Monthly Archives: September 2005

September 25, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The best defense, take 2

On the one hand, we have James Taranto’s approach to acknowledging errors (discussed below). On the other hand, we have the New York Times’s “never give an inch” approach, documented in Byron Calame’s extremely interesting Times column this morning: “Even Geraldo deserves a break.” Calame unfortuntely mixes in additional personal abuse of Geraldo Rivera in documenting the Times’s malfeasance — illustrating why I prefer a simple acknowledgement of wrongoing when »
September 25, 2005 — Scott Johnson

KISA off

In “Colin Powell with clout,” Paul noted Diana West’s column on Richard Jones, the new United States ambassador to Israel, who appears to be a State Department Arabist in a mold we thought had become obsolete. Reader Sean Mahan points out that Debbie Schlussel first picked up one of the pertinent details in a post last month: “New U.S. envoy to Israel named dog after Saudi Arabia.” Schlussel in turn »
September 25, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The best defense

Brian Maloney has put our New Haven correspondent’s notes on the Dean’s Lecture Al Franken gave at Yale Law School on Friday evening to good use: “Rolling over.” Franken has been crowing about having caught Taranto up in what Taranto believed was a factual mistake he’d made in referring to President Bush’s poll numbers in an appearance on Hannity & Colmes. In response, Taranto frankly conceded to Franken that he »
September 24, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Good Hurricane News

Sort of a contradiction in terms. But this is still pretty good: “Oil Damage After Rita Not As Severe As Expected”: Hurricane Rita proved to be less destructive than her sister Katrina, sparing the states of Texas and Louisiana with less destruction than what was seen in most parts of Louisiana and Mississippi last month. Rita made less damage than expected to the oil refineries situated near the coast of »
September 24, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The buzz on Rita

Eric Pfeiffer is on the scene in Texas for NRO’s Buzz with interviews of Tom DeLay (here) and John Cornyn (here) giving different takes on the financial response to Rita. Eric’s most recent posts (here and here) are from San Antonio. »
September 24, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Cleaning up after the Democrats once again

No one should be very confident that the agreement reached earlier this week with North Korea will actually result in that country’s abandonment of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, the agreement isn’t a guaranteed failure like the “Agreed Framework” President Clinton reached with the North Koreans. The reason, as Charles Krauthammer has pointed out, is the involvement of China, the one nation that can probably coerce North Korea into »
September 24, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

That sinking feeling

Long-time readers know about the annual struggle of Everton, my favorite English soccer team, to avoid “relegation.” Relegation is a fancy name for being kicked out of the league, into a lower division, for finishing in the bottom three. Despite decades of mediocrity, Everton has avoided relegation for more than 50 years, longer than Manchester United, Liverpool, and just about everyone else. Last year, despite losing our two best players, »
September 24, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Covering the Demonstrations

Michelle Malkin went into Washington to cover the moonbat demonstration today; she posted photos–with some characteristically tart comments–here. Here’s one: Michelle’s comment: “By bending over?” Meanwhile, for some cheerier sights, check out Ed McNamara, who’s with the pro-American counter-protesters. »
September 24, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Orin’s scoop

Deborah Orin scoops the competition: “Hillary comes out against Freedom Center.” Orin’s scoop appears to have come from the drastic expedient of asking Ms. Clinton for her position: “I cannot support the IFC,” Clinton declared last night in a strongly worded statement in response to an inquiry from The Post. The New York Times is left eating the Post’s dust, bringing up the rear with a lame story it has »
September 24, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

In the belly of the mini-beast

I’m working at my office in Washington, D.C. today. Across the street, in Dupont Circle, the anti-IMF forces are holding a rally, so I decided to take a break and check it out. I’m not good at estimating crowds, but I’ve seen as many people in the Circle at lunchtime on a nice day. The Circle would easily hold twice as many people as are there now. UPDATE: The demonstration »
September 24, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Kozol’s crusade

In tomorrow’s New York Times Book Review, Nathan Glazer reviews Jonathan Kozol’s latest rewrite of the one-note books he has been writing on the subject of the public education of black and minority children since 1967: “Separate and unequal.” Glazer notes that in his current book Kozol widens his focus from the inadequacy of the education of minority students to include the “presumed educational effects” of increasing de facto “resegregation” »
September 24, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Israel Vows Crushing Response

I don’t suppose anyone was really surprised: Israel completed its pullout of Gaza, and within a few days Hamas launched 39 rockets from Gaza into Israel. Israel has now massed soldiers on the Gaza border, closed the country to Palestinians and vowed a “crushing response” to the Hamas attack. Let’s hope so. Hamas appears slightly abashed by an explosives accident that killed 15 Palestinians on Friday–premature explosions are a constant »
September 24, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Blogging the Counter-Protest

Ed McNamara of Protest Warriors in Chicago has great photos of last night’s demonstration and counter-demonstration at Walter Reed Hospital. A bunch of anti-war demonstrators showed up to protest against wounded soldiers being taken to the hospital; pro-military counter-demonstrators outnumbered them, however, and the anti-military protesters dwindled away as the night went on. I’d guess the returning suldiers were glad to see this contingent: Ed writes: I traveled to D.C. »
September 23, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Filling in for Chrenkoff

This strikes me as rather astonishing good news from Iraq. Haider Ajina writes with a translation of an article that appeared today in Iraq Al-Ghad: The city of Felujah, part of the Ramadi province (100km west of Baghdad), announced that 70% of its eligible residence have registered to vote in the new constitutional vote, and the general election to follow. Abdul Sattar Al-Jumaily, a Felujah city council member announced in »
September 23, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Time for some Activism…

…on a couple of fronts. First, this is Support the Troops Weekend. If you live anywhere near Washington, D.C., we would strongly encourage you to participate if you can. As you know, Cindy Sheehan and her Stalinist friends will be out in force tomorrow, trying to make headlines with an anti-war, anti-American demonstration that will probably be quite small, if history is any guide. Nevertheless, the press will promote it »
September 23, 2005 — John Hinderaker

SRO

Power Line Night at the Movies has been a big hit, and the people who are promoting the film, Serenity, said to let everyone know that the theater is full. Those who got in will get email notifications. It should be a fun event. One guy wrote us and said that we shouldn’t “promote” this movie because the director is anti-Bush. But we aren’t promoting the movie; we’re going to »
September 23, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Skeptic’s eye on McCain

Our friend Allison Hayward of Skeptic’s Eye has turned the eye on Senator McCain’s comments reported previously by Paul. Allison comments here, here and here. »