Letters to the Editor
masaccio
Published Letters: 237 Editor's Choice: 16
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Biden should pay attention to the Blogosphere
[Read the article: "They don't own the Democratic Party"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We may not own the Democratic party, but they won't win without us. We are the activists, the people who go to other states and help candidates, the people who put real money behind candidates who get nothing from the established politicians (think DLC and DCCC), and the people who really want change. Joe Biden can get elected Senator from a tiny state like Delaware with the help of the old-line party, but he couldn't get elected Congressman in Joe Sestak's district without the blogosphere, just as Jon Tester couldn't get elected in Montana solely with the old-time Montana Democrats.
The point of left blogistan is that they provide cover to the "nuanced" politicians like Biden to do the right thing. So, why doesn't he?
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My experience in France
[Read the article: Why has world opinion of the U.S. changed dramatically since 2000?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In Spring, 2005, I visited Montignac to see the pre-historic caves of Lascaux and the Font de Gaume, and stayed in a beautiful hotel, run by a French family. After a lovely breakfast, I was sitting in the lobby reading Le Monde, with my dictionary at hand, and one of the owners came to me and asked if she could translate the article for me. I explained that I liked working on my French by reading the paper, and that I understood perfectly what the article was about: it explained another reason that George Bush is an idiot. She drew herself up (actually she did, I had never seen anyone do that so perfectly) and said, George Bush, he treats us like we are children. She slapped her wrist lightly. If we do not do what he wants, he treats us like a child.
A beautiful image. It gives me hope that Glenn is right, that the damage can be repaired, and I can go live in Perigord.
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I cannot wait to see the signing statement
[Read the article: Senate begins debate on Iraq funding]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Bush won't obey this law. He'll veto it, and if it passes, he'll issue a signing statement defying Congress.
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Good on Miss M
[Read the article: Katie Roiphe's morning after]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What Miss M. said.
As to house work, when I was a boy, I was a slob. My wife made it clear that she wanted that to end. I wanted her to stay, so I learned not to be a slob, and to carry my end of the housework stick. We have reached an agreement on the level that we are both comfortable about, and keep the house at that level, which, from my experience, is what real partners do.
Roiphe makes excuses for the spoiled kid I was, but why? Does she lack the self-respect my wife has?
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Who are the officials
[Read the article: In defending Gonzales, Justice officials look to the dictionary]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why is anyone given anonymity for this nonsense? If they won't put their name on the line, why are they getting any ink? Cowards on both ends of the conversation.
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Diapers, anyone?
[Read the article: Tucker Carlson, stalwart defender of sexual privacy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So, did anyone confront priggish Tucker with the diaper question?
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New product time is September
[Read the article: Hyping the intelligence again?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I imagine a lot of us noticed how ill-coordinated the spin cycle has been this time. The administration wanted to adhere to its usual practice and roll out the new product in September. Facts on the ground, and maybe a push from their constituents, got the Senate in gear in mid-summer, and the administration has been off its game, with disjointed comments, ragtag push-back from the pet generals (the General in charge of reconstruction efforts got 6 or 8 minutes on CNN the other day, and it was just short of embarrassing), and whatever that was that Lindsey Graham was doing on Sunday.
The requirement of an interim report in the summer was inspired politics. The shock of the final document, and the change from early reports that no bench marks would be deemed satisfactory to 8 out of 18 satisfactory, coupled with the dishonest definition of satisfactory progress, not widely noted in the press, laid the groundwork for the current votes, and put the republicans on the defensive.
Altogether, pretty good work for the Democratic leadership.
And great to see Digby here. More, please.
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It all depends on what you mean by ruthless
[Read the article: The National Review mind]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have asked people what they mean by saying we aren't trying hard enough in Iraq, and they eventually say they mean we should kill more people. When I ask how the army should figure out who to kill, they won't answer, and just say we should kill more of the enemy. It is just amazing that this doesn't make people see the stupidity of this argument. They make the same argument about why we didn't win in Viet Nam, as if the only problem was that Kissinger didn't try to kill enough Vietnamese.
It just supports the argument that some people are so invested in their own support for the disaster that they cannot think straight.
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Not to mention that the Pope
[Read the article: Is the GOP political platform contrary to Catholic teaching?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]thinks that Gerson's religion isn't even a church, so the Pope may well think Gerson is going to spend the afterlife in a pit of fire.
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The Little Leaguers
[Read the article: Is the Bush administration ... right?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It may be an embarrassing spectacle, but the inherent contempt power is the only thing congress can use to enforce its will to investigate the Executive Branch. If Congress doesn't act, it admits that it is just a bunch of kids playing silly games while the President does exactly as he wishes.
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The Weekly Standard doesn't even take comments
[Read the article: The Weekly Standard's "9/11 Generation"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cowards.
In my signature is a link to the townhall site where Barnett explains himself. You may wish to comment.
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We are killing people
[Read the article: How the Democrats differ on Iraq]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We, we Americans, are killing Iraqis. We have been killing Iraqis for more than 16 years. We act like as if this killing is OK, as if it is permitted to invade other countries and kill their people if they do something we don't like or if we don't trust them or whatever. We act like it is our right to keep killing them long after any possibility of truth in lies we were told has evaporated. We act like we are helping them by killing them.
Who will stop this killing?