Month: September 2007
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McCain/Lieberman dissemble on AQ in Iraq
John McCain and Joe Lieberman engage in the same bogus rhetoric about Al Qaeda in Iraq as President Bush in a Wall Street Journal op-ed today: Whatever the shortcomings of our friends in Iraq, they are no excuse for us to retreat from our enemies like al Qaeda and Iran, who pose a mortal threat
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MoveOn.org smears Petraeus as “Betray Us”
A reader points out that MoveOn.org, which was recently smeared by the pro-war group Freedom’s Watch, is now itself smearing General Petraeus as “General Betray Us” — here’s the ad (see also MoveOn’s documentation): There are, of course, serious questions about the case Petraeus is going to make before Congress this week, but that’s no
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Hillary’s enforcer on “experience”: Bill
TNR’s Michael Crowley asks why Obama isn’t pressing Hillary on her claims to have more “experience,” a questionable claim based largely on her time as First Lady: So far this “experience” theme seems to be keeping Hillary in the lead over Barack Obama. But what does she really mean when she talks about “experience”? Given
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Norman Podhoretz smears dissent
In a NYT review, Peter Beinart quotes Norman Podhoretz’s slurs against the media and various other alleged traitors in his new book World War IV: What really interests Podhoretz, who now advises Rudolph Giuliani, isn’t the Islamic world; it’s the home front. The news media, he explains, are in favor of “an American defeat in
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McClatchy’s laudable transparency
For people who ask questions for a living, reporters are shockingly defensive when the tables are turned. I’ve found they are generally reluctant to correct their errors or engage critics on substance. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see this McClatchy column. It uses a debate with critics of its reporting on casualties in Iraq
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Recommended books
I’ve been remiss in failing to recommend my friend Chris Mooney’s book Storm World, a worthy followup to his excellent first book, The Republican War on Science. In the book, Chris takes you inside the battle among scientists and weather experts over the relationship between hurricanes and global warming, much of which takes place during
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Fake Osama breaches APEC security
I think this is pretty funny — the guy dressed as Osama is a nice touch: If only the police had stopped to read the fine print on the “APEC 2007 Official Vehicle” sticker. “This vehicle belongs to a member of The Chaser’s War on Everything. This dude likes trees and poetry and certain types
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Nifong jail day
Discredited Durham district attorney Mike Nifong is in jail for 24 hours as a result of being found in contempt of court. He probably deserves worse (though he has also been disbarred), but the symbolism is important. In related campus news, a fraternity here is throwing a party to celebrate.
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Freedom’s Watch smears MoveOn.org
Via the New York Times, the group Freedom’s Watch, which was “formed this summer by several wealthy conservatives who back President Bush’s strategy in Iraq,” is running this loathsome ad in Washington attacking MoveOn.org: Here’s the transcript — note the suggestions that MoveOn.org wants America to lose in Iraq: MoveOn.org is losing their battle because
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Ron Paul poetry
Ron Paul’s presidential campaign sent this masterpiece out to supporters last month: It’s the middle of August, and Ron’s been traveling about, We need him as president, we all have no doubt. He’s got just as much energy, as when we was a tyke, Spreading the message of freedom, from each open mike. But it’ll