Blog: TAPPED

WHERE MY HO’S AT? While we’ve been busy with blogosphere inside baseball, Laura Rozen points out that the MSM has been mighty quick to swallow the White House line that Porter Goss‘s rapid and unexpected departure has absolutely nothing to do with the burgeoning investigation into Hookergate. To review the contrary case quickly, we’re talking […]

THE END OF THE MEME. We’ve been hearing for the past two years, mainly from Republicans, that the Democratic Party has no ideas. It’s time to put that meme to rest, because the American people clearly disagree. According to today’s New York Times/CBS News poll, which also found President Bush with a 31 percent approval […]

EARLY RETURNS. Russia, China, Cuba, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are among the inaugural members of the new Human Rights Council. In a perfect world, none of these countries would be entrusted with a seat on the council. But the world is not perfect, so it was inevitable that some countries with less than stellar human […]

THE ULTIMATE. I was relieved to see that, amidst the current rehashing of Richard Cohen‘s greatest hits, Digby had the presence of mind to mention what is, without a doubt, the most insanely Cohen-esque Cohen column of them all. I mean, I don’t think its preeminence is seriously disputable. It inspires in me something genuinely […]

GOP FUNDRAISING APPEALS. Speaking of The New Republic, Michael Crowley has a very good post over at The Plank where he excerpts a chunk of text from the latest National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraising letter. It has an astounding eight paragraphs sounding the alarm about the investigations and imminent impeachment proceedings the GOP says Dems […]

HAYDEN AGONISTES. On the question of how a more John Negroponte-influenced CIA under Michael Hayden influences the struggle over intelligence resources between that agency and the Defense Department, reports still differ fairly dramatically. (It’s somewhat remarkable how uncertain the press’s accounting still is for basic issues surrounding Porter Goss‘s departure and the likely future direction […]

THE PARTY OF IDEAS. If there’s any justice, today’s New York Times article chronicling the intellectual vibrancy now on the left will finally kill the crusty charge that Democrats lack ideas. If you’ll remember, that was the word shortly after Bush won reelection. It was the primary talking point during the GOP’s aborted campaign to […]

MORE CIVILITY. Ramsey Clark‘s obviously a bit ’round the bend, and I have a personal grudge against Howard Zinn, but at least here on the left we don’t toss around unsubstantiated allegations of treason as a once-a-week rhetorical gambit against folks we don’t like. –Matthew Yglesias

THE NEW COPYRIGHT. Warner Brothers is going to sell movies over the Internet, which seems sensible. Sadly, once you download one of their movies, you won’t be able to burn it to DVD. Of course, it’s the studio’s right to sell a product that works that way if they’re so inclined. But here’s the rub. […]

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD IS MAKING SENSE. It’s probably contrary to interest to point this out, but I think Iran’s president is making a lot of sense in at least this portion of his letter: If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead spent on issues including health and aid to […]