Friday, August 31, 2007
Bye Larry
From the wires:
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that Sen.
Larry Craig has decided to resign from the Senate and will announce
it Saturday.
Horns Poking Through
Earlier I tried to make the case that Shailagh Murray is, in fact, the devil. Here's some more evidence:
The Washington Post wrote that Gen. David Petraeus "is expected to report to Congress next month that there are some signs of progress in Iraq and that a precipitous U.S. withdrawal could be disastrous." But Murray gave no indication that the term "precipitous withdrawal" is used by Republicans to attack Iraq withdrawal plans, nor did she cite a single lawmaker who has called for a "precipitous U.S. withdrawal" from Iraq.
Straight Talking Maverick
I'm an ocean away and it has impacted by ability to cut and paste correctly.
Here's what was giving me an ulcer earlier.
Here's what was giving me an ulcer earlier.
Fixing Wingnut Funnies
Sadly No fixes Chris Muir, and as a reward I see if I can drown their server.
Real Progress
Did this happen?
This morning on the Chris Matthews Show, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell revealed that Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, met “very recently” with the Senate Republican caucus to discuss their strategy on Iraq legislation.
“Petraeus went to the Republican caucus and told them, I will have real progress to you by August,” Mitchell said. The Republicans claim they told him that after August, they will end their support for the war. “They have told him at a caucus meeting as very, very recently, that if there isn’t progress by August — and real progress means not a day of violence and a day of sanity — that they will pull the plug.”
Getting His Groove Back
According to the very serious Marc Ambinder, McCain will do it by supporting this incredibly unpopular war.
We all wish Walnuts luck in that.
We all wish Walnuts luck in that.
By September
Gordon Smith:
Needless to say, nothing will change in September.
Many of my Republican colleagues have been promised they will get a straight story on the surge by September," said Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). "I won't be the only Republican, or one of two Republicans, demanding a change in our disposition of troops in Iraq at that point. That is very clear to me.
Needless to say, nothing will change in September.
Success Defined
Did this happen? WaPo, January 14:
"This buys us time," said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss strategy. A political strategist who advises the White House added: "The public responds to progress and to events. Every time they can see real progress -- an election, catching Saddam, whatever it is -- they like it." And so if violence can be tamped down, it could defuse some public hostility.
If that happens, the White House hopes the troop buildup then will succeed in bringing enough stability to Baghdad by August that U.S. forces can withdraw to the city outskirts.
Reboot!
Appears the entire country of Iraq has been afflicated by the dreaded blue screen of death. Fortunately tech support tells us that a simple reboot will make everything ok.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Doing the right thing
Hats off to a Republican, Rick Perry -- doing something I doubt George Bush would do.
"After carefully considering the facts of this case, along with the recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, I believe the right and just decision is to commute [Kenneth] Foster's sentence from the death penalty to life imprisonment," Perry said in a statement.
"I am concerned about Texas law that allowed capital murder defendants to be tried simultaneously and it is an issue I think the Legislature should examine."
Not Sectarian
Whatever it is, it's still deadly violence.
Still, if you subtract off all the dead people then things are getting a lot better.
Still, if you subtract off all the dead people then things are getting a lot better.
Key 3 Months
Time, 3 months ago:
So, the grim question hanging over the current U.S. strategy is this: Will the surge and resulting rise in U.S. casualties smother the insurgency before U.S. patience runs out? The next three months will be key, because Congress has made it clear that it will force the Bush Administration into a major change in strategy in September if it appears that progress is not being made.
But He Always Listens to the Military Commanders!
Or not.
White said it suggests that the military commanders want to be able to distance themselves from Iraq strategy by making it clear that whatever course is followed is the president's decision, not what commanders agreed on.
Serious!
Not so much a debunking as a suggestion that Allawi had plenty of resources available for his campaign. Yes, he could have hard had more. But if wanted to just install Our Man in Baghdad we should have just installed Our Man in Baghdad instead of bothering with the rest of that nonsense. It's hard to see how such a person would have "more legitimacy" if appointed rather than installed through a rigged election installed through a rigged election rather than appointed, but I'm a very silly person.*
*Post altered to actually make sense. Never post when running out the door...
*Post altered to actually make sense. Never post when running out the door...
Awesome
Oh well, give it another couple of Friedmans.
Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.
The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.
Poor, Broke, Allawi
All he needed was CIA money so he could afford to print up a few leaflets.
And this (3rd picture):
And:
And...
And...
etc...
TV stations like the state channel al-Iraqiyah and the privately-owned al-Sharqiyah have also broadcast hours of election ads by the parties, ranging from big production numbers for the interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqi List and the Shia coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, to amateurish efforts by some of the lesser-known and less well-funded parties.
And this (3rd picture):
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's party political broadcasts dominate the campaign on the airwaves. In this one, people from all walks of Iraqi life back Mr Allawi's promise of security.
And:
Allawi’s face is everywhere, as is Hakim’s turbaned head. It’s disconcerting to scan a seemingly innocent wall and have a row of identical Hakims smiling tightly down on you.
And...
And...
"I think these negative tactics will backfire," said Azzam Alwash, an ebullient 47-year-old civil engineer who is co-director of the campaign for Mr. Allawi's coalition. Like almost all of his counterparts in these elections, he has no prior experience in the field, though he oversees 80 campaign workers with a budget of $2.5 million. He toils in a "war room" in Mr. Allawi's Baghdad headquarters, where staff members work 18-hour days and coordinate satellite offices in all of Iraq's provinces.
"Our posters got pulled down too, so we decided the best way was with TV, radios and newspapers," Mr. Alwash said. Like many other groups, Mr. Allawi's has its own newspaper and enough money to pay for plenty of television and radio time. About 6 of the nearly 20 Iraqi television stations - and about half of the 200 Iraqi newspapers - are owned by parties. Rates for political spots on the larger Baghdad stations run as high as $3,000 per minute.
At his own desk, Mr. Alwash clicked on an Internet link and a song began to play: a campaign tune recorded last month by Elham al-Madfai, one of Iraq's best-known singers. The words, written in 1941, are about a doctor who can solve all the patient's problems. Every time the word doctor comes up in the song, the accompanying video shows a smiling Mr. Allawi.
"We're playing it all over our radio stations," Mr. Alwash said.
etc...
Farce
David Ignatius explains how Iraq's troubles are all the fault of Iran and the fact that the US didn't cheat in the Iraq elections on behalf of Allawi.
You can't make this stuff up.
...and here's what David Ignatius told us after the election:
Serious!
You can't make this stuff up.
...and here's what David Ignatius told us after the election:
So what should the world make of Iraq's new prime minister, Jawad al-Maliki? What chance will his new government have of containing the sectarian violence in Iraq and averting a full-blown civil war?
The first reaction of many outsiders is likely to be, "Jawad who?" Maliki is not well known outside his country, and his election after a four-month impasse may seem anticlimactic. Indeed, since he is a member of the same Islamic faction, the Dawa party, as the incumbent, Ibrahim al-Jafari, people might imagine that little has changed. But that would be a mistake.
The most important fact about Maliki's election is that it's a modest declaration of independence from Iran. The Iranians waged a tough behind-the-scenes campaign to keep Jafari in office. Tehran issued veiled threats to Iraqi political leaders, in written letters and through emissaries, that if they didn't back Jafari, they would pay a price. In resisting this pressure, the political leaders were standing up for a unified Iraq. To succeed, Maliki must mobilize that desire for unity to break the power of the militias and insurgent groups.
"His reputation is as someone who is independent of Iran," explained Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad. He explained that although Maliki initially went into exile in Iran, "he felt he was threatened by them" because of his political independence, and later moved to Syria. "He sees himself as an Arab" and an Iraqi nationalist, Khalilzad said.
...
The Iranians "pressured everyone for Jafari to stay," Khalilzad said. One senior Iraqi official said the gist of Iran's letters was "stick with him, or else." The phrasing was more subtle, including warnings that replacement of Jafari could "create instability" and damage the political prospects of those who opposed Iran's diktat. The decisive blow came from Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who let it be known in the final days that Jafari had to go.
Maliki's selection is something of a victory for Khalilzad, who has been a match for the Iraqis in his wily political wrangling. The American ambassador viewed Jafari as too weak and sectarian. When Jafari was renominated by the Shiite alliance in February, Khalilzad warned, initially in this column, that the United States wouldn't support a government that did not put unity first. Khalilzad helped organize a rival coalition of Kurdish and Sunni politicians that represented 143 seats in parliament, more than the 130 seats of the Shiite alliance that had nominated Jafari. Meanwhile, he began holding marathon meetings with all the Iraqi factions to hammer out the political platform for a unity government.
Serious!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Last Man You Want to See in the John
TPM has a substantive bit about Fred Thompson & New Hampshire. But I am a vituperative foulmouthed blogger, so I will merely point out that in the accompanying picture Thompson looks like a decrepit, elderly carp sucking on a lemon wedge.
UPDATE: The inimitable Roxanne, from comments:
UPDATE: The inimitable Roxanne, from comments:
You know ... I don't know anymore who's going to win the Republican nomination. But I *do* know it will be a really old mean-looking dude in a really bad tie.Yes. Yes, that is true. She only neglects to mention the savage neck-wattle and shadowy jowls. Such things apparently frighten Al Qaeda -- a not wholly unreasonable theory. I mean, I'm scared.
Tucker Speaks
Emailed statement:
Tucker Spoke:
Exactly the same thing!
Let me be clear about an incident I referred to on MSNBC last night: In the mid-1980s, while I was a high school student, a man physically grabbed me in a men's room in Washington, DC. I yelled, pulled away from him and ran out of the room. Twenty-five minutes later, a friend of mine and I returned to the men's room. The man was still there, presumably waiting to do to someone else what he had done to me. My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived.
Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing. That's absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me.
Tucker Spoke:
CARLSON: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and -- and --
ABRAMS: And did what?
CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually!
[laughter]
CARLSON: And then the cops came and arrested him. But let me say that I'm the least anti-gay right-winger you'll ever meet --
Exactly the same thing!
Afternoon Thread
Try not to slam anyone into the bathroom wall, but if you have to do so please don't enlist a friend to help.
Gay Bashing
Literally.
After Tucker is "bothered" by a gay person:
There are so many things here from Dan Abrams thinking this is funny* to the fact that Tucker actually went to get a friend so that two could do the job.
But also just consider how Tucker would react if women responded to being "bothered" by men by going and getting friends to beat the crap out of them.
*Watching the clip again I can't tell 100% if it's Abrams laughing or not. At some point it sounds like 2 people are, but I can't be certain.
After Tucker is "bothered" by a gay person:
CARLSON: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and -- and --
ABRAMS: And did what?
CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually!
There are so many things here from Dan Abrams thinking this is funny* to the fact that Tucker actually went to get a friend so that two could do the job.
But also just consider how Tucker would react if women responded to being "bothered" by men by going and getting friends to beat the crap out of them.
*Watching the clip again I can't tell 100% if it's Abrams laughing or not. At some point it sounds like 2 people are, but I can't be certain.
Blogger Ethics Panel
There aren't any clear rules here, but certainly when a newspaper starts publishing transparently absurd arguments which benefit a candidate a reasonable person might conclude that there's something going on there.
But that's unpossible, because such people are by definition incapable of doing wrong because they have ethics. And there's accountability, or something. Just ask them.
But that's unpossible, because such people are by definition incapable of doing wrong because they have ethics. And there's accountability, or something. Just ask them.
1, 2, 3, ...
Maliki just doesn't understand the Anbar miracle, and teh awesomeness of teh surge.
In a 50-minute interview in his office in Baghdad's Green Zone, Maliki strongly defended his tenure and said that he doesn't expect to be forced out. He said his efforts at national reconciliation, not the surge of additional U.S. troops or actions by Iraqi security forces, are responsible for improved security.
He blamed the United States and its early policies in Iraq for the sectarianism that plagues the country, and said he opposed the current U.S. policy of working with former Sunni Muslim insurgent groups who've turned against al Qaida in Iraq because that, too, promotes sectarianism.
This Will Be Good News For Republicans
Unless I missed it, David Broder hasn´t yet written one, but the rest of the press are eagerly writing their 5000th version of "their favorte "BUSH IS GOING TO BE POPULAR AGAIN REAL SOON" story.
They can do this, of course, because they fail to acknowledge why Bush is unpopular.
It's the war, stupids.
They can do this, of course, because they fail to acknowledge why Bush is unpopular.
It's the war, stupids.
Only a Couple Big Donations
I was looking over the size of donations to Burner, and amazingly there were only a couple of whale sized donations. That was a stunning amount of money raised given that fact. I think the average donation was about 40 bucks in the list I saw.
David Broder's World
AJ's post on candidates and the pundit class who loves them, comparing their support for Allawi with their fetishization of Unity08 type things, is quite good.
There's an incredible amount of love for candidates which don't actually have a constituency, which echoes the fact that the Washington Elite Consensus, always falsely labeled "centrism," doesn't have much of a constituency outside of Washington Post editorial board office.
There's an incredible amount of love for candidates which don't actually have a constituency, which echoes the fact that the Washington Elite Consensus, always falsely labeled "centrism," doesn't have much of a constituency outside of Washington Post editorial board office.
Organzing and Field
There's something appealing about the concept of political organizing and strong field campaigns. It seems to put the focus on people and relationships instead of 30 second propaganda ads on the teevee. It makes a campaign more movement-centric than candidate centric.
I've never worked for a campaign, aside from the odd volunteer phone banking. I don't really know what goes on inside. Obviously it's important for campaigns (and the individuals in them) to portray themselves as knowing what they're doing, to have a Secret Plan To Defy The Polls, etc. I have no idea if organizing and field can really work in the context of a presidential primary, and if so what the best way to do it is. One likes to imagine that the paid professionals who do these things know what they're doing, but it's hard to actually know that.
Anyway, this is a somewhat rambling post obviously. Maybe I should boil it down:
Field campaigns sound good.
No idea how well they work.
No idea if the people who run them know what they're doing.
If they don't work it may be because they can't work, or because people running them are incompetent.
I've never worked for a campaign, aside from the odd volunteer phone banking. I don't really know what goes on inside. Obviously it's important for campaigns (and the individuals in them) to portray themselves as knowing what they're doing, to have a Secret Plan To Defy The Polls, etc. I have no idea if organizing and field can really work in the context of a presidential primary, and if so what the best way to do it is. One likes to imagine that the paid professionals who do these things know what they're doing, but it's hard to actually know that.
Anyway, this is a somewhat rambling post obviously. Maybe I should boil it down:
Field campaigns sound good.
No idea how well they work.
No idea if the people who run them know what they're doing.
If they don't work it may be because they can't work, or because people running them are incompetent.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Lay Off Miss Teen S.C.
I don't know if she's dumb as a stone or if she just understandably had a bit of a brain fart. I've got a Ph.D and I probably had moments like that in public. Either way she's just a young woman whose worst moment wasn't appreciably worse than the regular outbursts of our commander in chief. It means nothing. Let it go.
Blogging is Hard
Well, not really, but when I go away for a few hours and have hundreds of emails to go through sometimes it feels that way.
What'd I miss?
What'd I miss?
Afternoon Thread
For some conservative blog reactions to the Craig case and a comparison of those reactions to the treatment the Vitter case received, Think Progress and Greenwald are good. Also check out Scott Lemieux at TAPPED.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Home prices not surging.
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. home prices fell 3.2 percent in the second quarter, the steepest rate of decline since Standard & Poor's (NYSE:MHP) began its nationwide housing index in 1987, the group said Tuesday.
6 Months
One FU ago:
An elite team of officers advising US commander General David Petraeus in Baghdad has concluded the US has six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat.
The officers - combat veterans who are leading experts in counter-insurgency - are charged with implementing the "new way forward" strategy announced by president George Bush on January 10. The plan includes a controversial "surge" of 21,500 additional American troops to establish security in the Iraqi capital and Anbar province.
But the team, known as the "Baghdad brains trust" and ensconced in the heavily fortified Green Zone around the US embassy, is struggling to overcome a range of entrenched problems in what has become a race against time, said a former senior administration official familiar with their deliberations. "They know they are operating under a clock. They know they are going to hear a lot more talk in Washington about 'Plan B' by the autumn - meaning withdrawal. They know the next six-month period is their opportunity. And they say it's getting harder every day," the former official said.
Blight
It'll be fascinating to see how suburban communities deal with this.
More than 100 houses a day are being foreclosed on in Southern California, up from 13 a day last year. That's still a relative handful for such a populous area, but even the optimists predict that the problem will soon get much worse.
If the foreclosure trend continues on its current pace, experts warn, communities will need to act decisively to avoid blight.
"We know it's coming," said Tina Hess, the assistant Los Angeles city attorney who handles housing enforcement and problem properties.
Creatively Transformed
I think this is one not so remarked upon feature of the US housing stock. Mark Thoma:
But given both zoning laws/neighborhood covenants/HOA rules and the form of much US housing development (single family home, set back from the street), very little new development can be "creatively transformed." If there's an oversupply of housing stock there isn't too much use substitution that can be done, at least in many parts of the country. It's also difficult if not impossible to convert from single family homes to multiple units.
The point being that if one could easily convert homes into restaurants or offices, then the price reductions resulting from an oversupply of residential development would be mitigated as some units could be converted into other uses. But in many areas, houses are just houses, though they may not actually be safe as houses...
The ground floor of my building, while now a residential rental unit, has been both retail and professional office at some point in its history, and could easily be again.
That is to say, I hope we don't "creatively destroy" the houses that were (over)built. Sure, some can be creatively transformed into restaurants, business offices, etc., to attenuate the misallocation in the short-run, but there's no need to tear them down and replace them.
But given both zoning laws/neighborhood covenants/HOA rules and the form of much US housing development (single family home, set back from the street), very little new development can be "creatively transformed." If there's an oversupply of housing stock there isn't too much use substitution that can be done, at least in many parts of the country. It's also difficult if not impossible to convert from single family homes to multiple units.
The point being that if one could easily convert homes into restaurants or offices, then the price reductions resulting from an oversupply of residential development would be mitigated as some units could be converted into other uses. But in many areas, houses are just houses, though they may not actually be safe as houses...
The ground floor of my building, while now a residential rental unit, has been both retail and professional office at some point in its history, and could easily be again.
Popkey
As McJoan reminds us, an Idaho Statesman reporter was working on the Craig story for awhile and then it got held up in lawyer limbo. Here's what he writes today:
In an interview on May 14, Craig told the Idaho Statesman he'd never engaged in sex with a man or solicited sex with a man. The Craig interview was the culmination of a Statesman investigation that began after a blogger accused Craig of homosexual sex in October. Over five months, the Statesman examined rumors about Craig dating to his college days and his 1982 pre-emptive denial that he had sex with underage congressional pages.
The most serious finding by the Statesman was the report by a professional man with close ties to Republican officials. The 40-year-old man reported having oral sex with Craig at Washington's Union Station, probably in 2004. The Statesman also spoke with a man who said Craig made a sexual advance toward him at the University of Idaho in 1967 and a man who said Craig "cruised" him for sex in 1994 at the REI store in Boise. The Statesman also explored dozens of allegations that proved untrue, unclear or unverifiable.
Craig, 62, was elected to Congress in 1980. Should he win re-election in 2008 and complete his term, he would be the longest-serving Idahoan ever in Congress. His record includes a series of votes against gay rights and his support of a 2006 amendment to the Idaho Constitution that bars gay marriage and civil unions.
DarcyMania
Burner surpassed that $100,000 goal.
At last check, 573 atriots gave $25,194.75, more than one quarter of the goal.
And here's a report from the nearby Wanker Baird Town Hall.
At last check, 573 atriots gave $25,194.75, more than one quarter of the goal.
And here's a report from the nearby Wanker Baird Town Hall.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Naughty Boy
I can't stop laughing. From 1999:
MR. RUSSERT: Larry Craig, would you want the last word from the Senate be an acquittal of the president and no censure?
SEN. CRAIG: Well, I don’t know where the Senate’s going to be on that issue of an up or down vote on impeachment, but I will tell you that the Senate certainly can bring about a censure reslution and it’s a slap on the wrist. It’s a, “Bad boy, Bill Clinton. You’re a naughty boy.”
The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy, a naughtyboy.
I’m going to speak out for the citizens of my state, who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy.
The question issue now is simply this: Did he lie under oath? Did he perjure himself and did he obstruct justice? And that’s where we’re trying to go now in this truth-seeking process. And I hope we can get there. And then I’m going to have the chance to decide and vote up or down on those articles. After we’re through with this impeachment trial, it’s collapsed, it’s gone, then the Senate will make a decision on if it’s a censure or not.
Playing You Guys
Which obviously demands that, if true, those being played explain to the public who played them.
A congressional source familiar with deliberations about Gonzales' replacement told CNN that the successor will not be Chertoff and that senior administration officials are "playing you guys," referring to the media.
Oh My
Oh My.
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.
Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.
A spokesman for Craig described the incident as a “he said/he said misunderstanding,” and said the office would release a fuller statement later Monday afternoon.
...
According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s public restroom in which Craig was arrested.
Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men’s restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.
Serious!
What do I have to do to become a CFR fellow? Advocate invading Switzerland with our army of zombie monkeys?
Video!
Darcy makes the pitch.
Campaign website.
Place to donate.
Virtual townhall at 3pm PST, which I believe is past my bedtime.
Campaign website.
Place to donate.
Virtual townhall at 3pm PST, which I believe is past my bedtime.
On Raising Money
One problem that the "netroots," whatever that is, has is that there's tendency by Democrats to see it as just another player in the interest group checklist politics game. So, sometimes "this will piss off the blogs" is a consideration, and a similar one to "this might piss of NARAL" or "this might piss off the Sierra Club." We're a noisy somewhat influential group to be placated somehow.
Now that's not how I see things as I think blogs should be seen more as an opportunity to influence media coverage and narratives, as well as helping to stitch together a broader-based political movement.
But it isn't very surprising the Democrats don't really understand how blogs work within the media, as they've long failed to understand how the media works generally. So it's difficult to communicate and explain the "good" the blogs can do when a lot of them just see us as a noisy sometimes-pain-in-the-ass. This isn't true of everyone in DC, of course, but one has to remember that of congressional staffers are often shockingly young and really can't be expected, no matter what their talents, to have a grip on all this stuff in a sophisticated way.
Ultimately politicians respect power, and respect you if you can deliver something for them. I don't really see that the important role of blogs is raising money, but it's one way to get attention and some respect. And while in the past fundraising efforts were largely directed at "anyone who can win in a race which might not be getting enough love from DC insiders," this time around we have the luxury of being more choosy, and in doing so can hope to express a somewhat more coherent, if broad, ideology other than "we want to throw Republicans out of office." I happen to think the fairly broad if still somewhat undefined "netroots platform" is a pretty good one. While there is certainly a variety of political perspectives within this group, it's always pretty obvious to me which issues/policies are going to have widespread interest/support and which ones aren't among my readership and and popular blogs generally.
All of this a way of getting to the point that money is one way to get respect, and proving that you can deliver it to the right kind of people has a way of encouraging people to come around to your point of view. So, yes, demonstrating that the mighty blogs can pull in $100K over a few days for a House candidate - and not just any House candidate - 14 months out from an election is one way to get a bit of respect. And a way to get people to listen to your concerns... and responding to them.
So, consider forking over a few to Burner.
Now that's not how I see things as I think blogs should be seen more as an opportunity to influence media coverage and narratives, as well as helping to stitch together a broader-based political movement.
But it isn't very surprising the Democrats don't really understand how blogs work within the media, as they've long failed to understand how the media works generally. So it's difficult to communicate and explain the "good" the blogs can do when a lot of them just see us as a noisy sometimes-pain-in-the-ass. This isn't true of everyone in DC, of course, but one has to remember that of congressional staffers are often shockingly young and really can't be expected, no matter what their talents, to have a grip on all this stuff in a sophisticated way.
Ultimately politicians respect power, and respect you if you can deliver something for them. I don't really see that the important role of blogs is raising money, but it's one way to get attention and some respect. And while in the past fundraising efforts were largely directed at "anyone who can win in a race which might not be getting enough love from DC insiders," this time around we have the luxury of being more choosy, and in doing so can hope to express a somewhat more coherent, if broad, ideology other than "we want to throw Republicans out of office." I happen to think the fairly broad if still somewhat undefined "netroots platform" is a pretty good one. While there is certainly a variety of political perspectives within this group, it's always pretty obvious to me which issues/policies are going to have widespread interest/support and which ones aren't among my readership and and popular blogs generally.
All of this a way of getting to the point that money is one way to get respect, and proving that you can deliver it to the right kind of people has a way of encouraging people to come around to your point of view. So, yes, demonstrating that the mighty blogs can pull in $100K over a few days for a House candidate - and not just any House candidate - 14 months out from an election is one way to get a bit of respect. And a way to get people to listen to your concerns... and responding to them.
So, consider forking over a few to Burner.
From the Man Himself
Dave Reichert's record of independence and bi-partisan leadership.
Please consider giving a bit to Darcy Burner. Apparently total online donations have rounded $75,000 and are heading towards the goal. Help make it happen.
Please consider giving a bit to Darcy Burner. Apparently total online donations have rounded $75,000 and are heading towards the goal. Help make it happen.
Independent DOJ
I'm so old I remember when the wise old men of Washington spent their days fulminating about Janet Reno's constant need to "prove her independence," which generally required her to appoint an independent counsel or special prosecutor on days ending in 'y.'
Whatever the merits of all of those investigations, the principle was correct. The top dog at the DOJ needs to not think of him/herself as the president's personal lawyer, and Democrats should make independence a necessary condition for confirmation.
Sadly, I expect "a good man who Joe Lieberman has a great deal of respect for" will probably be the sole qualification.
Whatever the merits of all of those investigations, the principle was correct. The top dog at the DOJ needs to not think of him/herself as the president's personal lawyer, and Democrats should make independence a necessary condition for confirmation.
Sadly, I expect "a good man who Joe Lieberman has a great deal of respect for" will probably be the sole qualification.
What Is The Answer?
Well, if $10 doesn't do the trick, offer $12 or 15, hire some of your competitors' employees away. The magic of market competition!
People are working, apparently for "other business owners." They'd happily work for you if you offered them enough money.
When I was in high school fast food jobs that paid $6.75/hr could be obtained. That's $11.50 in today's money.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The owner of a fast food joint in Montana's booming oil patch found himself outsourcing the drive-thru window to a Texas telemarketing firm, not because it's cheaper but because he can't find workers.
Record low unemployment across parts of the West has created tough working conditions for business owners, who in places are being forced to boost wages or be creative to fill their jobs.
John Francis, who owns the McDonald's in Sidney, Mont., said he tried advertising in the local newspaper and even offered up to $10 an hour to compete with higher-paying oil field jobs. Yet the only calls were from other business owners upset they would have to raise wages, too. Of course, Francis' current employees also wanted a pay hike.
"I don't know what the answer is," Francis said. "There's just nobody around that wants to work."
People are working, apparently for "other business owners." They'd happily work for you if you offered them enough money.
When I was in high school fast food jobs that paid $6.75/hr could be obtained. That's $11.50 in today's money.
Bummer
I've imagined Owen Wilson to be a close personal friend every since we saw him on a little bike tooling around the dark narrow side streets of Rome one evening.
Always weird when the rich, famous, and popular feel the need to check out.
Always weird when the rich, famous, and popular feel the need to check out.
500 Dead Yazidis
Since I'm out of the country and not in the high tech media room at Eschaton World Headquarters, I'm not nearly as in tune with all the various narrative threads that vie for dominance to be heard over the din, but from over here it seems that the catastrophic bombing has been covered as yet just another blip, another moment which came and passed.
I'm not sure exactly how there should be ongoing coverage of something like that, but somehow it doesn't seem as if the magnitude of such a catastrophe has been fully conveyed.
To put it in some slight perspective, under 200 were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. And consider the impact on our country of that event.
I'm not sure exactly how there should be ongoing coverage of something like that, but somehow it doesn't seem as if the magnitude of such a catastrophe has been fully conveyed.
To put it in some slight perspective, under 200 were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. And consider the impact on our country of that event.
Maliki
And the fun continues:
He goes on to criticize Clinton and Levin by name. Nicely played, senators (not).
...Josh has:
So we understand how truly awesome this is, the early pusher of "It's all Maliki's fault" was...
Charles Krauthammer.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki yesterday lashed out at U.S. and French politicians who have called on him to step down and accused U.S. forces of committing "big mistakes" in killing and detaining civilians in the hunt for insurgents.
He goes on to criticize Clinton and Levin by name. Nicely played, senators (not).
...Josh has:
Finally, unexpectedly, out of the blue even, we appear to have arrived at a grand cross-party consensus on Iraq: it's Nuri al Maliki's fault and he should be fired. Faced with the tough task of biting the bullet one way or another, pols across the partisan divide seem to have arrived at this as the one position they can get behind and push on the Sunday shows.
So we understand how truly awesome this is, the early pusher of "It's all Maliki's fault" was...
Charles Krauthammer.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Wingnuttery Never Dies
Noticed this comment at The Editors:
I don't know if that was a tongue in cheek quote or not, but nonetheless it was one of those little bits of wingnuttery which magically appeared in everyone's inbox soon after the events of 9/11. Some day someone will track down the source of "viral email forward wingnuttery."
Let’s fast reverse to 1987 when a Senator laughed at Ollie North for spending $60,000 on private security for his family because he was afraid of a terrorist named Osama bin Laden. The Senator could not re pronunce the terrorist’s name..he just scoffed at the idea! Nice going Al Gore…you earned your paycheck there!!
I don't know if that was a tongue in cheek quote or not, but nonetheless it was one of those little bits of wingnuttery which magically appeared in everyone's inbox soon after the events of 9/11. Some day someone will track down the source of "viral email forward wingnuttery."
Better Democrats
Not having CNN piped into my undisclosed location I've missed the direct exposure to the Most Important Democrat In America, Brian Baird.
But I did check the transcripts and discover that until Baird decided that teh surge was teh awesome he'd been on CNN to discuss Iraq exactly... zero times.
Funny how things work.
But there are better Democrats.
But I did check the transcripts and discover that until Baird decided that teh surge was teh awesome he'd been on CNN to discuss Iraq exactly... zero times.
Funny how things work.
But there are better Democrats.
Guys Who Make Me Hot
That really is the level of David Broder's political commentary these days.
Nothing wrong with guys making you hot, David, I'm just not sure it qualifies them to be president.
Nothing wrong with guys making you hot, David, I'm just not sure it qualifies them to be president.
He Will Stroke His Chin and Furrow His Brow
And at the end of the day conclude that the Democrats are being too partisan with their nasty partisan trying to nasty nasty stop the war nasties.
GOP Sen. John Warner, who wants U.S. troops to start coming home from Iraq by Christmas, said Sunday he may support Democratic legislation ordering withdrawals if President Bush refuses to set a return timetable soon.
"I'm going to have to evaluate it," Warner said. "I don't say that as a threat, but I say that is an option we all have to consider."
Six Months
Mitt Romney, one FU ago:
Romney now:
Mitt Romney is worth $250 million, he's "loaned" his own campaign $9 million, and $25,000 is a "surge of support?"
Lordy.
We’ll Know in Five or Six Months if Bush Iraq Plan Working. "I think that should have been done a lot earlier and should have been part of the initial plan. But, be that as it may, it's now being added to the mission. And when you add a mission to our military that means you need to add troop strength to carry it out. We'll see how well that plan is working. It will probably play out over a matter of five to six months, or more. But it's months, not years.
Romney now:
MILFORD, N.H. -- Mitt Romney says he wants to encourage a "surge of support" for the troop surge in Iraq this summer.
To that end, Romney announced at a business here that he is contributing $25,000 of his own money to seven organizations aiding the troops and their families. He also placed the names and contact information for the organizations on his campaign's website to encourage supporters to give.
"I would like to show a surge of public support that can communicate to our troops over there that we care, we appreciate what you are doing, we want you to come home as soon as you can safe and sound," said Romney.
Mitt Romney is worth $250 million, he's "loaned" his own campaign $9 million, and $25,000 is a "surge of support?"
Lordy.
12 Weeks
Barbara Starr, 12 weeks ago:
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fifth and final brigade of the U.S. troops that are part of the security crackdown has now arrived in Iraq. In just 12 weeks, the top commander, General David Petraeus is supposed to tell President Bush if the new strategy is working.
But Michael O'Hanlon Said He Said So
And then administration officials cited the New York times citing...oh jeebus make it stop.
It also includes execution-style killings — largely the work of Shiite death squads.
The figures are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted. Insurgent deaths are not a part of the
Advertisement
Iraqi count.
The findings include:
- Iraq is suffering about double the number of war-related deaths compared with last year — an average daily toll of 33 in 2006, and 62 so far this year.
- Nearly 1,000 more people have been killed in violence across Iraq in the first eight months of this year than in all of 2006. So far this year, about 14,800 people have died in war-related attacks and sectarian murders. AP reporting accounted for 13,811 deaths in 2006. The United Nations and other sources placed the 2006 toll far higher.
- Baghdad has gone from representing 76 percent of all civilian and police war-related deaths in Iraq in January to 52 percent in July, bringing it back to the same spot it was roughly a year ago.
- According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization, the number of displaced Iraqis has more than doubled since the start of the year, from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July31.
However, Brig. Gen. Richard Sherlock, deputy director for operational planning for the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said violence in Iraq "has continued to decline and is at the lowest level since June 2006."
He offered no statistics to back his claim, but in a briefing with reporters at the Pentagon on Friday he warned insurgents might try intensify attacks in Iraq to coincide with three milestones: the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the beginning of Ramadan and the report to Congress.
Blowing It
Lengthy article in Newsweek detailing the search for Bin Laden and repeating, with great detail, how we managed to lose Bin Laden to please Bush and his political hacks desire to "teach radical Islam a lesson by blowin' up shit" in a secular dictatorship.
Yep, they're just that smart -- and the same "oh so smart" people keep showing up in the story:
I think we all remember Kerry raising these points about the time he was being swift-boated.
There is much, much more in the article.
Yep, they're just that smart -- and the same "oh so smart" people keep showing up in the story:
The American effort to chase bin Laden into this forbidding realm was hobbled and clumsy from the start. While the terrain required deep local knowledge and small units, career officers in the U.S. military have long been wary of the Special Operations Forces best suited to the task. In the view of the regular military, such "snake eaters" have tended to be troublesome, resistant to spit-and-polish discipline and rulebooks. Rather than send the snake eaters to poke around mountain caves and mud-walled compounds, the U.S. military wanted to fight on a grander stage, where it could show off its mobility and firepower. To the civilian bosses at the Pentagon and the eager-to-please top brass, Iraq was a much better target. By invading Iraq, the United States would give the Islamists—and the wider world—an unforgettable lesson in American power. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was on Rumsfeld's Defense Policy Board and, at the time, a close confidant of the SecDef. In November 2001, Gingrich told a NEWSWEEK reporter, "There's a feeling we've got to do something that counts—and bombing caves is not something that counts."
I think we all remember Kerry raising these points about the time he was being swift-boated.
There is much, much more in the article.
Sunday threadlet
I don't know if "Dems not as do-nothing as GOP" makes a good bumper-sticker, but....
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Sunday Bobbleheads
Document the atrocities.
•NBC’s “Meet the Press,” — Guests: Sen. John Warner, Virginia Republican; Lance Armstrong, cyclist and activist.
•“Fox News Sunday,” — Guests: Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican; Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat; former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican.
•ABC’s “This Week,” — Guests: Sen. Jim Webb, Virginia Democrat; Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican; former Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers.
•CBS’ “Face the Nation,” — Guests: Former senator John Edwards, North Carolina Democrat, and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards.
•CNN’s “Late Edition,” Former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat; Sen. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican; Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, No. 2 U.S. military commander in Iraq; former senator Max Cleland, Georgia Democrat.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Alhurra
Worthy of disclosure, or at least a blogger ethics panel.
If true, double plus extra bonus points to both the New York Times and the Washington Post for being happy conduits for paid propaganda.
Serious!
If true, double plus extra bonus points to both the New York Times and the Washington Post for being happy conduits for paid propaganda.
Serious!
Nunnmania!
Not sure if it's sweeping America, but it's sweeping through my undisclosed location like a big sweepy broom type thing!
If Only
Tim Robbins lives in a parallel universe where there's actual accountability for pundits and "experts" who make catastrophically bad decisions which end up killing hundreds of thousands of people.
SNAFU
As we round the corner (towards the light!), and head towards the beginning of the 6th year of the great and glorious war in Iraq, it's probably a good idea to remind ourselves that for students entering college this Fall, the war begin in Spring of their 8th grade year. For those entering their freshmen year next year, the war will have been going on since they were in 7th grade.
For a growing chunk of the population, war has been a normal state of affairs during their formative years.
For a growing chunk of the population, war has been a normal state of affairs during their formative years.
Time For Another Blogger Ethics Panel
But, either way, time for Maliki to be planning for retirement.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Stop Whining
It's infuriating, though not surprising, that the TNR gang has suddenly discovered that their right wing pals and occasional sparring partners don't always play fair. Pass the smelling salts!
As I've explained to many people over the years: it isn't simply a game to them.
I don't know why this isn't obvious.
As I've explained to many people over the years: it isn't simply a game to them.
I don't know why this isn't obvious.
I Love Concern Trolls
Commenter Regault at Ezra's place:
...adding, I never like to be heavyhanded with fundraising, but it's long been my fantasy that the "netroots" could, when they wanted to, pull in a cool $100K over a couple of days for a candidate. Obviously that isn't a "do it every weekend" kind of thing, but something which could, at times, be done.
Burner got 48.54% of the vote in 2006. You be the judge of the area's voting habits.
Approve, give some money.
Don't approve, don't bother.
Darcy Burner is probably the biggest example of the netroots misstepping in local politics ever. Half the district is in Pierce County, and yet the netroots keep pushing a candidate who's only lived in the state for seven years and has absolutely nothing on her political resume.
If you're gonna try and push a candidate, try and learn the area's voting habits first.
...adding, I never like to be heavyhanded with fundraising, but it's long been my fantasy that the "netroots" could, when they wanted to, pull in a cool $100K over a couple of days for a candidate. Obviously that isn't a "do it every weekend" kind of thing, but something which could, at times, be done.
Burner got 48.54% of the vote in 2006. You be the judge of the area's voting habits.
Approve, give some money.
Don't approve, don't bother.
The Problem
Big Media Matt explains it well:
It's also a media problem, but that's a problem for just about everyone left of center. But it isn't just a media problem.
This provides, I think, an opportunity to get a little more specific about blogger critiques of Very Serious People and clerisies and so forth. The crux of the matter is that we have here in Washington, DC a certain number of institutions working in the national security sphere that are essentially crackpot operations -- AEI, The Weekly Standard, the Project for a New American Century, and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies come to mind. Now one can argue 'till the cows come home whether or not it should have been clear in August 2002 that these were crackpot operations, but over the past five years they've demonstrated themselves to indubitably be crackpot institutions.
Meanwhile, a couple of ticks over to the left you have a series of basically establishmentarian organizations and individuals that, instead of doing what establishmentarian organizations are supposed to do and marginalize these crackpots, are mainstreaming them. The Saban Center at Brookings, CNN, and the opinion pages of The Washington Post are probably the biggest offenders here, but the rot has spread and to some extent afflicted other organizations as well. It's a problem. It's by no means something every single CFR member or center-left think tanker has contributed to, but too many have contributed to it, and until very recently too many others have done little to try to seize the mantle of authority from the people who keep mainstreaming crackpots whose theories have been tested and failed, over and over again, at a cost of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.
It's also a media problem, but that's a problem for just about everyone left of center. But it isn't just a media problem.
The Cost of the Lost Year
As Froomkin points out, we've spent the year running in place at tremendous cost of lives and treasure.
A new national intelligence estimate concludes that President Bush's troop surge shows no signs of accomplishing its goal of encouraging political reconciliation in Iraq.
An influential Republican senator and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff now favor a troop withdrawal. (Sen. John Warner wants Bush to demonstrate that the commitment in Iraq is not open-ended; Marine Gen. Peter Pace argues that the military simply can't keep this up.)
These and other developments take us back in some ways to December 2006. It was then, in the wake of the November election and the report of the Iraq Study Group, that the debate in Washington finally appeared to be shifting away from how to achieve victory and toward how to cut our losses.
Instead, Bush ignored public sentiment, overruled his military commanders and opted for escalation.
And now it appears that the only thing the surge has bought him is time -- nine months or maybe a year, during which he was able to postpone the inevitable.
What has that year cost America -- and Iraq? For starters, a year in Iraq translates to over 1,000 more dead American soldiers; over $100 billion more in direct appropriations; over 15,000 more dead Iraqi civilians; and countless grievous wounds and shattered families both here and there.
Strategery
Bush: "Eddie, now that Karl's goin' you got any ideas?"
Gillespie: "I suggest we keep lying our asses off, Mr. President!"
Bush: "Oh, I like that plan. hehehehe"
Gillespie: "I suggest we keep lying our asses off, Mr. President!"
Bush: "Oh, I like that plan. hehehehe"
Making Good Progress
Consider the fun if the headline in the Seattle Times on Monday is "Burner Raises $100K On Bush Visit to Rival Reichert."
Only $94K to go.
$1000/head for the Bush/Reichert love-in, and $10K for the VIP treatment.
Only $94K to go.
$1000/head for the Bush/Reichert love-in, and $10K for the VIP treatment.
Why Have You Forsaken Us?
Shouldn't some enterprising reporter ask if Norm Coleman thinks George Bush is still a prayer-enabled God-approved leader?
Boost
No, it doesn't actually make any sense, and while it never made any sense there perhaps was a time when it would have been true. Not anymore.
Throw in some change for better Democrats.
Throw in some change for better Democrats.
More and Better Democrats
Here's Darcy Burner on the FISA collapse.
Here's Joe Wilson introducing the upcoming Monday virtual town hall with Burner.
You can go here for info about how to send your question, etc.
Most importantly, the worst president in history, George Bush, is heading to Washington to to a fundraiser for her idiot opponent, Dave Reichert.
Here's Dave being an idiot.
It'd be nice to send a message that Bush is poison, and that bringing him to town is only going to ensure that the Democrat is going to raise lots of money, too.
The goal is to raise $100K online over the next few days. That really shouldn't be that hard, as I think it would just require that every Kossack throw in a quarter. But you can help too.
Throw in some change for better Democrats.
Here's Joe Wilson introducing the upcoming Monday virtual town hall with Burner.
You can go here for info about how to send your question, etc.
Most importantly, the worst president in history, George Bush, is heading to Washington to to a fundraiser for her idiot opponent, Dave Reichert.
Here's Dave being an idiot.
It'd be nice to send a message that Bush is poison, and that bringing him to town is only going to ensure that the Democrat is going to raise lots of money, too.
The goal is to raise $100K online over the next few days. That really shouldn't be that hard, as I think it would just require that every Kossack throw in a quarter. But you can help too.
Throw in some change for better Democrats.
Listening to the Generals
Of course, once again he won't.
WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to advise President Bush to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq next year by almost half, potentially creating a rift with top White House officials and other military commanders over the course of the war.
Administration and military officials say Marine Gen. Peter Pace is likely to convey concerns by the Joint Chiefs that keeping well in excess of 100,000 troops in Iraq through 2008 will severely strain the military. This assessment could collide with one being prepared by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, calling for the U.S. to maintain higher troop levels for 2008 and beyond.
Petraeus is expected to support a White House view that the absence of widespread political progress in Iraq requires several more months of the U.S. troop buildup before force levels are decreased to their pre-buildup numbers sometime next year.
Pace's recommendations reflect the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who initially expressed private skepticism about the strategy ordered by Bush and directed by Petraeus, before publicly backing it.
Brookings Iraq Index
We must remember that "Michael O'Hanlon spearheads the Iraq Index project at Brookings."
And Another Friedman Gone
Michael O'Hanlon, one F.U. ago:
Serious!
Even then, war supporting surge supporting O'Hanlon was a "fierce critic."
ROBERTS: So it's time to change the mission, says Biden. His proposal would limit the U.S. role to counter terrorism and training Iraqi forces and remove all combat forces not necessary for that task by March of 2008. Battling the insurgency and sectarian violence would become an Iraqi responsibility. The proposal roughly follows the recommendations of the Iraq study group and carefully stays away from the politically poisonous issue of dialing back the war by cutting off funding for the troops. But even some fierce critics of the war feel it's far too early, that the troop increase should at least be given a chance.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It seems to me the logical thing is to wait four to six months and use that four to six months to evaluate the surge and then to develop some Plan B proposals.
Serious!
Even then, war supporting surge supporting O'Hanlon was a "fierce critic."
And the Plot Unfolds
On time:
BAGHDAD, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Three secularist ministers who were already boycotting meetings of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet will formally quit the government, their bloc said on Friday.
The move by the secularist group of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi deals a further blow to Maliki's efforts to rebuild a national unity coalition, which has been crumbling since the main Sunni Arab group and others walked out.
Suck On This
The significance of Friedman's "Suck On This" isn't simply his buffoonery and that of our entire media discourse. I don't imagine that Charlie Rose is playing on every teevee in Iraq, but even the liberal Tom Friedman was channeling what was a pretty common sentiment at the time, and one which he had expressed in one way or another in even the liberal New York Times. In Little Tommy's flat world, such sentiments cross borders and can be picked up by people in other countries. Amazing, I know. And, so, Iraqis and other people in Middle East can jump to the shocking conclusion (one might call it a "conspiracy theory!") that maybe we didn't go to Iraq to topple Saddam, or for our security, or weapons of mass destruction, or for humanitarian reasons. We went to Iraq, as the very serious Tom Friedman put it, to go door to door and bust the heads of some Iraqis because a bunch of Saudis had flown planes into buildings about 18 months before that. Now if this cunning plan doesn't make much sense to you, or at the very least you perceive that it might contain the seeds of its own undoing, it's because you lack the Mustache of Understanding which gives you the insights necessary to spend a full hour with Charlie Rose or write two columns a week for the very serious New York Times.
For those of us who were alive during the glorious 2002 summer of war, this was essentially the conservative blogosphere's reason for going to war, before we all got distracted trying to chase down and refute the reams of bullshit coming out of the White House about weapons and al Qaeda connections and blah blah blah. I believe Steven de Beste wrote a 3 million word essay, linked to and praised by everyone, which could've been shortened to "We need to tell them to suck on this."
No one could have predicted that this was a bad idea! No one could have predicted that arming multiple sides in sectarian conflict could have negative consequences! No one could have predicted that a government hiding in the US controlled green zone might lack legitimacy!
Though, truly, no one could have predicted that the president would find solace in historical parallels to Vietnam.
For those of us who were alive during the glorious 2002 summer of war, this was essentially the conservative blogosphere's reason for going to war, before we all got distracted trying to chase down and refute the reams of bullshit coming out of the White House about weapons and al Qaeda connections and blah blah blah. I believe Steven de Beste wrote a 3 million word essay, linked to and praised by everyone, which could've been shortened to "We need to tell them to suck on this."
No one could have predicted that this was a bad idea! No one could have predicted that arming multiple sides in sectarian conflict could have negative consequences! No one could have predicted that a government hiding in the US controlled green zone might lack legitimacy!
Though, truly, no one could have predicted that the president would find solace in historical parallels to Vietnam.
Take Your Damn Ball And Go Home
And bring Dick with you. Josh:
Still, it's always great fun to have a beer with an incompetent narcissist!
But it isn't just the president. It's also all of the Very Serious People who have no trouble doubling down on their bets again and again. They're playing with other peoples' money and other peoples' lives, and why not wait another Friedman or two to see if that lottery ticket hits.
It's been going on for years now, and the cowards who rule us won't make it stop.
Suck on this, Americans!
His entire legacy as president is bound up in Iraq. Which is another way of saying that his legacy is pretty clearly an irrecoverable shambles. That is why, as the folly of the enterprise becomes more clear, he must continually puff it up into more and more melodramatic and world-historical dimensions. A century long ideological struggle and the like. For the president a one in a thousand shot at some better outcome is well worth it, no matter what the cost. Because at least that's a one in a thousand shot at not ending his presidency with the crushing verdict history now has in store. It's also worth just letting things keep on going as they are forever because, like Micawber, something better might turn up. Going double or nothing by expanding the war into Iran might be worth it too for the same reason. For him, how can it get worse?
And when you boil all this down what it comes down to is that the president now has very different interests than the country he purports to lead.
Still, it's always great fun to have a beer with an incompetent narcissist!
But it isn't just the president. It's also all of the Very Serious People who have no trouble doubling down on their bets again and again. They're playing with other peoples' money and other peoples' lives, and why not wait another Friedman or two to see if that lottery ticket hits.
It's been going on for years now, and the cowards who rule us won't make it stop.
Suck on this, Americans!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Surge
More good news about The Surge.
Can we learn the lesson about administration spin about the Iraq war? At long last? Please?
The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.The absolute nicest adjective I can come up with for the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate is "feckless." And that's only because I did well on the SATs.
Despite some evidence that the troop buildup has improved security in certain areas, sectarian violence continues and American-led operations have brought new fighting, driving fearful Iraqis from their homes at much higher rates than before the tens of thousands of additional troops arrived, the studies show.
Can we learn the lesson about administration spin about the Iraq war? At long last? Please?
Mercs
How many well-armed "contractors" are there in Iraq, anyway? Dan does the math and concludes, "a shitload."
Warner
"Bravely and politely" asks Bush to start thinking about withdrawing some troops for Christmas. He then washed his blood-soaked hands in David Broder's loving tears.
Out
51% of Iowa Republicans want "a withdrawal of all United States military from Iraq within the next six months."
In David Broder's world, these are the realest of the real Americans, the heartiest the heartland has to offer.
Why does nobody care what they think?
In David Broder's world, these are the realest of the real Americans, the heartiest the heartland has to offer.
Why does nobody care what they think?
Can't Pay Won't Negotiate
People who got loans through Countrywide are unlikely to be able to renegotiate their loans in any way because Countrywide promised investors that if they ever did so they'd buy back the loans, something they probably can't afford to do now.
Very Serious People
Such buffoonery. Is there some sort of cloning vat where these people are created? Or maybe some sort of decades old Manchurian Wanker program?
Do We Still Have Whiskey and Sexy?
So, will Maliki resign to spend more time with his family or will he meet some other fate...
The Quiet American
Just in case you haven't read the Quiet American, you can discover the true horror of citing Alden Pyle as a kind of role model.
As the director of the ok but not great movie said, "Bush is the ultimate Alden Pyle."
I'm not quite sure if I agree with that, but it wasn't meant to be a compliment.
As the director of the ok but not great movie said, "Bush is the ultimate Alden Pyle."
I'm not quite sure if I agree with that, but it wasn't meant to be a compliment.
Actual Alden Pyle
Much like with teevee pundits, I have to conclude that one problem with very serious people is that they're very seriously stupid.
The Absurd State of Discourse
As far as I can tell, this is the conventional wisdom of the Iraq debate right now (leaving aside what is true):
1) The surge is "working," and by that we mean that increased military presence has reduced the level of violence in the areas where there is an increased military presence.
2) The surge did not succeed in achieving its actual stated goal of any sort of political success.
3) The surge will start to wind down soon no matter what because the army is incapable of sustaining it.
...
4) Profit!
1) The surge is "working," and by that we mean that increased military presence has reduced the level of violence in the areas where there is an increased military presence.
2) The surge did not succeed in achieving its actual stated goal of any sort of political success.
3) The surge will start to wind down soon no matter what because the army is incapable of sustaining it.
...
4) Profit!
Not God
There are limits to the powers of Bernanke, and even those levers of power available to him have other consequences if used. I have no idea how all of this will play out, but one shouldn't base one's optimism on the limited powers of mere mortals...
...and we have:
...and we have:
Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. banks and thrifts suffered the biggest increase in late loan payments in 17 years as more homeowners fell behind on mortgages, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.
Loans more than 90 days past due rose 10.6 percent to $66.9 billion in the period ending June 30, the largest quarterly increase since 1990, the FDIC said in its Quarterly Banking Profile released today.
``The bottom line for banks is that the credit environment continues to be more challenging now than it has been in recent years,'' FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said during a news briefing at the agency's Washington headquarters.
Not A Luxury Item
I'm sure it's the case that plenty of people are unwilling to massively alter their lifestyles in order to try to improve their credit situation, but this is stupid:
Cell phones really aren't a luxury item. Increasingly they're a staple item, something people are expected to have to be functioning members of a certain segment of society.
But industry reps acknowledged it's harder, though not impossible, to help with subprime loans packaged on the secondary market and sold to global investors.
Nonprofit loan counselors were skeptical about the workout claims.
"We don't see them (lenders) coming to the table ... a significant amount of the time," said Martha Lucey, president and chief executive officer of Fresno-based By Design Financial Solutions.
Lenders told lawmakers they're also monitoring borrowers' credit scores for signs of future trouble. They said many scores are falling as borrowers take on more credit card debt.
Often, said Ed Delgado, a senior vice president at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, troubled borrowers are reluctant to give up cell phones and satellite TV to work out financial solutions.
"Some of this behavior does fall on the consumer," he told the committee.
Cell phones really aren't a luxury item. Increasingly they're a staple item, something people are expected to have to be functioning members of a certain segment of society.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Bush Administration Democracy Promotion
Via Digby, NSA head Michael McConnell explains why living in a democracy can sometimes be such a bummer.
Q. So you're saying that the reporting and the debate in Congress means that some Americans are going to die?Gosh, I can't figure why that global democracy agenda hasn't worked out so well, with minds of this caliber behind it. Weird.
A. That's what I mean. Because we have made it so public.
Interests
Whether "vital interests" or "national interests" or whatever, it is true that such things should be defined. Do such things include telephone monopolies? Vital pineapple resources? Mineral and oil rights on lands we don't own? "Intellectual property rights" enforcement?
Get people talking and one discovers that potential off shore oil drilling areas outside of Cuba and natural gas deposits in Bolivia are apparently part of our national interest. Or vital interest. Or whatever.
Hey, I might even be persuaded if the return on taxpayer investment wasn't so obviously shitty... for the taxpayers at least. Sending out the libertarian bat signal!
Get people talking and one discovers that potential off shore oil drilling areas outside of Cuba and natural gas deposits in Bolivia are apparently part of our national interest. Or vital interest. Or whatever.
Hey, I might even be persuaded if the return on taxpayer investment wasn't so obviously shitty... for the taxpayers at least. Sending out the libertarian bat signal!
Doddmania
Indeed:
The apparent response of most Congressional Democrats is all so predictable and depressing.
I've never really thought that Democrats could really end this war (obviously the definition of "could" has broad meaning here), but I hoped they'd at least put themselves on the right side of history. And sanity.
Ah well.
Despite the exemplary performance of our troops, we are coming off the bloodiest summer of this misguided war and it should be clear that there can be no military solution in Iraq.
It is useless to argue the merits of a specific tactic when the strategy itself is failed.
In fact, debating over military tactics when there is no military solution only undermines efforts by those of us who believe that we must change course in Iraq now and begin to immediately redeploy US combat forces so that Iraqi leaders will have the impetus to find a political accord.
The apparent response of most Congressional Democrats is all so predictable and depressing.
I've never really thought that Democrats could really end this war (obviously the definition of "could" has broad meaning here), but I hoped they'd at least put themselves on the right side of history. And sanity.
Ah well.
I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON ME FINGERS
Well, not, not really. Just was away from the internets for a bit longer than expected today.
Great Moments in Modern Punditry
David Ignatius, June 2006.
Well, that didn't happen.
A bit later (August 2006), in a piece entitled "Iraq: Still Worth Some Waiting."
December ("Baker-Hamilton does its job"):
More recently, July 2007:
You get the idea...
A key part of the Bush administration's strategy is to involve Maliki's government in discussions about withdrawal of U.S. troops. Gen. Casey briefed the Pentagon last week on his hopes to cut the number of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq by more than half by the end of 2007, according to a story in Sunday's New York Times. Casey will soon meet with Maliki to form the joint U.S.-Iraqi committee that can oversee the buildup of Iraqi security forces and the corresponding drawdown of U.S. troops.
"When we establish that committee," Khalilzad explained, "the subject will be the withdrawal of U.S. forces, and the conditions related to a road map for an ultimate withdrawal of U.S. troops." He stressed, however, that there was no automatic timetable for withdrawal and that he expected Maliki "will be on the cautious side."
Well, that didn't happen.
A bit later (August 2006), in a piece entitled "Iraq: Still Worth Some Waiting."
I don't feel quite so optimistic, but I think Abizaid is right in urging a sensible, deliberate policy to reduce the American presence -- as opposed to a pell-mell rush for the exit. The situation in Iraq is difficult, but the sense of panic in the Washington debate just doesn't match the situation here. It's bad, but it's not hurtling out of control.
Americans should be worried about Iraq but not so much that they take rash actions that would end up hurting American interests in the Middle East at a delicate time. We'll be out of Iraq, one way or another, over the next few years. Rushing the process because of American impatience would make a bad situation even worse.
December ("Baker-Hamilton does its job"):
The Iraq Study Group's report achieved the goal of any blue-ribbon commission: It stated the obvious, emphatically.
"The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating." Of various proposals for fixing Iraq, "all have flaws." A "precipitate" withdrawal would be a mistake, but so would a big increase in U.S. troops. America should set "milestones" for the Iraqi government to control all provinces by next September. The U.S. military should shift to a training and advising mission so that most American troops can leave by early 2008. But there is no "magic formula," and even if this approach fails, the United States "should not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq."
A cynic might argue that this laundry list is precisely what the Bush administration was moving toward in its own internal review of policy. But I think that's the point about the bipartisan commission headed by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and ex-representative Lee H. Hamilton. They have stamped an interwoven "D" and "R" on recommendations that seem so familiar you wonder why they haven't been official policy all along. (Some of them have been, though you wouldn't have known it from President Bush's bluff and bluster.)
More recently, July 2007:
- Extricating the United States safely from Iraq will be difficult under the best of circumstances. But it will be impossible if the necessary bargaining takes place against a backdrop of continual congressional demands for a faster withdrawal. In that situation, the Qomis and Sadrs will take the admonitions from Crocker and Petraeus as just so much hot air -- and a bad situation will get even worse. Why should they listen to us today if we will be gone tomorrow?
You get the idea...
Bash the Troops, Praise the President
Ellen Tauscher finds a nut:
This is only half of the equation, however. Any criticism of the president's policies is instantly redirected at "the troops." If you praise the military, you're actually praising Bush! If you bash Bush, you're actually bashing the military!
It's quite sick, it's been going on for a long time, and all decent people should find it revolting.
I don't know of anybody who isn't desperately supportive of the military," she said. "People want to say positive things. But it's difficult to say positive things in this environment and not have some snarky apologist for the White House turn it into some clipped phraseology that looks like support for the president's policies.
This is only half of the equation, however. Any criticism of the president's policies is instantly redirected at "the troops." If you praise the military, you're actually praising Bush! If you bash Bush, you're actually bashing the military!
It's quite sick, it's been going on for a long time, and all decent people should find it revolting.
Truth in Lending Act
About to lose your home? You may be able to tell your lender to piss off for a bit. You'll still owe them money, but they'll have to just get in line.
No One Has the Right
Maliki's right, but we also have the right to, you know, not be spending billions per week in his country.
Why are we in Iraq again?
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago
DAMASCUS, Syria - Iraq‘s prime minister lashed out at American criticism, saying Wednesday that no one has a right to put timetables on his elected government.
"No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people," he said at a news conference in Damascus at the end of a three-day visit to Syria.
Why are we in Iraq again?
Resolute Men Who Have The Will
It seems to be something which has infected our political class generally, the idea that if only you get the right guy in charge ponies can appear. That isn't to say there's no value in good leadership, just that focusing on one guy as your problem-solver or obstacle to solving problems is a way of absolving everyone else of responsibility.
Too lazy to hunt it down, but awhile back I predicted that there was an X% chance September's new FU would be rebooted with Maliki being replaced. We must give the new prime minister a chance to succeed, blah blah. With any luck it'll be Iyad Allawi! Yay! I think X was a fairly low number, though now I'd certainly put the chance of it happening on the higher side.
Too lazy to hunt it down, but awhile back I predicted that there was an X% chance September's new FU would be rebooted with Maliki being replaced. We must give the new prime minister a chance to succeed, blah blah. With any luck it'll be Iyad Allawi! Yay! I think X was a fairly low number, though now I'd certainly put the chance of it happening on the higher side.
Meanwhile
Over there:
BAGHDAD, Aug 22 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber rammed a fuel tanker into a police station in the northern Iraqi oil city of Baiji on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 40, police said.
...
The police directorate had just moved into a new headquarters in the past few days, after an identical attack on their original station in June killed 27 people, including 13 policemen.
Meanwhile
Over there.
- BAGHDAD (AP) -- A helicopter crashed in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was carrying four crew members and 10 passengers when it went down during a nighttime operation, according to a statement.
The military said initial indications showed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and there were no indications of hostile fire, but the cause was still under investigation.
Stupid Lawsuit Tricks
The Panda's Thumb discusses a suit filed against PZ Myers. The suit was apparently filed by someone who is convinced Stephen J Gould was only pretending when he said he thought evolution might just have something going for it.
Perhaps he will retain as counsel an Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.
Perhaps he will retain as counsel an Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Liars for Christ
I have no idea if lying is acceptable in his religion. I don't even care. But everyone else can judge on their own terms.
Operation Silent Thunder
Rob Riggle goes to Iraq.
Light humor aside, I'm struck by just how little footage from Iraq we get here on the teevee, and I don't just mean the blood and carnage footage. Just any footage. Schools! Happy smiling troops! Whatever. There's almost none.
Light humor aside, I'm struck by just how little footage from Iraq we get here on the teevee, and I don't just mean the blood and carnage footage. Just any footage. Schools! Happy smiling troops! Whatever. There's almost none.
Faith Wars
More like this!
I think it's refreshingly honest for Bobby Jindal to come right out and express his view that non-Catholics have "utterly depraved minds."
This is the kind of religion-in-politics I can get behind.
I think it's refreshingly honest for Bobby Jindal to come right out and express his view that non-Catholics have "utterly depraved minds."
This is the kind of religion-in-politics I can get behind.
Bankruptcy and Foreclosures
I'm not sure how much the change in the bankruptcy law has contributed to housing foreclosures, but it's certainly a question which should be examined. The high hurdles put in place to declare bankruptcy at all, let alone the more forgiving Chapter 7 version, have foreclosed (ha ha) it as an option for plenty of people. I imagine general lax lending standards have been the cause of bulk of mortgage problems for people, but it's easy to imagine that the inability to declare bankruptcy under favorable terms has been a factor for a nontrivial segment of the population.
All Powerful Bloggers
We aren't that powerful, of course, and frankly we're generally easily ignored. My scalp collection is fairly small, in fact, and my opportunities to, say, testify to Congress have thus far been limited to a bit of time with my BFF Bob Ney (R-Federal Correctional Institute, Morgantown) on a subject nothing to do with who and when we should be bombing people.
But for some reason we get under their skins. Weird.
...adding, I'm not really sure why Yglesias imagines himself to be to the right of Greenwald. Despite reading his blog all the time and meeting him in person a few times I actually have little idea what Glenn's politics are, aside from basic constitutional concerns about civil liberties and tendency to disapprove of presidential lawbreaking. And even his constitutional concerns seem to be just that - less a positive case for a set of policies or laws and more a basic concern that the constitution as written and generally understood is followed. That's not to say he has no political beliefs, just that his tendency to highlight the absurd parameters of our mainstream discourse on a variety of subjects doesn't actually usually signal where he personally stands on a lot of these issues.
But for some reason we get under their skins. Weird.
...adding, I'm not really sure why Yglesias imagines himself to be to the right of Greenwald. Despite reading his blog all the time and meeting him in person a few times I actually have little idea what Glenn's politics are, aside from basic constitutional concerns about civil liberties and tendency to disapprove of presidential lawbreaking. And even his constitutional concerns seem to be just that - less a positive case for a set of policies or laws and more a basic concern that the constitution as written and generally understood is followed. That's not to say he has no political beliefs, just that his tendency to highlight the absurd parameters of our mainstream discourse on a variety of subjects doesn't actually usually signal where he personally stands on a lot of these issues.
Scalping Ken Calvert
Most of the predictions in my little FU calendar are Iraq-related, but I thought this one from Red State's Eric "Son of Eric" Erickson was soooo cute I had to save it. Back when they were having temper tantrums about the immigration bill they were desperately trying to prove they were relevant, independent, and powerful instead of just cogs in the machine. I think 3 months ago, though I can't find a post date, he wrote:
I believe Calvert still has his scalp.
When I declared war on Ken Calvert I made two points. First, his appointment is a sign the House GOP Leadership does not get it and they need to get it to win back the House. Second, unless we scalp a Republican, the GOP Leadership will not take us seriously.
...
So when you are calling Capitol Hill to complain about immigration, remember how seriously Republican leaders treat you.
And then think how much more seriously they treat you after we've scalped Ken Calvert.
I believe Calvert still has his scalp.
And Speaking of Foreclosures
We have a lot of them.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Foreclosure filings rose 9 percent from June to July and surged 93 percent over the same period last year, with Nevada, Georgia and Michigan accounting for the highest foreclosure rates nationwide, a research firm said Tuesday.
The filings include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions. The figures are the latest measure of the ailing housing market, which has seen defaults and foreclosures soar as financially strapped borrowers have failed to make payments or find buyers.
In all, 179,599 foreclosure filings were reported during July, up from 92,845 in the year-ago month, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac Inc.
A total of 164,644 foreclosure filings were reported in June.
Foreclosures
I'm not sure if Dean Baker's idea is a good one (it certainly might be), but he's at least thinking along the right lines. We've got a situation where lots of people are losing their homes and especially given the fact that their mortgages have been packaged together and repurchased so there's no one for them to negotiate with, there really just aren't mechanisms in place to help them try to keep their homes.
Months ago I suggested Dems get in front of this stuff. Given the glacial pace of our vacationing Congress, except when Bush demands FISA law changes, the likelihood of presidential veto of anything sensible, and the likely shitty execution by the executive branch even if something sensible does get passed, one can't be optimistic that there will be anything done in a timely fashion.
More importantly, it shouldn't take "emergencies" for such things to happen. Anything which is good policy in situation like this is likely to be good policy all of the time. The fact that more people are finding themselves in trouble, or that this nebulous abstract called "the economy" might be having wider problems, doesn't so much call for new policies as force us to think about policies we should have had all along.
I'm not optimistic. Lots of Democrats thought the Bankruptcy Bill was a heavenly slice of awesomeness. There's an allergy to anything which reeks of "social safety net" in our political class, even for things which are common sense.
Months ago I suggested Dems get in front of this stuff. Given the glacial pace of our vacationing Congress, except when Bush demands FISA law changes, the likelihood of presidential veto of anything sensible, and the likely shitty execution by the executive branch even if something sensible does get passed, one can't be optimistic that there will be anything done in a timely fashion.
More importantly, it shouldn't take "emergencies" for such things to happen. Anything which is good policy in situation like this is likely to be good policy all of the time. The fact that more people are finding themselves in trouble, or that this nebulous abstract called "the economy" might be having wider problems, doesn't so much call for new policies as force us to think about policies we should have had all along.
I'm not optimistic. Lots of Democrats thought the Bankruptcy Bill was a heavenly slice of awesomeness. There's an allergy to anything which reeks of "social safety net" in our political class, even for things which are common sense.
George Bush Doesn't Care About Sick Kids
George Bush apparently doesn't like it when kids get needed health care.
So much so that not only will he veto congressional efforts to give medical care to more kids, he'll make it even harder for them to get it under existing law.
So much so that not only will he veto congressional efforts to give medical care to more kids, he'll make it even harder for them to get it under existing law.
Hindsight
When everyone and their sister thought the WTC was a stupid place for a command center, when it had already been a terrorist target, when experts recommended other more sane locations... I do not think it makes any sense to refer to such things as "hindsight."
The fact that some people failed to have "foresight" does not mean that those who did were only correct in "hindsight."
I could be talking about another salient and important issue as well.
The fact that some people failed to have "foresight" does not mean that those who did were only correct in "hindsight."
I could be talking about another salient and important issue as well.
Plus, The Old and Sick Are Very Delicious
Roy greets joyfully the emissions of the wonderful new full-time paid blogger for Teh Atlantic.
And the Atlantic also features Andy Sullivan!
Moreover, as a class, the old and sick have some culpability in their ill health. They didn't eat right or excercise; they smoked; they didn't go to the doctor as often as they ought; they drank to much, or took drugs, or sped, or engaged in dangerous sports. Again, in individual cases this will not be true; but as a class, the old and sick bear some of the responsibility for their own ill health, while younger, healthier people have almost no causal role in the ill-health of others.
Perhaps they deserve it by virtue of suffering? But again, most of them are suffering because they have gotten old, often in high style...
And the Atlantic also features Andy Sullivan!
Monday, August 20, 2007
I'm Quiet Too
Admittedly, I suppose I'm a part of the problem. I didn't link to the op-ed in question referenced in the post below. I actually wrote a long post which I didn't publish about why. Short version is that while I truly think those on the ground in Iraq should have their voices amplified, I've never personally been comfortable making judgments about which of those voices should be amplified. They aren't my proxy warriors. I have no idea if they're representative and have no ability to make that determination.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to conclude that Kenneth Pollack doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about and he's STILL on my goddamn teevee so I'm not quite sure what do to about this.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to conclude that Kenneth Pollack doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about and he's STILL on my goddamn teevee so I'm not quite sure what do to about this.
Cougars
One wishes Mark Penn would stick to what he apparently does best - inventing new porn genres, or at least new terms for old porn genres.
Silence
This is the kind of thing I wish very serious media insiders would address sometimes. I know that not all paid up members of the Gang of 500 really have a say or even deep understanding about why things play out as they do. But, hey, Joe Klein liked it. Maybe he could offer up his opinion on why it gets ignored?
As I think people often miss, there's the "news" and then there's the "talking about the news." The latter is how most people ultimately get their information, how conventional wisdom and subsequent coverage is generated, etc. No matter what the circulation of the New York Times, if an op-ed lands on its pages and Wolf Blitzer doesn't hear about it one cannot conclude that it made a sound.
As I think people often miss, there's the "news" and then there's the "talking about the news." The latter is how most people ultimately get their information, how conventional wisdom and subsequent coverage is generated, etc. No matter what the circulation of the New York Times, if an op-ed lands on its pages and Wolf Blitzer doesn't hear about it one cannot conclude that it made a sound.