Monthly Archives: February 2006

Isolating the Democrats

Good news: the Senate Republicans who joined with the Democrats to stall renewal of the Patriot Act have now struck a deal with the administration to vote for extending the Act. News reports have been pretty fragmentary, but it sounds as though the revisions to the law will be minor. When the Democrats “killed the Patriot Act,” as Harry Reid bragged, the press gave them cover by describing the opposition »

Isolating the Democrats

Good news: the Senate Republicans who joined with the Democrats to stall renewal of the Patriot Act have now struck a deal with the administration to vote for extending the Act. News reports have been pretty fragmentary, but it sounds as though the revisions to the law will be minor. When the Democrats “killed the Patriot Act,” as Harry Reid bragged, the press gave them cover by describing the opposition »

The gentleman from Louisiana is recognized

Former Congressman Robert Livingston continues to disappoint those who try to enlist him to attack Republican leaders. Last year, he declined the New York Times’ invitation to write an op-ed piece calling for Tom DeLay to step down. Now Livingston has rejected the invitation of a former House colleague to sign a statement criticizing President Bush for wielding too much power in the war on terrorism. Here is how the »

The gentleman from Louisiana is recognized

Former Congressman Robert Livingston continues to disappoint those who try to enlist him to attack Republican leaders. Last year, he declined the New York Times’ invitation to write an op-ed piece calling for Tom DeLay to step down. Now Livingston has rejected the invitation of a former House colleague to sign a statement criticizing President Bush for wielding too much power in the war on terrorism. Here is how the »

If You Think Bush Is Unpopular…

…check out Hillary Clinton, who scores only a 38% favorable rating in the latest Rasmussen poll. 47% view her unfavorably. Further, only 27% say they will definitely vote for Hillary if she runs in ’08, while 43% say “no way.” As I recall, 43% is right around where John Kerry’s “unfavorable” rating wound up on Election Day, so Hillary starts out viewed with the same level of suspicion that it »

If You Think Bush Is Unpopular…

…check out Hillary Clinton, who scores only a 38% favorable rating in the latest Rasmussen poll. 47% view her unfavorably. Further, only 27% say they will definitely vote for Hillary if she runs in ’08, while 43% say “no way.” As I recall, 43% is right around where John Kerry’s “unfavorable” rating wound up on Election Day, so Hillary starts out viewed with the same level of suspicion that it »

A pragmatic heresy

The Daily Standard has posted my column about the remarkable community activist Robert Woodson and his successful efforts to combat gang-related violence in impoverished neighborhoods and their schools. A former civil rights activist, Woodson learned that he could produce real results only by eschewing race-baiting and applying conservative and faith-based principles. »

A pragmatic heresy

The Daily Standard has posted my column about the remarkable community activist Robert Woodson and his successful efforts to combat gang-related violence in impoverished neighborhoods and their schools. A former civil rights activist, Woodson learned that he could produce real results only by eschewing race-baiting and applying conservative and faith-based principles. »

“Ethnic cleansing by inaction”

That’s Rep. Barney Frank’s charge against the Bush administration for not rebuilding New Orleans quickly enough. We’ll chalk that one up to hyperbole because otherwise the claim that (absent a war or an epidemic) African-Americans could be “cleansed” by government inaction would have to be attributed to racism. »

“Ethnic cleansing by inaction”

That’s Rep. Barney Frank’s charge against the Bush administration for not rebuilding New Orleans quickly enough. We’ll chalk that one up to hyperbole because otherwise the claim that (absent a war or an epidemic) African-Americans could be “cleansed” by government inaction would have to be attributed to racism. »

The cartoon intifada, cont’d

In “Rent-a-riot ABCs,” Amir Taheri shows how “the whole rigmarole was launched by Sunni-Salafi [Wahhabi] groups in Europe and Asia, with Ahmadinejad and his Syrian vassal, President Bashar al-Assad, belatedly playing catch-up.” Taheri writes: The [traveling group of Danish Muslim militants] found a more sympathetic audience in Qatar »

The cartoon intifada, cont’d

In “Rent-a-riot ABCs,” Amir Taheri shows how “the whole rigmarole was launched by Sunni-Salafi [Wahhabi] groups in Europe and Asia, with Ahmadinejad and his Syrian vassal, President Bashar al-Assad, belatedly playing catch-up.” Taheri writes: The [traveling group of Danish Muslim militants] found a more sympathetic audience in Qatar »

A word from Jessica Clements

In 2004 we followed the excellent Minneapolis Star Tribune series on Army Staff Sergeant Jessica Clements by medical reporter Maura Lerner. In the series Lerner wrote in detail, with great humanity, about the devastating brain injury suffered by Clements in Iraq, and her near-miraculous recovery-in-progress. The series also inclulded remarkable photographs by Star Tribune photographer Jim Gehrz. We noted the articles in the series and posted a few representative photos »

A word from Jessica Clements

In 2004 we followed the excellent Minneapolis Star Tribune series on Army Staff Sergeant Jessica Clements by medical reporter Maura Lerner. In the series Lerner wrote in detail, with great humanity, about the devastating brain injury suffered by Clements in Iraq, and her near-miraculous recovery-in-progress. The series also inclulded remarkable photographs by Star Tribune photographer Jim Gehrz. We noted the articles in the series and posted a few representative photos »

Hypocritical? Moi?

In today’s Washington Post, Anne Applebaum draws a series of lessons from the Mohammed cartoon story: [T]he controversy has exposed a few less attractive political undercurrents in America, too. One of those “less attractive political undercurrents” is “hypocrisy in the right-wing blogosphere.” Applebaum writes: Remember the controversy over Newsweek and the Koran? Last year Newsweek printed an allegation about mistreatment of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base that — »

Hypocritical? Moi?

In today’s Washington Post, Anne Applebaum draws a series of lessons from the Mohammed cartoon story: [T]he controversy has exposed a few less attractive political undercurrents in America, too. One of those “less attractive political undercurrents” is “hypocrisy in the right-wing blogosphere.” Applebaum writes: Remember the controversy over Newsweek and the Koran? Last year Newsweek printed an allegation about mistreatment of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base that — »

Speaking of Offensive…

This story in Ad Age is an interesting counterpoint to the Muslim riots over the Mohammed drawings: Britney Spears is out of the kitchen. NBC will not include a scene featuring a cooking segment titled »