Month: September 2007
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NYT deletes “final solution” language
The print version of the New York Times that is delivered to me at home featured a story on the fight against an invasive fish called the northern pike today. It seemed innocuous enough until an official was quoted referring to the current plan to eliminate the fish as a “final solution” — a phrase
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Best/worst academic paper title ever
Via The Atlantic’s Primary Sources section, this is pretty creative: An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate Organization Peter T. Leeson George Mason University – Department of Economics Abstract: This paper investigates the internal governance institutions of violent criminal enterprise by examining the law, economics, and organization of pirates. To effectively organize their banditry, pirates
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Alterman: Bush “[k]illed… 3,000 Americans”
Today Eric Alterman presents “‘How I Spent the Last Six Years,’ A brief list that might easily have been written by George W. Bush,” which includes these charming items under the heading “Regarding Iraq”: -Killed more than 3,000 Americans. -Wounded nearly 30,000 Americans. -Killed and wounded untold hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Stay classy, Eric.
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Flashback: Secret impeachment plots
Something I just came across in an old post — the Wall Street Journal flogging the impeachment boogeyman back in 2006: Republicans are denouncing Senator Russ Feingold’s proposal to “censure” President Bush for his warrantless wiretaps on al Qaeda, but we’d like to congratulate the Wisconsin Democrat on his candor. He’s had the courage to
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WSJ hypocrisy on standards of debate
Like the Wall Street Journal editorial board, I condemned the MoveOn.org ad that called General Petraeus “General Betray Us.” But the WSJ is crying crocodile tears when it bemoans the state of debate in this country: Can this really be the new standard of political rhetoric across the Democratic Party? There was a time when
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New research on myths and misperceptions
Shankar Vedantam of the Washington Post wrote a fascinating article last week about psychological research showing that attempts to correct myths can actually end up strengthening them: The conventional response to myths and urban legends is to counter bad information with accurate information. But the new psychological studies show that denials and clarifications, for all
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Douthat vs. Klein on Chait’s The Big Con
Having plugged the TNR excerpt from Jon Chait’s The Big Con, I want to recommend the discussion about the book that has started on the TPM Book Club, which currently features excellent contributions from Ross Douthat and Ezra Klein, two of the best young pundits out there. Both of them make important points. Douthat: I
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When NRSC talking points conflict
Cognitive dissonance, anyone? When you fill out this National Republican Senatorial Committee survey, it takes you to a page asking for donations that features these two talking points: * Will a Republican Congress working with a Republican President work together to cut wasteful spending and take steps to reduce our country’s debt or will a
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Mitt Romney’s interfaith outreach
Mitt Romney is reaching across religious boundaries with a Rosh Hashanah email to Jewish supporters: As we approach the Jewish New Year, Ann and I wish you and your family a happy and healthy Rosh Hashanah. We hope with this new year that encouraging new strides are made to reach lasting peace and security for
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When Eric Cantor’s interns attack
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) has posted an “interactive film” titled “Carried Interest Adventure” that appears to have been made with a handhold camcorder by his interns. It’s a bizarre choose-your-own-adventure video opposing a proposed tax increase on hedge fund salaries. Maybe they ran out of copies to make?