NYT Op-Eds (7)

"John McCain’s speed-dating of Sarah Palin reaffirmed that his decision-making process is impetuous and, in its Bush-like preference for gut instinct over facts, potentially reckless" (Rich); "Intense, independent scrutiny by The Times and the rest of the news media of Sarah Palin’s background, character and record was inevitable and right" (Hoyt); "With Sarah Palin, the smoke-and-mirror games of Republican politics continue" (Warner); "It’s delicious imagining the debate between Big Mama, as Bill’s male aides called Hillary Clinton, and “Hottie Granny,” as People magazine will doubtless dub Sarah Palin" (Dowd); "No matter how much we voters know about a candidate, the truth is we never can tell what kind of president he’ll be" (Vowell); "Barack Obama and John McCain need to focus, not on war, but on strengthening our capacity for innovation — our most important competitive advantage" (Friedman: Oops, wrong Georgia...); and the Times gives Bill Safire yet another opportunity to show how feeble-minded he has become ("With his acceptance speech, John McCain became the candidate of change)".
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, September 7, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"From the speakers’ faux populist gibberish, you would never have known that the Republicans have used their titanic power to lead the country to its present sorry state" (Herbert); "John McCain is not actually running for president. He’s running for Senate majority leader. All his passion is directed at defects in the legislative process" (Collins); "While the news media were preoccupied with the wind storms in Denver, Minneapolis and New Orleans, here are some stories you may have missed" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, September 6, 2008

NYT (2): Art & Politics

Two extremely different exhibitions: at NYC's Asia Society, a look back at the art of pre-capitalist China; and at Philly's Institution of Contemporary Art, an homage to R. Crumb.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, September 5, 2008

Have some fun

thanks to Russ Daggett
Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, September 4, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

"Unable to stop the onslaught of wild soap opera story lines erupting from the Palin family, the McCain campaign offered a new mantra: 'Life happens'" (Dowd); "With his choice of Sarah Palin, John McCain has completed his makeover from the greenest Republican to run for president to just another representative of big oil" (Friedman); "The lesson from George McGovern’s campaign was that a vice-presidential candidate should be thoroughly vetted — a lesson apparently neglected by Senator John McCain" (Wills); "In order to prevent our financial system, and the Fed, from being stretched like this again, our entire regulatory system must be rebuilt" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, September 3, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (7)

"The disconnect between the reality of this campaign and how it is perceived and presented by the mainstream media is now a major part of the year’s story" (Rich); "In the draft of the 2008 Republican platform, the writers delight in powerlessness and the fierce urgency of not right now" (Guest Op-Ed); "Imagine my delight when the hokey chick flick came out on the campaign trail, a Cinderella story so preposterous it’s hard to believe it’s not premiering on Lifetime" (Dowd on Palin); "America needs to stand behind Dr. Halima Bashir, a young Darfuri woman whom the Sudanese authorities have tried to silence by beatings and gang-rape" (Kristof); "It was heartening to stand in an Iowa field and hear public figures talk thoughtfully about issues of war and peace, about the life and soul of the country that has been entrusted to all of us" (Guest Op-Ed); "The Communist Party in China is trying to break the old mold without breaking its hold by searching for ways to make the economy greener and smarter" (Friedman); and the cantankerous, curmudgeony William Safire shows why he needs to be put out to pasture.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 31, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

The man who literally wrote the book on LBJ talks about the past and the present ("Barack Obama’s speech — and in a way his candidacy — might not have been possible had President Lyndon Johnson’s address to Congress in 1965 not been given"); Roger Cohen asks, "Is Barack Obama more beer than Chardonnay? Is he a Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks guy? Is he one of us despite having what his wife Michelle called 'that funny name?'"; Gail Collins muses on the passing of the "First Lady" torch; and Nicholas Kristof apologizes to Steven Hatfill, but wonders how readers might handle various situations ("The job of the news media is supposed to be to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Instead, I managed to afflict the afflicted").
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 28, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

In observing China's build-up to the Olympics, Thomas Friedman gets it right that we need to focus on rebuilding America's infrastructure ("As snapshots go, the one China presented through the Olympics was enormously powerful — and it’s one that Americans need to reflect upon this election season"); a former aid to Joe Biden offers an apologia on his behalf ("Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s efforts to protect Judge Robert Bork’s and Judge Clarence Thomas’s privacy demonstrate that, although he was present at the creation of the post-Bork era, he did not cause it"); Maureen Dowd suggests that all is not cozily unified in Denver ("I’ve never actually seen a convention where the energy was so absorbed by people who had lost the nomination, rather than the one who had won"); and a guest op-ed explains why India is going the wrong route re Kashmir ("A new generation of politicized Kashmiris has now risen; the world is again likely to ignore them — until some of them turn into terrorists with Qaeda links).
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, August 27, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

Paul Krugman adds his voice to those of Herbert, Blow and Rich in pushing Obama to get out of his head and into his heart and spirit ("The Obama campaign only has to tarnish John McCain’s image enough that voters see this as a contest between a Democrat and a Republican"); a guest op-ed suggests that race is not the issue many think it is ("It would be naïve to suggest that race won’t figure in the election. But the danger for Democrats is that dark prophecies of prejudice could be self-fulfilling"); Bill Kristol muses on a clash of two Joes - Biden and Lieberman ("A McCain-Lieberman ticket may have a better prospect of winning than the more conventional alternatives"); and Christopher Buckley offers an amusing look at the Democratic convention schedule ("A mock schedule for the Democratic National Convention features a different kind of Theme of the Day: 'It’s Our Turn to Mess Things Up!'").
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, August 25, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (7)

Frank Rich joins NYT columnists Bob Herbert and Charles Blow in warning Obama that he must re-think his campaign ("As the presidential race finally gains the country’s full attention, the strategy Barack Obama used to vanquish Hillary Clinton must be rebooted to take out John McCain"); Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristof both offer quasi-apologias re China ("China and America can look at their Olympic successes as reaffirmations of their distinctly different political systems. But they could also learn from each other"; "For all the continuing repression, Chinese live far freer lives now than they did in the 1980s and ’90s. The openness even continues to expand on the Internet"); Maureen Dowd tells McCain to "check out of the Hanoi Hilton" ("John McCain’s campaign is cheapening his greatest strength by flashing the P.O.W. card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated"); two guest op-eds on the Russian situation ("The real mastermind behind Russia’s invasion of Georgia is Stalin"; "The conflict in Georgia showed that Washington had better start treating Russia like the great power it still is"); and a third guest op-ed looks back at the Prague Spring ("Why do Czechs and Slovaks discount the Prague Spring, a period of political liberalization in 1968?").
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 24, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

"Senator Barack Obama needs a first-rate, crackling-with-excitement populist message, which means a laser-like focus on the economy and jobs" (Herbert); "Earth to Barack: to Main Street America, nuance equals confusion. You don’t have to dumb it down, but you do have to sum it up" (Blow); "Officials should right a wrong that grows larger with each passing Olympics and reconcile with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the athletes who made the supposed black-power salute in the 1968 Olympics" (Guest Op-Ed); "There is nothing we enjoy more than sealing our own doom in the most creative ways possible" (Collins; must-read for perfect combination of humor and concern)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, August 23, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"The world actually has enormous spare oil capacity. And much of it sits in easily accessible salt caverns and storage tanks" (Guest Op-Ed); "Today, it’s the athletic surge that dazzles us, but China will leave a similar footprint in almost every other facet of life" (Kristof); "If we’d planned ahead, we’d have demanded a vice-presidential competition that the other TV networks could have put up against the Olympics" (Collins)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 21, 2008

The right’s five hilariously boneheaded anti-Obama smears

Posted by Bill Swiggard, Wednesday, August 20, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (5)

"With the exception of John McCain’s imprisonment in Vietnam, every aspect of his profile in courage is inaccurate or defunct" (Rich); "The cheerleader in chief was in Beijing with bikini-clad beach volleyball players while the Re-Evil Empire was sending columns of tanks into its former republic" (Dowd); "Chinese officials explained that so long as protesters obtained approval in advance, demonstrations would be allowed. So I decided to test the system" (Kristof); "The fallout from naming suspects who haven’t been charged" (Hoyt); "Despite the hype, the era of personal medicine — where your treatment is tailored for your genes — remains frustratingly far away" (Judson)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 17, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"Senators Barack Obama and John McCain must pay more attention to the nation’s neglected infrastructure needs" (Herbert): "The majority of Hillaryites seem to accept her nomination at the convention as an indication that their heroine will get the proper respect" (Collins); "Few are paying attention to a critical threat in the Caucasus: an increase in criminality that would destabilize the region and at worst provide terrorist groups with nuclear material" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, August 16, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"The invasion of Afghanistan was the correct strategic move. Yet since then it seems as if the United States has been trying to turn the conflict into the Vietnam War of the early 21st century" (Guest Op-Ed); "It is now up to China to accept the Dalai Lama’s visit this fall and engineer a deal to resolve Tibet’s future" (Kristof); "The idea that appearance is valued more than performance is one of those painful facts of life that people always hate to be reminded of" (Collins)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 14, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (4)

"John McCain has a perfect record on a renewable energy bill. He has missed all eight votes over the last year — which effectively counts as a no vote each time" (Friedman); "Hillary Clinton feels no guilt about encouraging her supporters to mess up Barack Obama’s big moment, thus undermining his odds of beating John McCain" (Dowd); "Announcing Barack Obama’s running mate by text message has little to do with proclaiming the selection and everything to do with getting out the vote on Election Day" (Guest Op-Ed); "Studying evolution means that when we encounter something in nature that is complicated or mysterious, we don’t have to shrug our shoulders in bewilderment" (Judson)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, August 13, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (7)

"America needs to learn from Denmark, which responded to the 1973 Arab oil embargo in such a way that today it is energy independent" (Friedman); "The United States is overinvesting in military tools and underinvesting in diplomatic tools" (Kristof); "A roll-call vote for Hillary Clinton could allow her aggrieved loyalists the chance to channel their anger and could wind up being the path of less destruction for Barack Obama’s campaign" (Guest Op-Ed); "The Democratic Party’s platform committee has produced its 2008 edition. It is aimed at the faithful, under the assumption that only they will read it" (Guest Op-Ed); "Investigators must reveal the scientific methods they used to match the anthrax letters to Bruce Ivins" (Guest Op-Ed); "The most stunning admission John Edwards made was that he’s a narcissist" (Dowd); "Just because it’s in The Enquirer doesn’t make it untouchable" (Hoyt)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 10, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"So why is the presidential race a statistical dead heat? The pundits have offered a host of reasons, but one in particular deserves more exploration: racism" (Blow; see also accompanying graphic); "Sometimes voters give the stomach-churning campaign tactics of racism or anti-Semitism what they deserve — defeat" (Herbert on Tinker's Tennessee tactics); "Sex scandals will always exist in politics, but you would think that by now politicians would know how to make a decent public confession" (Collins on Edwards)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, August 9, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (2)

"While John McCain was never violently opposed to offshore drilling, he has now embraced it as if it is not only the solution to our energy problems, but also the key to eternal salvation" (Collins); "With the Tibet question casting a shadow over the Olympics, the Dalai Lama has expressed an unprecedented willingness to compromise and accept Communist Party rule in Tibet" (Kristof)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 7, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (2)

"The three phrases of climate change are easy to learn. The first is: 'Just a few years ago...'" (Friedman must-read); "Not since Richard of Gloucester killed his two nephews has there been such an unseemly outpouring of boy envy" (Dowd)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, August 6, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (6)

"We must face the reality of dead soldiers even though it hurts" (Public Editor); "The scale of the challenges faced by the next president makes a diverse inner circle all the more necessary" (Kearns Goodwin on why Lincoln named opponents to key positions); "In a research center in the Arctic Circle, building a picture of the Greenland climate from the ice age through the present warming period" (Friedman); "Barack Obama is a modern incarnation of the clever, haughty, reserved and fastidious Mr. Darcy, cherished hero of chick-lit" (Dowd); "If you sensed someone was watching you, would you do it?" (Guest Op-Ed on whether photos of eyes are better deterrents than closed circuit cameras); "China’s gender tests for athletes are likely to produce the wrong answers and in the process ruin the lives of the innocent" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 3, 2008

Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet (The Onion…)

go to article
Al Gore—or, as he is known in his own language, Gore-Al—placed his son, Kal-Al, gently in the one-passenger rocket ship, his brow furrowed by the great weight he carried in preserving the sole survivor of humanity's hubristic folly. "There is nothing left now but to ensure that my infant son does not meet the same fate as the rest of my doomed race," Gore said. "I will send him to a new planet..."
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Wednesday, July 30, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (3)

"If we aren’t careful, we’re going to repeat the history of the oil industry by creating a bandwidth cartel" (Guest Op-Ed); "Has anyone stopped to think about what political slogans really mean?" (Friedman); "Given his inability to get lift off, even flying close to the sun, Barack Obama will need all the cunning intelligence he can muster" (Dowd)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, July 30, 2008

NYT Op-Eds (5)

"Barack Obama-branded change is snowballing, whether it’s change you happen to believe in or not" (Rich); "Two of the most interesting new clean electron wildcatters are T. Boone Pickens and Shai Agassi" (Friedman); "Can a Citizen of the World settle for Steubenville, Ohio?" (Dowd); "If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were put out of business in an orderly fashion over 5 to 10 years, the market would pick up the business they abandon" (Guest Op-Ed); "Critics who forecast the collapse of the Roman Catholic papacy after it reiterated its ban on artificial contraception in 1968 underestimated its capacity to stand its ground" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, July 27, 2008