Awful to say, but Coulter is one person, who if I heard of her death, I would be relieved...just one big sigh of relief that she would never again be able to write one more ugly word.

Gary ends the excellent article with a hopeful ending about the press getting better at doing their job. I was hoping the same thing until the hyena like attacks on Speaker Pelosi over her Syria trip. Watching Dick Gregory maligned her made me wish they we could actually reach through our televisions. I was hopeful too; after this week, I'm being real cautious.

Good for Joan Walsh to even waste words on the woman. She's a right wing flack who's not even particularly good at it. ((witness her filling in for 'Big Daddy' O'Reilly this week; and I thought listening to O'Reilly made my brain bleed) While not quite as attention addicted as Coulter, it's still what she lives for. The best response to her is simply to ignore her.

And she complains about hateful emails directed towards her but nary a mention of the telephoned death threats that the protesters at UC Santa Cruz received after she published their personal numbers not once, but twice.

I think, while certainly reprehensible, most bloggers would agree that hate mail comes with the territory. So, if she can't stand the heat......

The ridicule being heaped on David Broder is a good sign. Once he's removed, as the huge barnacle that he is, from that sleek ship that should be our free press, these moments of media independence and journalistic integrity will finally begin to flourish again.

And thank God for McClatchy newspapers. They are the media company for a new era.

Anchors Away!

Just read this a few minutes ago. It's about a psyche evaluation of a simple soldier. 'Heartbreaking' is one word that might describe it.

http://www.fresnobeehive.com/iraqlife/2007/05/just_staring_at_the_wall_reall.html

While I do feel some sympathy for Hilton, it annoys me that even Sherrif Bacca her in LA is saying that she is being scapegoated. I would iimagine that if I was pulled over for a DUI, then proceeded to drive with a suspended license and viotlate my probation twice, I can't imagine, without a good lawyer on retainer, that I wouldn't also be wasting away in a jail cell as well.

MILBANK: Petraeus --it's no accident he had a Latin name. It looked like he was the Roman general returning to the republic in his gold and purple toga, and they were celebrating him and slaying white bulls. They could not get enough of this man. And anybody's who's even critical of the war wouldn't dare criticize...

Not only am I disappointed in Milbank (one of the more astute in my opinion) but it was the press themselves who "could not get enough of this man". The public was either barely paying attention or were deeply cynical of anything Petraeus had to say in the first place.

I have usually stayed on the sidelines and watched this ongoing war between Klein and the 'dirty hippies' contingent with fascination and amusement. This latest example of Klein's journalistic malfeasance did not amuse me at all though and inspired me to act. I emailed both Time and the Chicago Tribune about 'meaningfully' correcting the error. Kudos to the Tribune; continued shame on the editors of Time. So much of the establishment media has been shown for what they really are; not 'journalists' so much as 'courtiers'. Hopefully, the banishment of Klein will be a good first step. (and the usual kudos to 'Glenzilla' for his usual fine work!)

It just really astounds me that these media people see no conflict of interest in this. Smart move on McCain's part though. I grow ever more dismayed that we increasing have a national press equivalent to the local 6 o'clock news team.

In the Title VIII section quoted, there is one provision that caught my eye:

(B) the subject of a written request or directive . . . indicating that the activity was (i) authorized by the President; and (ii) determined to be lawful.

I'm certainly no lawyer or legal scholar but does the above provision not mean that a district court judge must first determine whether the request by POTUS was lawful in the first place before dismissing the suit?

Another excellent post by Glenn. Though I still have high hopes that Obama will bring about the true change needed, this "Obama=Jesus" meme by some of us on the left is way too reminiscent of how Bush was viewed by his hard-core supporters on the right for my liking.