Monthly Archives: October 2005

October 22, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Here’s One I Won’t Be Seeing

I shuddered when I heard that a movie called North Country was being made out of the Jenson case, in which a group of female miners sued the owner of a taconite mine in northern Minnesota. I happen to know something about that case, which inspired a book called Class Action. The movie was said to be loosely based on the book and the actual case, and I could imagine »
October 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Definitive mojo

Many readers wrote to comment on the musical component of “Get his mojo back (in four steps with two bonus tracks.” Readers Graham Clarke and Drew Barnes wrote to disagree with my declaration that Muddy’s “Got My Mojo Working” recorded live at the Super Joy-Scout Jamboree in Chicago on April 24, 1969 is the definitive version. They both agree that Muddy’s seminal 1960 live “At Newport” recording is the definitive »
October 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Tracking the changes

The U.N. report on the murder of Rafik Hariri was tweaked before its release Thursday night: “UN office doctored report on Hariri.” The London Times reports: One crucial change, apparently made after the report was submitted to the UN chief, removed the name of President al-Assad’s brother, Maher, his brother-in-law, Assef al-Shawkat, and other high-ranking Syrian officials. The final, edited version quoted a witness as saying that the plot to »
October 22, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Following the Money

I meant to link to this Fox News story last night, but forgot until I saw it on InstaPundit. I won’t try to summarize Fox’s investigation, except that it follows corporate connections that appear to lead from the U.N. troublingly close to terrorist groups. »
October 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The Coburn 15

Several readers have written asking us to post the names of the 15 senators who voted in favor of the Coburn amendment. At Tapscott’s Copy Desk Mark Tapscott conveniently broke down vote by yeas and nays in update II to this post. Here are the Coburn 15, courtesy of Mark: Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Bayh (D-IN), Burr (R-NC), Coburn (R-OK), Conrad (D-ND), DeMint (R-SC), DeWine (R-OH), Feingold (D-WI), Graham (R-SC), »
October 22, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Media Alert

I’ll be on CNN’s Reliable Sources tomorrow morning, starting at around 9:30 central time, talking about Harriet Miers and Valerie Plame. »
October 22, 2005 — John Hinderaker

CIA on Brink of Victory Over Bush?

We have written repeatedly about the CIA’s war against the Bush administration, as, for example, here and here. It is impossible to understand the Valerie Plame affair without reference to this conflict. In the upcoming Weekly Standard, Stephen Hayes supplies the necessary conflict, as he focuses on the second leak in the Plame matter: the one from the CIA to NBC news, which revealed that the CIA had referred the »
October 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Going back to Maggie’s Farm

What is a Dylan-flavored, hunting-flavored, arts-and-letters-flavored, totally miscellaneous blog — Maggie’s Farm — doing with a piece on federal prosecutors and the Plame thing: “Scary federal prosecutors.” Or posting the heartening stock chart: “The NYT vs. Halliburton.” I guess they fall under its miscellaneous jurisdiction. »
October 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The rose garden and rose colored glasses

On Thursday President Bush met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office. At the conclusion of their meeting they made statements in the Rose Garden and fielded a few questions. The White House posted a transcript here. I found the president’s comments dispiriting. President Bush described Abbas as “a man devoted to peace and to his people’s aspirations for a state of their own.” Looking through the »
October 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Think again

As I’ve been suggesting, the fascinating thing about the Miers nomination is the way it forces politicians, pundits, and bloggers into uncharted territory, requiring them/us to think, whereas it’s normally enough just to react. And strange things happen when people start to think. Few think better than Charles Krauthammer. But he should think again about his column of today. Krauthammer’s starting premises are that Miers’ nomination was “a mistake” (hard »
October 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Justice Enoch speaks

Tim Chapman of Townhall has written to let us know that Townhall has posted a transcript of the telephone briefing today by Texas Supreme Court Justice Craig Enoch on Harriet Miers. The transcript is available here. The briefing was organized by the Republican National Committee. I understand that Paul participated in the call and was able to ask one of the questions. PAUL adds: Justice Enoch was impressive and credible. »
October 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Meet Jim Vicevich

John and I have frequently appeared on Jim Vicevich’s Sound Off Connecticut talk radio show on WTIC in Hartford over the past year. We’ve become big fans of the show because of Jim’s eye for stories and his ability to communicate their substance. We had no idea, however, that Jim has tranformed WTIC into the second most dominant station in the Hartford market, earning market shares rivaling those of Rush »
October 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

A strange new respect

The nomination of Harriet Miers is proving to be such a curve ball that it threatens to shake up the political landscape in ways no one could have expected. For one thing, it may revive the adage — which has become somewhat less true in modern times — that “politics makes strange bedfellows.” Consider the weight some conservatives are according the views of Senators Specter and Leahy. Yesterday, both criticized »
October 21, 2005 — John Hinderaker

DeLay Blasts Ronnie Earle

This is a transcript of Tom DeLay’s remarks, delivered this morning at the Texas State Capitol. I think all Republicans–especially the Bush administration–can learn from DeLay’s uncompromising response to unfair attacks by Democrats: This morning I appeared before the court and emphatically stated what I have maintained all along during this unfortunate episode: I have committed NO WRONGDOING. I know that, and more importantly, Ronnie Earle knows it. You may »
October 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Will consistency be the first casuality?

The train wreck that the Miers nomination has become is simultaneously painful and fascinating to observe. One nuance I find particularly noteworthy is the way in which many conservatives ignore the tension between opposing Miers on ideological grounds and having spent the past five years arguing that the president has the right to have qualified nominees confirmed regardless of their ideology, so long as they are not extreme. Indeed, while »
October 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Get his mojo working (in four steps with two bonus tracks)

In his Wonder Land column this morning, Daniel Henninger proposes a “Four-step program” for President Bush to “get his mojo back.” The Journal runs a related editorial on the Miers nomination. The concept of “mojo” was introduced to popular consciousness by the great blues artist Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) in “Got My Mojo Working” (his trademark song, recorded several times). The definitive version of the song is the live version »
October 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

History lessons

Weekly Standard online editor Jonathan Last takes a look back at the decline of the British empire through the turn of the British elite from support of King and country to pacifism and the Oxford oath: “Rule America?” (I respectfully disagree with Jonathan’s shot at President Bush in the column.) Professor David Gelernter complements Last’s column with a scorching “History lesson.” Professor Gelernter’s column follows up on Secretary Rice’s response »