James Adkisson has been sentenced to life behind bars for the deaths of Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger, the Unitarian Universalist church-goers who died during his assault on their church in Knoxville, TN last July. What Adkisson left behind is his four-page handwritten manifesto, which can be read here (PDF format). It's a reiteration of the talking points of Rush Limbaugh, … Read More
Obama May Pick Republican for Commerce Secretary
I think Obama's gesture to the right is noble, but ultimately self-defeating. As the House vote on the stimulus package shows, Republicans simply aren't in a mood to compromise or be post-partisan. So why bother? That's why I am troubled by this: The Obama administration has been floating the idea of naming Republican Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.) to be Commerce … Read More
The “Obama Is Dangerous” Meme Starts
Over at The Corner, Mark Thiesson (former Bush speechwriter) gripes: Less than 48 hours after taking office, Obama has begun dismantling those institutions without time for any such review. The CIA program he is effectively shutting down is the reason why America has not been attacked again after 9/11. He has removed the tool that is singularly responsible for stopping … Read More
Change I Can Believe In
The Office Of Legal Counsel is an important executive position. The OLC gives legal advice to the president and, by extension, the executive branch. Among other things, it informs the CIA and the Department of Interior what it judges to be permissible under the laws, and its opinions are binding. Most people had never heard of the OLC before the Bush … Read More
Franken (Finally) Wins Minnesota; Isreal Invades Gaza
The weekend in the world that I didn't pay attention to.
Arab Protest In New York Marred By Gross Spelling Error
Whatever your politics (although it seems obvious in this case), spelling counts! Actual photo of a real Arab protester.
Vietnam Was “The Television War”; Meet “The YouTube War”
I don't have anything to say about the outbreak of fighting in Israel/Gaza, other than you can put me down in the "Israel's-responsive-was-disproportionate-and-therefore-counterproductive" camp, that the Bush Administration's silence on the issue is (once again) negligent, and the only way this will end (and not escalate) is some serious efforts at diplomacy — and soon. Okay, I guess I do have … Read More
“He Kept Us Safe”
Associated Press: President George W. Bush, ever focused on his legacy, said Wednesday "there can be no debate" about his record of preventing another terrorist attack. Rrrrright. And I guess he's entitled to a mulligan on that first one that happened under his watch.
Shoe-Throwing Fallout
The world is abuzz at the now-famous shoe-throwing incident, and everyone is looking for the perfect pun. ("The insurgency is in its last throws") Conservative pundits are quick to point out that the shoe-throwing would have never happened under Saddam. So, therefore, $800 billion in U.S. taxpayer money well-spent, I guess. Of course, shoe-throwing isn't really a very good sign … Read More
I Give The Secret Service A C-
But Bush himself, with his dodging abilities, an A: I thought when we liberated Iraq from Saddam, they were supposed to throw flowers at our feet. But I guess they misread the memo, and started throwing their feet at our Fuhrer.
Supremes To Hear al-Marri Case
Background: al-Marri is a citizen of Qatar. He was in the United States, studying at Bradley University. He was arrested in Peoria, Illinois, in December 2001 on charges of credit card fraud, identity fraud, and a few other things. This charges were dropped when Bush declared him an "enemy combatant" in 2003. He's been sitting in Naval Consolidated Brig, Charleston in South … Read More
Something To Look Forward To
A blue-ribbon panel of experts assembled by Congress (and you know they are qualified, because they got the blue ribbon) predicts there will most likely be a biological terrorist attack by 2013, with devestating results. Have a nice day.
Preventative Peace
Supposedly, there is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth from the "angry left" with regard to Obama's choices for his "international team" — i.e., Hillary as Secretary of State, Robert Gates staying on as Secretary of Defense, and Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, as national security adviser. I think it's premature to complain. None of … Read More
No Blog Day
November 29th is supposed to be "No Blog Day", where people refrain from blogging in a show of unity, as well as protest against the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Yeah, that'll show 'em!
Al-Qaeda Calls Obama A “House Negro”
And you thought Obama was one of them, being a Muslim terrorist-pal-arounder and all.