politics

See No Good AT SATURDAY’S New Hampshire debate, Democratic candidates were confronted with a question that they have been ducking for some time: Canthey concede that the “surge” of U.S. troops in Iraq has worked? All of them vehemently opposed the troop increase when President Bushproposed it a year ago; both Hillary Rodham Clinton and...

I Heart Huckabee Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who has actively sought union support during his campaign, crossed WGA picket lines outside NBCstudios in Burbank Wednesday in order to appear on the Tonight Show, all while offering several (often lame) excuses for his actions.

Topless Woman Lured Perverts in Police Sting Robin Garrison, an off-duty 42-year-old firefighter, was walking in Berliner Park in Columbus, Ohio, in May when he saw a woman sunbathingtopless under a tree. He approached her and they started talking and getting comfortable, the woman smiling and resting her foot on his shoulder at one point....

Michael J. Totten is a fantastic independent journalist. He’s currently in Isreal. Check out hislatest piece on Gaza. Orthis piece from the Israel-Lebanon border. Hopefully from there you’ll want to readeverything he’s been writing. If, like me, you find that Michael is providing valuable information in a direct fashion you can’t getelsewhere, then make sure...

Your Political ProfileOverall: 65% Conservative, 35% LiberalSocial Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% LiberalPersonal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% LiberalFiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% LiberalEthics: 25% Conservative, 75% LiberalDefense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% LiberalHow Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Defense Department Briefing on Ongoing National Guard Response to Hurricane KatrinaQ: One quick follow-up. Is it fair to say, using the convention center as an example, that one reason it took until Friday to get aid in is the National Guard needed time to build up a response team with military police to ensure law...

Jason at COUNTERCOLUMN is a National Guardsman from Florida, with experience in hurricane relief. He has made several posts about logistics. Check out his blog for a dose of rationality compared to some of the criticism of the handling of the relief effort so far.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin in this radio interview (transcript) about one cause of the looting:And one of the things people -- nobody's talked about this. Drugs flowed in and out of New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan area so freely it was scary to me, and that's why we were having the escalation in...

I've finally written another post over on my politics blog. For those that read before, and may have been concerned over the somewhat conservative tone during the election, you may wish to read this post, as I do go after a bit of what I perceive to be conservative hypocrisy.

The 9th Amendment and Unenumerated Rights. Read through the comments.It's interesting to see how a currently highly politicized concept can take a discussion in a direction that, without knowledge of the political concerns, would seem totally illogical. In this cae, the politicized concept is the current fear of "activist judges" and the power of "the...

On Unexpected Consequences. Jane Galt writes a post vaguely addressing the issue of gay marriage, mostly by making lots of points about unintended consequences. While I can't see any conclusion coming out of this (and neither can Jane), it's absolutely essential that you read this and keep the issues in mind. It's a very valuable...

I'm going to start using the political blog not just for partisan politics (which it mostly was during the Presidential election campaign), but for anything on matters pertaining to government, law, and politics.Eugene Volokh on "Punishing Monsters". Eugene wrote an earlier post expressing support for using punishment that many would deem cruel in extreme cases,...

"How can you call yourself a political party?". Ann Althouse provides an excerpt from last night's Hardball.MATTHEWS: Yes. Well, that's why you're losing. Why you're losing. now is, you can't even point to your leaders.At least George Bush is the leader of the Republican Party.GOODMAN: It's not about my leaders. It's about...To be fair, reading...

Focusing on the negative: the Left - from Ann Althouse.hat I've noticed, over and over, is that the bloggers on the right link to you when they agree and ignore the disagreements, and the bloggers on the left link only for the things they disagree with, to denounce you with short posts saying you're evil/stupid/crazy,...

Jeff Jarvis: Shame on the New York Times. Jeff provides a detailed rebuttal, as well as an ethical condmenation of this NYT article. Jeff, ever the optimist, considers this an attempt to improve journalism and the NYT:: Let me make one thing very clear: I like, read, and respect The New York Times and I...

Ann Althouse wonders about the results of her poll on her "conservative" status. Her e-mailer update comes from me:I think you're missing an important feature of internet polls: Thefunny answers win, not the correct ones. :)

War on Terror not Global Issue - Mitch Kapor links to a NYT article stating that the War on Terror is not the most pressing issue in the world to most people outside America. Is the result of, or the cause of, America being the leader and primary participant in said War on Terror?

CMN comments in response to JaneGalt.As I think Randy Barnett's work convincingly shows, the whole point of the 9th Am is that rights are innumerable. It's only government powers that are limited and numbered. We don't list your inviolable rights, because liberty means the inviolable right to do anything that doesn't violate someone else's rights,...

Activism ain't just a river in Egypt - JaneGalt.netThis is undoubtedly true. But that doesn't mean that judicial activism doesn't exist; it just means that it's a bipartisan vice. Even if the normal political usage of the term isn't strictly objective, one can still define what judicial activism is--broadly, starting from the desired result, and...

Blue State Blues. Hilarious. Read it. Now."I'm not sure where we went wrong," says Ellen McCormack, nervously fondling the recycled paper cup holding her organic Kona soy latte. "It seems like only yesterday Rain was a carefree little boy at the Montessori school, playing non-competitive musical chairs with the other children and his care facilitators.""But...

While not exactly about politics, the "press" plays an important role in politics. And its failures are therefore important to note. In this case, Mark Cuban notes the laziness of reporters in regards to the Pacers-Pistons-fans brawl.

A Thanksgiving Lesson. A discussion on Gov. Bradford of the Pilgrim's Plymouth Rock founding colony, and his statements on their initial attempt at communism.Among Bradford's many insights it's amazing that he saw so clearly how collectivism failed not only as an economic system but that even among godly men "it did at least much diminish...

A Tale of Two Maps via Instapundit.Comparisons of these two maps make startlingly obvious the extent to which population density predicts voter behavior. Though not a perfect match, the relationship is undeniable -- and ultimately enigmatic.The relationship is definitely there. I've seen another map where the population is shown as a 3d bar graph coming...

I voted today, at around 4:30 pm. Happily, my polling place is just a block and a half away. The line was not too long, though it had been longer earlier in the day, apparently. The touch-screen system was pretty fool-proof as long as you assume that DieBold can guarentee that what my vote showed...

"Jane Galt" on why she's not voting for the Libertarian candidate. She basically says exactly what I said to my wife yesterday afternoon: with the current state of the LP, now is not a good time for the LP to get publicity.This is how he does when he's being interviewed by a libertarian. As Mr...

Michael Totten on Instapundit and Eugene Volokh disagree over the implications of the Federal Marriage Amendment and whether Bush's acceptance/support of civil unions is in conflict with supporting the FMA. Is this a matter of reading comprehension? No. It's a matter of which version of the text we're looking at. Totten is using this version...

Well, it is for where I live. Virginia was redistricted in 2001. This was controversial due to state Republicans being accused of attempting to pack black voters into the 3rd District. What district am I in? Well, as of 2001, the 3rd District. According to the 1999 district lines, which the Virginia state government web...

Charles Krauthammer - Sacrificing IsraelJohn Kerry says he wants to "rejoin the community of nations." There is no issue on which the United States more consistently fails the global test of international consensus than Israel. In July, the U.N. General Assembly declared Israel's defensive fence illegal by a vote of 150 to 6. In defending...

Review of Farenhype 9/11Case in point: Oregon State Trooper Andy Kenyon. Moore sent a crew to interview him under the guise of making a documentary about cutbacks in some state police programs. Moore did not attend the filming himself and his name never came up, for obvious reasons. The film crew led Kenyon to believe...

Jeff Jarvis on "LoonitariansBut this morning, I hear an NPR story about Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik and it consigns libertarians right back into the looney bin: Their candidate thinks driver's licenses are unconstitutional, the report says, and so Badnarik makes it a point to get arrested for driving without a license whenever he can to...

Summary on the Jon Stewart Crossfire thing. I thought I'd have to summarize my thought on it, but Jim Treacher does it well enough for me.Stewart's been bugging me... I've been getting more and more annoyed with him trying to have it both ways, being an increasingly self-righteous advocate and yet deflecting criticism with "It's...

I'm a Democrat for Bush - Sarah BaxterCan it be that I am politically to the right of all those millionaire arts patrons? If so, I don’t accept that label. On foreign policy, Bush is the idealist and Kerry the conservative, afraid to disturb the status quo. I’ve never abandoned my belief in human rights...

Charles Austin discusses the similarity of this election to that of Winston Churchill. Really well written essay, check it out.I like that word -- unconditionally. It is how we used to fight and win wars by demanding the unconditional surrender or destruction of our enemies on the battlefield. It sounds very harsh to our sensibilities...

Winds of Change.NET: ABC News: Noted

This is the funniest things I've seen in a while. Check it out, it's worth the effort. Via X-Forums.

Journalists do Research? Hah!Oh, I'm blogging as a Democrat? Well, I read it in the New York Times, so it's probably true. Did Rutenberg read enough of my blog to see that I'm voting for Bush, or is he just concluding from the fact that I don't mind saying that I observed spittle in the...

CBS Living in the Cold-War Era Still? - Just look and laugh. The original site still has the same headline as of this moment.

Instapundit SummaryI'm going to have to agree with that well-known <sarcasm>"arch-conservative"</sarcasm>, Bill O'Reilly. This is unfair, and when liberals do it, conservatives rightfully complain. So don't gloat and consider this fair payback. Denounce it equally. It's an inappropriate attempt to use media power to affect the election. However, just because it's unfair, doesn't mean it...

Libya?Libyan officials said Sunday they have arrested 17 people suspected of affiliation with al-Qaida network.

When you’ve lost the New York Times… by Timothy GoddardAs a nation, in the days following September 11, we considered the arguments of those who suggested that we had best “just get used to it,” that, like Northern Ireland or Israel, we should just learn to live with a certain amount of terrorism. And then...

Afghanistan Election Wrap-Up, from InstapunditUPDATE: And here's more from the BBC: Observers approve Afghan election International observers have endorsed Afghanistan's first presidential election, rejecting opposition calls for a new poll amid reports of fraud. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said demands by 15 of the 18 presidential candidates to annul the...

Ann Althouse: "Kerry's Undeclared War."In this light, consider the quote, also in the NYT article, from Richard Holbrooke, who seems to be the most likely candidate for Kerry's secretary of state: "We're not in a war on terror, in the literal sense. The war on terror is like saying 'the war on poverty.' It's just...

X-Forums Discussion during today's debate.

National Review article on Alexandra Pelosi's "Diary of a Political Tourist". Interesting stuff on the personality of some of the democratic candidates from a documentary done during the primaries.So why does she think Kerry became the Democratic nominee? "He had the most stamina and he was the most politically savvy, and I think he had...

The Anchoress: The Woman in the Black HijabI tremble. I tremble because John Kerry and John Edwards have no real plan to keep America from singing its dirge again. I tremble and wonder if they will even understand what it means should they (God forbid) win this election and turn on the news to see...

Baldilocks - Drying Out - Another great essay on this presidential election.Those of us who know that none of the domestic issues being brought up in the election run-up matter a whit if we’re dead, want to do our best to vote for the guy who will ensure that our mass domestic death doesn’t occur...

Iraq and the UN: CorruptionCheck out this great summary of the news on these investigations, with the focus where it out to be, not on the tired old bit about "no WMDs found." My arguments in favor of liberating Iraq were never predicated on an assumption about WMDs in Iraq, so I'd really like to...

Eject! Eject! Eject!: DETERRENCE, Part 1In a moment, we’ll look at what both men said, and through a very specific filter: not their Aggregate Presidentiality, or their respective Molar Charm Ratio. We’re going to look at what both men believe in respect to deterrence: whether their positions increase or decrease the likelihood of further attacks...

Bullets, Money, and Ballots, by Austin Bay (via Instapundit)Bullets, money, ballots: Call this trio of words the highly condensed version of coalition strategy in Iraq, with recent operations in the Sunni-Triangle town of Samarra as a pertinent example.

Just some quick links ts what I read (and said) during the debates:X-Forums discussionAlthouse "live" blogging (stuff is showing up way after the debates)Vodkapundit Live-blogging

I've started to read a lot of political blogs, and I wanted a way to share the best stuff I see out there. I also want to discuss politics every once in a while. But, I definitely don't want to bombard my normal audience (interested in my personal life, or technical posts) with poltical stuff....

Belmont Club, on Bremer's commentsBefore we dismiss Bremer's statement as a belated attempt to split hairs and return to the Party Line it is important to remember one simple fact. The US arrived in Baghdad in May, 2003 minus nearly half the mechanized force intended for the operation.

This will be a ongoing topic. This isn't really about political issues. This is about structure of government: philosophy and civics. It's about ideas that generally don't receive much discussion in that civics class you probably took in high school.Proposal: All national elected government positions should be voted for by the whole population, rather than...

An alternative history regarding the Bush administration, terrorism and Sept. 11th, 2001 (or the lack thereof). As pointed out by CuteCuddlyKitten of xForums: "If Neville Chamberlain had declared war on Germany before Poland he'd be remembered as the guy who started WWII."

AltaVista: Image Search results for: war on drugs(Yes, I'm having fun going through the logs for my webpage)I am the number one image search for War on Drugs on AtlaVista. Pretty damn sweet.