Archive
December 16, 2007 - December 22, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 200722 Dec 2007 08:16 pm Le Poseur De 2007: Votez!Will it be Bernard Henri Levy? Or Lewis Lapham? Stanley Crouch or Michael Ledeen? Software operators are standing by.
22 Dec 2007 07:07 pm Hoover's PlanPretty staggering:
It probably made Michelle Malkin's Christmas. Powerline:
22 Dec 2007 05:58 pm The Mirror Has Two Noses
A reader writes:
The things Dish readers know... 22 Dec 2007 05:46 pm Who's Afraid Of The Gold Standard? , Campaign 2008"> , Economy"> , Ron Paul">
A reader writes:
22 Dec 2007 05:40 pm Clinton, Obama, New HampshireIn a graph:
More minutiae analysis here. 22 Dec 2007 04:34 pm The DOJ vs Kiriakou , Torture">
The man who exposed the torture of Abu Zubaydah is getting Justice Department scrutiny:
22 Dec 2007 03:52 pm On Michelle Malkin's HotnessA reader writes:
I'm staying out of this. 22 Dec 2007 03:30 pm Issues With Women? , Clinton"> , Politics">
A reader writes:
I can't prove a negative. But I can say that I think I've treated Clinton as toughly as I did her husband, and no one accused me of being androphobic. There are many, many women I admire in public life, among them Condi Rice, Angela Merkel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Harman, and Oprah Winfrey. I became fascinated by politics because of one woman, Margaret Thatcher, whom I eagerly supported in every election she ran in. I have no problem with women in power. It's this woman I have problems with: she is, I believe, a cynical, calculating, untrustworthy shell. And when I've written similar things about Romney, I don't get accused of being anti-Mormon. I'm sure there's some sexism and misogyny out there around Clinton. I don't like it; and I reject the notion that I've promoted it. 22 Dec 2007 02:39 pm The Antidote To The Swift-Boat?
A reader writes:
(Photo: Hiro Komosuike/Getty.) 22 Dec 2007 01:57 pm Poseur Of The YearThe Dish's 2007 Poseur Of the Year contest has begun with a neck-and-neck struggle between Michael Ledeen and Bernard-Henri Levy. Check out the entries and vote for your favorite here. 22 Dec 2007 01:45 pm Blair's Conversion
He was brought into the Catholic church last night. (Photo: Stephen Hird/AFP/Getty.) 22 Dec 2007 01:34 pm Romney's Home-Town PapersThe ones who know Romney in Massachusetts are endorsing McCain. 22 Dec 2007 01:11 pm Ruffini On Rudy , Giuliani">
Pretty brutal:
Nothing memorable? "Sanctuary mansion"? The most humanizing thing Rudy has done this whole campaign is catch the flu. 22 Dec 2007 01:01 pm Oh, You Mean Those TapesWhy didn't you say so? We're sorry but we didn't understand. And, er, we destroyed them later. The latest in the inevitable torture cover-up in the Bush administration. 22 Dec 2007 12:46 pm Why The Nose Is Like The PenisJust try some Viagra and you'll find out soon enough. 22 Dec 2007 12:42 pm Ron Paul Quote Of The Day , Campaign 2008"> , Ron Paul">
A reader writes:
22 Dec 2007 12:08 pm Quote For The Day"They were more than happy for us to come to the rallies and stand in lines for hours to cheer on the candidates, appreciated us putting up the yard signs, going out and putting out the cards on peoples doors and making phone calls to the phone banks and - really appreciated all of our votes. But when they got elected, behind closed doors, they would laugh at us and speak with scorn and derision that we were, as one article I think once said "the easily led." So there's been almost this sort of, it's okay if you guys get a seat on the bus, but don't ever think about telling us where the bus is going to go," - Mike Huckabee, CBN. 22 Dec 2007 11:25 am Faces Of The Year I
The first of my favorite seven "Face Of The Day" photographs from the Dish in 2007. I'll be posting one each day in Christmas week. Some readers ask my criteria for these shots. I guess I'm looking for faces of human beings not always on the front-pages, new ways to illustrate stories around the world that would not be covered on the blog usually, and images that are simply striking, beautiful, rare or revelatory. I scan the Getty photo service each day for them. It's one of my favorite Daily Dish-tasks - and made possible by the Atlantic's subscription. Rocky Elsom of the Waratahs lies on the pitch after being knocked out during the round six Super 14 match between the Waratahs and the Bulls at Aussie Stadium March 10, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. By Cameron Spencer/Getty Images. 22 Dec 2007 10:46 am The View From Your Window
Edinburgh, Scotland, 3.15 pm. 22 Dec 2007 10:26 am Iowa: Where We Are , Polls">
Mark Blumenthal parses the polls. Given the holiday season, I'd say we're essentially flying blind from now on, but a heavier turnout will favor Obama. I don't make predictions but I'm also getting the impression that New Hampshire will come home for McCain which, given the front-running alternatives, would make me very happy. 22 Dec 2007 09:51 am Campaign Quote Of The Day“The strong pitch made to me and others not that long ago was that we had to be for Hillary, because Hillary was going to be the inevitable winner. They have come a long way if they now think Iowa is just survivable," - Gordon Fischer, the former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party who is now backing Obama. 22 Dec 2007 08:59 am Ron Obamacain 2008!Pete Abel finds the perfect candidate:
22 Dec 2007 08:56 am Today Is World Orgasm DayYou know what to do. 22 Dec 2007 08:00 am Email Of The DayA reader writes:
Without temptation, there is no virtue. Friday, December 21, 200721 Dec 2007 07:17 pm Your Chance To Give An Award To Michelle Malkin!Will Michelle Malkin win the Dish's Yglesias Award for 2007? Or would that open up a tear in the time-space continuum? Your favorite foaming at the mouth wingnut and Sully-lover, Ace, is among the finalists as well. As are Huffpuffers Tish Durkin and Paul Jenkins from the left. It's a veritable reasonableness-fest. But only you decide who wins. Malkin Award Finalists - including Glenn Reynolds and Rush Limbaugh - here. Moore Awards - featuring Eric Alterman and Keith Olbermann (in the lead right now) - here. Poseurs of the Year - it's a toss-up between Michael Ledeen and Bernard Henri Levy (with Lewis Lapham in the running) - here. The criteria are here. What are you waiting for?
21 Dec 2007 07:16 pm "Mitticisms"That's the mot juste a reader just proposed - for all those Romney statements that are just a little too good to be, you know, true. Remember Gore and the Internet. That kind of thing. Mitticism: a noun. A slight exaggeration that embellishes the truth in order to impress voters. Pass it along. (Actually, Chris Kelly may be the one to credit with this neologism). Again this is not a big deal. Take the MLK issue. There's no question that George Romney was on the right side of the civil rights movement of his day (just as his son, sadly, is now on the wrong side of the civil rights movement of his day - after having been on the right side). Romney has every reason to be proud, and I have no doubt that he remembers his father's legacy vividly. It's also true, it now appears, that George Romney may have once actually marched alongside MLK, although that is still disputed and Romney himself is no longer insisting on its veracity. But Mitt didn't see it, as he now says. And the context of his prepared - not off-the-cuff - remarks clearly say that he did - not figuratively, but actually:
The sentiment is clear and admirable, but slightly off. A Mitticism is not a lie as such, and I was too harsh in describing it as such originally. It's that extra-special edge to a salesman's pitch that is as unnecessary as it is counter-productive. 21 Dec 2007 07:04 pm The Little Fibs Of Mitt RomneyPut together, it's not a pretty picture. I didn't realize he's been full of it about his record on tackling crystal meth as well. Most of this is not a big deal. But so many little lies and little exaggerations tell you something as well. He seems to be a man who sees the truth as instrumental to the sell. And he's all about the sell. 21 Dec 2007 06:52 pm The Left vs Obama , Environmentalism"> , Obama">
They're whining about his nod to Schwarzenegger. Needlenose harrumphs here. But he's a green conservative! 21 Dec 2007 05:49 pm Face Of The Day
A customer at St. George Spirits tastes the new St. George Absinthe Verte December 21, 2007 in Alameda, California. St. George Spirits became the first distillery to sell Absinthe in the United States since its ban in 1912 after they sold a token bottle on December 3rd. They released their first production run of 3600 bottles today with a price tag of $75 per bottle. By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. Hippies like absinthe? 21 Dec 2007 05:38 pm Bye, Tom , Republicans">
This Jesse Walker farewell is priceless:
Did he kill off Thompson's campaign? We'll all miss one-liners like this:
But not torture. 21 Dec 2007 05:22 pm The Electability Issue In Iowa , Polls">
Iowans, who have had much more time to examine and judge the candidates, lean toward Obama against the leading Republican candidates. He beats all of them by much wider margins than Clinton. One obvious example: in a Clinton-Romney match-up, Clinton wins by 48 to 45. Obama beats Romney 51 to 39. Obama is over 50 in every match-up; Clinton below 50 in all of them. 21 Dec 2007 04:43 pm Hewitt vs Hewitt , Romney">
In 2004, he was hyping a beyond-trivial story about Kerry's tan. Now he's dismissing the flap over Romney's MLK Clintonism as "silly." I don't think either is that big a deal - but both illustrated a serious concern with each candidate: phoniness and say-anythingness. I guess no one mistakes Hewitt for anything but a partisan propgandist, but still ... 21 Dec 2007 04:33 pm Rudy's Shag-GateLess there than once met the eye. Not nothing - but much less than advertized. 21 Dec 2007 04:13 pm The 2007 Malkin Award: Vote!
The contest for the Malkin Award (Award glossary here) includes strong entries from Rush Limbaugh, David Horowitz, Don Wildmon, Michael Savage and Glenn Reynolds. Then there's this from Amy Proctor:
Pick the winner here. Savage is off to a good start. 21 Dec 2007 04:04 pm The Power Of AmbinderAn unnamed source in an Atlantic blog gets Limbaugh to bring out the taser. Congrats, Marc. If you're not reading his campaign blog, you really should. 21 Dec 2007 03:52 pm McCarthy On The Torture Tapes II , Torture">
A small note about this description of what happened at Abu Ghraib:
But what we saw at Abu Ghraib, we now know, were exactly the techniques that McCarthy supports: stress positions, abuse short of torture, sexual humiliation, religious abuse, and all the other techniques the Pentagon approved to break down resistance to giving up information. It was cruel, but it sure wasn't mindless. It was designed to soften inmates up before interrogation - to prevent and stymie an insurgency whose victims numerically overwhelm those of 9/11. The new regime at Abu Ghraib in which such "mindless cruelty" took place was installed by General Geoffrey Miller who had been personally dispatched by Donald Rumsfeld to "Gitmoize" the place. And this is what I don't understand: doesn't McCarthy support many of the techniques revealed at Abu Ghraib? I don't mean the rapes and murder. I mean the abuse short of torture. What, in McCarthy's eyes, is wrong with shackling prisoners hands and feet to the floor, or stripping them naked, or sexually humiliating them, or walking them around on a leash? It's not torture, right? It was prepping interrogation targets by breaking down their psyches in advance. And it was part of the system of interrogation set up by Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld. Isn't that actually milder than the policies McCarthy actually favors, like waterboarding? To put it more bluntly: It seems to me that those who are making a fine distinction between "torture" and even waterboarding - and allowing waterboarding - have no logical basis for objecting to what we saw in many of the photographs at Abu Ghraib. Or rather their only objection must surely be that the techniques were not adequately professionalized and were allowed to leak, or were somehow inflicted by the wrong people. But the techniques were fine, right? We are at war, right? And yet McCarthy cannot quite say he endorses them. Why not? He's not becoming part of the "revisionist Left" is he? 21 Dec 2007 03:46 pm Derb and SullyA reader writes:
I guess that makes me Beatrice. She does have the better lines. 21 Dec 2007 03:41 pm The View From Your Window
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, 1.55 pm. 21 Dec 2007 03:32 pm Dissent Of The DayA reader writes:
Continue reading "Dissent Of The Day" » 21 Dec 2007 03:27 pm McCarthy On The Torture Tapes I , Political Scandals"> , Torture">
One gets a sense of shrill hysteria from sentences like this:
Andy McCarthy means against the homeland, I presume. But his need for existential hysteria to defend the indefensible is hurt by such qualifications. Then there's this:
And so the Geneva Conventions evaporate, including Article 3 which requires baseline protection from abuse and torture of any military prisoners, regardless of their uniform, status or provenance. No one's talking full POW status; we're talking minimal decency status. And I fail to see how John McCain and a vast swathe of American servicemembers and veterans count as the "revisionist Left." Continue reading "McCarthy On The Torture Tapes I" » 21 Dec 2007 02:54 pm An Email From Iceland , Foreign Affairs"> , Republicans">
A reader writes:
On the other hand, here is a voice from the Republican base:
One thing people like me have to understand: the core of today's GOP is not merely indifferent to this kind of abuse, it actively supports it. Just as it actively supports and endorses torture. It's one reason I feel so alienated by the Republican party I once felt some loyalty and affinity for. 21 Dec 2007 02:38 pm Quote For The Day"This election will be my first chance to vote, and I want to be confident in my choice. Everyone thinks it’s so controversial for Hillary to be in the running, but where are the openly gay presidential candidates? Don’t get me wrong, fag hags are great, but why have the hag when you can have the fag?" - Chris Crocker, Time's viral video of the year winner. 21 Dec 2007 02:25 pm The Best Ron Paul Article Yet , Ron Paul">
Tucker Carlson, barely restraining his affection, writes an hysterical and perceptive essay on Dr Paul, and his band of merry men and women. One anecdote will suffice:
And one sentence:
I wish Tucker would get off TV and write more. I'd forgotten how good he is. 21 Dec 2007 01:28 pm Introducing The 2007 Daily Dish Awards!
It's that time of the year again, but this year, something a little different. In the past, a secret blue-ribbon panel has selected the finalists and winners of the various awards the Dish gives out each year. This year, I'm handing it over to you. Over the past twelve months, there have been dozens of nominations from readers for the Malkin, Moore, and Yglesias awards, and many for the Poseur of the Year. The blue-ribbon panel worked feverishly to select finalists in each category, and we're giving readers a week to pick the winners. There are many big names and many not-so-big names to choose from. So have fun this Christmas week and be generous with the Christmas cheer. You can read the definitions of the Awards here; and you can see the nominee finalists for the Malkin Award here, the Moore Award here, the Yglesias Award here and the Poseur of the Year here. Voting starts now and will conclude at 5 pm next Friday. 21 Dec 2007 01:15 pm ElectabilityAgainst the GOP, Obama is the best bet in the Zogby poll:
Clinton loses to Huckabee, Giuliani and McCain. Perhaps just as interesting: Huckabee and McCain are the most viable general election candidates. 21 Dec 2007 12:59 pm Republican Orthodoxy , Republicans">
Ramesh Ponnuru admits that the theocon position on gay couples is not about marriage as such:
I can understand - even though I don't agree - why some people want to keep the m-word for heterosexual couples. I don't understand why it's also important to deny gay couples the responsibilities even of "civil unions." What does "too close to marriage" possibly mean? "Too close" to being publicly acknowledged and accepted? Or too supportive of the relationship itself? I wonder if Ramesh understands how insulting it is to gay couples when we read this kind of sentence. It is as if we have the civic cooties. 21 Dec 2007 12:38 pm Obama, Manager , Obama"> , Politics">
Read Ben Smith's story on Obama's tight, cohesive and non-leaky campaign. Compare it to Clinton's drama-filled, conflict-ridden bandwagon. Now think of each one in the White House for four years. I know which management style serves the country best. 21 Dec 2007 12:31 pm Gallup In New HampshireAmbers talks about the orange among the apples - and Marc knows his fruit from his vegetables. Mark Blumenthal dissects the methodology. It really is an exciting prospect if McCain somehow wins. 21 Dec 2007 12:14 pm Poseur Alert , Music">
"I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now," — R. Kelly. 21 Dec 2007 11:58 am For Liberty and Ron Paul!Derb and me, together at last:
December 16, 2007 - December 22, 2007
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