Both from IOZ. On Christopher Hitchens: [I]t's always been the genius of Hitchens to set himself up in amorphous opposition to a perfectly rational, unremarkable belief, which he usually states with the clarity and concision of a wise advocate before tightening his...
Propaganda’s Comforting Continuity
Nazi propaganda poster, 1944. Hey, it's no more ridiculous than the typical wingnut's vision of a Sunni-Shia-Papist-Iran-Saddam-al Qaeda-Jacques Chirac-Michael Moore-Pat Buchanan-Dixie Chicks-Kim Jong Il-Antiwar.com axis of evil. Via Jesse Walker.
Bill Clinton’s Tongue Still Forked
Today's spotlight viewpoint is by George Soros, and I think it's very good, for the most part. But it inspires Jonathan Schwarz to fact-check Slick Willie.
It’s Always Darkest Before the Output Stage
A slick White House flack clarifies the war's progress on CNN: "We're still at the input stage."
AIPAC Defines Acceptable Discourse
As long as you get your ignorant flock to back unlimited Israeli aggression (and unlimited American aid to cover the costs), you can say whatever you want. Like how you hope the U.S. will be nuked after Israel provokes a war with Russia.
Durn, Them Frogs Is Better Americans Than Us
They hate the Iranians more than we do: A majority of people from around the world hold predominantly negative views of Israel, Iran, and the United States, according to a survey [.pdf] of more than 28,000 respondents in 27 countries. … For Iran, the strongest...
Misplaced Sorrow
Lew Rockwell writes: I know that Scooter Libby, like any high-ranking apparatchik, has blood on his hands. Still, I find it hard to celebrate his conviction. First, punishing anyone for the crime of naming a CIA spy violates the first amendment. Second, he was not...
No Kleenex for Me, Thanks
As I was watching the Libby verdict come in on CNN, a legal analyst was explaining how Libby's defense team will try to stall their client's incarceration until the president issues a pardon, probably in January 2009. Incredulous laughter began bubbling up from some...
Some Things Bear Repeating
I just want to reiterate the fact that Andrew Sullivan actually used a photo of a guy with a Nazi/Commie combo flag as his symbol of beleaguered Russian liberalism. Don't get me wrong: Nazis and Commies have a right to free speech, too, but doesn't this reek of Putin...
Uncomfortable Questions
The biggest taboo in America, even among those who oppose the war, is criticizing the military. Point to Abu Ghraib or Haditha, and they cry "Exception to the rule!" And I'll grant them that (though I'd dispute the degree of exceptionality). I'll also grant that there...
