http://ustream.tv/channel/yearlykos-convention-2007

Click the first UStream icon under "past clips."

the video at the below link is incomplete - it cuts off at Glenn's opening statement. They may post the rest of it soon, though.

Where is the analysis that puts all of the anecdotal evidence in perspective? Without that, I don't think we can make any kind of informed judgment about our progress or lack thereof.

-- cincinnatus

It is out there and has been since before the invasion. You just have to look for it. They are all discussing withdrawal. What does that tell you?

I thought Al Smith was The Happy Warrior.

Yeah, Glenn had no sooner begun his opening statement than hordes of us found the stream going dark. So I missed a good 20 minutes. By the time I got back, and based only on what I saw of the QandA, I'd say Glenn's premier moment was his admonition to Allen and Carney that when the government is arguing that 2+2 = 5 (the 2+2 analogy was originated by Allen during some vapid statement), it is up to journalists to insist that no, the govt is lying, and in fact 2+2 = 4. That got some wild applause.

Huh?

I thought Al Smith was The Happy Warrior.

-- e_five

It was Hubert Humphrey. I owe Bucky one dollar.

http://abuaardvark.typepad.com/abuaardvark/2007/07/islamic-army-of.html

Iraq role-playing

Yesterday I participated in a US Army-organized role playing exercise to think through how various Iraqi and regional actors would respond to a significant drawdown of American forces in Iraq this fall. I served as the spokesman for the working group representing the Sunni "rejectionist" groups such as the Islamic Army, 1920 Revolution Brigades, and other 'nationalist' insurgency factions (insert your own joke here). Unfortunately, I can't write as I had hoped about the details of the event, the other participants, or the conclusions. I received explicit permission to describe my participation in the event in general terms, but the discussions were on a non-attribution basis and I don't feel comfortable writing about any of it (I know, I'm a terrible blogger). I only bring it up here because I wanted to say that I find it reassuring that the military is - Eric Edelman aside - actively thinking through such contingencies, as any responsible military planners would.

http://abuaardvark.typepad.com/abuaardvark/2007/08/yesterdays-even.html

Don't get all excited. Drawdown/withdrawal will take 18 to 24 months or more even if it is conducted under non-hostile conditions. Don't kid yourself. That's not likely to be the case.

A few others who are there are posting video from the panels - if I find a good one I'll post the link. I missed a big chunk of the panel due to a conference call I couldn't miss. In the meantime, this is nice:

Greenwald takes a very different (and less conciliatory) tack. He points out that while many establishment journalists blog (see Time's Swampland) and many bloggers have been co-opted by the traditional media (see Greenwald's work for Salon), there is still a vast difference between how the groups approach the government (reverential vs. skeptical) and how willing they are to state the truth when it is harsh (for example, no establishment media actually stated the NSA wiretapping program was a violation of an American law, which it was, when it was revealed). Greenwald followed Allen and Carney's kind words for the blogosphere by ripping the media, Time and Politico specifically, at great length.

Take home point from Greenwald: Journalists think bloggers want them to become partisan. Actually, bloggers just want journalists to be adversarial and skeptical.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/08/5084_bloggers_and_ms.html

House erupts in chaos

In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions (video link courtesy Breitbart.tv), Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them. http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0807/House_erupts_in_chaos.html

Kind of like that "citizen riot" in Miami in December, 2000....

They just want attention. If you ignore them and get on with what you're doing, they'll sulk, but eventually STFU.

Cheers,

I got to see little of what Greenwald actually said, unfortunately. The stream kept breaking. However, one thing of interest was what both the Politico and Time journalists mentioned--that their management was particularly interested in cultivating, tapping into, the loyalty and passion exhibited by blog followers/commentors. Hell yes they are. Loyalty and passion of course means money, for one thing. And maybe it would stop people from calling them bad names. Those bloggers, they're just so rude.

I hope that the management of Time and Politico realize that it will take more than adoption of the technical form of blogging to develop such loyalty. Yes, the ability of blog readers to comment, and be part of a culture of commenting is very important. The symbiotic nature of it. But much more important is the content, independence, and the authenticity exhibited by blog authors themselves. News consumers are starving for authenticity. Americans generally are starving for authenticity. These things are much more important than the medium itself.

So it will not be enough for Time or CBS to start their little blogs so they can be part of the scene. Yeah, we're cool. We blog too. That won't cut it. Taking a traditional model of journalism and moving it to the blogosphere simply creates another crappy blog. A top-down blog. A corporate blog.

It will be interesting to witness the evolution.

if either one of these guys is an ordained evangelical minister? The way they were going down on one another, it just has to be the case. Do you think Dobson or one of his folks will be able to "cure" them?

I owe Bucky one dollar.

-- L.W.M.

But currency is controlled, printed and distributed by the big, bad nanny-state government, so I'm sure Bucky has no use for it. There, I just saved you a dollar.

prunes: "And the Republicans MIGHT fix the debt they created if they bet the national budget on horses. If they assume success and implement this stupid-ass plan, will you likewise blame citizens for bawling about misappropriation of their taxes?

No, you are wrong there. There is no way to pay off the national dept.

The GAO said (memory here, I could be off a couple trillion) that America's indebtedness was 20 Trillion in 2000, and had risen to 65 Trillion in 2006. Since the GAO is working for a Republican administration, you must figure that the true figures are even worse.

That debt can not be paid off. You may cheat and print money till hyperinflation makes 65 Trillion dollars the pocket change of a plumber; after all we are following the German example anyway. Or, we can repudiate the dept.

There are no other choices, and time is getting short. Why do we hate the kids that will inherit this mess?