|link| Posted 2:35 PM by Brian Linse
Ronald Reagan

Former president Ronald Reagan has died at the age of 93.

From Michael Totten: I don't want the man's picture on my money or his head on Mt. Rushmore. But he did some good in this world and for that I thank him.

From Sgt. Stryker: The President I grew up under, and the last Republican President that was worth a damn, died today.

From Josh Marshall: And there he goes, like a candle, long only barely burning, finally being snuffed out. A revered, popular president hasn't died in America for more than thirty years -- Harry Truman's death in 1972 is probably the last such similar event.

Other links:

The Washington Post's Lou Cannon. [via: TPM]

Daily Variety (subscription required)

"Reagan's Liberal Legacy" by Joshua Green. [via: political Animal]

Senator John Kerry's statement.

Slate's Timothy Noah.

And for my own personal comment? I can say that after 3 years of GW Bush I have a newfound appreciation of what a great leader president Reagan was. He absolutely believed in his convictions, and perhaps more than any president of the modern era, he governed from those convictions above politics.

That I never shared a single one of his convictions is no reason to be in denial about the fact that Ronald Reagan loved his country and did all in his power to serve the nation and its citizens. May he rest in peace.

|link| Posted 2:53 AM by Brian Linse
Archibald Cox and Sam Dash: RIP

Two important figures from the Watergate era have died. Former Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, died at the age of 92, and Chief Counsel for the Senate Watergate committee, Sam Dash, has died at the age of 79.

For the youngsters out there, the reason that Sam Dash may sound more familiar is that he was the ethics adviser to Ken Starr's Clinton Whitewater investigation who resigned in protest over Starr's tactics and lack of objectivity.

These were two great men who were gallant public servants. Their lives and service should stand as a reminder to us all of how things should be. Read the above obits, and then scan the news for the latest from the Bush Administration.

If Cox and Dash could've stuck around a bit longer, perhaps they would have had more government work in the near future...

|link| Posted 6:41 PM by Brian Linse
It's Matt Welch Day at ANBD

As regular readers of this blog know, Matt Welch is my favorite writer in the Blogosphere, my favorite writer in professional journalism, and a personal hero due to his ability to persuade a smart and sexy French girl named Emmanuelle to be his bride.

With a little metronome practice he'd be a hella-great guitar player too...

Welch has been working overtime lately, and you can read the results over at Reason Online where he posts a classic, wilting response to Michael Barone's recent idiotic tripe, as well as a very important piece on the failure of journalists to defend the First Amendment. Read them both, then go over to Normblog for a pithy little Q&A; with Matt.

|link| Posted 5:23 PM by Brian Linse
Scare Tactics and More Lies From Ashcroft

I'm sure this surprises no one:

In warning Americans to brace for a possible attack, Ashcroft cited what he called “credible intelligence from multiple sources,” saying that “just after New Year's, al-Qaida announced openly that preparations for an attack on the United States were 70 percent complete.… After the March 11 attack in Madrid, Spain, an al-Qaida spokesman announced that 90 percent of the arrangements for an attack in the United States were complete.”

But terrorism experts tell NBC News there's no evidence a credible al-Qaida spokesman ever said that, and the claims actually were made by a largely discredited group, Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, known for putting propaganda on the Internet.

THREAT LEVEL = Bullshit Brown

Tie this in with the propaganda that the Justice Department is feeding to their willing press sheep like CNN's Kelli Arena, and it is clear that the administration is trying to scare the public into voting for Bush.

|link| Posted 2:45 PM by Brian Linse
More John Lott Nonsense

Tim Lambert is still on Lott watch, citing and debunking the trickle of bullshit that those still gullible enough to believe in Lott's junk science will publish. The latest is, not surprisingly, from Fox News.

I guess we should take it as progress that only a few wingnut gun freaks (you know, the kind that superimpose range targets over photos of human beings)have linked the story in a positive light... So far...

I remember the days when Instantman would have linked it within seconds of it being posted.

|link| Posted 1:56 PM by Brian Linse
Who's Driving The Boat?

Calpundit Kevin Drum has the answer in THE PRAETORIAN PRESIDENCY.

|link| Posted 7:42 PM by Brian Linse
Mitt Romney, Meet Jim Crow

Kevin Drum cites the latest in offensive behavior on the Gay Marriage issue. This time it comes from Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. These guys really have no shame...

|link| Posted 7:28 PM by Brian Linse
Plame Game Heats Up

CNN is reporting that journalists are being subpoenaed in the Valerie Plame spy leak case.

Former federal prosecutors told CNN that investigators are required to exhaust other possible leads before resorting to questioning journalists, so that issuing subpoenas is a signal that the investigation is in its final stages.

Time Inc. and NBC News are all "blah blah blah" about resisting the subpoenas, but with or without their help, it looks like the investigation may go into the indictment stage before November.

What was our commander-in-chief doing today? Falling off his bicycle.

|link| Posted 7:07 PM by Brian Linse
Moore Gets Palme d'Or

Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's controversial documentary, won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes International Film Festival.

Say what you will about Moore, he certainly knows his enemies:

Mr. Moore noted that four of the nine jurors were American: Mr. Tarantino, Kathleen Turner, the director Jerry Schatzberg, and the Haitian-born novelist Edwidge Danticat. "I fully expect the Fox News Channel and other right-wing media to portray this as an award from the French," Mr. Moore said. Only one juror, the actress Emanuelle Béart, is a French citizen.

I'd say it's another win for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax, and another loss for Disney and Mr. Eisner. Regardless, it will guarantee the film's domestic theatrical release in very short order. In other words, Bush & Co. will have to deal with the controversy before the November election.

|link| Posted 6:14 PM by Brian Linse
The Joe Bob Briggs POV

From Joe Bob's Week-in-Review May 8th:

"President Bush said it was unrealistic to expect Palestinian statehood by 2005 because the region is too unstable, thereby backing off the pre-arranged date and infuriating Arab leaders. Asked about his other deadline, June 30th, the day of Iraqi statehood, he said that he sees no problem with that one, that place is totally under control."

|link| Posted 1:11 PM by Brian Linse
When Heroes Fail Us

Tony Pierce is bummed over his blog hero Glenn Reynolds' choices lately.

And after today's stunningly bizarre post, I'm afraid I'd have to agree that the big guy has really lost his way this time.

It's that last paragraph of the post, an unfortunate "another update" addition, that really leaves one wondering:

ANOTHER UPDATE: And here's a question: Freedom of the press, as it exists today (and didn't exist, really, until the 1960s) is unlikely to survive if a majority -- or even a large and angry minority -- of Americans comes to conclude that the press is untrustworthy and unpatriotic. How far are we from that point?

Leave aside the presumed intentional rhetorical nuances, designed, I suppose, to ride the fence between concern and advocacy. Let's just look at the constitutional approach: If the issue in question were the second amendment, would Glenn still consider the "freedom" in question to be potentially so fluid? And is he asserting that the first amendment press rights at issue were not "real" until they were addressed by the USSC after 1960?

If that is the case, then Glenn's beloved 2A rights are not real as I write this, having never been blessed by a USSC decision to clarify them. So color me one reader who is hoping that this is a momentary lapse in the synapse, too many bong hits, or just a too-clever attempt to toss more red meat to the wingnut contingent checking in at Instantman's place. Because, if it's not one of these things, then it's a really scary bit of junior fascism. [via Atrios]

UPDATE: Digby weighs in on this, too.

|link| Posted 12:55 PM by Brian Linse
Republican Noise

Click on the cover to order David Brock's new book:

And don't forget to check in regularly at his new website, Media Matters for America.

|link| Posted 12:20 AM by Brian Linse
Elvin Jones 1927 - 2004

Yesterday was a really bad day.

On the heels of the news that Tony Randall has died comes the sad news that one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, Elvin Jones, died yesterday at the age of 76.

If you don't know who Elvin was, the NYT Obit has it all.

Like Miles Davis, Elvin Jones was usually referred to by his first name only. There was only one Elvin in jazz that mattered.

I had the great pleasure of seeing him play live only once, about 8 years ago, when the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine blew through LA. I have never seen anyone beat the living shit out of his drums the way Elvin did. It was truly amazing to witness.

Elvin used to sometimes nail his bass drum to the stage so it wouldn't get away from him, and there's a story that one time it came loose during a solo, but Elvin kept playing while his diminutive wife tried to nail it back down as it bounced across the stage.

Must have Elvin includes: John Coltrane's My Favorite Things; one of the most important recordings in the entire history of jazz, Coltrane's A Love Supreme; and one of my personal favorites because of the fierce version of Impressions, Trident, by McCoy Tyner.

The NYT reports that Elvin was gigging up until a few weeks ago. I wish I'd caught him live a few more times. Recordings are great, but in the case of Elvin, there just aren't words to describe the impact of hearing him in person.

|link| Posted 7:12 PM by Brian Linse
Goodbye Felix

The great Tony Randall died yesterday at the age of 84. For anyone 10 years either side of 40, the re-runs of TV's The Odd Couple are a wonderful part of our fond memories of the tube at its best.

Tributes will be easy to find within a few hours so I won't bother linking. But of all the wonderful things that will be said about Mr. Randall I'll add this: How many celebrities could frequently appear on idiotic game shows, be witty and entertaining, and still walk away with their dignity?

Only Tony Randall.

|link| Posted 7:06 PM by Brian Linse
Bad Dude Down

This site was down for a couple of days due to domain registration problems... you know, the I forgot to renew my domain kinda domain problems.

My apologies for the downtime. I promise it won't happen again for at least two years.

|link| Posted 3:41 PM by Brian Linse
Send Capo To Maine

James Capozzola of Rittenhouse Review fame is seeking help to finance a trip to Maine to help Mary Beth Williams of Wampum in her campaign to win a seat in the Maine legislature. Go help one blogger help another blogger get elected to public office!

|link| Posted 3:15 PM by Brian Linse
Support Atrios' Eschaton

Atrios is running a Pledge Week to raise funds in support of his blogging. Go donate whatever you can.

|link| Posted 1:59 PM by Brian Linse
Latest Hersh on Abu Ghraib

Don't miss Seymour Hersh's latest installment on Abu Ghraib in The New Yorker.

|link| Posted 12:37 PM by Brian Linse
Come On, Guys...

Lord knows I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor am I even a junior-level internet-savy dude. But there is a notion cropping up amongst guys who really should know better that the popularity of search engine queries for the Nick Berg beheading video demonstrates a disconnect and/or bias in mainstream news coverage that is still focused on the Abu Ghraib torture story. I'm beginning to feel smarter and internet-hip by comparison.

Here's Rand Simberg, Glenn Reynolds, and Robert Clayton Dean, to cite just a few.

Come on, guys...

Do you really want to judge the intellectual curiosity of the public based on search engine results? Ok, here's Google's 10 most popular queries for the year 2003:

1. Britany Spears

2. Harry Potter

3. Matrix

4. Shakira

5. David Beckham

6. 50 Cent

7. Iraq

8. Lord Of The Rings

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Tour de France

That's right, in 2003 more people used Google to search for information on 50 Cent than on Iraq. And while Iraq registered #1 for "news searches", the top ten was filled out by Laci Petersen, Kobe, Bertrand Cantat, RIAA, Jessica Lynch, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Smart, Korea, and Dixie Chicks.

Now consider the fact that while pictures of the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib have been widely published, the horrific images of the Berg video have not. Stills from the video, pre-beheading, have been published, but the creepy pervs, sickos, dweebs and , uh, bicycle riders that clearly drive search engine rankings want to see the gore. Is anyone surprised?

I can't wait to see what these guys say if and when video of the prison torture becomes available on the net and subsequently jumps to the top of the query list.

And as to the assertion that the Nick Berg story would help Bush? Um, I don't think so...

UPDATE: Tbogg is on this, too.

MO' UPDATE: Bush better hope the Berg story goes away. Don't miss Mark Kleiman on why our "War President" didn't, when he had the chance, eliminate the man who killed Berg.

|link| Posted 2:34 PM by Brian Linse
Brock on Majority Report

David Brock of the new Media Matters for America will be on Garofalo and Seder's Majority Report today. It airs at 8pm on radio, but if you want to catch it on East Coast time it streams the net at 5pm here on the Left Coast.

|link| Posted 1:05 PM by Brian Linse
Media Matters

David Brock has started a new internet media venture called Media Matters for America to serve as a watchdog on the non-print, conservative media. This is a long overdue idea, and one that Mr. Brock is rather well suited to execute.

He also shows great wisdom in hiring the very famous O-Dub, aka Oliver Willis, who will be moving closer to his beloved Redskins to take the gig. Congrats to both Mr. Brock and Mr. Willis. [via: dKos]

|link| Posted 1:24 AM by Brian Linse
Fat Tony Is Pissed

Is it me, or does it seem that every time that bitter, fat old fuck Tony Scalia opens his mouth he disgraces the Court? He had to recuse from the Pledge case because of previous statements, and now he's whining like a little bitch because he didn't get his way on the VMI case.

In my opinion, a second term for Bush will mean a promotion to Chief for Fat Tony, and with all the other reasons to be rid of Junior, this one rates very highly with me.

When is the mainstream media going to wake up and realize that we have a religious fanatic on the USSC... not to mention the one in the Oval Office?

|link| Posted 1:28 PM by Brian Linse
Kerry Theatrical Documentary

Daily Variety (subscription required) is reporting that Steve Rosenbaum is following the Kerry campaign and filming a docu for theatrical release in Septmenber. Rosenbaum was behind the series on Discovery that focused on the behind the scenes staffers of the major Dem cadidates during the primary. So far, nothing in the mainsteam media about the feature.

The feature began shooting earlier this month and will continue filming through the Democratic convention in July. Rosenbaum will examine Kerry via his interaction with the immediate sphere that surrounds him, including his personal assistant, trip director, press secretaries and strategic advisers, all of whom will be key characters in the movie.

"We want to give people a chance to form opinions that are not based purely on stump speeches," Rosenbaum said. "Cameras are usually on John Kerry when he's giving a speech or a press conference or in a photo opportunity.

"We realized that in none of these moments do you get to see him in anything but performance mode," he added. "The idea of our film is to show all the moments in between." [...]

"There's no intention to make a film that's either controversial or a political endorsement," Rosenbaum said. "This cannot be a political commercial or we lose. This has to be honest, revealing, questioning, fun and entertaining. It has to show the ride of the campaign experience with all the peaks and valleys."

Can't wait for Mickey Kaus' review...

And what are the odds of Cheney allowing Bush to do Journeys With George Part Two?

|link| Posted 1:21 PM by Brian Linse
Noam Gets PW'd

Jeffy G has a faux interview with the Noamster that is a real hoot. Even funnier is that Jeff e-mails to say that he's been getting hate mail from people who didn't realize it was a parody. Normally that would be a testament to Jeff's satirical prowess, but in this case it might just be a measure of how wacky Mr. Chomsky can be.

|link| Posted 7:00 PM by Brian Linse
If Only "The Donald" Could...

Trump Fires Bush.

Very funny. From those wacky True Majority folks who sent me the free ice cream.

[via: Nigel Dick]


For more yuks, ladies and gentlemen, T Bogg. (Warning: really mean, but laugh-out-loud funny)

|link| Posted 8:28 PM by Brian Linse
Matt The Knife

It's been awhile since Matt Welch went for the ol' jugular, but he hasn't lost his touch.

Aside from being the best writer in the entire blogosphere, when Welch cuts he cuts deep, and he usually tosses in a bit of humor to boot. These are salty yuks, however, and they do so aggravate the wound. Just go see Matt and read everything.

Switchblade Matt don't think too much of the cozy relationship between our prez and the Evil Prince from Saudi Arabia. Doesn't think too highly of Bush's secrecy in the name of National Security either. In fact - dare I say it - I think Mr. Welch has just plain old 'had it' with Bush.

Bush can still count on the die-hard true believers on the Left, but losing centrist guys like Welch, (and, I predict, eventually Michael Totten) ain't no good sign.

|link| Posted 8:40 PM by Brian Linse
Kos on Air America

For those of you on the Left coast, Markos of Daily Kos will be appearing on Air America's Majority Report around 9pm PST. Atrios, and Liberal Oasis have already been on the show, so it looks like the MR folks will be going to the blogs on a regular basis!

Air America's website has the station listings, but if you are in LA tune to KBLA 1580 AM.

|link| Posted 5:46 PM by Brian Linse
Elementary, My Dear Watson

Fred Kaplan asks in a great Slate article: Why aren't Colin Powell and George Tenent joining in the bashing of Richard Clarke?

Could it be a case of the dogs that didn't bark?

|link| Posted 1:46 PM by Brian Linse
Occupation: Foole

It's that special day again, and so far, the lefty blogs are cleaning up.

Roger Ailes is all-fools all-day today, and has added his new hero, Hugh Hewitt, to the blogroll.

Jim Henley offers up a satire that is so "on target" that it's a little spooky. How much time does Jim spend studying these guys? [note: Jim is a 'Tarian of some sort, but his anti-war position meshes nicely with the Libruls]

Jesse at Pandagon is deconstructing the warbloggers with a little help from his commenters.

Crooked Timber has a UK contribution to the Foolery. Daniel Davies is ready for his close-up, Mr. Blair!

Notable efforts from the right, however, include one of my favorite righties, Ben Kepple, who parodies himself with a little communist infestation, and the guy I love to disagree with, Jeff G at Protein Wisdom, who goes after the new Air America gang with a wicked parody. [Keep scrolling down]

And please, Jeebus, tell me that Treacher is just joking about this.

|link| Posted 12:25 PM by Brian Linse
Fly Air America

The new liberal talk radio network, Air America, is now up and running. Atrios will appear on Garofalo's show this evening.

UPDATE: Garofalo's show has a blog, too!

|link| Posted 10:30 AM by Brian Linse
Political Animal Captured

Calpundit Kevin Drum has gone pro and taken his blog to the site of The Washington monthly. Keep the old bookmarks and links to CP, as Kev plans on occasionally posting there, but add Political Animal to the daily read.