Daniel Okrent, the departing “public editor” of the New York Times, had to know he was picking a fight. He may not have realized, however, he was starting a clash he was bound to lose. In his departing column, Okrent took a parting shot at columnist Paul Krugman, attacking his integrity and accusing him of […]
Walter Pincus had an important article in Saturday’s Washington Post, which will no doubt be lost in the holiday-weekend shuffle. That’s a shame; the piece highlights one of the most embarrassing flaws in the Bush administration’s approach to governing. Two Army analysts whose work has been cited as part of a key intelligence failure on […]
The Abu Ghraib calamity can, apparently, get worse. “The ACLU just won a suit to get the photographs we have not yet seen. June 30th, they get released — horrifying beyond belief,” [Andrew Sullivan] informed viewers of “The Chris Matthews Show.” “More dog collars, more piling up?” Chris Matthews pressed. “No. Rapes,” Mr. Sullivan said. […]
Since this is Memorial Day weekend, I thought it only appropriate to pick a discussion topic that reflected a sense of heroism. This week’s topic: Who is your political hero? Commenters are welcome to interpret the question in any way they like, including leaders from your lifetime who led you to sparked an interest in […]
Guest Post by Morbo Great political leaders are not afraid to call on the American people to sacrifice. President Franklin D. Roosevelt could have told people over the radio, “You know, this Depression thing — don’t sweat it. We’ll get over it soon; don’t let it cramp your style.” President John F. Kennedy could have […]
Guest Post by Morbo A recent string of New Yorker articles on global warming has me alternatively scared and depressed. Elizabeth Kolbert’s three-part series laid out the threat in clear language and discussed some possible remedies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Kolbert traveled to places on the globe already being affected by global warming and […]
Guest Post by Morbo I wanted to take a moment to comment on the Carpetbagger’s recent post about the Family Research Council’s attack on new vaccines that can combat the human papillomavirus (HPV). I’d like to provide some more information so readers can understand how truly evil the FRC’s stand is. First, some background: HPV […]
Guest Post by Morbo In 1453 A.D., Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. This did not happen because the Turks just woke up one day and decided to attack. Muslim armies had been chipping away at the Byzantine Empire for hundreds of years and conquering its lands. By 1453, Constantinople was all that was left […]
One of the more common arguments in the political discourse is the idea that the Dems are putting up an adequate fight against the GOP agenda, but they’re failing to present an agenda of their own. Dems are against Bush’s proposals, but, the conventional wisdom tells us, they’re not for anything. I’ve never really bought […]
National Journal’s Insider Poll, which, as the name implies, questions political insiders for their opinions, has an important question this week for Republican lawmakers: “Would you like House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to campaign for you?” A total of 36 GOP House members responded (anonymously) — and 22 said they didn’t want DeLay’s “help” in […]