BlogBites

September 20th, 2004

I can’t help wondering why this orgy of recriminations is happening over this incident when there have literally been thousands of even worse examples of the press willingly acting as partisan tools over the past 12 years or so, much of it fed to them directly by political operatives. Hullabaloo  

Whether or not John Kerry has a clear plan for what to do in Iraq, it’s quite clear that President Bush doesn’t have any. Talking Points Memo  

In the absence of such leaders we are seeing politics move into a terrifying place of empty platitudes where facts are too scary to be permitted. muckraking…  

For those trying to work out whether the Bush Administration’s stated commitment to democracy in the Middle East reflects Wilsonian idealism or just a tactical choice, reflecting the fact that the Administration’s enemies in the region are mostly not democrats, Venezuela provides a useful data point. Crooked Timber  

But Doug brings up a unique argument: that’s it’s better to join to the Reserves to avoid serving in a war, and then fail to fulfill one’s obligation to the Reserves, than it is to serve in that war and get medals, and then later try to end the war. World O’Crap  

*Thursday, September 30, at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
Theme: Be it resolved, why do liberals, like Senator Kerry, hate America?
*Friday, October 8, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Theme: Be it resolved, is Senator Kerry a pussy?
*Wednesday, October 13, at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Theme: Be it resolved, is President Bush the second coming, or just greatest American President ever?
Rising Hegemon: An Agreement on Three Debates  

Why should we bother to protect wildlife if it won’t even pose for a few simple photographs? Good Grief!  

The answer is simpler and, dare we say, more European: after working for a full week, we are taking two weeks off. Sadly, No!  

Are there any statistics from Iraq in recent weeks which don’t indicate trouble? TomDispatch  

A frightened electorate is an electorate that will put Our Leader back in the White House on election day. Jesus’ General  

According to CNN, school teachers on average spend more than $450 per year out of their own pocket buying supplies for their classroom. Wampum  

When Andrew does numbers, the only thing he ever manages to print are the numbers 9 and 11 and somehow bring them to bear on anything that he writes about Iraq. Democratic Veteran  

“It’s not so bad bein lost,” says me. “Bein lost is like takin a vacation from knowin what you’re doin.” Fafblog!  

I talked with Burkett at length back in February, and speaking as someone who believes his story about Bush’s files being purged, I still wouldn’t trust him for a second if he suddenly produced a bunch of never-before-seen memos out of nowhere. Political Animal  

But given its goal of creating more polarization between the US and the Muslim World, it is entirely possible that the al-Qaeda leadership would prefer Bush, since they want to “sharpen the contradictions.” Informed Comment