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- You'd expect journalism outlets to dig in their heels, say, to defend one of their reporter's right to keep confidential sources confidential. But if you're the Associated Press, you would choose to take a stand on obviously false budget estimates conjured out of thin air. To have a news service repeatedly claim something that is demonstrably untrue is pretty astonishing, but even worse is when the misinformation starts spreading like wildfire.
- This John Yoo op-ed in The Wall Street Journal defending himself against the recent Inspectors General report is a real piece of work. In addition to claiming that it was only clear after 9/11 that "our security agencies knew little about al Qaeda's inner workings" (I guess "Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S." wasn't specific enough) and that the unitary executive theory is established by the Constitution, Yoo also informs us that Bush circumventing a law that was passed in 1978 is similar to FDR circumventing a law that didn't exist in the 1930s and 1940s.
- Conor Friedersdorf identifies the central paradox of would-be conservative governance in a short post where he rejects choosing political leaders on the basis of merit and expertise, and instead asks, "What about wisdom and prudence?" Well, the problem is that whereas a candidate's resume qualifications are easily identifiable, assessing whether someone is "wise" and "prudent" is akin to saying "you know it when you see it." That is, they're not very reliable metrics. I fully understand the Burkean impulse for selecting wise and prudent leaders, but it's just not a practical way of going about politics.
- I can appreciate the argument that demographic changes are rendering the "culture wars" impotent as an electoral cudgel, but this implies that the culture wars were more pervasive than the obsessions of the conservative movement's most fervent warriors. Rather, I think political scientist Morris Fiorina's 2005 book Culture War? had a better explanation for the phenomenon: It's the political class who is divided, and the press' tendency to portray politics as sport that amplifies it.
- Remainders: Congressional Quarterly profiles Harry Reid; are there potential conflicts of interest for members of the new Pecora Commission?; it's hard to believe, but the birthers are getting even more ridiculous; Hugo Chavez is still an enormous jackass; there's new hope for a Senate climate change bill; and using fire ants on detainees is something every American should be proud of.
--Mori Dinauer
