Jumping To Conclusions

Hey, look over here! No, I mean over here.

2003-09-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

We're moving! Blogger has been good to us for the last 18 months, but we think we're ready to move over to the slightly snazzier MovableType, so, here goes... Point your bookmarks, assuming anybody has actually bookmarked this page, to http://www.oobleck.com/tollbooth. Same name, same great taste, fancier packaging.

Self vs. Un

2003-09-07T05:43:00.000-04:00

The New York Times reports on the latest unemployment data in its usual unbiased way.The Labor Department announced yesterday that 93,000 jobs were lost in August, countering expectations that employment would finally begin to expand. The economic recovery in the United States is now in its 22nd month, without reversing constant job losses. The unemployment rate declined to 6.1 percent from 6.2

Reading really is fundamental

2003-09-07T04:07:00.000-04:00

Breaking new ground, John Zuccarini became the first person in the country to be charged with violating the recently-passed Truth in Domain Names law.Prosecutors said that as part of the scheme, the defendant, John Zuccarini, had registered 3,000 domain names that included misspellings or slight variations of popular names like Disneyland, Bob the Builder and Teen magazine. Mr. Zuccarini used

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout? (Sorry, but how can I not use the pun?)

2003-09-07T02:56:00.000-04:00

Gary Coleman is upset that people don't respect him.So why is the aging action star taken more seriously than the erstwhile child actor? "It's the height," Mr. Coleman says with a twinge of bitterness. "He's an adult-size superstar male."Well, that might be it. Or it might be that the littler Arnold has the IQ of, well, a sitcom actor:He has appeared on CNN, Fox News and foreign programs. Sean

My faith in humanity is gone

2003-09-06T16:28:00.000-04:00

If you can't trust a murderous dictator, who can you trust? What's this world coming to?

If a senator filibusters in a forest and there are no cameras, what's the point?

2003-09-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

In the past, I've wondered why we only see virtual filibusters nowadays, rather than the real thing. Well, over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Randy Barnett quotes Larry Solum's explanation approvingly as to why a real filibuster (which Solum calls a 24/7 filibuster) won't work:The contemporary filibuster is a polite affair. Charles Schumer does not talk through the night, bleary eyed and exhausted.

The world turned upside down

2003-09-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

Tyler Cowen happens to mention this odd description of the co-editor of the Almanac of American Politics:"Michael Barone is to politics what statistician-writer Bill James is to baseball, a mix of historian, social observer, and numbers cruncher who illuminates his subject with perspective and a touch of irreverence."--Chicago TribuneI remember, growing up, hearing Bill James compared to others

Actually, it's John Ashcroft, out to get you.

2003-09-05T14:21:00.000-04:00

To answer Partha's question -- though the answer can be found elsewhere now -- it's not just Partha's computer. YACC, who provides our commenting service, is down, and will be down through the weekend. I would do something about substituting another service for YACC, but we're planning some big changes behind the scenes which will be unveiled shortly and make it unnecessary, so I see no great

November 2004

2003-09-04T17:55:00.000-04:00

In an Associated Press story today, we read: "It's like your building is half built, and the contractor comes in and says that to finish the building and put the roof on, it's going to cost a lot more," said Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., a stalwart Bush supporter. "What's your choice? You've got to put the roof on." That's a heck of an analogy. For, it's true... you need a roof, so you have to

Is it just my computer?

2003-09-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or are the "comments" part of this page not working? If they are working, sorry, I haven't been able to read them for about a week so I haven't been able to respond to anything said there. And, if they're not working, well, I don't know how you'll be able to leave a comment to tell me so.

Mr. Ness! I do NOT approve of your methods. Oh yeah? Well, you're not from Chicago.

2003-09-04T14:17:00.000-04:00

In a quite disingenuous post, Glenn Reynolds provides a quote and then comments: VIK RUBENFELD ASKS: "Isn’t it just about time that the left was asked what its plans are for combating terrorism? The left doesn’t want us in Iraq, where we are bringing the fight right to the terrorists’ own backyard? Okay - what’s their plan?" Yes. Given that what we're up against is, essentially, "the Klan with

The Vietnam analogy

2003-09-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

Amitava Mazumdar writes that one aspect of the Iraq/Vietnam analogy may be valid: It's pretty clear to me what these men are doing. The prospect that the Iraq project will come off successfully looks increasingly dim. So dim, that the nation's most visible war proponents have begun distancing themselves from the Bush administration's Iraq policy. But they aren't admitting that the whole idea

When was?

2003-09-04T13:44:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you heard the phrase "coalition of the willing"? And, do you know what alert status we're in now? Is it red, orange, yellow, or mauve? I wonder why these have gone by the way-side? (Actually, I'm not wondering...)

Heh

2003-09-04T13:42:00.000-04:00

Kos alerts us to this pre-war statement by Richard Pearle: Saddam Hussein's reign of terror is about to end. He will go quickly, but not alone: in a parting irony, he will take the UN down with him. Well, not the whole UN. The "good works" part will survive, the low-risk peacekeeping bureaucracies will remain, the chatterbox on the Hudson will continue to bleat. What will die is the fantasy of

You might not be a NASCAR Dad if...

2003-09-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

In a promo for the Brian Lehrer Show yesterday morning on New York City's National Public Radio affiliate WNYC, Mr. Lehrer tells us that the topic of the day is "NASCAR Dads" (a term that is fast replacing "Soccer Moms" as the political demographic cliche of choice) and asks anyone who considers themself a NASCAR Dad to call in to his show later that morning. Of course, there is an inherent

What does he mean by that?

2003-09-03T09:09:00.000-04:00

Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Daniel Drezner writes: Just got back from seeing Bend It Like Beckham -- destined to become this year's My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with all the positives and negatives that title confers. [First off, where has he been? It's "destined to become"? It's hardly a new movie. Cripes, I saw Bend it Like Beckham in Philadelphia last November.] I wish he would have

Shoe eating

2003-09-01T13:54:00.000-04:00

I don't get it. Conservatives really like eating their shoes. So this Kathryn Jean Lopez will be eating her shoes on August 29, 2004. Is this Hillary talk anything more than some odd sort of conservative wish fullilment? Do they really believe if they say she's running enough times that she will?

Labor Day Rental Recommendation

2003-08-31T23:56:00.000-04:00

If you're going to be spending Labor Day at home, I have a video recommendation -- a recommendation quite appropriate for Labor Day. Harlan County U.S.A.

No hobgoblins here

2003-08-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

John Rosenberg points out a minor discrepancy in the positions of the NAACP on two race-related issues:In Florida the NAACP does not want the state to collect information that would identify poorly performing schools. By contrast, in California, as one of their primary arguments against Prop. 54, the Racial Privacy Initiative, the NAACP and its allies argue that the state must continue to collect

Revisionism

2003-08-29T10:07:00.000-04:00

Larry Kudlow has a facinating paragraph in his recent National Review column column about Howard Dean: For example, Dean's universal health-care insurance is Hillarycare. It's the same government-paid health insurance that's been a disaster in Western Europe and Canada. And it's the same socialist proposal that was defeated handily in a Democratic Congress ten years ago.In addition to replying

But where is it from?

2003-08-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

Clayton Craymer writing on a post by Glenn Reynolds writes: Instapundit has a whole bunch of quotes about religion and the founding of the United States. As George Washington noted, "the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."The nice thing about the Library of Congress is that they have the complete set of Washington's papers online,

My kids are hot! Please raise my taxes!

2003-08-28T12:12:00.000-04:00

James Lileks writes a column about a column he didn't write: The premise concerned the closing of the wading pools in the middle of August. That's right - budget cuts, you see. They couldn't find $13K in a $60 million budget for wading pools, so they shut them on the hottest day of the year. I think, but cannot prove, that this is their way of making us scream to our legislators, to show up

Dems v. Repubs II

2003-08-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

Nick Schulz weighs in on Jane Galt's article. He writes: "All of which will make the Democratic primary season hugely compelling. The Democrats haven’t had to debate what they truly believe since 1992 when Bill Clinton became the party’s standard-bearer. That’s a long cease-fire among factions." I suppose... if you believe, of course, that Nader's run in 2000 was not part of a debate about

Elections are a serious threat to democracy!

2003-08-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

On the November ballot in New York City will be a proposal to eliminate partisan primaries. If the proposal passes, all candidates in a district will run in a single primary election, which will be open to all voters. The top two vote-getters for each office in the primary will face off in the general election. Such a system is used in many other large cities, and it sounds like a reasonable idea

Dems v. Repubs

2003-08-26T20:31:00.000-04:00

Jane Galt writes: The Republicans, after all, are in many ways a larger tent than the Democrats.... And that's because they can. The Republicans only have two groups to please: social conservatives, and fiscal conservatives.... The Democrats, on the other hand, are a veritable festival of interest groups: unions, teachers, minorities, feminists, gay groups, environmentalists, etc. Each of these

Conclusions not matching the data?

2003-08-26T19:45:00.000-04:00

Much of this article about Wesley Clark is pretty humorous (in an ironic way). Two lines in particular stand out: "But an unexpected bolt from the blue suddenly ignited Clark’s life, turning mediocrity into a skyrocket ride that could yet land him in the Oval Office." Mediocrity? At this point, the article has already listed his: (1) placing first in his class at West Point, (2) his being

10 Commandments Redux

2003-08-26T13:51:00.000-04:00

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and am and, as far as I can predict the future, will always be a Pennsylvanian. However, I lived in Kansas for a large part of my adult life and am proud to consider myself a Jayhawk. For what it's worth, it never bothered me that the University of Kansas seal had a great religious image on it. Check it out for yourself. It's Moses in front of the burning

Who said it first?

2003-08-26T03:05:00.000-04:00

With regard to the Fox lawsuit against Al Franken, I've heard several pundits comment about the general absurdity of being allowed to trademark a common phrase like "fair and balanced." So here's a question: is the phrase "fair and balanced" really a common phrase, or do we just think it's common because of Fox? Were people regularly using the phrase before Fox adopted it?

Moore religion

2003-08-26T02:49:00.000-04:00

According to Eugene Volokh, Hindus are gay! Well, it makes sense if you read the whole post. And on the subject of the intersection of religion and government, this excerpt of aletter published in the New York Times about the Roy Moore ten commandments controversy:The duty of a judge is not to obey God but to follow the law, which he took an oath to uphold. If Chief Justice Moore finds that

Things are bad all over. Two examples

2003-08-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

1. Teachers are taking dozens of free pens at conferences because their school districts no longer have the money to provide pens to their students. Pens! 2. Ken Lay takes a bath on his Aspen house. He only got $5.5 million for it. Hopefully he got more for his other three houses in Aspen.

Still, more successful than the Devil Rays.

2003-08-22T23:13:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, Tampa famously rolled out surveillance cameras with facial recognition technology at the Super Bowl. They've finally, tacitly, admitted failure:Two years after Tampa became the nation's first city to use facial-recognition software to search for wanted criminals, officials are dropping the program. It led to zero arrests.Perhaps if they had focused the cameras on the

Alabama, Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, and a Trivia Question

2003-08-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

Q: According to the Gospels, when Jesus was asked which was the greatest of all the ten commandments, which one did he answer with? A: The answer is, none of the above. The conversation starts at Matthew 22:36: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" To which, the reply came: " Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and

Conservatives are evil

2003-08-20T19:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the New York Times came up with yet another of those well-some-Republicans-are-okay-but-these-extremists-in-Washington-now-are-modern-day-Torquemadas editorials they're so famous for. This time, it didn't come from Paul Krugman, but from editorial board member Adam Cohen, who is allegedly an attorney. (I say "allegedly" for reasons that will be made clear.) He describes the National

Didn't families of suicide bombers get $15,000 also?

2003-08-20T17:33:00.000-04:00

From the killing-the-golden-goose department: Blair Hornstine, the girl who successfully manipulated the system to become valedictorian and gain admission to Harvard, and then tried to gild the lily (perhaps it's actually the mixed-metaphor department) by suing her school district for millions of dollars, has settled for a mere $15,000. (Her attorneys also get $45,000, lucky them.) So, let's

Only the true Messiah would deny his divinity... or something like that...

2003-08-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

American religion is becoming more "mystical" and less "mainline" says New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. The Roman Catholic holiday of the Feast of the Assumption this past week is his Exhibit A. Fine. Let him believe or not. What I was most struck by in the column was this passage: Yet despite the lack of scientific or historical evidence, and despite the doubts of Biblical scholars,

Future urban legend?

2003-08-17T19:41:00.000-04:00

The New York Times points out a budding myth: despite what people are saying, it wasn't fifty million people who lost power in the recent blackout.The number 50 million appeared as part of a news release issued late Thursday and again on Friday by the reliability council, which sets rules for managing the electrical grid. "Approximately 61,800 megawatts of customer load was lost in an area that

What to expect on May 14, 2004

2003-08-15T14:58:00.000-04:00

Before more people, either your friends or on the news, tell you that 9 months after the great 1965 Northeast blackout, an abnormally high number of babies were born, please read this.

Anti-American

2003-08-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

John Derbyshire is too easy to ridicule. Ordinarily, I believe that someone as foolish as Derbyshire should be ignored, but people like he and Ann Coulter speak with such force and on such a large stage that they must be confronted. Today, Derbyshire wrote: "Al Franken is a hysterical, delusional, America-hating, buck-toothed lefty dork. OK?" Right now, Franken's book is the #1 bestseller on

Now I know my ABCs

2003-08-14T01:41:00.000-04:00

Perhaps I'm just missing something really obvious, but I can't quite figure out the point of the California alphabet lottery. If they're going to rotate the alphabet from district to district in order to be fair, well, that part makes sense. Different people will be at the top of the ballot in different districts, so nobody gains the advantage of being first all the time. But if they're going

RE: Amuck or amok?

2003-08-13T14:31:00.000-04:00

Eugene Volokh asks: "Amuck or amok" -- which is the prefered spelling? He quite sensibly and correctly writes: "Amuck or amok?, asks a reader, responding to an earlier post. The answer, as is often the case with such linguistic issues, is that both are acceptable, as dictionaries make clear. A google search suggests that "amok" is more common, though "amuck" is common enough; a NEXIS search is

90 percent of life

2003-08-12T20:13:00.000-04:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new official campaign web page exclaims: "There comes a point where we the people must demand more of our elected officials than just showing up." I suppose that's why Arnold, not Keanu Reeves, is running for the California's governor's mansion. Because Keanu, of course, quite famously told us all that "the most important thing in life is just showing up."

It's funny because it's true

2003-08-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

The Onion's take on why Gray Davis may be recalled.

As the Badger would have said, it's a bad day for hockey

2003-08-11T19:53:00.000-04:00

If you could magically go to any entertainment event of the 20th century, where would you go? The premier of the Rite of Spring in 1915? The famous Armory art show? Watch Babe Ruth in the 1927 World Series? Woodstock? The Beatles at the Cavern in 1962 in Liverpool? Jackie Robinson making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947? While watching Jackie's first game comes in a

When bad things happen to bad people

2003-08-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

Also known as getting what you deserve. (Yeah, I know: she meant well. Big whoop.)

Advertisements for vouchers

2003-08-11T05:23:00.000-04:00

Fun with unions... a New York City junior high teacher was arrested for possession of cocaine and marijuana. Did I say teacher? I meant "dean of discipline." He pled guilty to a felony. The Department of Education fired him. Well, they tried, anyway. But he entered a "drug treatment program," and so an arbitrator has now ruled that he should be allowed to keep his job. The arbitrator's "

One of the reasons I like Schwarzenegger

2003-08-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't vote for him myself, but I do like his movies (with exceptions, of course, like Kindergarden Cop and Twins), and I identify with him because, like me, he has a bicuspid aortic valve. Or, should I say, he had a bicuspid aortic valve.

Yeah, I think so, too

2003-08-09T15:36:00.000-04:00

Over at the Corner, Steve Hayward writes: "In other California news today, the L.A. Times notes that California lost another 21,000 jobs last month, which is half the total nationwide job loss for the month. Someone in the White House ought to point out that job loss is worst where Democrats are in charge of things." Good idea, Steve. Whatcha think the Democratic Response will be? 22.4 Million

Agreeing to Disagree

2003-08-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been liking the charges of McCarthyism and anti-Americanism on the Jumping to Conclusions comment boards, you sure won't like Anandashankar Mazumdar's lastest post on his blog. And, yeah, I know he just got married, but why doesn't Ananda post more often to his blog? There are people who want to read what he has to write. (One major complaint about Ananda's page, though:

Two questions about Howard Dean

2003-08-09T13:25:00.000-04:00

I know that blogs are supposed to make assertions and make points and all that, but I have two questions which some of you readers (there are readers out there, right?) might know. I'm asking because I don't know: 1. Both Howard Dean's father and grandfather were top executives at Dean Witter Reynolds and were both fabulously wealthy. Do any of you know if Dean's grandfather was a founding/

Cinema Paradiso

2003-08-09T00:31:00.000-04:00

Matthew Hoy writes: " finally got around to watching the new version of "Cinema Paradiso." Usually the director's cut is better -- i.e. "Blade Runner" -- in this case, however, the original is the one you should watch. I think leaving some things unanswered is better than the answers you end up getting. Anyway, if you rent it watch the old version (the DVD has both versions on it) -- it has a

Panda Republicanism

2003-08-08T17:08:00.000-04:00

Anne Applebaum of the Washington Post is moving to New York City: Whatever else can be said about Rudy Giuliani, he gave New York City a different profile in the 1990s, and now people who would never even have dared to visit Manhattan flock there to live. But this is the point: In fact, what makes me nervous about Manhattan nowadays is not the criminals, who have faded back into the Bronx, but

Preach it, Al!

2003-08-07T22:10:00.000-04:00

Al Gore today at NYU: If the 21st century is to be well-started, we need a national agenda that is worked out in concert with the people, a healing agenda that is built on a true national consensus. Millions of Americans got the impression that George W. Bush wanted to be a healer, not a divider, a president devoted first and foremost to honor and integrity. And yet far from uniting the people,

Saying one thing then saying you said something else II

2003-08-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Once again, John Derbyshire: In reviewing the reactions he received from his diatrible yesterday, he writes: "I got a strong impression, time after time, that the reader believed I SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SAY the things I said. A couple of readers said so flat out. Veiled threats to try and shut me down were common. ("Does Mr Buckley know the kinds of things you say on The Corner? Perhaps he

Schwarzenegger's Negatives?

2003-08-07T14:28:00.000-04:00

Over at my fave site, The Corner, Tim Graham lists five possible negatives to a Schwarzenegger governorship: 1. Liberal media will have a new Dan Quayle caricature to show how much smarter Democrats are. But Arnold's no dummy, you suggest? Neither was Quayle. But if they can exploit the image, they will. Reporters will be asking about Swedish-style land-use planning just to get the gaffe.

Saying one thing then saying you said something else

2003-08-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

Today's example: John Derbyshire. First he says that he's entertaining the idea that homosexuality should be criminalized. Or, in his words: "I have always thought that the criminalization of homosexual acts was both foolish, and inhumane, and un-Christian. I am no longer so sure." Then he takes aim at someone who desires clairification on what he said (wondering if his words were an

I hear they are posted at the Alabama Supreme Court building...

2003-08-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

It seems the author of the e-mail damning Bishop-elect Gene Robinson claims he never meant the accustion to become public. ""He never expected this to become a matter for the secular press," someone in the know said. "It was meant to be an internal message to the powers that be. ... It got very beyond where he expected." Reading the e-mail, it's hard to believe. But, whatever. Considering

Facinating Wording

2003-08-05T16:31:00.000-04:00

Today, Fred Barnes gives us this about Bishop-elect Gene Robinson: "The gay issue is threatening to split the Episcopal Church. Conservatives, traditionalists, and their allies note the Bible is explicit in identifying gay sexual relations as sinful and insist the church should stand against worldly trends. The church's official position is opposition to sexual activity outside of marriage. The

Another Sign Irony is Not Dead

2003-08-05T15:08:00.000-04:00

Today on the National Review's group blog The Corner, Mike Potemra writes the following about something Roger Ebert said: "It’s heartening that this attitude can prevail, even in today’s climate of race-mongering and race-baiting." Ironic, considering that one of The Corner's contributors is Charles Murray.

When is a door not a door? When it's ajar!

2003-08-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

What do you call it when the government imposes costs on you, which you must pay, by law, whether you get something for it or not? Well, if you figure it out, please let the New York Times know, okay? Writing about the BBC:Indeed, the corporation is governed by a 10-year Royal Charter, not expiring until 2006, meaning it can take a much longer view of its investments and spending than other

Darwin

2003-07-31T17:05:00.000-04:00

In a post about evolution and culture, Steven Den Beste writes "Darwinian evolution by natural selection is inelegant, inefficient, very cruel and wasteful and, it turns out, true." I have to disagree. Inelegant it is not. Let's remember Darwin's last words of Origin of Species: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator

Not Solly

2003-07-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

It's on right after the Simpsons and it's unlike anything else on TV. It's Banzai! And it's ticking people off: Animal rights activists were appalled. The National Council on Problem Gambling would like to see viewers urged to bet responsibly. And the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans has complained that the series showcases "the most offensive, negative Asian stereotypes." [...] "I

Remembering Vincent

2003-07-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Over at The Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez writes: "THIS IS SAUDI ARABIA: 2 & 4 years for murder. The husband (four years) tied up the 18-year-old maid while the wife (2 years) poured scalding hot water on their employee." Of course, 2 & 4 years could happen here, too. Let's remember Vincent Chin. He was killed by two men... a step-father and a step-son. The step-son held Vincent and the

I hate when things get cheaper

2003-07-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

You've got to love the logic of desperate partisans:But the recall provision, which was created in 1911 to thwart the corruption of East Coast-style machine politics and domination by plutocrats, has become another way big money can warp the system. "Instead of spending $50 million to be governor," Mayor Brown says, "a wealthy person can throw in $2 million for a recall and only need 20 percent

Landing

2003-07-29T01:48:00.000-04:00

From Paul Krugman's column today: "Here's what Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, said in a speech last week: 'To gauge just how out of touch the Democrat leadership is on the war on terror, just close your eyes and try to imagine Ted Kennedy landing that Navy jet on the deck of that aircraft carrier.'" Let's see about this Democratic leadership... Ted Kennedy served three years in the U.S.

Doubleplusungood

2003-07-28T04:20:00.000-04:00

By the way, think of the phrase "nonviolent drug offenses," which I used below. Aren't all drug offenses, by nature, nonviolent? If a drug addict mugs an old lady to pay for his habit, that's assault and robbery, not a violent drug offense. If a drug dealer shoots another drug dealer over a territorial dispute, that's murder, not a violent drug offense. By using the phrase "nonviolent drug

Whoosh!

2003-07-28T03:47:00.000-04:00

The New York Times's Fox Butterfield is (in)famous for not being able to grasp cause-and-effect, but his myopic mindset appears to be spreading. An Associated Press story on the subject of crime pays homage to one of Butterfield's classics in the annals of liberal cluelessness:America's prison population grew again in 2002 despite a declining crime rate, costing the federal government and states

Gee, thanks

2003-07-26T20:44:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan on "many Democrats": "My beef with many Democrats right now is not that they're traitors of any kind but that they have got their perspective skewed; and they need to realize more strongly that we really are fighting truly bad guys out there and our president isn't one of them." I'm pretty sure that I'd be in Sullivan's "many Democrats" category. He's generous to believe I'm

Why not the XFL?

2003-07-26T00:39:00.000-04:00

There are many people who have criticized the Postal Service for sponsoring Lance Armstrong's team in the Tour de France. Generally, people questioned why the Post Office, as a monopoly, would need to advertise. But then there's the argument everybody except the New York Times would be embarrassed to print. In an Op/Ed piece they published -- scarily enough, by someone who sits on the Postal

Uday's Bodyguard

2003-07-25T16:48:00.000-04:00

I found this interview with one of Uday Hussein's bodyguards fascinating. Sorry, no excerpts. Read the whole thing, as they say.

Iceberg, Greenberg, Goldberg, what's the difference?

2003-07-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

Did they really say this? From a New York Times story on immigrants in Japanese society:Though Vietnamese by origin, as fellow Asians they would be hard to pick out out in a crowd.Yeah, they all look alike to me. All them colored people do, in fact.

Randy Barnett wants to know

2003-07-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

Randy Barnett says that he "really want[s] to know" so, really quickly, let's find out: LEFT LIVING A LIE? The contention that George W. Bush lied in his State of the Union speech, now spreading through the media and into the base of the Democratic Party, has caused me (Randy Barnett) to think again about a phenomenon I have been noticing since the election of 2000. If the White

What happened to the WMDs? We don't know.

2003-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

It's possible Saddam was disarmed five years ago, but we didn't know that then. And we didn't know that in March. And President Clinton has just admitted he still doesn't know: "When I left office, there was a substantial amount of biological and chemical material unaccounted for," Clinton said on CNN's "Larry King Live." Clinton said he never found out whether a U.S.-British bombing campaign

The answer to the question: what happened to the WMDs?

2003-07-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

Is it possible that there are no WMD in Iraq today because Bill Clinton led a coalition of the willing and disarmed Saddam Hussein 5 years ago? The answer is, of course not. As Trent Lott said at the time: "While I have been assured by administration officials that there is no connection with the impeachment process in the House of Representatives, I cannot support this military action in the

Let's hope this is confirmed soon

2003-07-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

From msnbc.com: BAGHDAD, July 22 — Widespread and sporadic gunfire crackled across Baghdad after dark on Tuesday as word spread that Saddam Hussein's feared and hated sons may have been killed in a gunbattle with U.S. troops. It really would have been more gratifying if they were captured alive, but why quibble?

We won! How outrageous!

2003-07-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

Of course, Clinton actually lied about his affair. At most, Bush was wrong about the Niger connection (although note that the British are sticking to their story). An actual lie is the suggestion that uranium purchases were the only reason for going to war, and that proving that claim wrong would wreck the entire war rationale. Sorry, but that would still leave Saddam as a very immediate threat

More William Kristol

2003-07-22T14:42:00.000-04:00

This is fun... From his September 1, 1998 column in the Weekly Standard: "Personal loyalty is an admirable trait, and so is political loyalty. Up to a point. Government officials work for the nation, not simply for the president. They swear an oath to the Constitution, not to the president. To remain loyal to a president who lies is to make oneself complicit in his lies. To remain loyal to a

William Kristol

2003-07-22T14:24:00.000-04:00

William Kristol's now oft-cited column in the Weekly Standard argues that the questioning Democrats are doing about the Iraqi-nuclear material-intelligence will end up hurting the Democrats. He writes that "it's a free country, and if the Democrats prefer instead to act as a pathologically disgruntled lunatic fringe, then it'll be their problem more than anyone else's." Let's remember for a

To the rescue

2003-07-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

Don't fret, we're going to Liberia. I know you've always been eager for war, Partha. It just takes time: U.S. officials announced that 4,500 more American sailors and Marines have been ordered to position themselves closer to Liberia, if needed for an evacuation of Americans, peacekeeping or some other mission. So where's the concern about threatening and invading a sovereign nation that is

Liberia

2003-07-21T18:32:00.000-04:00

If the war in Iraq wasn't about Iraq being an immediate threat. If the war in Iraq wasn't about weapons of mass destruction. If the war in Iraq wasn't about oil. If the war in Iraq wasn't about its non-existent ties with al-Qaeda... If the war in Iraq was genuinely about freeing the Iraqi people from fear, repression, and wonton murder... Then, forgodsakes, why aren't we in Liberia? WAILING

Hospital Rankings

2003-07-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

I'm not one who likes rankings... college rankings, business school rankings, or hospital rankings. But, I just need to mention that the new US News and World Report hospital rankings came out today, and the #2 pediatric hospital is the Children Hospital of Boston. Pretty good. It's also the hospital where my twin sister, Dr. Mazumdar, works. (The best pediatric hospital is, by the way, the

Beyonce

2003-07-21T17:47:00.000-04:00

In this week's issue of Newsweek, Gersh Kuntzman writes about Beyonce Knowles: "although if you ask me, the only controversy is how come [Beyonce] doesn’t take off all her clothes already because, clearly, this is the actual product she is selling, and to remain clothed amounts to a particularly frustrating form of false advertising." I think he should get a copy of Beyonce's new song, "Crazy in

Irony didn't end on 9/11

2003-07-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Via Atrios: "I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq," said Wolfowitz, who is touring the country to meet U.S. troops and Iraqi officials.

Just imagine the dry cleaning bill

2003-07-20T22:08:00.000-04:00

So you thought your wedding was expensive? Try this wedding dress on for size:NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Syrian-Jewish bride from Brooklyn will this summer wear what could be America's most expensive wedding gown, a white dress adorned with 1,100 glittering diamonds and worth $300,000, an assistant to the designer said on Thursday. [...] Mindy Woon, buyer and assistant manager of the bridal salon

Who is to blame?

2003-07-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

Q. Who is to blame for the bad intelligence concerning Iraq's supposed nuclear materials acquisition? a. George Tennet b. Dr. Rice c. Dick Cheney d. George W. Bush e. All of the Above f. None of the Above The answer is, of course, f, none of the above. Because, according to the Speaker of the House, the blame lies upon -- get this -- former President Bill Clinton. Speaking up for the

Having a ball

2003-07-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

I know that there are people out there who hate President Bush with every molecule of every fiber of their being. (Thousands of people drove that point home this past winter by taking to the streets denouncing him and supporting one of the most murderous dictators of the past fifty years.) I've learned to find their shrill rants amusing, despite their dead seriousness. And for a fine example of

Logic deficit

2003-07-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't complaints about the deficit be more credible if they were coming from people who had ever met a federal program (other, of course, than the defense department) that they didn't like? I didn't notice Democrats who demanded a prescription drug program worrying about the deficit. I didn't notice Democrats who demanded federal grants to the states for their budgets worrying about the

Perspective

2003-07-19T22:03:00.000-04:00

Howard Dean has sixteen questions for President Bush. Question number 15 is: Mr. President, we need to know what you were referring to in Poland on May 30, 2003, when you said, "For those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong. We found them." (The Washington Post, Mike Allen, 5/31/2003) For comparison and perspective, the following was

On further review

2003-07-19T21:05:00.000-04:00

Actually, Partha, the White House is correct. The correct rendition of Roberto Clemente's name is Roberto Clemente Walker, and the Baseball Hall of Fame changed his plaque a few years ago to reflect that. (Oh, and he didn't actually "win" anything; he was given an honor.)

Arriba!

2003-07-19T17:36:00.000-04:00

John J. Miller over at the Corner notes that: "The White House has just released a list of this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.... What an outstanding group--the White House deserves an A+ for this." I agree. It's a great group. However, follow the link to the White House press release. It's Roberto Walker Clemente. Not Roberto Clemente Walker. Anyway, it's good to see

On the other hand, maybe the Times would

2003-07-19T16:09:00.000-04:00

Quick question: do you think the New York Times would have printed a boy-isn't-that-cute profile of a kid who read Mein Kampf when he was little, thought the Nazis ideas sounded really cool, and went on to lead a branch of the Aryan Nations? Somehow, I doubt it. So what's up with this New York Times puffery about Charlotte Kates, one of the organizers of the pro-terrorism conference at Rutgers?

I don't know what to say

2003-07-18T15:07:00.000-04:00

Read it for yourself. Or read what Tom Tomorrow has to say: "...if this is on the level, the implications are extraordinary. I always had it in the back of my mind that Cheney was stonewalling on the energy task force to hide the corruption, the ties to Enron and so on. But what if the sons of bitches were sitting around deciding how to divvy up Iraq? What if that most reductionist of slogans is

You've got to be kidding me

2003-07-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Lloyd Grove reports (via Josh Marshall) that the White House has been spreading rumors about Jeffrey Kofman. Kofman was the ABC News reporter who filed a story from Iraq that the morale of U.S. soldiers has been dropping. The White House alterted Matt Drudge that Kofman was gay and Canadian. I liked Canadian Bacon, too, but I agree with the "network insider" quoted by Grove: "Playing hardball

Sullivan on Blair's Speech

2003-07-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

From Andrew Sullivan today: This is what the carpers and nay-sayers still don't understand. The West is at war with a real and uniquely dangerous enemy. I do understand this. The United States and the rest of the West is, indeed, at war with a real and uniquely dangerous enemy. When the consequences of negligence become catastrophic, the equation of intervention changes. I agree with

Re-election and predicting the future

2003-07-17T19:03:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan, Glenn Reynolds, and NRO are going overboard on a recent story by Mark Steyn. Basically, Sullivan, Reynolds and NRO are really happy because Steyn says that President Bush is going to be reelected. Let's all remember the perils of predicting a Republican future. From ABC This Week, January 25, 1998: COKIE ROBERTS: Well, what do you think? I mean, how -- what are the steps Bill

How to spend the surplus

2003-07-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

"...we need somebody to simplify the code, to be fair, to continue prosperity by sharing some of the surplus with the people who pay the bills, particularly those at the bottom end of the economic ladder.... I can't let the man -- I can't let the man continue with fuzzy math. It's $1.3 trillion, Mr. Vice President. It's going to go to everybody who pays taxes. I'm not going to be one of these

Why he has a staff

2003-07-17T16:39:00.000-04:00

If Vice-President Cheney did, as Eugene Volokh claims, just "misspoke" when he claimed that Iraq had nuclear weapons, shouldn't his staff have issued a correction later that same day? Or issued a correction the next day? Or at some point? Let's be clear; we're not talking about the New York Times misstating something. Professor Volokh is talking about the Vice-President of the United States

I really did see this

2003-07-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

From today's Washington Post: "Mary Kewatt, the aunt of a soldier killed in Iraq, saying: 'President Bush made a comment a week ago, and he said 'bring it on.' Well, they brought it on, and now my nephew is dead.'" Does anybody out there still believe that a Democratic candidate has no chance of defeating President Bush in 2004?

Mass Destruction

2003-07-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

According to an article in Newdsay: Since the end of the war, dozens of mass graves [in Iraq] have been discovered -- many of them containing hundreds of bodies. The United Nations is investigating the killing or disappearance of at least 300,000 Iraqis believed murdered by Saddam's regime. Does anybody out there still believe that we shouldn't have overthrown Saddam?

Park-Workers, Nun-Beaters, and Candy-Stealers Local 1208

2003-07-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

I have long thought that government workers should not be allowed to form labor unions. This article does nothing to change my mind: Budget cuts meant there was no money to plant flowers this summer in Saskatchewan's Duck Mountain Provincial Park, so a group of cottagers raised $50 and spent an afternoon planting marigolds. Less than a day later, a dozen park workers arrived to uproot the

President Bush reviews the State of the Union address line-by-line and word-by-word

2003-07-17T13:15:00.000-04:00

From Governor Dean's blog: Working at his desk in the Oval Office, President Bush reviews the State of the Union address line-by-line and word-by-word.