Archive for July, 2005
John Bolton’s Selective Amnesia
As the ever-continuing saga of John Bolton enters what seems to be its 248th week, it becomes increasingly obvious that George Bush will not back down on his choice for America’s ambassador to the United Nations, despite any number of questions about Bolton’s temperament, ethics, diplomatic skill and his penchant for thinking that the rules [...]
Bullets: 7/29/05
The dangers of using a feed reader Seeing this headline out of context was almost enough to send me over the edge: Learning that it was football player Rich and not manwhore Jeff was not enough to stave off shock. Time magazine’s blog of the year Armando at Daily Kos ponders what kind of drugs [...]
“Maybe We Won”
In a first-season episode of The Wire, HBO‘s bleak look at the perpetual inner-city drugs cat-and-mouse game, two police officers drive past a series of their problem corners only to find the ghetto equivalent of tumbleweeds rolling in the breeze. Clueless as to why streets that just a day earlier had been infested with fiends, [...]
The Energy Bill, or Who Needs Oil When You Have Pork?
As you might have heard, the House and the Senate are close to agreeing on long-stalled energy legislation, a move that can’t come a moment too soon in this era of $60-a-barrel oil, global warming and overloaded power grids. At least that’s the theory behind the energy bill, and the happy-face talking points that are [...]
Fristy, Get Your Gun
One of the more recent (and overused) Republican talking points is that the Democrats stand for nothing but obstruction, with few ideas of their own on how to deal with the issues and problems facing Americans. The flip side to this Democratic “inaction” is that the Republicans must be the party with its finger on [...]
Recess
A trip down the memory hole: Republicans Vow To Punish Clinton If He Appoints Lee (12-97): Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say they’ll make President Clinton suffer if he sidesteps the U.S. Senate to make Bill Lann Lee the nation’s top civil rights attorney. But Clinton apparently is determined to do just that. “If they [...]
“It Started on Slave Ships…
…in fact it’s a crime.” “If you know better Could you do better? Or would you sell your soul Just to roll in the cheddar?” -Public Enemy – “More Hype Believers Than Ever in ’97“ Largely lost in the subsequent Karl Rove and Supreme Court coverage was a story that, based on its place in [...]
Subway Search Update
It’s the morning of the 5th day of random bag searches in New York City’s subway system, and, in case you were wondering, I’m still furious. Here’s why: It doesn’t seem like anyone else is furious. Over the past few days I spoke to many people at work about the searches and most of them [...]
My Conversation With the RNC
Well, not actually with Ken Mehlman or any of the people at the RNC who…you know…matter, but one of the benefits of being mistaken for a Republican is the chance to have a conversation like this: —————————— (phone rings) Me: Hello? RNC Drone: Mr. Leder? This is Emily at the Republican National Committee Headquarters. How [...]
What’s This, the “He’s My Dad” Exemption?
White House to Release Early Roberts Papers (WaPo): The White House will make public the bulk of documents related to Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.‘s service as a lawyer in Ronald Reagan‘s administration but will withhold papers generated during his time as deputy solicitor general under President George H.W. Bush to preserve privileged [...]