"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by hilzoy I find it hard to express how happy this makes me: "Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end. As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq. … Read more
by von Look, I can be sensitive – perhaps oversensitive — when it comes to race. I can also be stunningly obtuse. Still, at the risk of being obtuse here, I don't get Professor Althouse's take on Bobby Jindal's prime-time meltdown. Indeed, though the following bit of Alhousia may be inspired, it's more likely completely insane: 3. Comparing Jindal … Read more
by hilzoy From CNN, via TPMDC: "As he concluded his remarks, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann — the event's moderator — told Steele he was "da man." “Michael Steele! You be da man! You be da man,” she said." Dat Michele Bachmann is sho' nuff hep to da black man's lingo. She down with Malcolm and … Read more
by hilzoy During the past year or so, I have sometimes wondered exactly how toxic all those toxic assets really are. It's hard to tell, since they differ from one another, and are not traded that often. However, the Financial Times (h/t) has some answers: "In recent weeks, bankers at places such as JPMorgan Chase and … Read more
by Eric Martin One of my favorite up and coming analysts, Michael Hanna, really drives home the points I was trying to make in a recent post on the tendency on the part of US analysts (and leaders) to ignore the constraints of the SOFA, and Iraqi public opinion,when discussing possible timelines for withdrawal. As if the latter … Read more
by hilzoy Good news: "Federal prosecutors are preparing to charge Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri with providing material support to al-Qaeda terrorists in a groundbreaking move that would put the alleged sleeper agent under the jurisdiction of the U.S. court system, according to sources familiar with the issue. Indicting Marri in a federal court marks a … Read more
by von I disagree with President Obama on a great many things. I justified my vote for Obama in the last election in part because I thought he would be unwilling – and perhaps unable – to deviate from a McCainesque strategy in Iraq. Indeed, I thought that Obama's and McCain's plans for Iraq would be functionally identical (July … Read more
by publius The good news is that it's pretty much official — health care reform is ON this year. Obama is carving out a big chunk of money for it — and we wouldn't be reading these stories if they weren't serious about it. There will of course be many posts to come as that … Read more
by hilzoy Yesterday, the House passed the Captive Primate Safety Act, which would make it illegal to "import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce" any nonhuman primate. (Humans are covered by the 13th Amendment.) This is one of those small-bore but really, really good bills that I've been rooting for … Read more
by Eric Martin Even frickin' David Frum gets it (via): A federal bank takeover is a bad thing obviously. I wonder though if we conservatives understand clearly enough why it is a bad thing. It’s not because we are living through an enactment of the early chapters of Atlas Shrugged. It’s because the banks are … Read more