST SLANT
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 12:22 AM ·
IS THERE A PRO-MARXIST SLANT TO ABC NEWS? One retired correspondent says yes. TOM WOLFE'S UPCOMING NOVEL: R.
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 12:05 AM ·
TOM WOLFE'S UPCOMING NOVEL: R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. offers a sneak preview, and a close-up look at the man in the white suit. FIDEL'S GOETTERDAEMMERUNG: Ernesto Betancourt writes
By Ed Driscoll · May 2, 2003 12:03 AM ·
FIDEL'S GOETTERDAEMMERUNG: Ernesto Betancourt writes of the coming crisis in Cuba. WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE
By Ed Driscoll · May 1, 2003 08:22 PM ·
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO LAND A JET ON A CARRIER? Check out these comments from somebody who used do it. |
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