Month: September 2008

The Economist searches for signs of famine in North Korea:

Though North Koreans are already reported to be dying of hunger, a vast famine remains improbable. Localities have learnt not to depend on the central government for food, and this time appear better prepared. Meanwhile, the emergence of informal markets since the last famine underlines how much better North Koreans’ coping mechanisms have become. Still, the outside world again faces the uncomfortable problem of rewarding a regime’s bad behaviour with aid. That is the price of caring more for North Koreans’ welfare than their government does.

From you, not the bloggers:

After reluctantly watching the Couric interview of Palin, I felt more strongly than ever — viscerally — that she and McCain must be stopped for the good of the nation and the globe. And it occurred to me that, should they lose, we will eventually hear the inside story from the campaign:  that from the moment McCain impulsively picked her, every single move the campaign made, every hail Mary, the war on the press, the suspension of the campaign, etc., was focused first on containing the damage they knew would be caused by letting Palin open her mouth without a teleprompter.

She must be pressured to release her medical records NOW.

Remember she’s capable of endlessly repeating indisputable untruths. Of course we need her medical records. Her word is meaningless. Another reader:

If I had been the person interviewing Gov. Palin, and had asked for specific examples of McCain’s leadership on a topic that he brags about, and had been told, in essence, "I cant, think of any, but I’ll get back to yah," I’d have laughed, and said that you’ve got to be kidding me!

Another:

In all honesty, I feel bad for Sarah Palin. Clearly from her answers you can see she’s been thrown into the deep end of the pool, trying to recall the various answers they told her to give to questions. Most of my very partisan friends think she’s dumb, I’m not sure. I imagine most governors out there picked out of obscurity and told they have to learn the intricacies of American foreign policy would  sound much like this. She should have said no.

Another:

Well, the words were all in English, and in groups of two or three they fit together, but that’s the best I can say about it.  I especially "liked" this part:

"reducing taxes … has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans"

Those aren’t talking points; they’re babbling points.

A reader writes:

Poor Katie! She tried and tried, didn’t she? But that Sarah… Before she opened her mouth I thought she was simply under qualified, albeit pretty. Now, after hearing how Putin flying over Alaska airspace gives her foreign policy experience, and this "So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade — we have got to see trade as opportunity, not as, uh, competitive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs created in the trade sector today." — I’ve changed my mind.

I think she’s just dumber than a door knob. Seriously.

Her candidacy is the biggest joke in modern American political history. No competitor.

Words fail:

Reading the transcript doesn’t help:

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? Allow them to spend more, and put more money into the economy, instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in. Where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh, it’s got to be about job creation, too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade — we have got to see trade as opportunity, not as, uh, competitive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs created in the trade sector today. We’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation.

Another historic timeout, though it doesn’t rival McCain’s:

More Kristol:

…the action of these few days becomes more important than the talk of that hour and a half Friday night. One could even say the contrast between the two men in action becomes the true debate over who should be president. The media, being talkers and debaters, love debates, overestimate their importance, and are underestimating the possible effect of McCain’s dramatic action. In the debate itself, McCain should mock the media’s greater concern for gabbing than solving our economic problems, and should associate Obama with such a talk-heavy media-type approach to politics. If the race is between an energetic executive and an indecisive talker, the energetic executive should win.

A military prosecutor at Guantanamo quits:

"My ethical qualms about continuing to serve as a prosecutor relate primarily to the procedures for affording defense counsel discovery," wrote Vandeveld in his filing. "I am highly concerned, to the point that I believe I can no longer serve as a prosecutor at the Commissions, about the slipshod, uncertain ‘procedure’ for affording defense counsel discovery."

Also from the article:

Defense attorneys said they will seek to exclude from trial all evidence extracted under duress. "Torture is at issue in this case," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mizer, who is representing Ammar al-Baluchi. "It is going to be at the very center of this case."

Some interesting new data from the AJC. Critical:

Regarding the vice-presidential candidates, 73 percent of American Jews “approve” of Obama’s selection of Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate, 15 percent “disapprove,” and 13 percent are “not sure.” In contrast, 54 percent of American Jews “disapprove” of McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, 37 percent “approve,” and 9 percent are “not sure.”

Now see what they think after Palin is blessed by someone trafficking in medieval anti-Semitism.

And that’s saying something. Larison unloads:

Gingrich likens [McCain’s stunt] to Eisenhower’s “I will go to Korea,” but unlike Eisenhower and the Korean war McCain has no credibility concerning the crisis he is supposedly addressing.  In the end, knowing when you can contribute something and knowing when to avoid complicating an already difficult situation by intruding on ongoing negotiations is what separates grandstanding from leadership.  It is what separates the simple egomaniacs from the ambitious pols who nonetheless have some idea what public service is.  McCain’s belief that he is indispensable in a time of crisis is the surest sign that he is unfit for any office in republican government, much less the chief magistracy of the Republic.

Catherine Tate is one of Britain’s comic geniuses. And the "I Can Do That" woman is one of her funnier characters. You can follow the YouTubes for all the "I Can Do That" sketches here. This is the classic. Here is a visual representation of what happened with Couric last night: