McCain Is A Clunker, Can I Trade Him In?
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bmazJohn Sidney McCain III, the blue blooded husband of a beer heiress, who cannot remember how many houses he owns, has decided he will be the Republican face of opposition to continuance of the wildly successful Cash For Clunkers program.
Breaking! Crazy Pete Hoekstra Wants to Refuse New Jobs for Michiganders
Michiganders need jobs. Gitmo detainees need a new home. But Crazy Pete Hoekstra doesn't want to bring Gitmo's detainees to Michigan.
Lurita Doan: Still a Moron, Though Thankfully Not on Our Dime
Lurita Doan tries to lecture Henry Louis Gates, Jr. But she sounds just as stupid as she has always sounded.
The Stealing Wars: What's Good for Gawker Is Good for WaPo's Slate
Ian Shapria rightly complains that Gawker appropriated huge chunks of his work without practicing good linking etiquette. But he ironically links to Slate doing precisely what she complains Gawker is doing.
Army Responds to its Own Spy Program--by Investigating Lynndie England
The Army says it's going to respond to the infiltration of peace groups by several of its employees--by investigating just one fo them.
Leon Panetta Begs and Threatens for Consensus Rather than Oversight
Remember when the Obama Administration appealed to a "fundamental compact" between Congress and the Executive Branch when arguing the intelligence community didn't need more oversight? ("Fundamental compact, my ass," I thought was the best response.) Well, Leon Panetta's out with a similar appeal to inflated, but bogus, language in an attempt to avoid increased Congressional oversight.
Karl Rove: That's Why They Call It a Limited Hang-Out
Now why do you suppose Robert Luskin went to the trouble of orchestrating a limited hang-out in the NYT and WaPo yesterday?
Senator Al Franken!
Senator Al Franken has the proper manners of a party stalwart.
House Adds $2 Billion to Cash for Clunkers
The House just put another $2 billion into the wildly popular Cash for Clunkers program; presumably, the Senate will follow suit before they leave today.
From the comments made during the House discussion on this, it sounds like the program was wildly more successful than even reported yesterday--largely because (in spite of an arguably crappy design) it is working to do what it's supposed to:
A Fusion Center Before Its Time
The military infiltration of peace groups in Washington makes me worried that the spy ring now being prosecuted in San Diego was used as a model for the expansion of fusion centers.
How Many Reporters Does It Take to Cover a Beer Summit?
NYT took three reporters to liveblog the beer summit. AP took eight to write their article on it.
"Three Reporters," Is Right
Athenae notes that the NYT had three people--three reporters!!--live-blogging the "beer summit."
Seven Days, 250,000 Cars
The Cash for Clunkers program has already supported the trade in of 250,000 cars.
WaPo: Rove Spins His Role in US Attorney Firings
The WaPo reveals that they had an hour-long interview with Karl Rove earlier this month--at which he tried to spin his role in the US Attorney firings. Apparently, though, his spin was debunked by documents the WaPo received.
The CIA Doesn't Want You to Know about Tom Cruise's Lobbying for Scientologists
The CIA doesn't want you to know that its top-secret PDB sessions include discussions of what Scientologists have gotten personal meetings with the Vice President's Chief of Staff.
This Bud Is For You Mental Midgets Of The Media
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bmazThere are three irreducible minimums emanating from the arrest of Henry Louis Gates at his home in Cambridge Massachusetts. First, it was an illegal and unconstitutional arrest. Second, it may or may not (my inclination is not, at least at the outset) have been a racially motivated moment. Third, it is an event that has become embedded in the national consciousness from which the nation could learn and
No, DiFi, the Competition Is with Canada (and Mexico)
DiFi seems to think CA is losing its Toyota plant to KY or MS. More likely, however, CA will lose its Toyota plant to a place where health care costs are cheaper: Mexico and Canada.
Megan McArdle Thinks I Should Pay $72,000 More for Breast Cancer
Usually, Jane's slap-down of concern trolls talking about breast cancer stands by itself. But in this case, I'm going to pile on Megan McArdle's attack on a public option in the name of breast cancer survivors, because McArdle's basically arguing that I should be thankful my insurance company had to pay $72,000 more for my breast cancer treatment.
Basically, for me, it all boils down to public choice theory.
CIFA Lives?
It sounds like the military continues to spy on peace activists.
Madni's Coffin Flight Rendition
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bmazAs Andy Worthington indicated in a comment last month, the rights group Reprieve has been working up a report on Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Saad Iqbal Madni and his rendition. Reprieve announced today the formal start of proceedings in the case.