September 01, 2004

TIRED OF POLITICS? Go to Michael Totten's and look at the many great pictures from his cross-country drive.

HALF A MILLION EVACUATED in Florida ahead of Hurricane Frances.

HOW DID IT GO? Peter Jennings and George Stephanopoulos look unhappy.

DICK CHENEY: After the almost preacher-like delivery of Zell Miller, Cheney comes across as very quiet. Interesting strategy, letting a Democrat stoke the fires and a Republican bank them. "How can you call us warmongers? Did you hear Zell Miller? He's a Democrat, you know."

The crowd applauded when Cheney said we honor Kerry for his Vietnam service. It also applauded when Cheney took a negative view of Kerry's post-Vietnam activity.

"We have already been attacked." Good line.

Also: "There is a difference between leading a coalition of many nations, and seeking the permission of a few."

"Senator Kerry says he sees two Americas. And that makes the whole thing mutual — America sees two John Kerrys."

I liked the hair joke. Text here.

Ratherbiased has images of the protester who tried to disrupt things.

Last word goes to Ann Althouse: "He lays it out. And you can take it or leave it. He's not doing the twist. He's Dick Cheney."

LYNNE CHENEY: Good thing she stopped with the repeated "Dick did not" line before it got a bit, er, counterproductive.

ZELL MILLER: It's funny that the purest voice of Jacksonian America at this Republican convention -- in fact, at either convention -- comes from a Democrat. There was a time when it wouldn't have been surprising at all.

UPDATE: Here's the text. Zell Miller's obviously been unhappy with the direction of the Democratic Party for a while, and this was his chance to make that unhappiness clear. He took it.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mara Liasson on Fox: "Who would have thought that the angriest speech of the Republican convention would come from a Democrat." Speaking as someone who was a card-carrying Democrat, and unhappy with the party on that front for a long time, I can understand it.

MORE: Wolf Blitzer asks him why he's angry, and why he's still a Democrat. Miller laughs at being angry, and says "I'll die a Democrat. . . . But there's nobody that welcomes a conservative Democrat in the party anymore."

Democratic spin from Tad Devine: It's the politics of fear. (It must be: he looks afraid.) Jeff Greenfield: How can Kerry be the leader of a strong wartime America when so many Democrats are against the use of force? Devine: We'll defend the nation if attacked, and use force without anyone's approval. This Administration has a record of failure. Then he started talking about Halliburton. Blitzer: What about voting for and against the $87 billion? Devine: More Halliburton. And Dick Cheney wasn't in Vietnam.

STILL MORE: Now Miller's on Hardball. Chris Matthews asks him if Kerry really only wants to defend America with spitballs. Matthews calls him a "conservative Republican." Oops! Miller: I knew you were going to be coming at me with all that stuff. This is a bunch of baloney that doesn't have anything to do with what I said. He's right. I change channels. [LATER: By changing channels, I missed seeing Zell nearly challenge Matthews to a duel, and Matthews backing down, according to several reader emails. Jacksonian America indeed! Reader Daniel Wilkins sends: "Chris M. looked like a dog getting a bath. I've never seen him so humbled."]

MORE STILL: Reader Andrew Morse emails:

John McCain was on NBC immediately following Miller's speech. He said something to the effect that it was wrong for Miller to question Kerry's patriotism, even though Miller explicitly stated that he was not questioning Kerry's patriotism. Brokaw, of course, did not correct him.

Of course not.

FINAL NOTE: Just went back to Hardball and saw Matthews dissing Miller and blogs. Dude, you've got a blog.

The Luntz swing-voter focus group loved Zell Miller's speech. They liked it that he was a Democrat and an ex-Marine talking about national security. And the "spitballs" line did well.

Over at Begging to Differ: "It was political theater, no question. But it was also the opening salvo in what will surely be a substantive attack on Kerry's voting record. . . . Zell Miller was more effective tonight than any Republican could have been. John Kerry will have to answer, if he can."

ANN ALTHOUSE is liveblogging the convention again. She doesn't like Rick Santorum, or Barney the Dog. (No connection as far as I know).

UPDATE: Ed Morrissey is liveblogging, too.

So is Peaktalk.

HERE'S SOMETHING on Kerry's post-Vietnam political career: his time as Michael Dukakis' Lieutenant Governor. (Via Newsfeed).

ED MORRISSEY NOTES the arrest of a deep-cover spy, "living undercover in the US for eleven years, awaiting orders from his IIS handler that apparently never came." Interesting.

JOE TRIPPI HAS ADVICE FOR THE KERRY CAMPAIGN: "So wake the hell up, damn it!"

I told you they should have hired him.

UPDATE: From TAPPED -- Uh oh!

A friend of mine tracked me down a little while ago to relate a dream. He was walking through a big office that he realized was the headquarters of the Kerry campaign. He saw a door marked "Campaign Manager" and entered, to see Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill, appropriately enough, sitting behind the desk. As he drew nearer, however, the woman suddenly ripped off her Cahill mask, behind which was ... Susan Estrich, Michael Dukakis' campaign manager! At that point, he woke up screaming.

Actually, I like Susan Estrich. But the point is taken.

More advice for Kerry here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: But don't worry -- Ryan Lizza reports that a crack crisis team has been dispatched to dispel the notion that the Kerry campaign is in crisis!

the campaign high command will descend on New York tomorrow morning to meet with the press and no doubt try to quell the firestorm of chatter sweeping the convention hall about the staff being in disarray.

Shrum won't be there. That should reassure people.

VIRGINIA POSTREL suggests that Andrew Sullivan needs to spend more time in Red America. Yes, he seems to be laboring under some misconceptions.

ZELL MILLER HAS BEEN LAPHAMED -- his speech has already happened! At least in this story, even though it's time stamped 2:34 this afternoon.

INTERESTING STORY ON BLOGS AND NEWS REPORTING:

W. Joseph Campbell, an associate communications professor at American University, said blogs have been out ahead of the mainstream media on some stories involving Kerry, and the blogs themselves have, in many cases, done a good job of vetting stories.

"The blogs that I'm familiar with don't tend to be fast and loose with the facts," he said. "They really try to pin it down."

If blogs continue to grow in influence and credibility, it could be a pivotal moment for political reporting, he said, adding, "There are some earmarks of watershed here."

We'll see.

UPDATE: This related post is interesting, too.

TERRY MCAULIFFE LOOKING AND SOUNDING NERVOUS: More blog video from Power Line.

SO I'M OUT PICKING UP FROZEN YOGURT for the family, and I turn on the car radio just in time to hear Hugh Hewitt complaining that I don't charge enough for blogads: "Glenn's giving it away! He's killing the market!"

Er, sorry.

THEY SAID THAT WHEN THE REPUBLICANS CAME TO NEW YORK, the streets would be filled with religious zealots spouting theocratic hatred.

I guess they were right!

TOM MAGUIRE looks at the bizarre behavior of the Iowa Electronic Markets.

OKAY, this editorial doesn't actually use the word "girlie-men," but . . . .

UPDATE: Could the "girlie-man" phrase have originally been authored by Al Franken?

Gosh, I hope so.

RARE FIRSTHAND REPORTING from the New York convention-and-protest scene, over at Best of the Web.

BABES FOR BUSH? More of that "teen spirit," I guess.

UPDATE: This originated at Wizbang, where there's also lots of more, um, substantive stuff.

HUGH HEWITT has posted a transcript of his interview with Terry McAuliffe, who seems a bit defensive. And Rush Limbaugh has posted a transcript of his interview with George W. Bush, who does not.

Question: Where's Kerry in all this? I'm sure either Hewitt or Limbaugh would be happy to have him on their shows.

TROUBLING:

For 40 million viewers in the Arab world, Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based satellite television channel, provides a window into the intricate world of American politics. This week, its 16 reporters and staff will air 13 hours of broadcasts from the convention -- more time than the combined coverage of America's major television networks, ABC, CBS and NBC.

On the other hand, even if Americans aren't seeing much of the convention, at least a lot of Arabs will have seen Arnold's speech. (Via Ed Cone).

A HEARTWARMING STORY OF CIVIL DEBATE on the streets of New York: No, really.

VOTE CARRIE: "A pair of Manolo Blahniks in every closet?" Well, the Carrie campaign has a clearer message than the Kerry campaign. And she's not George W. Bush either!

And her dress matches the InstaPundit color scheme nicely.

MORE CONVENTION VIDEOBLOGGING from Powerline.

JIM GLASSMAN: "Some of the worst of the economic girlie-men are in President Bush's own party."

THE MUDVILLE GAZETTE notes some overlooked news items.

"CULTURE SHOCK CUTS BOTH WAYS:" Some interesting observations on America, and Latin America.

RUSSIAN TERROR ATTACKS: Thank goodness nothing like this is happening here -- though you can bet that there are people out there who'd like for it to.

UPDATE: Lots more coverage here: Just keep scrolling.

IT'S NOT MY FAULT! It never is!

Sen. John Kerry is angry at the way his campaign has botched the attacks from the Swift boat veterans and has ordered a staff shakeup that will put former Clinton aides in top positions.

"The candidate is furious," a longtime senior Kerry adviser told the Daily News. "He knows the campaign was wrong. He wanted to go after the Swift boat attacks, but his top aides said no."

I see a rerun of the old Saturday Night Live Dukakis/Bush I debate sketch -- only this time with Kerry saying "I can't believe my staff is losing to this guy!"

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mickey Kaus notes another shocker:

Several campaign officials and advisers say they recognize the need to have an "adult" traveling with the candidate -- as one put it, "someone who can tell him to shut up ..."

Who'll do that if he's President? Teresa? And would a well-run campaign be leaking damaging statements like this?

Meanwhile, reader Dick Aubrey emails: "'My subordinates wouldn't let me.' Not the most reassuring picture of someone who wants to be the world's most powerful executive."

And Greg Decker observes: "I thought George W. Bush was supposed to be the brainless puppet."

MORE: Now Kerry is slamming Bush for "failing to share responsibility with NATO or the United Nations."

Sharing responsibility? Maybe that's what Kerry's doing when he blames his staff!

TRAFFIC: Over 310,000 pageviews yesterday, and just shy of 6 million last month. Thanks for coming by.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Stephen Green is channeling Ron Popeil, and it's well worth reading.

Now how much would you pay? But wait. . . .

WILL BLOGS AFFECT THE ELECTION? I have a column in the Wall Street Journal on that today.

UPDATE: Here's an interesting article from the Daily Texan on the subject, too.

MESSAGE TO THE REPUBLICANS: Great convention, kid. Don't get cocky. If you want something to puncture the buzz, look at the Iowa Electronic Market -- which has actually taken a sudden anti-Bush turn. Reader P.J. Hinton emails: "What is going on out there among the traders, I wonder. Were they so distressed by the Twins' performance? I dunno."

Maybe it was the word that Joe Lockhart is riding to the rescue of the Kerry campaign.

UPDATE: Hmm. Tradesports isn't showing the same phenomenon. Maybe Soros is manipulating the Iowa market!

ANOTHER UPDATE: If he is, it only took one trade, due to the rather odd way these things are graphed:

According to their website, what the graph shows is the final trade for that day, the ONE that occurs closest to midnight.

So, all someone has to do is put in ONE goofy trade right before midnight to screw the graph for the next 24 hours.

This market does not have enough volume & trade frequency to do it that way. They need to be graphing the final 25 trades or some such.

Odd.

August 31, 2004

WATCHING THE AFTERTALK, I think that Jeff Greenfield has it right -- Arnold's speech evoked optimism, and enthusiasm for America and for the common man, in a way that -- once -- was associated with liberalism but that has now become a hallmark of the Republicans.

UPDATE: Schwarzenegger transcript, here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Roger Simon didn't like any of it, even Arnold, but he reports that Pat Buchanan, who was standing next to him, really didn't like Arnold.

Roger's commenters seem to feel differently, though. My sense is that the Democratic convention speeches played better in the hall than on TV, and that these speeches are playing better on TV than in the hall.

LAURA BUSH: Competent, but no Arnold. Stem cell research must be polling strongly.

UPDATE: ABC's insta-analysis says she played well with women. Well, I'm not a woman.

ANOTHER UPDATE: But Halley Suitt is, and she loved Laura's speech:

I thought Laura Bush was excellent tonight. She delivered a great speech, hitting just the right note, with her remarkable dignity and integrity which gives her an awesome quiet power.

I suspect she touched a nerve in many people, but especially in mothers. She dared to say our children will be safe again and her husband will make that happen.

If it had this much impact on Halley, of all deeply-Bush-disliking people, then it obviously delivered a punch that those of us with Y chromosomes can't fully appreciate.

JENNA AND BARBARA: Arnold's a tough guy to follow. But they didn't follow him very well. Okay, the hamster joke wasn't bad.

UPDATE: Well, if this was the plan, I guess it worked.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Brian Noggle: "They didn't do too well, but they're just 22. What was I doing at 22? Stocking the dairy section at a grocery store. However, I was doing open mikes, so I would have had better timing."

But Ann Althouse liked them: "They are fun and self-effacing." Maroonblog agrees: "Not so bad."

Then there's this mixed review: "It felt like bad MTV VMA filler, but I totally want to ask them both out." On the other hand, some female viewers were less impressed: "George P. Bush does have a beautiful smile. The word "yum" does come to mind. The twins didn't impress me much - tried to be too cute, and it didn't fly." Hmm. The Bush clan -- something for everyone!

Er, except for James Lileks. But Gerard van der Leun gets the last word: "Not every moment can be a perfect gem, folks."

GREAT ARNOLD LINE: "I was a little boy -- I was not an action hero yet."

UPDATE: Here's a recent immigrant who likes Arnold's speech. "I didn't think anyone could match Rudy's performance last night, but Arnold is doing it."

I thought it was excellent, too.

POWERLINE IS ON A ROLL: Now with a photo of the Al Franken shoving match!

THE KERRY CAMPAIGN MUST BE HOPING that the Republican Convention will distract people from things like this. And this. It might.

UPDATE: Douglas Brinkley probably has similar hopes.

STEPHEN BAINBRIDGE has thoughts on Bush's "ownership society."

LEWIS LAPHAM WAS LOST IN TIME: Jeff Goldstein reports that Salon is Lost in Space.

I like Lost in Space!

UPDATE: Ed Morrissey has more extensive thoughts on the Salon piece.

ACE OF SPADES OFFERS sitemeter advice for bloggers.

ANN ALTHOUSE, who is on a roll, is liveblogging the Republican convention. "My TiVo has caught up with the live feed and I can't fast forward. Aaaah!"

UPDATE: Don't miss these late-breaking comments from Virginia Postrel. And Ambra offers a scathing review.

ANOTHER UPDATE: More here from Ed Morrissey.

JOHN THUNE HAS CLOSED THE GAP with Tom Daschle.

GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS ENDORSES GEORGE W. BUSH: Powerline has posted an exclusive video interview. Excerpt: "I know what John Kerry's against, but I'm having a little trouble figuring out what he's for." Franks also responds to criticism that Bush lacked a plan to "win the peace."

UPDATE: Transcript here -- covering more than just what's in the video.

ANOTHER UPDATE: And here's audio. And there's more here, from Tom Bevan at RealClearPolitics.

TURMOIL IN THE KERRY CAMPAIGN: Mickey Kaus is asking the right questions.

Kerry campaign spin: "The new additions strengthen an already impressive campaign team!"

The guy they need is Joe Trippi. Er, well, really he's the guy they needed a month ago. . . .

UPDATE: Tom Bevan has a Kerry turmoil roundup.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Contrary to the Kerry press release, Mel Levine isn't new. His appointment was announced two weeks ago.

MORE: Reader Heidi Gunther emails:

Kerry is having Serious problems, almost deadly. The media is giving him an extra minute in the neutral corner to catch his breath because they have so much invested in him. The news guys want him to win so badly that they will sacrifice their reputations to get what they want.

Watch for mass retirements in the media when Bush wins.

Hmm. Interesting. Read this, too. And there's this, from N.Z. Bear:

Let's be serious: can anyone actually imagine Kerry, or his senior advisors, suddenly interrupting a staff meeting to declare: "We're screwed! Get Joe Lockhart on the horn --- he's the only one who can save our asses!" . . .

The even worse news for Kerry is that despite the exceptional job his campaign has been doing at executing political hari-kari, the Bush team hasn't even started to attack him yet. . . . Kerry's recent Swift-Vet-driven collapse is the political equivalent of a boxer being clocked by a random spectator on his way to the ring.

Ouch. Stephen Green has further thoughts.

MORE CRUSHING OF DISSENT: BoiFromTroy reports that CNN is refusing to air the Log Cabin Republicans' ad, calling it too controversial.

You can see the ad here. What do you think?

UPDATE: John Kalb thinks the ad is unfair to Jerry Falwell.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Michael Demmons observes: "Remember, Falwell's the guy who said gays and feminists were to blame for 9-11."

Good point.

MORE VIDEOBLOGGING from Powerline.

THE BELMONT CLUB has harsh commentary on France's response to the hostage-taking, which appears to consist of wandering around the Middle East looking for someone to surrender to:

This suggests that the French diplomats are attempting to link the release of the French hostages to changes in the method and manner in which the Iraqi elections will be held. The mere fact that France is negotiating implictly means there will be a quid for the quo. After all, in 2003, European hostages held by Al Qaeda affiliate Algerian Islamic militant Group for Preaching and Combat were released in exchange for $6M dollars, according to Deutsche Welle. There were even demands from German politicians to force the ex-hostages to reimburse the state for the payout. . . .

Paying tribute is all part of the nuanced foreign policy of former great states. But whether the French ante up with secret political concessions or payouts, the result will be the same. More Americans and Iraqis will die as the price of French appeasement. Yet the French will not escape the carnivorous attentions of the terrorists in the end. Promises by blackguards are made to be broken.

Indeed. They'd be better off taking Iyad Allawi's advice.

THIS has got to be an embarrassment.

JAMES LILEKS offers convention thoughts and some media criticism. Excerpt: "Read the papers, and you might wonder why he’s quoting Cheney. Read the blogs, and you know exactly why."

WELL, THIS IS CHEERFUL:

U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating a series of thefts of official vehicles and uniforms, including an Air Canada uniform, amid fears al-Qaeda operatives could be acquiring such items for a terrorist attack.

Reports about stolen government and company identity cards, trucks and uniforms have been coming in from across the United States in recent months, leading to warnings the incidents might be related to a terrorist plot.

I've been quite critical of homeland security, but in truth we've gone nearly three years without a major attack on U.S. soil -- which few of us, I think, would have dared hope for in September of 2001. But that's no reason to relax now, as stories like this illustrate.

ERROR-CORRECTION UPDATE: Well, maybe. A while back I ran this post, noting that the Los Angeles Times hadn't corrected a false statement to the effect that none of the people in the Swiftboat Vets ads had served on Kerry's boat. (The LAT has since corrected the error.) I also noted that The New Republic had made the same mistake.

Reader Jonathan Miller, however, says that TNR was only referring to the first of the Swiftboat ads. That's not entirely clear from the language, but to the extent it's true, then the TNR statement was (I think) literally correct -- though of course, it loses a lot of force once you realize that the statement wasn't true of the ad campaign as a whole, and that in fact an ad featuring Steve Gardner, who served with Kerry longer than anyone else, appeared the same day the TNR piece was published.

Nonetheless, since we here in the blogosphere strive to outperform the mainstream media on stuff like this, I'll note the point, and I should have been more clear about the difference between the Los Angeles Times' point (which was about the group) and the TNR point, which was about the ads. Given that, as best I can tell, TNR never corrected its egregious Suriname error, this seems on the generous side. But why not be generous? It's only pixels, and nobody thinks less of you for correcting an error, or even a statement that might have created a misapprehension.

UPDATE: Jason Zengerle emails that TNR has, in fact, corrected the Suriname error, with a correction appended at the end. But the free subscription that they sent me doesn't work any more, and so I can't see it. I did check the article for several days after I posted on it originally, though, and saw no correciton then.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Ah, here's the correction:

Correction: This article originally stated that Islam was the majority faith in Suriname. In fact, Suriname is only about 20 percent Muslim, and has populations of Roman Catholics, Hindus, and protestants of roughly this same size. We regret the error.

I don't know when it went up, but it's nicely done.

LEWIS LAPHAM'S TIME TRAVELS: Nick Schulz writes that it's the tip of the iceberg:

That's right, Lapham wrote about the GOP convention speeches before anyone even stepped to the podium. Lapham has apologized for what he's calling a "rhetorical invention," use of "poetic license," and a "mistake."

But the only "mistake" Lapham made is in revealing for all to see what has long been known by anyone who pays attention to the news: the major media routinely bring to their coverage of significant political events a predetermined storyline -- you might want to call it a "Lapham". Facts that undermine the storyline are ignored or explained away as aberrations to The Truth. For the editor of Harper's and other establishment press figures, it really makes no difference to them what will be said at Madison Square Garden because the Laphams are already set, loaded in the scribblers' word processors and television anchor tele-prompters and ready to go.

We at TCS have seen Laphams at work at a number of gatherings we've covered over the years.

A "Lapham." I like that. And TCS is on the lookout for more Laphams, and asks you to email them with any examples you happen to run across.

LAZINESS, BIAS, AND INEPTITUDE: My TechCentralStation column looks at how these characteristics have combined to produce a media meltdown this election year.

SOMETIMES, I ALMOST FEEL SORRY for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

August 30, 2004

JULIAN SANCHEZ spots something that seems right:

I spot the one Ben Sherman in a solidly Brooks Brothers room (actually Benetton, I discover, but Benetton trying to look like Ben Sherman) and try to suss out how gay Republicans are feeling in light of the Federal Marriage Amendment push. And his answer's a pretty good one: That the gay rights issue is largely a generational one, and that it'll be won inside of 10 or 15 years as a result of demographic changes regardless of which party's in power.

That's how it looks to me.

I DIDN'T WATCH the Convention programming tonight, but Ann Althouse did. (More -- devastatingly harsh -- thoughts here.)

UPDATE: Roger Simon has a pithy summation: "John Kerry should take speech-making lessons from John McCain. And if McCain is busy, he should try Giuliani."

THIS MUST BE ONE OF THOSE MOVEON-AFFILIATED OUTFITS, even though it doesn't admit it.

They'll say anything to make Bush look bad. . . .

UPDATE: My God, these people will stop at nothing!

HEH. JUST SAW THIS PICTURE. Nobody tell Atrios. . . .

VIDEOBLOGGING FROM THE NYC PROTESTS as anarchists attack.

(More here.)

IF YOU'VE ENJOYED JEFF SOYER'S BLOG, now might be a good time to hit the tip jar. I just did. (It's on the upper right, with the bullets -- I had to look twice to find it.)

If you need a stronger sales pitch, Jay Solo's got it.

CONGRATULATIONS to Daniel Drezner!

THE GREAT EURO-UNLEARNING CONTINUES:

PARIS — The plight of two French journalists abducted by Islamic extremists in Iraq dominated French public life today as journalists, Muslim intellectuals and others rallied on the hostages' behalf and top officials raced against an ultimatum issued by the kidnappers. . . .

The hostage ordeal has hit France hard. It is a gloomy rebuttal of the theory held by some-though not by most French government officials or those knowledgeable about Islam-that France's anti-war, pro-Arab policies had inoculated the country against such aggressions.

Meanwhile, Iyad Allawi is giving the French some advice, which Greg Djerejian has translated. Excerpt:

The French, like all democratic countries, can't content themselves with adopting a passive position. The Americans, British and other nations that are fighting in Iraq are not only fighting to protect Iraqis, they are fighting to protect their own countries.

The governments that decided to stay on the defensive will be the next targets of the terrorists. Terrorist attacks will occur in Paris, in Nice, in Cannes or in San Francisco. The time has come to act against terrorism, in the same fashion...that Europe fought Hitler. Every day, tens of people are killed in Iraq. They are not dying because we are going through a major national crisis, but because we have decided to combat evil. That's why the entire international community must assist us, as rapidly as possible, to improve the security of our country.

...the U.S. decided to disembark in Normandy, to eliminate Hitler. They suffered heavy losses to accomplish this objective. The same thing is happening today. People must assume their responsibilities. The decision to assist Iraq is courageous. Let me tell you that the French, despite all the noise they make--'We don't want war!'--will shortly have to fight the terrorists.

Djerejian also translates an editorial from Le Monde suggesting that the French are catching on. Best bit: "We have touched the limits of anti-Americanism that seems to too often take the place of French foreign policy."

Indeed.

NEAL BOORTZ is photoblogging from the RNC:

Three years ago I wouldn't have been able to see the Hudson River from this room. Eighteen months ago this room, and this whole hotel was empty. I wouldn't be able to see the river because the view would have been blocked by two skyscrapers, and I wouldn't have been staying in this room because this particular hotel was closed for 20 months to repair damage from the collapse of the World Trade Towers. Right below me, Ground Zero.

Indeed.

JONAH GOLDBERG ASKS: "What do fat people, MoveOn.org and the Swift Boat Vets for Truth have in common?"

TOM HUMPHREY has gotten some bad information:

After all, bloggers, I am instructed, do not have to follow those ironclad rules of attribution, fact-checking, logic and such that burden the daily production of stuff to print by traditionally ink-stained wretches. You can just babble like a talk show radio guy.

Or maybe he's just been reading Dan Rather's blog.

UPDATE: Some sounder information for Tom, here.

And here. He's a smart guy -- he'll catch on.

OLD MEDIA VS. NEW MEDIA: The new media wins, the old media whines.

POWERLINE HAS POSTED ITS FIRST VIDEOBLOG FROM THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION: Sean Hannity makes an appearance.

NO NETWORK COVERAGE TONIGHT for the RNC. Is this bias? I don't think so -- just more evidence that the major networks aren't nearly as big a source of news as they used to be.

HERE'S AN INTERESTING NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW with Kfir Alfia of ProtestWarrior.com. Excerpt:

I think the punch we pack with our style is very powerful. That's why we've attracted a lot of college students and high-school students who are hungry for an outlet to do exactly this. They look like the type of person you would find at the antiwar protests, but that doesn’t mean they share the same ideology. Part of the appeal of the left up until now has been, "Look, forget ideology, we’re cool. We’re here to have fun." That really struck a chord with a younger generation. I think that's changing, and I think we’re part of evidence.

I guess this is just another sign that the left is losing its teen spirit, something that's been discussed before.

UPDATE: Michael Ubaldi emails:

Alfia has a point about image and iconography. The stereotype that righties are old guys in suits smoking cigarillos made from $100 bills has been spoon-fed for decades; just open a thesaurus and look up "conservative." But just give a quick look around: who's calling for Third Worlders to be given the same rights we enjoy? Protest Warriors, Sabine Herold's Liberté Cherie, Conservative Punk, adjuncts to Daneshjoo; all friends of the right. I don't think Bruce Springsteen and friends understand how silly and hypocritical they look by talking about love and peace while flipping the bird to Iraqis and Afghans.

Besides mocking the left, Protest Warrior offers a chance for young adults to be part of real protests for real progress.

Indeed.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Here's an older interview of Alfia from when Protest Warrior was just getting started. Best bit: "And since the Republican party is sure to continue its tradition of weak, pathetic, uninspiring ads, it's time for the grassroots to pick up the slack."

JOHN KERRY: MIA? Can this be right?

CAMPAIGN FINANCE "REFORM" HAS BEEN A MISERABLE FAILURE, and John McCain is unhappy.

THE NATION has been blogging the NYC protests.

I find the Reason convention blog more interesting, though.

And Jim Glassman has more thoughts.

HOPE NOT FEAR: This commercial from the Log Cabin Republicans seems just right to me. And you know, these guys are going to win.

(Via BoiFromTroy).

JEFF JARVIS is having a big blogging panel with a host of luminaries, tomorrow night in New York. If you're in the area, show up.

Er, unless you happen to be "Michael J. Copps, the Democratic member of the FCC and the one most likely to tear down both the free marketplace of both ideas and commerce." Then it might be a mistake to come within striking range of Jeff.

RYAN SAGER has exclusive assassin photography from New York.

BLOG FATIGUE: STEVEN DEN BESTE has grown tired of being a public utility. I'm not in the same place, but I understand where he's coming from.

UPDATE: Related thoughts here -- including the amusing origins of "Mindles Dreck" as a pseudonym. Plus this. Heh.

TOM MAGUIRE WANTS KERRY TO RELEASE HIS MEDICAL RECORDS, and offers some cogent arguments as to why that's an issue.

It's been an issue for a while, actually, with the Washington Post noting back in March that Kerry had lied about his health earlier, to the Boston Globe. "Kerry lied to the Boston Globe when asked whether he was sick."

JAMES MORROW WRITES that it's 1972 all over again.

But not exactly. Because in 1972, at a rock-and-roll event, Democrats wouldn't have been booed. (You can see video here.)

Ann Althouse writes: "You could conclude that it's a shame that these young people today don't care about politics, but that's not the impression I got. I think it's politically savvy to reject an attempt to usurp a music party for a political purpose. It's a solid political opinion to believe that politics don't belong everywhere."

UPDATE: This CNN story claims that it was the Bush daughters who were being booed, but the reader who sent it says that they didn't come on until afterward. I didn't see it.

ANOTHER UPDATE: The above CNN report is contradicted by . . . this from CNN. And reader Chris Greer reports: "I watched the awards show last night, the crowd started booing when the Kerry daughters started speaking and continued booing while the Bush daughters made their statements. Basically, the crowd did not want any political agendas pushed during the award show." The personal isn't political, I guess.

IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Mary Schmich writes that the media are eating away their own credibility.

RNCBLOGGERS is picking up all the posts from bloggers at the RNC, and aggregating them for your convenience.

IS BUSH GETTING AN OLYMPICS BOUNCE?

PATRICK BELTON NOTES that we've entered a new era of peace: "Research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Canadian NGO Project Ploughshares indicates that the world has actually become a substantially safer place lately - at least measured in terms of major conflict. The number of people killed in battle has fallen to 20,000 per year, the lowest number in the post-Second World War period."

That's nice to hear.

UPDATED: More thoughts here.

SOXBLOG: "Since I love the rumor and fervently wish for its accuracy, it is my pleasure, nay my responsibility, to continue its irresponsible dissemination. Reading the tea-leaves, Kristol has concluded that McCain might be poised to replace Cheney on the ticket."

I'd prefer Condi Rice, or Colin Powell, but this would be OK with me. And I admire Soxblog's forthrightness!

IT PROBLEMS, HOTEL PROBLEMS, and Dan Rather's keen nose for news: Ed Morrissey has started his convention-blogging.

UPDATE: Roger Simon has reports and photos, too.

ANOTHER UPDATE: More photoblogging at RedState.

STEPHEN GREEN points to this William Raspberry column, and wonders if the punditry is starting to distance itself from Kerry.

IF CONVENTION-POLITICS IS BORING YOU, check out this week's Carnival of the Capitalists, where it's all about business- and econo-blogging.

And there's also the Carnival of the Dogs, though in some ways that's more reminiscent of the political season. . . .

MY COUSIN-IN-LAW, Brad Rubinstein, has posted more photos from the RNC protests. He's got commentary here, too.

I'll try to do a big roundup of photoblogging later today, so if you've got some good photo links, send them along.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, David Adesnik writes that the big-media coverage of the protests is missing the story. "The big papers also fail to convey how the protest resembled a carnival of the absurd, with every obscure leftist faction in attendance. For example, there were hundreds of big red signs provided by a coven of conspiracy theorists who insist that Bush had advance warning of 9-11. If I had bigger pockets, I could've collected at least half-a-dozen different socialist and communist newspapers and newsletters. . . . If you read the NYT or the WaPo, you get the impression that the protest was filled with reasonable people who just don't like George Bush. . . . So there you have it. The big papers managed to be unfair to both sides while failing to provide critical information. Let's hope things get better from here." Scroll down for more.

ARTHUR CHRENKOFF has posted his regular roundup of under-reported good news from Iraq, and once again it's long, it's link-filled, and it's hosted by the Wall Street Journal folks.

IT'S BEEN A LIGHT-BLOGGING BIRTHDAY WEEKEND, and the email reading has been even lighter. That means I neglected to note that the Los Angeles Times has corrected its error in claiming that no one who served with Kerry appeared in the Swift Boat Vets ad. Congratulations to Patterico, who was on the ball as usual.

And speaking of birthdays, thanks to all the people who donated. If your donation involved an email address (you have to click a button on Amazon for that to happen) I've sent a thank-you. But thanks to everyone -- it's much appreciated.