- Jan 1–7 8–14 15–21 22–28 29–31
- Feb 1–4 5–11 12–18 19–25 26–28
- Mar 1–4 5–11 12–18 19–25 26–31
- Apr 1 2–8 9–15 16–22 23–29 30
- May 1–6 7–13 14–20 21–27 28–31
- Jun 1–3 4–10 11–17 18–24 25–30
- Jul 1 2–8 9–15 16–22 23–29 30–31
- Aug 1–5 6–12 13–19 20–26 27–31
- Sep 1–2 3–9 10–16 17–23 24–30
- Oct 1–7 8–14 15–21 22–28 29–31
- Nov 1–4 5–11 12–18 19–25 26–30
- Dec 1–2 3–9 10–16 17–23 24–30
Friday, June 9, 2006
Re: Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 3:18PM
I was going to declare a winner today, but four finalists are still in play: "Red" Ken Livingstone, George Galloway, Arundhati Roy and Saddam Hussein. Claudia Rosett -- who really should be SecGen -- was disqualified for that persistent streak of integrity that keeps popping up in her writing.
If you want to have a final crack at campaigning for your fave of that four, have at it in the comments section. My choice for SecGen will be selected Sunday and announced in Loose Canons on Monday.
Hello Darkness
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 1:44PM
Following up on his TAS column today, Andrew Cline, over at his Union Leader blog, has more on Democratic (non)reactions to the termination of the terrorist Zarqawi. For the first time in his life, Howie Dean has been rendered speechless. All we're getting from him are the sounds of silence.
Earning a "PG" Rating: Jesus-Talk
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 10:52AM
Via Mirror of Justice, Amy Welborn and Terry Mattingly report that Facing the Giants has earned a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for being too evangelistic. MPAA said the film contained "thematic elements" that might disturb some parents. Religion: how scandalous.
Post Gets Truth Without DeLay
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 10:50AM
Sometimes those writers at the Washington Post get the truth, quite pithily and quite directly. Here, from a feature on Tom DeLay leaving Congress, is a sentence that is, sadly, all too accurate: "In the end, DeLay probably achieved more for conservative politics than conservative government; he attacked big-government liberalism in his farewell address, but the growth of government and special-interest spending accelerated under Republican rule."
Kos's Record
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 10:44AM
Kos has posted his keynote address at the first "YearlyKos" convention.
It's one thing to talk about people-powered politics. It's another to see it in action.
And these have been heady days for the people-powered movement.
We're only four years old, from the early days when bloggers like Atrios and Jerome Armstrong at MyDD inspired bloggers like me and countless others to stop railing at Fox News and our so-called-"liberal" pundits, and start publishing those rants on the web.
And we've come a long way since then.
We were born in 2002, and sort of gingerly set out into this brave new world. None of us expected to be more than a lonely voice shouting into the wilderness. But liberal blogs grew rapidly, proving there was a desperate need for strong progressive voices in this country. That was 2002.
2003 was the year of Howard Dean, where an unknown governor from a small, remote, and usually forgotten state was propelled to front-runner status on the strength of netroots activism.
2004 ... well, let's forget 2004.
In 2005, we helped Dean become DNC chairman, and we helped Paul Hackett prove that a strong, unapologetic, progressive voice could compete in the deepest red districts.
And now it's 2006, and it looks like we've arrived.
Let's see here: no electoral victories. The chief loser still discredits the party and has it millions of dollars behind in cash on hand. And just this week, after pulling out all the stops for Francise Busby in an open seat, it lost again. Kos may have many readers, but the blog is still a "lonely voice shouting in the wilderness."
Got Bricks?
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 10:40AM
Yesterday over lunch, an administration official pointed out to our small group that U.S. Border patrol caught and returned to Mexico over 4,000 illegal border crossers in one day last week. What's worse, the recidivism rate with these people is somewhere around 75%.
I am no immigration expert, but it seems to me that if this is in fact true, how can any rational person argue against building a fence? Discuss...
Points of View
Posted by on 6.9.06 @ 10:30AM
So Mullah Omar and the Talibans don't have the same viewpoint as Jay and the Americans. As I recall, Jay's group sang about how only in America - land of opportunity - could a poor boy grow up to be president. In a statement attributed to Mullah Omar on the death of Zarqawi, Omar says:
It is the peoples' resistance, and every youth can become Zarqawi...Many, many, many more young men can become Zarqawi. The successors...can be even stronger than him.
So, young men of the world, which do you want to be? President of the United States or a dead terrorist?
We're in an ideological war against radical Islamists. With Omar manufacturing ammo for us, why aren't we fighting this battle more energetically?
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Native Hawaiians: Victory!
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 1:46PM
Native Hawaiians loses cloture by four votes. 56 to 41.
Cochran Aye
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 1:42PM
It's an odd vote for a guy with a 5 percent NAACP rating, and an 85 percent ATR rating.
Native Hawaiians: Brownback No
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 1:37PM
A presidential campaign is saved (for now).
More Native Hawaiians Vote
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 1:36PM
Chafee no. A little primary pressure can be helpful.
Lieberman, Snowe, Collins: aye.
Native Hawaiians Cloture
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 1:27PM
Few surprises, but one question answered: McCain votes aye.
The Left's Dilemma
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 12:58PM
They can't admit that the Zarqawi hit is a major victory, for fear of saying that we're succeeding in Iraq. But they also can't fail to say -- as Pelosi and Kerry have - that this proves we can cut and run, bring all the troops home by the end of the year. It's satisfying to see them squirm. But not nearly as much as to see how our troops are getting the job done in Iraq. Let's see if the Iraqis can make the most of this and get their government really settled.
I'll be on Kudlow & Company (CNBC) about 1700 EDT talking about this and more.
Refineries Needed
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 12:38PM
The House did a little-noticed good thing yesterday in passing a bill aimed at boosting domestic refining capacity by streamlining the excessively bureaucratic permitting process for new or expanded facilities. Unfortunately, reports the Wall Street Journal, the Democrats in the Senate are expected to block the bill. Unbelievable. Gasoline prices have more than doubled in three years in large part because of a lack of refining capacity (combined with Demo-inspired bans on drilling in many, many places). Yet even now, even when the bill in question would not RELAX environmental regs but instead only help force regulatory agencies to stop their foot-dragging, the Senate Dems apparently remain too in thrall to the environmental extremists to approve such a necessary and commonsense measure. Read the story on page A-8 of the WSJ. The Dems really are outrageous.
On Bilbray, etc.
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 12:32PM
For what it's worth, the UK Guardian's online mag asked my take on the meaning of the Bilbray victory. Short answer: Status quo, with harbingers that could scare BOTH parties. Full answer: here.
Death Tax Stays, But What About Race-Based Hawaii?
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 12:07PM
The death tax failed to meet cloture this morning, 57-41. Now Native Hawaiians will be up for a cloture vote at 12:45 p.m.
Coulter's Good One-Liner
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 12:04PM
Amidst the understandable brouhaha about Ann Coulter's criticism of certain 9/11 widows, what gets lost is that her GOOD one-liners are often SO good that nobody else can compare. In an interview yesterday with Robert Stacy McCain of the Washington Times (also mentioned in his blog "Donkey Cons," named after the book by the same name he co-wrote with Lynn Vincent), Coulter came up with this humdinger:
A (from Coulter): Actually, to be fair, the facts were hostile to liberals first.
Gotta love it.
Which proves that she doesn't actually have to be outrageous to make a very sharp point, with humor.
Kerry Gloats Over "Iraq Mistakes"
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 11:30AM
John Kerry issued his second fundraising email dismissing Republican success in California in as many days today:
Over at their posh headquarters on First Street -- just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol -- they're sitting around scratching their heads. They just had to spend over $5 million in national GOP money to hold on to the California House seat vacated by Randy "Duke" Cunningham.
They eked out a "victory" by pouring in close to $100 for every vote cast in favor of their candidate -- in a district so Republican, they shouldn't have had to lift a finger.
Looking ahead to 435 House races, 33 Senate races, and hundreds of state and local contests, the strategists at Republican Party headquarters know that their $100 a vote formula just doesn't work.
They can't buy their way out of this one.
There aren't enough heavy-hitting Bush Pioneers left on the planet to help 2006 GOP candidates overcome their Iraq mistakes, their Katrina incompetence, and their miserable record of failure on everything from homeland security to health care to the environment.
On the day that American forces enjoy an enormous victory in Iraq, John Kerry can only think of politics and gloat over mistakes.
"Hawaii Is Truly American"
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 11:28AM
Hawaiians historically rejected the racial divisions that the Akaka bill would now impose, the Heritage Foundation's Erica Little and Todd Gaziano report in a new web memo today.
"The Prince of Al Qaeda in Iraq"
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 11:21AM
Also, don't miss John Tabin's concise history of Zarqawi's involvement with al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, just posted.
"Zarqawi Made of That Trauma His True Religion"
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 10:57AM
James G. Poulos has an excellent obituary for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi up on the front page now. He deftly places Zarqawi's life and death in the context of the Iraq war's history and future.
The Enemy Within
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 10:08AM
As ever, for a sample of the Angry Left's reaction to Zarqawi's death, scan the KosKidz' comments:
The first one:
Bush's idea of justice is bombs falling out of the sky?
A few celebrate:
We have turned a corner for freedom.
But most don't want to turn from the refrain:
Zarqawi was quite probably a psy ops job in the first place, so what does that make his "death"?
Keep your eyes on the prize:
Gay marriage?
Haditha.Flag burning?
Haditha!Brangelina?
HADITHA!Zarqawi?
HADITHA!!!
Yep, they celebrate the alleged, rare misdeeds of the Marines. More:
So a bad man is dead. Big deal. To the extent that this allows some really bad people in our country to gain a propaganda victory, this is not a good thing. The US military has killed more innocent people in Iraq than this guy could have dreamed of killing, and very bad people in our country will use this event as a reason to allow that killing to continue. Forget al-Qaeda, which probably doesn't even exist as a functioning organization. Remember Haditha.
And others even speculate that a man who murdered many of our protectors in uniform is a phantom:
Of course, there is no proof anywhere that this.. guy actually exists.
Who knows, I mean all we've really seen is some pictures and video of him in the media, which could easily been anyone from anywhere.
And it's not just me, many people have said he is a myth...
And to believe that he was any sort of a factor in Iraq is just bunk, he would have been a nat on a flys ass in terms of how important he is to the violence and anarchy in Iraq, hell he was probably in hiding from the militias anyway...
That is of course, if he even existed at all...
Not everyone on the left or at DailyKos believes such nonsense. But those folks are unchallenged. Telling, isn't it?
RE: Ding Dong
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 9:27AM
We would be remiss not to congratulate our military, our President, and the Iraqi people for this morning's victory in the ongoing war on terror.
More Good News
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 8:08AM
A vexing deadlock over key Iraqi cabinet positions has been broken.
Blair and Bush React
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 8:05AM
Blair: It's "a victory against al-Qaeda everywhere."
Bush: "U.S. forces delivered justice to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq."
Hawaiian Independence or Monarchy?
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 7:20AM
Not to stem the swell of good news in the war on terror, but Daniel Akaka made especially revealing comments on his Native Hawaiians bill yesterday: "the governing entity will make a decision as to, uh, to independence or returning to the monarchy."
To illustrate these grand plans, Human Events posted a map from the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii displaying the vast amount of lands that would be available to transfer to the new government under the Akaka bill.
Re: Ding Dong
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 6:56AM
James: Your assessment of the Iraqi Prime Minister is worth repeating here:
[I]n new PM al-Maliki we have a man whose every public statement sets himself up as more than equal in will and morale to the bloody task of order. If there is another Zarqawi, says Maliki, we will kill him too: the most vital syllable in that sentence being the word we.Quite so.
Ding Dong
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 6:43AM
Zarqawi, indeed, is dead. My instant bleary-eyed reaction? Hope.
Zarqawi is Dead
Posted by on 6.8.06 @ 5:17AM
Killed in a joint US-Iraqi operation.
Here's video of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki making the announcement, care of Michelle Malkin.
Omar at Iraq the Model is ecstatic.
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Kaplan Exuent
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 9:36PM
Today's resignation of MSNBC president Rick Kaplan is one of the few facts that has burdened the GE-sponsored cable news network in its past few years. The unremittingly liberal programming -- so laughably biased that many conservatives have boycotted it for years -- has driven its ratings down to Air America levels. Kaplan's departure is the inevitable result of pluperfect liberalism interrupted only by brief glimpses of Monica Crowley and Joe Scarborough.
When will liberals ever learn that pretentious, tendentious, doctrinair programming is as commercially unsustainable as liberal policies are electorally unsupportable?
The ABA's Liberal Hacks
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 4:59PM
I've been meaning for days to link to a series of superb reports by Ed Whelan outlining the horrible liberal biases of the ABA judicial selection review committee members, but because it would require so many links, I've been too lazy to do it. But now Ed has collected them in one easy-to-access link, so I urge everybody to read closely. It pretty much proves the point Ed (and I and many others) have made repeatedly, including on these pages: that the ABA is owed no deference whatsoever, because it is not a "professional standards" group but rather a left-wing lobby.
Jim Webb Misses FEC Filing Deadline
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 3:43PM
Is Jim Webb's campaign in a tailspin? It's not the whole shootin' match, but they missed the June 1 Federal Elections Commission pre-primary filing deadline. You would think that is basic stuff. Here's the FEC letter.
Will this race turn out to be what James Taranto has termed "another angry left anticlimax"?
Also, Chuck Schumer endorsed Webb today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee emails. In Virginia, that may amount to, "with friends like these..."
Blogger "Not Larry Sabato" still predicts the race is leaning Webb.
UPDATE: Bob Novak's weekly letter predicts Miller: "Democrats will have a hard time pulling the lever for a former Reaganite."
Gay Marriage Ban Fails
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 12:34PM
Yawn. It was difficult to muster any energy for passage or failure of the gay marriage ban. Perhaps because both sides were using a legitimate issue in such a ham-handed way.
Gearing Up
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 10:34AM
Finally, the White House appears to be taking an active interest in its long-languishing judicial nominees.
Collateral Damage?
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 9:42AM
It's a wondrous thing to awake to the New York Times. Especially on the web for those of us who refuse to line Pinch's pockets. Today is an especially good day.
One of today's headline stories is about how some Senate Republicans -- read "Senate Liberal Republicans" -- are worried about the ideological bent of issues being raised, such as the gay marriage ban. Whines Lincoln Chaffee, "I'm collateral damage."
What LibLink forgets is that collateral damage, while unfortunate, is sometimes unavoidable. In his case, it's not unfortunate. Grade it desireable.
California-50 Stakes
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 9:40AM
NPR reported yesterday morning that if Bilbray won the special election, the Senate's version of immigration reform would be dead in its tracks. I wonder if they'll revive that story line again today?
Mickey Kaus declares it a victory for the House enforcement version.
Native Hawaiians Debate Today
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 9:12AM
Senate Republicans have scheduled three hours of debate for Native Hawaiians today following the marriage amendment.
The Honolulu Advertiser reports (linked above) that two Republicans are still on the fence: Susan Collins, and one surprise, Sam Brownback. If Brownback in his wildest dreams hopes to be treated seriously as a presidential candidate, he will vote against cloture.
Re: Results Tonight
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 7:10AM
Looks like Bilbray has edged out Busby, 49.49% to 45.24%, with 90% of the precincts reporting. Bilbray said, "I think that we're going back to Washington." Busby is expected to make a statement later this morning.
And the Pearl Jam/netroots-backed Jon Tester won over John Morrison for the Democratic Senate nomination in Montana.
Re: Results Tonight
Posted by on 6.7.06 @ 2:28AM
No link yet, but I'm hearing that local news out west has called for Republican Brian Bilbray in CA-50.
UPDATE: This report might have been wrong, as in someone misheard the TV; it's been an hour and I can't find any indication that anyone called the race. But given the way the count is going -- 56.6% of precincts are in as I write, and Bilbray has been at least 4 points ahead every time I've looked -- it will be quite surprising if Bilbray doesn't come out on top in the end. (LATER: It's official, Bilbray wins.)
This is Duke Cunningham's district, and though it leans Republican -- Bush won with 55% in 2004 and 54% in 2000 -- the smell of scandal made this a close race. Democrat Francine Busby stepped into a bear trap, though, when she publicly told a Latino man who said "I want to help, but I don't have papers" that "You don't need papers for voting." She says she misspoke, and indeed the context is mitigating; her whole answer was "Everybody can help, yeah, absolutely, you can all help. You don't need papers for voting, you don't need to be a registered voter to help." See, she wasn't saying illegal aliens should vote, merely that they should volunteer to help her campaign. You decide if that's much better.
A Busby win would have fed an endless drumbeat of commentary about how doomed the GOP is in November. It doesn't look like Busby will win, now, though that doesn't mean the drumbeat won't come anyway; it feeds into reporters' biases, and I don't just mean liberalism. To political reporters, tight races are better than loose races, and incumbents are destined to be in trouble. It's simple psychology: Who wants to believe the beat he covers is boring or predictable?
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Results Tonight
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 11:31PM
I'm keeping my eyes on California's 50th Congressional district and the Montana Senate primary. Catch results here and here.
Senate to Vote on Racist Bill
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 6:27PM
Ed Meese and Todd Gaziano, both of the Heritage Foundation, have an excellent article up at Human Events today on the Native Hawaiians bill.
The term "racist" is too often tossed around in politics, but it should be reserved for pieces of legislation like this.
Though the Supreme Court already rejected a similar scheme in 2000 that Hawaii had instituted, Daniel Akaka still wants his way: the Native Hawaiians Government Reorganization Act would create a separate, race-based government.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights considers (pdf) the legislation discriminatory on the basis of race.
The amazing thing is, as Mary Katherine Ham reports, a vast majority of Hawaiians are against it. Polls of Native Hawaiians are about split. Daniel Akaka and the Senate may impose this race-based system on Hawaii against its will.
The bill is due to come up in the Senate Thursday night, and it has a good chance of passing. That is, opponents cannot gather the 41 votes required to filibuster. Assume 55 Republican votes against, but subtract co-sponsors Norm Coleman, Lindsay Graham, Lisa Murkowski, Gordon Smith, and Ted Stevens. Make that 50.
I called Sen. John McCain's office tonight. His press secretary says he supports the bill. Does it then follow that he will support cloture? She says she assumes he will, but will get back to me.
Further, the White House is hands off, declining to take a public position. Will President Bush again punt and sign an unconstitutional bill, counting on the courts to overturn it?
The Line Between Reporter and Entertainer
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 5:12PM
Is oft crossed by Dana Milbank. On a Washingtonpost.com chat Friday, he mocked Omaha for receiving increased Homeland Security funds while D.C. and New York saw theirs decrease: "In fairness, Omaha has an excellent stockyard. I understand they plan to build a moat around it like they did to protect the Washington Monument from truck bombs."
A Mediabistro reader caught the error: Omaha's stockyards closed in 1999. Mr. Milbank, Google can be a reporter's best friend.
Today's Elections
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 5:07PM
There is another round of primary elections today in eight states. The Fix has a comprehensive roundup here.
My erstwhile home state of Montana's races feature substantial action on the Democratic slate: they're picking their challengers to both Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg. I suggested to my old man that he pick up the Dem ballot if it is an open primary. He says he did his best to wreck havoc on their frontrunners.
Also, he tells me of a local mill levy measure to fund "services to the elderly in Missoula County." He says, "The signs around town say, 'Vote for seniors," or "vote for open space.' Well, I have no problem with seniors or open space, but put the other word on there: tax."
Changes the meaning a little, voting for a policy instead of for a person or an abstract notion, no?
RE: Ya Gotta Love Her...
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 5:02PM
UPDATE #2: Godless now up to #6 on Amazon. Behold the power of AmSpecBlog.
Re: Ya Gotta Love Her...
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 3:18PM
NBC has the video here. It's Part 2, and you'll get the Coulter interview at 2:25.
It is worth watching, if only as a display of Matt Lauer's foolishness.
Oh, and the "where's Katie" moment is just after minute 10 on that video.
Ya Gotta Love Her...
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 3:05PM
So Ann Coulter goes on the Today Show this morning to promote Godless, her newest book which was released today.
As she's wrapping up the interview, she says to Matt "Where's Katie?? Did she leave or something?"
Classic.
Book's #11 on Amazon and rising and they're not even through the first day of flacking it... good stuff, indeed.
UPDATE: The book is now at #7 on Amazon.Re: It's 6/6/06
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 12:59PM
Shawn: Yes, Boston's sins are myriad (Big Dig, anyone?). Seriously, though, here's a very interesting post by Michael Covington about Mark of the Beast numerology:
[The number is n]ot six-six-six, but six hundred sixty-six, which in Roman, Greek, or Hebrew numerals is not written as three sixes. (For example, in Roman numerals, 6 = VI and 666 = DCLXVI.)(Hat-tip: Jonathan Adler.)And in some manuscripts of the New Testament, the number is given as 616.
Hebrew, Greek, and Roman numerals consist of letters from each respective language's alphabet. Especially in Hebrew and Greek, ordinary words can be assigned numerical values. You can do that with Roman numerals if you simply skip the letters that are not numerals, which are many....
But the most convincing explanation I've found is that 666 is what you get when you transcribe "Nero Caesar" into Hebrew (נרון קסר) and then interpret it as a numeral. What is particularly appealing is that if instead of the Latin stem Neron- you transcribe the nominative form Nero, you get נרו קסר, which comes out to 616, the number found in some of the manuscripts.
So in Verse 18, St. John was warning us about dictators like Nero, but hiding his message from the Roman authorities. This is a genuine use of a code in the Bible. Da Vinci Code fans, enjoy it.
RE: It's 6/6/06
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 12:03PM
Tabin: "And June 1st went okay, right?"
Macomber: Maybe for you. I spent the day defending myself against various pestilence and demonic appariations. I'm still picking locust out of my air conditioner fan, bandaging gashes from giant half-man/half-scorpion creatures and trying to vacuum the rest of the crumbs from the broken seals up before my wife gets home from work.
Nothing at all strange happened where you're at? I guess Boston must have collectively been a bad, bad boy this year....
Can We Say, 'N-A-R-C-I-S-S-I-S-T'?
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 12:01PM
Anyone? Anyone? In his continuing efforts to dominate media, history, and the world, Bill Clinton has taken time out of his busy, busy schedule to record his own voice (“chuckles” and all) and recount his own personal memories of being president for visitors to the Clinton Library in
For just $3 extra, you too can hear Bill wax on enthusiastically about his most cherished and personal memories of being president (Monica didn’t make the cut), and his childhood, and his initiatives, and his life in general.
Along with the usual whacks at Republicans,
He describes choosing a running mate as one of the most important decisions for a presidential hopeful. He says he chose Al Gore because the Tennessee Democrat complemented him and provided a more moderate perspective.
Al Gore provided a moderate perspective??? And all along we thought Clinton was the "New Democrat."
It's 6/6/06
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 11:35AM
Relax! A fragment of the oldest known surviving copy of Revelation, discovered last year, indicates that the original Number of the Beast is 616. And June 1st went okay, right?
Srpska Smackdown
Posted by on 6.6.06 @ 9:25AM
For those of you worried that independence for Montenegro would set off a chain reaction of ornery separatism, may I present the US and EU's major-league neg of a copycat referendum for the infamous Republika Srpska. Kosovo, of course, is well on its way to full breakaway status -- but here Montenegrin independence serves as a cherry on top, not a catalyst, of an unfinished ordeal over a decade in the making.
Now if only someone could bring an orderly Balkanization to Somalia. or Sudan. Or Iraq. Or...
Monday, June 5, 2006
Re: Nominating Kofi's successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 11:40PM
I nominate Indian novelist Arundhati Roy. She has all the requirements: impoverished upbringing (or so the story goes) in
Appointment Television
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 10:32PM
The last time Jim Webb debated Harris Miller, it descended into a shout fest and Webb telling Miller to "shut your mouth."
In that case, they will be right at home on Hardball Thursday. If you want a cheap pick-me-up (two Dems going at each other's throats), don't miss it.
Reactions to My New Book
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 5:44PM
There have been many, but one deserves special mention. In the
Taipei Times, written by Doug
Bandow who was forced to resign from the Cato Institute for
being paid to write opinion columns by Jack Abramoff. It's nice to
see Bandow has obtained political asylum in Taiwan.
If you want to make your own judgment on the book, check it out: Showdown: Why China Wants War with the United States.
Re: Nominating Kofi's successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 4:03PM
For the ability to create a non-stop ineffectual flap: Larry Summers, with a close second going to Joycelyn Elder. To transform the organization: Paul Tagliabue.
Re: Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 2:15PM
Yassir Arafat? Mickey Mouse? Ok, the UN is a fictional force for peace. At this rate, we'll be nominating every fictional character, even Lindsay Graham. Why not Tony Soprano? He'd at least hold UN employees accountable for job performance.
Before Kofi Leaves...
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 1:17PM
Ok, our "name the Sec Gen" effort is well under way. But before we say goodbye to ol' Kof, he's got another shot to take at us: he's written an op-ed in the WSJ on immigration that's taken from John McCain's talking points on the Senate bill. Anyone who is lacking reasons to defeat the Senate sludge should think: when was the last time Kofi endorsed something that was good for America?
Re: Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 12:50PM
Early leaders: Ray Nagin and Eliot Spitzer. Keep 'em coming folks. And don't forget our pals from abroad. I'm thinking about Al-Jazeera's spokesman: Jihad Ballout. (No, I'm not making that name up. My imagination ain't that good.)
Re: Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 11:45AM
Dear Lady G: Who could possibly forget Little Billy? And I have to add to the rules: anyone who nominates any suitable nitwit has to give the best reasons for the nom. And I hereby disqualify Harriett Miers. We don't need another round of reasons why she shouldn't get an elevated post.
Governor Moonbeam
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 11:22AM
Is running for California attorney general. Pot heads everywhere cheer, as he may bring the same zeal to that office as he brought to prosecuting drug crimes in Oakland.
RE: Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 11:10AM
Jed: You forgot about our dear, dear friend, Mr. Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, and all-around friend to the world. He'll be done with his latest book by then, and should be looking for something to do, sans any further global warming crises.
Nominating Kofi's Successor
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 10:58AM
The UN is inviting its members to submit nominations of candidates to succeed Kofi Annan as Secretary General. So why should they have all the fun?
Please post your nominations in the comments section. To give you a head start, how about some of these folks for the next Sec Gen?
Alec Baldwin
Noam Chomsky
Michael Moore
Kojo Annan
Cindy Sheehan
Howard Dean
You get the idea. Fire away. I'll pick a winner at week's end.
Maplequeda and NSA?
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 10:40AM
Because no one else wants to talk about this we must. The RCMP arrests of some 17 Canadian al-Q wannabes was based on the Canadian Secret Intelligence Service - their equivalent of the NSA - monitoring of e-mails between suspects and international connections, and among the suspects in Canada.
More proof that it works. Are you listening, Sen. Specter?
Addled Addict
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 10:37AM
Patrick Kennedy exits rehab, and heads straight for a Brown University forum on addiction. Is driving school next?
T is for Todd Seavey
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 10:20AM
So apparently a bunch of anarchists in Guy Fawkes masks gathered recently in front of the offices of DC Comics to protest the comic giant's lack of due diligence in allowing "a multi-billion corporation like Time Warner" to "in the presentation of a film version of V for Vendetta to a mass audience, strike the notion of anarchy as a solution to state control." Todd Seavey, editor of the always fascinating Health Facts and Fears website, decided to engage in a bit of patriotic dissent (this is, after all, the Age of the Dixie Chicks), colorfully captured in this blog post by Valerie D'Orazio (A.K.A. Kamikaze Girl).
Here's a bite before the whole delicious meal:
"We suggest that you be grateful," Seavey declared above the throng of protesters and pedestrians who were just trying to get to the other side of the block so they could buy a knish. "Capitalism offers so many rich opportunities for people-whether they're intelligent or wacko-to make their views known and sometimes even profitable in a complex market full of niches. I say: thank you DC Comics for providing us with characters like Superman and Lex Luthor! The only problem I have with Lex Luthor, quite frankly, is that they made him a capitalist in recent decades."
…and another funny bit:
The leader of the "A for Anarchy" contingent, Adam Weissman, was an earnest young man in a simple buttoned shirt and ponytail. I immediately got the impression that the theatrics of his group aside, he had really passionate views on the subject of anarchy and how it related to the distribution of wealth and the application of government in this society. Listening to him, I had the sudden urge to shave all my hair off and call myself "Evie." Then I remembered how much it cost to get these friggin' highlights at Jean-Louis David.
How soon revolutionary zeal fades!
John Kerry's "Lucky Hat"
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 9:31AM
Tom Lipscomb picks apart the New York Times' latest valentine to Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam service.
Marriage Pandering
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 9:26AM
The latest push for a federal marriage amendment is being met with increasing skepticism on the right.
I cannot escape the sense that the President and the Senate are pandering on this issue. The base is upset -- albeit over other, larger issues -- but this is, as the critics say, good old "red meat." The federal marriage amendment may be fine legislation, but ignoring the big stuff for a small, politically easy bone is not impressive.
The Senate's Unconstitutional Immigration Bill
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 2:15AM
I missed this on Friday, but it seems kind of important. Here's the deal: The Senate immigration bill has a provision that requires illegal immigrants to pay back-taxes before applying for citizenship. But Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution says that bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. Bill Frist has an easy fix for this: attach the immigration bill to a tax bill that started in the House, and send that to the conference committee. Harry Reid, however, won't agree to this, saying that the problem is no big deal -- "technical in nature" are his words. (Apparently, Reid meant his oath to uphold the Constitution to apply only to the general spirit of the document, not the actual specifics.) Refusing to allow the Frist fix almost guarantees that a member of the House will introduce and pass a blue-slip resolution to send the bill back to the Senate before it makes it into conference. Reid's goal seems to be to block any immigration bill from passing before November.
Risk Assessment
Posted by on 6.5.06 @ 1:17AM
Dave Weigel casts doubt on what seems to be the latest fantasy on Capitol Hill, namely that bringing up sure-to-fail amendments on flag burning and gay marriage will make conservatives forget about Republican fecklessness on spending and immigration. Of special note:
"They would solve a lot of their problems overnight if they tackled overspending," says Larry Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "But they're dug in." The majority party gave up years ago on actually cutting spending or entitlements, terrified that doing so would give Democrats an opening. ... Spending cuts and drastic government reforms could help them reconnect with the base or even win over voters, but that's a risk, and they don't want to take risks.It's possible that playing it safe is the smart move. After all, Republicans have a significant structural advantage going into the elections. (Democrats have to pretty much run the table in a relatively small number of swing districts to take over the House. The Senate map similarly favors the GOP.) But there does come a time when risk-aversion itself becomes a risk.
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Viet Dinh for Native Hawaiians Act
Posted by on 6.4.06 @ 11:07PM
Former assistant attorney general Viet Dinh supports the Native Hawaiians bill pending in the Senate, which would set up a separatist, race based government in Hawaii. How disappointing. The Supreme Court has already declared unconstitutional a similar system in Hawaii, but Daniel Akaka wants his way.
For more, see one of John Fund's excellent articles on it.
Word is that the White House is giving this bill a pass also.
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