Informed Comment: Bush Turns Iraq into Israel/Palestine; Gaffe endangers US Troops

 Juan Cole and others are lambasting Bush for still yet another idiotic speech. Bush said in a speech on Thursday that he hopes Iraq will be like Israel, a democracy that faces terrorist violence but manages to retain its democratic character: ‘ In Israel, Bush said, “terrorists have taken innocent human life for years in suicide attacks. The difference is Continue Reading

Juan Cole and Heroes

Juan Cole with a salon.com article on how Heroes has usurped 24 in the ratings and is indicative of a “anti-Cheney-1 percent-doctrine” view of the world Dick Cheney’s least favorite TV show? Why the worldview of “Heroes” clashes with the vice president’s “1 percent doctrine” on terrorism. By Juan Cole Source: Dick Cheney’s least favorite TV show? | Salon.com Cole Continue Reading

Lost In America

Some really good reflections by internetmonk (Michael Spencer) re: America and the  church: Perhaps the reason a song like “America the Beautiful” persists in worship among evangelicals is a simple, but deeply rooted problem: We- the church- don’t know who we are. We have lost our identity, and in the world in which we live, it is always easier to take Continue Reading

Pentecost and Presidential Forums?

  I must say that I am more than a bit uncomfortable with Sojourner’s billing of their June event , Pentecost 2007,  with a “Presidential Forum on Faith, Values , & Poverty” featuring Clinton, Obama, and Edwards.  While interesting, just a bit too closely “overlayed” onto “Pentecost 2007”,  and all three are the Democratic frontrunners.  Was it ever envisioned to have any Continue Reading

Bush’s Monica Problem: MSNBC.com

This keeps just snowballing. Isikoff is such a good reporter. Everywhere we look, there’s some secret that Bush wants to keep under wraps. It’s so apparent to anybody reading any news with any ounce of integrity (which basically leaves out Fox News) that this is the most corrupt administration in history. Bush’s Monica Problem Gonzales, the president’s lawyer and Texas Continue Reading

The entire government has failed us on Iraq: Keith Olbermann – MSNBC.com

 Quite a passionate and needed rant from somebody inthe media.  I feel the same sort of outrage,  although tied more to a recognition of the futility of “political parties” to “fix this”.  But somewhere in there,  somebody has to recognize that the system has failed us (AGAIN— but certainly the signs are there to make it all the more obvious…..and Continue Reading

George Weigel and Just War at Theoblogical

Darn it!  My mail notification for comments is not working again!  (update: well,  yeah it did work. What happened was that my Outlook at work checks two of my home mail accounts and removes them from the server,  so my home Outlook didn’t store it. I see the notification in my Outllook account at work under that folder into which Continue Reading

Cheney Frustrated With Bush?

 Disturbing stuff about Cheney via Informed Comment The zinger of this information is the admission by this Cheney aide that Cheney himself is frustrated with President Bush and believes, much like Richard Perle, that Bush is making a disastrous mistake by aligning himself with the policy course that Condoleezza Rice, Bob Gates, Michael Hayden and McConnell have sculpted. According to Continue Reading

Gonzalez and Helping W Get Away With It

 Josh Marshall had this post yesterday about this AP story: As the embattled Gonzales sees it, his close relationship with Bush, which spans decades, is inherently “a good thing” for everyone. from the AP story:  “Being able to go and having a very candid conversation and telling the president: ‘Mr. President, this cannot be done. You can’t do this,’ — Continue Reading

Moyers on Falwell’s Venom

Bill Moyers articulates the base reaction I have to the death of Jerry Falwell.  His “legacy” if you will,  was the sowing of intolerance. It’s what Moyers describes as Falwell’s “theology of fear and loathing”.  That about sums it up.  Falwell fueled the fires of religious bigotry.    The first two minutes of Moyer’s spot on Bruce Bawer,  who has Continue Reading

James Carroll: The disappearance of war-broken soldiers

 Perhaps my favorite newspaper columnist,  James Carroll of the Boston Globe, writes this week about the motivation behind the neglect of the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Truly sickening.  This administration seems to be nothing more than acting like they’re running a country when their true aim is doing business and scratching the backs of their rich , corrupt business Continue Reading

The Governing Philosophy

 Frank Rich with some rather harsh words for the culture of corruption that has become almost a “brand name” as he puts it. (Unfortunately,  this article is “behind the wall” ,  where only subscribers to Times Select can read it,  so I have to rely on the reviewers.  I tend to trust Josh Marshall) Wrongdoing of this magnitude does not Continue Reading

Cheney, on Carrier, Sends Warning to Iran – New York Times

“This world can be messy and dangerous, but it’s a world made better by American power and American values,” —Dick Cheney, aboard a carrier this week I am so appalled and set on edge by the arrogant and dangerous swagger of this man.  And as I ponder all the efforts to get Iran to stop enriching uranium,  I always shake Continue Reading

Moyers and Stewart

Two of my favorite journalists  (oh wait,  Jon Stewart is a comedian…I keep forgetting)…..but these two are absolutely my favorite “reporters”/commentators to watch.  Moyers is keenly aware of SOOOO many things that mainstream media just totally misses.  And so is,  from a lampoon/satirical side, is Jon Stewart.  IN interviews like this one,  you see how deep this guy’s thinking runs Continue Reading