The Washington Post offers tips on how to keep your EV battery running in frigid temperatures. The link at the end of this graf is supposed to be a "gift link" (from me, Marie Burns, the giftor!), meaning that non-subscribers can read the article. Hope it works: https://wapo.st/3u8Z705
Wednesday
Sep172014
The Commentariat -- Sept. 18, 2014
Internal links removed.
David Jackson of USA Today: "During his remarks at the congressional picnic [last night, President] Obama thanked lawmakers for backing his new counterterrorism plan against the Islamic State, and asked for cooperation on other issues":
... Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "A House divided along unusual and unpredictable lines voted Wednesday to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels to confront the militant group Islamic State, backing President Obama after he personally pleaded for support. The 273-to-156 vote was over a narrow military measure with no money attached, but it took on outsize importance and was infused with drama. Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader, actively and strongly backed the legislation, and both sought to portray it as a modest measure.... Republican and Democratic vote-counting operations said they would not press for 'yes' on what they termed a 'vote of conscience.'" The Senate hopes to pass it as soon as Thursday....
... "'The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission,' President Obama said Wednesday in addressing troops at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. 'I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq'":
... NBC News: "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in an exclusive interview with NBC News' Ann Curry, denounced ISIS for its savagery but also branded the U.S.-led coalition against the terror group as 'ridiculous.' Speaking from the presidential palace in Tehran ahead of his visit to the United Nations, Rouhani questioned President Obama's decision to go after ISIS with airstrikes." With video. ...
... Bob Gates Is Still Sounding Off. Jonathan Topaz of Politico: "Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said the U.S. will need troops on the ground to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and spoke out against President Barack Obama's contention that the U.S. aims to degrade and destroy the group."
... AND, It Should Go without Saying, So Is Ted Cruz. Adam Weinstein of Gawker: "Ted Cruz, Princeton '92 and creepy bathrobe enthusiast, is really tired of all these nancyboys who run the military, insisting that there must be political reconciliation and trustbuilding to forge stability in Iraq. Is he gonna have to go over there and bloody up some jihadi ass himself? Whilst comparing hair-care notes with Sean Hannity last night, the grandstanding GOP senator said today's military is not so much an elite fighting force as a bunch of bleeding heart social workers...." Read the whole post. Weinstein gets serious & emphasizes how dangerous Cruz's loose language is.
Dana Milbank: Trey "Gowdy, a former prosecutor, was known for theatrical outbursts in hearings, rank partisanship and a fascination with Benghazi conspiracy theories.... But when the South Carolina Republican chaired his [Benghazi select committee']s first public hearing Wednesday, Gowdy did something completely unexpected: He played it straight.... Gowdy adopted as the theme of his first hearing an idea suggested by one of the committee's Democrats, Adam Schiff of California: How well the State Department has been implementing recommendations to prevent future attacks on U.S. diplomats like the one in Libya two years ago that killed four Americans.... Over three hours, there were so many thank-yous it could have been the Oscars." CW: Stay tuned.
Edward-Issac Dovere of Politico: "Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in a behind-the-scenes struggle with the White House, congressional Democrats and Washington insiders who have lost confidence in her as both a unifying leader and reliable party spokesperson at a time when they need her most. Long-simmering doubts about her have reached a peak after two recent public flubs: criticizing the White House's handling of the border crisis and comparing the tea party to wife beaters." CW: I don't think this is more of the usual Politico breathless speculation. I think Wasserman Schultz is screwing up.
Kendall Breitman of Politico: "Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it was a 'poor choice of words' for him to use the term 'Shylocks' in a recent speech. On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League's national director,Abraham Foxman, had said the word 'Shylocks' promoted an anti-Semitic stereotype.... 'There is no truer friend of the Jewish people than Joe Biden,' Foxman said in a news release.... He added, 'Clearly there was no ill-intent here, but Joe and I agreed that perhaps he needs to bone up on his Shakespeare.'"
iPhones for Criminals. Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Apple said Wednesday night that it is making it impossible for the company to turn over data from most iPhones or iPads to police -- even when they have a search warrant -- taking a hard new line as tech companies attempt to blunt allegations that they have too readily participated in government efforts to collect user information. The move, announced with the publication of a new privacy policy tied to the release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 8, amounts to an engineering solution to a legal quandary...."
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic: "On Wednesday, Arizona Cardinals backup running back Jonathan Dwyer became the latest NFL player to be arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Phoenix police arrested Dwyer, 25, on suspicion of aggravated assault on his 27-year-old wife and on suspicion of aggravated assault involving his 1-year-old son, a police spokesman said. The woman suffered a broken bone." Via Margaret Hartmann.
Suicide (Or Murder) by Rented Gun. Adam Weinstein reports: "A new video report by Fusion's Kimberly Brooks highlights the difficulties in preventing gun deaths at rental ranges, where shooters don't need criminal or mental health background checks to take a variety of loaded weapons to the firing line."
So Help Me God. U. S. Air Force: "The Air Force has instructed force support offices across the service to allow both enlisted members and officers to omit the words 'So help me God' from enlistment and officer appointment oaths if an Airman chooses." ...
... Abby Ohlheiser of the Washington Post: "After an airman was unable to complete his reenlistment because he omitted the part of a required oath that states 'so help me God,' the Air Force changed its instructions for the oath. Following a review of the policy by the Department of Defense General Counsel, the Air Force will now permit airmen to omit the phrase, should they so choose. That change is effective immediately, according to an Air Force statement." See also "God News" in Sunday's Commentariat for more context. Among other things, requiring the oath appears to be unconstitutional. But that doesn't always seem to matter ...
... Dahlia Lithwick explains why Constitution Day -- which was yesterday, in case you missed it, as I did -- "might just be the most American holiday of all." Also, Constitution Day is more than likely unconstitutional. God bless America.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. CW: A few weeks ago, a site called Our Bad Media claimed it had found more incidences in which Fareed Zakaria plagiarized the work of others. However, the Washington Post & CNN did reviews & made a pretty good case that the cited passages did not constitute plagiarism. The other day, Our Bad Media brought new charges. Dylan Byers of Politico: "This week, I conducted a review of the reports to determine whether the instances they cited truly qualified as plagiarism. I also asked two journalism ethics experts -- Robert Drechsel..., director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Kelly McBride, the vice president for academic programs of The Poynter Institute -- to review the reports. They came to the same conclusion I did: Fareed Zakaria plagiarized.... There are different degrees of plagiarism, to be sure. Case by case, the examples here qualify more as violations or misdemeanors than serious crimes.... But taken together, they show an undeniable pattern of behavior." ...
... Senate Race
Plagiarism, Senate Candidate-Style. Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "Large portions of an economic plan released by Oregon Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby appear to be heavily plagiarized from multiple sources, including one section that copies word-for-word from a plan put out by Republican Sen. Rob Portman a month earlier. Likewise, portions of Wehby's plan also copy sections nearly-verbatim from the economic growth plan of a 2012 congressional candidate named Gary DeLong and a survey from Karl Rove's group, Crossroads.... At no point in Wehby's plan is attribution given." ...
... Ed Kilgore: "What makes this striking is that Wehby is a practicing physician.... In her defense, though, the stuff in both Crossroads' poll and in Wehby’s plan is so incredibly hackneyed, such a tired assortment of conservative health policy pet rocks ... that use of the very same words isn't that surprising. It's not like any original thinking is going into this, so why use any original writing to describe it?"
Congressional Races
Gail Collins: Mark Sanford is running for re-election to his House seat unopposed! CW: I'm thinking Sanford would make a great running mate for Li'l Randy. It would be the funniest ticket ever.
Peter Beinart of the Atlantic: "... the security moms are back. And as a result, the levee Democrats were counting on to protect against a GOP hurricane is starting to crumble.... According to a CNN poll last week, women are 18 points more likely [than men] to say they are 'very' or 'somewhat' worried that someone in their family will be the victim of terrorism.... As in 2002, this anxiety about foreign threats is hurting Democrats.... In August, white women favored a Democratic Congress by four points. Now they favor a Republican Congress by eight." ...
... Steve M. "I guess it's 1972 all over again and Barack Obama is George McGovern, and it seems he can't even fight his way out of it. He was just supposed to keep us all safe. Two nasty deaths and it's all over. (How many were hanged on that bridge in Fallujah eight months before Bush's 2004 election victory? How may died in the embassy annex bombing in Lebanon six weeks before Ronald Reagan's [1984] landslide victory?)"
Presidential Election
Alexandra Jaffe of the Hill: "Emails sent by liberal activists and obtained by The Hill reveal significant dissatisfaction with Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.... The Hill reviewed hundreds of emails from a progressive members only Google group called the 'Gamechanger Salon,' a forum where nearly 1,500 activists, strategists and journalists debate issues and craft messaging campaigns. The group includes prominent Democrats, Sierra Club officials, journalists who work for The Huffington Post and The Nation magazine, senior union representatives, leaders at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the president of NARAL."
Mario Trujillo: "Vice President Biden touched on a number of Democratic campaign themes during a speech in Iowa on Wednesday to help kick off a nationwide tour for a group of Catholic nuns traveling the country to register voters."
The Funniest Presidential Candidate. Rand Paul Is at It Again. David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: Sen. Rand Paul (RTP-Ky.) charged that a recent Post story which highlighted his flip-flops, was "full of inaccuracies." He called it a "hit job," in an interview with the winger publication The Federalist. However, neither Paul nor any of his staff members will reveal what the inaccuracies in the hit job might be. The Post tried several times to get the Paul camp to identify the "inaccuracies," but they refused to do so & would not schedule Paul himself for an interview with the post. "In his interview with The Federalist, Paul also criticized The Post for not providing a response from him or his political team." CW: The link to Fahrenthold's piece is messed up. I'll check again later to see if the Post has straightened it out. Update: Still messed up, but if you give it time, it will load, albeit with an "inappropriate descriptor." ...
Here's the problem. He [Sen. John McCain] did meet with ISIS, and had his picture taken, and didn't know it was happening at the time. -- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in an interview with The Daily Beast, Sept. 16
I can't believe Rand is still repeating this stuff, which came from a Hezbollah newspaper in Lebanon! He's getting his information from Hezbollah. It's outrageous.... I don't know if Rand is dishonest or misinformed. -- Sen. John McCain, in response to Paul's charge, to the Daily Beast
Olivia Nuzzi of the Daily Beast: "In an interview with The Daily Beast on Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul discussed the war against ISIS -- and in doing so, repeated a thoroughly debunked rumor about John McCain palling around with the Islamic extremist group. Needless to say, a certain famously hot-tempered five-term senator and former presidential candidate was not at all amused.... Pictures of McCain meeting with members of the Free Syrian Army -- who have historically opposed ISIS -- have been seized upon by conspiracy theorists and McCain skeptics...."
Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: "There are days when we regret we are limited to just Four Pinocchios. This is one of those days. There is zero evidence that any of the men that McCain met with in Syria are linked to the Islamic State. One can have a legitimate debate about whether it is worth arming the Syrian rebels without resorting to innuendo, fake news reports and invented facts."
Constant Weader: On September 3, a reader sent me these pictures. It took me about a half-hour to debunk them because at that time, no legitimate news organization would even address them. On September 12, Rick Gladstone of the New York Times addressed the false stories & related photos of McCain supposedly palling around with terrorists. McCain should challenge Paul (no, no, John, not to a duel!) on the Senate floor to apologize for spreading the story. BTW, under appropriate circumstances, there's nothing wrong with meeting with terrorists or potential terrorists.
Beyond the Beltway
Robert Patrick of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson testified ... for almost four hours Tuesday in front of the St. Louis County grand jury investigating his shooting Aug. 9 of Michael Brown, a source with knowledge of the investigation said Wednesday. Wilson was not obligated to appear, and also has spoken with St. Louis County investigators twice and federal investigators once, the source said. The source said Wilson was 'cooperative.'"
Caitlin MacNeal of TPM: "A Wisconsin Republican dropped out of the race for a seat on the state assembly on Tuesday after he admitted that he made offensive comments about gay and black people on social media, according to The Gazette. Jacob Dorsey, a 19-year-old candidate challenging Democratic state Rep. Deb Kolste, apologized last week for referring to gay people as 'fags' in a tweet.... In comments on YouTube videos, he used the words 'fags' and 'niggers.'... Dorsey withdrew from the race and will return to school at Brigham Young University-Idaho, from which he took a semester off to campaign for state assembly."
The New Yorker Website main page has pieces by (1) Adam Gopnik & (2) John Cassidy on the Scottish independence vote.
Grant Duncan on the New Zealand parliamentary elections: "We're in the final few days of an election campaign that has had it all -- comedy, conspiracy and claims of dirty politics -- though none of it has dented New Zealand National Prime Minister John Key's chances of winning a third term in power. The predictions market puts 80% odds on a National prime minister after this Saturday's election."
Charles Pierce: "... can we please put a sock in the encomiums to [Ian] Paisley's late-in-life discovery that being a bigot and an enabler of terrorists was no longer a viable political position? ... The Paisleys were very strongly tied to Bob Jones University, the Christianist diploma mill in Greenville, South Carolina. Paisley was friends with Bob Jones himself.... His daughter, Rhonda, is a BJU grad.... Paisley was a terrorist by the very same standards that we applied to Anwar al Awlaki before we droned his ass."
News Ledes
Reuters: "Eight bodies, including those of three journalists, were found after an attack on a team trying to educate locals on the risks of the Ebola virus in a remote area of southeastern Guinea, a government spokesman said on Thursday."
New York Times: "The people of Scotland decide Thursday whether national pride outweighs economic risk.... Economists normally as ideologically disparate and disputatious as Alan Greenspan, Paul Krugman, Adam S. Posen and Niall Ferguson all have predicted a negative economic outlook for an independent Scotland, while expressing anxiety, too, about the impact of such uncertainty on the larger European and global economies."
... The front page of the Edinburgh Scotsman is here. The Guardian has a Scottish independence page here, with lots o'links.
... Update: The Guardian is now liveblogging the vote & results. The final poll before voting put the yes votes at 47 percent & the no at 53. ...
... Update 2: The Guardian has a new liveblog here. Still no final results (as of 7:45 pm ET).
Guardian: "Toronto mayor Rob Ford has a 'rare and difficult' form of cancer called malignant pleomorphic liposarcoma, doctors treating him at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto announced on Wednesday." ...
... New York Update: Ford has endorsed his brother Doug for mayor.
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Reader Comments (28)
Bitch, bitch, bitch. Putting this site together takes many hours out of my day under normal circumstances. In addition, I'm currently driving nearly 50 miles a day (in two round trips) to get to Internet access.
Meanwhile, my numbers are down & the comments are dwindling to next to none.
So I'm wondering this morning WTF the point is. Why don't some of you tell me what you want out of this site, & if it's something that I think I can do, I'll give it a try.
If you're unwilling to tell me what to do differently, then I guess "different" might be throwing in the towel. Maybe I'll learn to knit.
Thanks.
Marie
Apparently Li'l Randy still hasn't gotten his ugly-rug laden head around the fact that someone invented newspapers and videotape while he was out kidnapping college students and forcing them to get high.
See, Randy? Neeeeewwssspaaaaaper....Viiiiiiddeeooooo. You look at them and you can find out things. Like magic. See? Pretty cool isn't it? Oh, but the downside is, you can't just make shit up anymore 'cause other people can see the same stuff. Ah, don't feel bad. Tell us again about how you were actually for bombing while you were against foreign aid, especially to Israel, except for bombs, but now you're okay with that and also don't forget that people need to know that isolationism doesn't mean you can't go to war, because, ah...because, well, a......a thing happened!
Raaaan-deee.....remember....vidddddeeeeeoooos. Neeeeewwwssppaaapers.
Oh well, never mind.
Is it really going to be amateur hour all the way to November, 2016? Better lay in a supply of good popcorn. The kind the RNC sells every four years under their presidential hopefuls' big top.
The same reminder might be sent out to plagiarists of all levels and degrees. (I always knew there something funny about that Zakaria guy!)
People can check your stuff, idiots. It ain't like it used to be. And, really, if you're stuck for new ideas and that column is due by 5:00 PM, attribution is the way to go.
Unfortunately, it might be the times we live in. As I was saying to a friend, just the other day, " It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness", or something like that.
I'm always shy about commenting in the company of such well-informed and articulate posters, but hey, if you want more comments I'm usually ready to share my opinion! Usually about the events in my state of Wisconsin, which is once again turning into a clown show courtesy of Republican officials, who are once again suing the Government Accountability Board, this time because--wait for it--the ballots, created according to the law, list Democratic candidates first.
Apparently Republicans are not confused by late in the game changes to the voter ID rules, but they are too stupid to look at more than one name on the ballot:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/wisconsin-gop-legislative-leaders-sue-over-redesign-of-state-ballots-b99353532z1-275439111.html?ipad=y
Marie, you do a stellar job on this site. It's always the first one I turn to after the local news. I hate the thought of you driving so far for internet access, and would (grudgingly ;) forgive you for skipping days when this is necessary. But I hope you will continue the blog!
Last week, or thereabouts, I posted a question (not entirely rhetorical, but probably mostly) asking why in the hell can the GOP not attract decent candidates for office. By that I mean reasonable people who are not brain dead, bigots, ideological assholes, or religious nutballs (a fair number are all of the above). Apparently, potential candidates not in those categories avoid the party as if it was passing out free beakers of e-bola with every registration form. On the other hand, anyone within an Aqua Buddha bong length of those groups can't wait to run for office.
I give you one Jacob Dorsey (see link above), very recently running for office in the Wisconsin state assembly (and what the hell is in the water up there these days?). Young Mr. Dorsey has dropped out of the race and is returning to Brigham Young after it was pointed out that he had been posting videos describing gays and black people as "fags" and "niggers".
Well, now. It appears that conservative organisms are evolving; maybe devolving a better word. Up until now, say in the case of that other Brigham Young grad and gay basher, Mittens Romney, unqualified batshit crazy wingers were outed because of information collected while they thought they were speaking only to other rank and file idiots, such as the infamous 47% video. But now, assholes like this kid are posting videos of themselves being racist, bigoted, brain dead morons. He did it to himself! Now that's what I call an evolving species. He'd make a great candidate for a Darwin Award in the political category. And in any sane world, candidates like this guy would just ensure that no one else like this would be considered by any serious (and reasonable) political group.
But the Republican Party was fronting this guy! Wisconsin GOPers are now saying, after helping to fund his campaign, that they disagree with Jacob's views, of course, now that everyone knows what they are. But they gave him money and all those videos of him being his moronic self were out there for everyone to see.
How come every other day we hear some other Republican Party official saying something like "We don't really agree with what so and so has said." Really? Then why are there are so many of these fucking so and so's running under your banner and how come you're all the time having to disavow what they say? It's like a mafia boss sending out a press release decrying the latest mob hit. "'We don' hold wi' shit like dat' said Rocco".
Mr. Dorsey's response is my favorite. He blames it all on youthful indiscretions, on videos posted "years ago". Years ago, Jake? Since you're now 19, are you suggesting that you posted that video wherein you referred to the 16th president as "fucking Abraham Lincoln" or whatever it was, when you were six? Nice.
The really scary thing is that for every 10 Jacob Dorseys who don't make the cut, there are one or two who do, and they are now making state and federal laws.
Perhaps your numbers are down, Marie, because those of us who live in the left-of-center world, where we do not see machete-wielding terrorists behind every tree, are having trouble facing the news these days. We've been bombarded with lousy news for months, both domestic and foreign--though I will agree with the president that part of the problem is we have access to so much more information than ever before in humanity's history--and now we're back at war? Or, excuse me, "major counter-terrorism operation." For the first time since President Obama was elected, I did not watch his speech last week. I was too heartsick.
I love this site. In the morning I scan the front page of the NY Times, read some of the op-eds (always saving Gail Collins for last on the days she's up), peruse the offerings on Daily Kos, and then come here. I revisit after lunch to see what comments have been posted. I haven't commented before because usually someone(s) else has said what I'm thinking. But if you want more comments, I'll try to keep up. Especially, perhaps, since I live in New Hampshire and we have us a rather interesting Senate election going on right now. (Which reminds me: send money to Jeanne Shaheen and Carol Shea-Porter.)
I agree with Nadd2--stellar job on the site, but what a bitch having to drive that far. I wouldn't blame you a bit if you take a day or two, or even three, off a week. I'd keep coming back to check.
Thank you for your hard work--and sharp insights.
I generally only post if I disagree with something or have new info to offer. Otherwise I generally don't want to preach to a more articulate choir.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/opinion/the-moment-at-hand.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region®ion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region
Moment at Hand Linda Greenhouse
...To the states’ “argument from tradition,” he [Judge Posner] observed that traditions are not invariably or reliably good. They can sometimes be bad (“cannibalism, foot-binding, and suttee”) or sometimes neither good nor bad (“trick-or-treating on Halloween.”) “Tradition per se therefore cannot be a lawful ground for discrimination.”
Never thought not selling tobacco at a drugstore and Same Sex marriage would be in the same column.
BTW You cited James Posner's Audio a little bit ago as he squashed the lawyer against same sex marriage..." http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/08/27/listen_to_judge_richard_posner_destroy_arguments_against_gay_marriage.html "
and you mentioned that he was a conservative.
mae finch
PS Please, CW forget the knitting....we need you here.
Mae,
Please don't let Scalia read Posner's opinion on the legal value of tradition.
As far as he's concerned, if something was considered A-OK in 1791, it's still fine and dandy, and we should all consider ourselves lucky that if some less than enlightened souls 200 years ago thought stepping on a crack would break their grandmother's back, judges today still have access to hoary superstitions with which to tamp down any dangerous urges toward modernity and rationality.
Christ, if he ever found out that such traditions are not a reliable basis for legal decisions, he might have a conniption. Or a stroke. Maybe both!
On second thought, call him up right away and let him know.
Been following, more or less, the Guardian's blog on Scotland's referendum. Fascinating. Eighty-plus percent turnout, which means, I think, that it's a lot less trivial than our presidential or midterm elections.
Marie: I used to follow you on the NYT comment pages, and when I didn't do that anymore, I went to your blog and I almost never miss a day. Most of the time I do as a reader above does: I read you FIRST, and then everything else follows, then later when the comments are in. I think you are astute and clever, and your comments are spot-on, plus I learn a lot. My next go-to blog is Charlie, but he isn't up first thing in the morning and he doesn't do weekends. Crooks and Liars is reliable too, and then, maybe Huff Post for general stuff, and a new one for me, The General Sift, lefty Unitarian site. I seldom post, as I am easily intimidated by erudite posters, but I read it all. You do a bang-up job, always, but I too regret the lengths you are having to go to do it. I wish there weren't so much material, too-- I don't know how you keep up with all the crapola spread around by the right-- but I much appreciate your blog and comments. I would miss you if you were not at my fingertips.
Trey Gowdy's performance today sounds like proof that Republicans still have, deep down inside their hollowed-out spines, a notion of popular sentiment; that, although far and distant, they can actually sense what the general public believes.
Even semi-informed voters know that this "select" committee is nothing but a political circus, and the fact that Republicans had to deny that narrative during its establishment is further proof that it's nothing but a time-wasting sideshow to distract the media and political pundits until 2016. Given this reality, and given that our dear elected representatives are now officially on vacation AGAIN (they'd better stay off the golf courses, snark!) I'm sure Boner told RatFink to keep it comically cordial for now to leave a sense of sanity in the eyes of voters come November. Upon return however, you can bet the crazies will be creeping out of their holes to unveil their genius talking points that they've been practicing in the mirror all month long. Beady eyes and all.
And Marie, I second the motion to nix the knitting. We need your voice out there to bring some sanity to the media. Your site rocks. Maybe you could expand on some of your comments regarding the issues of the day. I think we all appreciate not only the info. you dig up but also your informed perspective. Not a critique but just a suggestion.
Peter Beinert attributes the recent wide swing in female voters away from supporting President Obama on foreign policy to the return of "security moms." If the recent NYT/CBS poll is accurate, these results bode ill for Democrats retaining the Senate. I am wondering (perhaps wishfully) whether the poll responses reflect disapproval of the way Obama expressed himself about our approach in the Middle East, specifically his remarks that we had no strategy. If that is the case, polling may shift again as Obama has shown more certainty in his course of action (whether he is right or not substantively is another question). I work with groups here in my state that are diligently laboring to get out the female vote. It would be a shame if these efforts were to backfire.
On another note, I too treasure the time I spend poring over RC everyday. I am grateful for everything Marie has done, and no matter what the future brings, that gratitude for what this site has contributed over the years to my understanding of current events will not change.
Why do I have the same feeling that I had in 2003 re: Iraq? I just don't think this will turn out well.
Then there was arming the mujahdeen in Afghanistan. That really turned out splendidly, didn't it? Got those Ruskies out and those fine fellows the Taliban in! Why do I think that's what will happen if we arm the Syrian "moderate" rebels?
Maybe it's two years in Vietnam experiencing another failed experiment. Thomas Edison said "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work." Except unlike Edison's, those experiments cost lives and treasure. I have a suggestion for Senator Cruz: volunteer for a combat patrol in Afghanistan. Maybe they'll let you walk point! When it's your ass on the line, it's a different ball game. If you come back, maybe you won't feel so free to criticize.
Knitting, Marie? Madame Defarge? We need one; you'd be good at it.
Barbarossa,
The supercilious Cruz would never, for any amount of money or fame or prestige, risk his perfumed ass even for something he claims to feverishly support. Like George W. Decider before him, he is a pretender and a fraud. And, also, like Dubya, a traitor.
Picking up a weapon and walking point is for the lesser classes. Not for one such as the vaunted Tailgunner.
You don't seriously think he has the balls to do what you and your cohort did, do you? Few Republicans demanding power these days do.
James,
Sumunabitch!
How did that Madame Defarge connection escape me? Props for picking up on that one.
But even should Marie decide to trade her political MRI machine for a knitting needle, I doubt she would be the next Madame Defarge. That identity has already been co-opted by Ann Coulter who, in a Salon piece by Elias Isquith today, is threatening to murder anyone who doesn't vote the way she demands in the coming election.
Coulter makes a far better Defarge than Marie, who is much more of a political Gertrude Stein.
Or, perhaps, a contemporary online Eleanor Roosevelt.
Doncha just love her?
What I most particularly like about your site is your intelligence. The problem is that I am at a very busy part of my life and can't always respond to some very important comments you make.
If I could make a comment about focusing on politics only: as Gandhi said, "Everything is politics." Sometimes I feel like my responses are not "political" enough to be considered.
Like: the suicide rate of returning combat veterans. I believe this is absolutely a political problem. But it is difficult to fit this in with all the ongoing craziness of the Tea Party Shenanigans.
I am unaware of any other site that provides such a thorough daily summary of news that matters to me, complete with links to further reading. It takes a lot of time and energy. I am in awe of your commitment. Since you're doing all the work, I think the more pertinent question is what do you want?
"Coulter makes a far better Defarge than Marie, who is much more of a political Gertrude Stein.
Or, perhaps, a contemporary online Eleanor Roosevelt.
Doncha just love her?"
Yes, but–– I doubt whether Marie is anything like Eleanor who found her bliss the hard way and even then...I bet my booty our gal here kicked ass early and knew exactly the road she wanted to take even though she had some obstacles in the way. Today she bitched because she's tired and needs some backup here and she got it in spades. This site, it should be clear by now, is important to so many and even though some don't post, they sure as heck read. I cannot think of another site that covers so much so well, and is absolutely essential to our daily information. So––alles klar? Don't even think of knitting!!!
P.S. When it becomes a burden for you, Marie, to access internet service, then forget about it––as another reader said–––close the site down while you are traveling. Take care of yourself!!!
Marie: Forget the knitting. I admire what you do every day, and never miss it. I try to comment as often as possible, but one-finger typing is exhausting.
PD,
Good point.
My ER reference has more to do with passionate commitment and personal passion, which I'm sure you appreciate.
PD,
We all find our bliss the hard way.
It's too transformative a condition to achieve, and appreciate, without trepidation and strenuous exertion and an indefatigable sense of our connection to a grander appreciation of humanity and its place in the wider universe.
...and stuff like that there.
And now I'm sharpening the knife with which I may slit my throat when, and if, wingnut royalist George Will begins declaiming on the vicissitudes of the New Deal.
Shoot me now.
To add my (probably superfluous) two cents: Marie, you are the best. I am always amazed at your ability to aggregate so much information in the way you do, not just how you organize it but also your astute commentary. This is one of my most favorite go-to sites, not just for the news and the links but - and perhaps even more importantly - for the community that you have formed here. Your commentors are almost always thoughtful and intelligent, and have something of actual substance to add to the conversation. Like others, I don't comment often, but that does not mean we don't value and appreciate what you do here.
Akhileus: sounds like you're about to watch the next installment of The Roosevelts. I'm loving it, but the "talking heads" are the least of it ( including, of course, Will). I love the huge quantities of contemporaneous footage, the rendition of primary source material by such as Meryl Streep (Eleanor), and the way the three stories are woven together. Dee-lighted(!) to view this slice of history.
Not one to enter my two cents often. But guess I feel a need to here.
Thank you Marie. This is always the first site I go to. I'm amazed at your dedication. Love your insights and wit. Love the community's insights too. Certainly would miss the site. However, take care of yourself first.
KenG