CNN: The death of a U.S. Marine in southern Afghan combat has ushered in a grim milestone. Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minnesota, is the 2,000th American to die in Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for what the Bush administration characterized as the "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Amendment One Sign Wars
Like California's Proposition 8, the Amendment One measure in North Carolina would amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman — but it would also ban gay civil unions and domestic partnerships. On my way in to work, I count the number of AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE signs on peoples' lawns, compared to the … Read More
Running On Bin Laden’s Death
The Republicans have a problem with President Obama taking credit for Osama bin Laden's death. And it is not hard to see why. Mitt Romney didn't want us going into Pakistan to catch bin Laden, which is in fact where we got him. Good thing Mitt Romney didn't win the presidency in 2008 or Osama bin Laden still might be … Read More
Stop Kony (or Why The Internet Is Awesome)
This video was posted on Tuesday. Despite being half an hour long, it has been viewed 50 million times. It's time for you to watch it. In the interest of full disclosure, there has been some criticism of Invisible Children, although it doesn't amount to much in my view (no charitable organization is perfect). Some of the criticisms are … Read More
Wahlberg Thinks He’s Badass, But He’s Actually A Knob
"If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'" Mark Wahlberg, on the 9/11 hijacked flights, during an interview for Men's Journal. Listen Mark. When people get out … Read More
How To Overthrow A Dictator
So with the (unconfirmed) news that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been killed, sounding the end of his 35 year brutal regime in Libya, now would be a good time to pull some lessons on how to actually do dictator-toppling. Unilateral or coalition? Iraq, under Bush: The organized international community was against the War in Iraq, so Bush created what he called … Read More
The Fall of Ghadaffi
It's amusing to watch the GOP deal with the inevitable fall of Ghadaffi. They spend the past few months criticizing Obama for going into Libya and supporting the rebels in the first place. Now that the rebels are on the brink of victory, the GOP cannot find the words to credit Obama's Libya policy. Think Progress picks up the story: … Read More
On The Norwegian Terrorist
Well, one can imagine what would be said if Andre Brevik, the Norway terrorist who killed 90 people (UPDATE: ummmm… seventy-sex people) on Friday, was a Muslim intent on starting a holy war against Christians. But now having dissected his 1,500 page online manifesto (in well-written English) and YouTube video, we now know he was a conservative Christian "knight". So now … Read More
Rare Footage Of Oslo Explosion Aftermath
This was taken just seconds after the bomb went off: Also…. a before-and-after:
Did Torture Help Us Catch Bin Laden?
It's already conservative history (i.e., myth) that the policies and programs of President Bush weere responsible for the killing of bin Laden – particularly Bush's policy of conducting torture on captured Gitmo prisoners. Perhaps the strongest case made by conservatives — that Bin Laden’s death vindicates torture — was spelled out last week by former Bush AG Mukasey in an Op ed in … Read More
Why Bush Can’t Take Credit For Bin Laden’s Death
Michael Hirsch explains: Behind Obama's takedown of the Qaida leader this week lies a profound discontinuity between administrations — a major strategic shift in how to deal with terrorists. From his first great public moment when, as a state senator, he called Iraq a "dumb war," Obama indicated that he thought that George W. Bush had badly misconceived the challenge … Read More
To Release The Bin Laden Photo Or Not
Pro: It will end rumors in Middle East "hot spots" that he is still alive. Con: Ugly photo could engender more anger and hostility at U.S. from those "on the fence". I come out against releasing the "dead bin Laden photo". There will always be an element who won't believe it. But if (a) his own daughter, who eyewitnessed the … Read More
New Bin Laden Tape On Its Way
Dammit, he's a zombie! (No, it's just a never-been-released tape he made a while ago. Kind of like Michael Jackson's latest "album").
The Gutsy Call
Conservatives are trying to downplay Obama's role in the killing of bin Laden, but the New York Times gives a dramatic account of what happened inside the White House, and indeed, it does show that Obama made a tough, and ultimately correct decision: As more than a dozen White House, intelligence and Pentagon officials described the operation on Monday, the … Read More
About Bin Laden’s Demise
I didn't know until this morning. Kind of surprising, and I won't believe it until I see the long form death certificate (joke). Well, first and foremost, kudos to the Navy Seals. It doesn't sound like it was an easy operation, but clearly the mission was accomplished. Secondly, the news is saying that bin Laden's compound was "just down the … Read More