It was a vintage example of a candidate taking a negative and turning it into a positive. And coming just six weeks before the presidential voting begins, the timing could hardly have been more beneficial to someone hoping to stave off a loss in the Iowa caucuses and secure a win in the New Hampshire primary.I'm not convinced that she'll get that big a bump, but you never know, in New Hampshire at least, she might get a small sympathy bump, and that can't hurt. Except that she needed the sympathy bump in January, when folks in NH are actually voting. Yet again, Hillary may have peaked too soon. Read the rest of this post...
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Saturday, December 01, 2007
AP: "Clinton calm in hostage crisis"
Joe and I were discussing this very point yesterday. Would the hostage crisis at Hillary's campaign office in Rochester, NH have any impact on her campaign? We thought that maybe - maybe - if she appeared in public with the right demeanor, she could have her Giuliani 9/11 moment, though clearly in miniature. AP seems to think that she pulled it off:
Open thread
Got the Christmas tree up today, so I'm almost done with the decorating. As I live in a small studio, I use a fake tree. One year I got a real tree and it nearly killed me with the pine scent. Not to mention, I kind of find like I had this decapitated plant all gussied up and slowly dying in my living room. Never felt that way about anyone else's live tree, but with my own, just felt like I had killed a plant. Very weird. Anyway, my sis got me a really beautiful fake tree a few years back - the pic doesn't do it justice. The thing actually looks real. I've had people compliment me on it in person without realizing it was fake. Anyway, even though the studio is far too crowded, I'm glad I made room for the tree this year - it had been a few years, due to space constraints, and I finally said screw it, time for the tree. Glad I did.
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Media seems surprised that Rove lied to them (again) about Iraq (again)
Rove lies. It's not that complicated. He lies.
For years, all the pundit-types used to gobble up Rove's lies. He's still doing it. But now, reporters seem genuinely surprised that Rove would lie about the Iraq war. I should say, lie again about the Iraq war.
Actually, media, you should know by now, really you should know, that if Rove says something, it's probably not true. He's got no power now -- and he's still playing you for a bunch of patsies. Read the rest of this post...
For years, all the pundit-types used to gobble up Rove's lies. He's still doing it. But now, reporters seem genuinely surprised that Rove would lie about the Iraq war. I should say, lie again about the Iraq war.
Actually, media, you should know by now, really you should know, that if Rove says something, it's probably not true. He's got no power now -- and he's still playing you for a bunch of patsies. Read the rest of this post...
Facebook relents on privacy violation
Facebook is taking moves to fix the privacy violation our friend Ari alerted the world to a few weeks ago.
Note to Democrats: Taking on privacy violations is a winning issue. It's an issue that the American public is easily incensed about, both Democrats and Republicans. And it's an issue that once you jump on it, and explode it in the media, you usually win quite quickly and easily. Oh, and it's also an issue that underlies so many issues core to Democratic values. So tell me again why you people refuse to lift a finger on this issue? Read the rest of this post...
Note to Democrats: Taking on privacy violations is a winning issue. It's an issue that the American public is easily incensed about, both Democrats and Republicans. And it's an issue that once you jump on it, and explode it in the media, you usually win quite quickly and easily. Oh, and it's also an issue that underlies so many issues core to Democratic values. So tell me again why you people refuse to lift a finger on this issue? Read the rest of this post...
Texas forces resignation of state science curriculum head because she believes in evolution
I'll say it again. May all of your children be educated believing the uneducated garbage these people believe, and then may their children compete against the children of my friends and family for jobs. Good luck citing the Bible when taking the SATs or trying to get an engineering job. It is truly scary how backward and ignorant the religious right is, and is making our country.
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The "special relationship" and Blair
While in London, I met with a friend who is an old time Labourite. He was never that keen on Blair and often expressed concerns about the direction of the Blair government as it pushed aside many of its traditional followers. He understood the benefits of actually being in power and modernizing the party but could never grasp the closeness of Blair and Bush.
We talked about the "special relationship" and what that has meant since Thatcher was around. My friend Tom raised the Falklands War and Reagan's offer to send support to help the UK. Thatcher, despite being friends with Reagan, refused any assistance. Heaven forbid British troops would need any help from Americans, so the story went. On the other side, if Reagan would have asked for Thatcher's support, her natural response would have been "what is in it for Britain? What will the UK receive in return?"
He is convinced that under no circumstances would Thatcher have agreed to the Iraq war involvement in its current state. Without the US paying for UK troops? Without the UK receiving a few lead positions in the juicy billion dollar contracts in Iraq? Looking at what Blair gave in return for his commitment to Iraq, Brits just scratch their heads and wonder, why? Without prompting, Tom also talked about Blair immediately cashing in on the American speaking circuit to the tune of £250,000 per speech. (I haven't seen those numbers, though they would not be surprising.) I hadn't thought of the "special relationship" in this way before though I found it all very interesting. It does seem to stay with the theme of Blair the poodle, though a rich poodle at the end of the day. It's unfortunate for the Brits who really did not see many (any?) benefits as a nation for their commitment to a policy that they never liked in the first place. Blair, on the other hand, is sitting back comfortably in his retirement. Read the rest of this post...
We talked about the "special relationship" and what that has meant since Thatcher was around. My friend Tom raised the Falklands War and Reagan's offer to send support to help the UK. Thatcher, despite being friends with Reagan, refused any assistance. Heaven forbid British troops would need any help from Americans, so the story went. On the other side, if Reagan would have asked for Thatcher's support, her natural response would have been "what is in it for Britain? What will the UK receive in return?"
He is convinced that under no circumstances would Thatcher have agreed to the Iraq war involvement in its current state. Without the US paying for UK troops? Without the UK receiving a few lead positions in the juicy billion dollar contracts in Iraq? Looking at what Blair gave in return for his commitment to Iraq, Brits just scratch their heads and wonder, why? Without prompting, Tom also talked about Blair immediately cashing in on the American speaking circuit to the tune of £250,000 per speech. (I haven't seen those numbers, though they would not be surprising.) I hadn't thought of the "special relationship" in this way before though I found it all very interesting. It does seem to stay with the theme of Blair the poodle, though a rich poodle at the end of the day. It's unfortunate for the Brits who really did not see many (any?) benefits as a nation for their commitment to a policy that they never liked in the first place. Blair, on the other hand, is sitting back comfortably in his retirement. Read the rest of this post...
Paris to London and back
The new St. Pancras, London Eurostar station just opened a few weeks ago so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to check it out first hand. I always loved the old station, from the outside at least, so it was a real pleasure to arrive in the brand new, modern facility. Thy did a nice job of renovating the station that now looks very modern when you look up though it still sits in the charming Victorian structure. It's a look that we simply do not have over here in Paris. The whole Eurostar experience is well organized (as it has been for some time) and so much more relaxing than the hassles related to getting to and from airports. (If only they can keep the Eurostar prices low. Then it's a no-brainer.)
As much as the old aristocracy can still be relevant in the UK (and lord knows why) it's a country that is much more of a meritocracy than elsewhere in Europe. Whether you are in a small bakery or a City banking office, everyone is from everywhere with every possible background. There's a job to be done, money to be made and the best person wins. While not perfect, what a breath of fresh air to see. And still, with all of that, the UK still has a large number of citizens leaving the country every year. Must be the weather, which was of course, lousy as usual.
Just as people over here (wrongly) trash American food, British cuisine takes its fair share of abuse. To a degree I understand but really, there's plenty of great food in London ranging from high end restaurants right down to simple eateries. I finally managed to make it to Borough Market thanks to a nearby meeting and though the prices are high, top quality produce, wild game, cheese, bread, you name it. Even with all of the great cheese in France, Neal's Yard Montgomery's Cheddar was worth bringing home. Wow, what an incredible cheddar!
The only downside, besides walking through the rain on my way to Clapton station, was the St. Pancras departure area. Hopefully they have plans to make it as impressive as the arrival area because as it stands today, it's cramped with even less space than the old Waterloo station. Fellow travelers were all grumbling about the lack of space and cramped conditions. At least it looks nice. Maybe it will improve soon. It's sunny and pleasant out here in Paris, so time to take advantage of the sunshine, while it's still present. Read the rest of this post...
As much as the old aristocracy can still be relevant in the UK (and lord knows why) it's a country that is much more of a meritocracy than elsewhere in Europe. Whether you are in a small bakery or a City banking office, everyone is from everywhere with every possible background. There's a job to be done, money to be made and the best person wins. While not perfect, what a breath of fresh air to see. And still, with all of that, the UK still has a large number of citizens leaving the country every year. Must be the weather, which was of course, lousy as usual.
Just as people over here (wrongly) trash American food, British cuisine takes its fair share of abuse. To a degree I understand but really, there's plenty of great food in London ranging from high end restaurants right down to simple eateries. I finally managed to make it to Borough Market thanks to a nearby meeting and though the prices are high, top quality produce, wild game, cheese, bread, you name it. Even with all of the great cheese in France, Neal's Yard Montgomery's Cheddar was worth bringing home. Wow, what an incredible cheddar!
The only downside, besides walking through the rain on my way to Clapton station, was the St. Pancras departure area. Hopefully they have plans to make it as impressive as the arrival area because as it stands today, it's cramped with even less space than the old Waterloo station. Fellow travelers were all grumbling about the lack of space and cramped conditions. At least it looks nice. Maybe it will improve soon. It's sunny and pleasant out here in Paris, so time to take advantage of the sunshine, while it's still present. Read the rest of this post...
Uh oh, Morgan Stanley just did it again
Strangely enough, in the old days (as in say, 2000) when a company sent out bad news and then a few weeks later delivered an update with even worse news, their stock prices would be crushed. Investors would run to someone else who could at least get their numbers straight. Today, not so much. Morgan Stanley coughed up a little, ahem, update to their fourth quarter numbers. Worse still, the quarter still isn't over.
Morgan Stanley may face a fiscal fourth-quarter write-down of as much as $5.7 billion for mortgage-related losses, CNBC has learned.Read the rest of this post...
The pretax amount is $2 billion higher than the amount the Wall Street company said it will write down for mortgage-related trading losses in September and October. Morgan Stanley's fiscal fourth quarter ends this month.
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