Month: January 2007

Toby Keith says he was never for the Iraq war.

More heartburn on campaign finance reform. The good senator just doesn’t have much support from his own party. Which is why, in part, I still like him, for all his recent equivocation.

New York City, New York, 7.45 am.

Canada’s Tories recognize a grave injustice, issue a public apology, and give Arar $8 million in recompense for the torture he endured in Syria, because of a U.S. rendition policy. Bush Republicans cannot admit they were wrong. The word that keeps coming into my mind regarding the policies and attitude of Bush and Gonzales. These are indecent men, leading an indecent administration.

A childhood friend of Scooter Libby reflects on what has happened to America through the prism of his friendship. Money quote:

Today, my old friend is under indictment for obstructing justice by lying about his knowledge of the Valerie Plame affair. Unless his lawyers manage to engineer a miracle, he will be tried in court early in 2007. There he will face the distinct possibility of public disgrace and a career-terminating jail sentence. So what should I hope for, I ask myself: my old friend’s acquittal or his conviction?

It’s an engrossing piece of reflection – not just about friendship but about the great themes of our time: liberal doubt, fundamentalist certainty, and a war without end.

Brownback just got a little happier.

This report from CBS News’ Lara Logan wasn’t broadcast on television. Watch it, and you’ll see why. It’s a reality-check against the notion that the war for Baghdad is winnable, given the resources and tactics we are planning to confront it with.

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 3.30 pm.

"They all suck. Let’s just admit it. Every one of the thus far announced Republican candidates for President sucks. From the lecherous adulterer to the egomaniacal nut job to the flip-flopping opportunist with the perfect hair to the guy who hates brown people to the guy we’ve never heard of to the guy who has a better chance of getting hit by a meteor while being consumed by a blue whale being struck by lightening. They all suck. (Well, okay, Brownback doesn’t suck at all, but I perceive no viability for his candidacy.)" – Red State Erick, expressing the frustration of so many on the far-right.

The woman with autism whose challenging video I posted earlier this week joined a metafilter debate on her mini-movie, "In My Own Language." Check it out.