Today on the Dish, Andrew praised Cameron's pitch perfect response to the Murdoch scandal, and exposed the wrinkly emperor beneath his clothes. Andrew massaged his opinion on Piers Morgan and his involvement with the hacking scandal, but wasn't as concerned with the monopoly aspect. McArdle didn't think the scandal could bring down Fox News, Andrew saw glimpses of the Labour party in 1985 in today's GOP. Joe Romm wanted answers on Murdoch's role in Climategate, and China adored Wendi Deng.
Andrew assessed the Gang of Six's plan, Jack Balkin differentiated Obama from Clinton, and the Tea Party won't yield because of TARP. We dared to ask Bachmann what she would cut, and Douthat nailed the GOP's gamble. Andrew used Obama's opinion on DOMA to skewer the right's manic intransigence, and Andrew and Choire remembered those lost to the AIDS crisis. Defense spending continued to run wild, Herman Cain was opposed to universal healthcare before it was cool, and Andrew missed the simpler things.
Don Rassler and Vahid Brown argued Afghanistan is the epicenter of terrorism, and we parsed Bahrain's sectarian strife. We recalled Britain's sordid history of torture, Israel's democracy withered with the help of AIPAC, and the Libyan non-war chugged along. John Lee Anderson wondered if Karzai could literally survive staying in office, Uganda needed help, and official famine devastated Somalia.
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita decoded the science of prediction, Andrew embraced going native, and carmageddon had larger lessons than how to enjoy brunch on an empty freeway. Plato dissed writing's effect on memory back in the day, drinking water helps prevent kidney stones, and social and sexual monogamy is a complicated thing. Pizza didn't always come in a box, beauty is in the medial orbitofrontal cortex of the beholder, and Dante also grouped his friends in circles.
Headline of the day here, Yglesias award here, quotes for the day here and here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and don't let the overzealous VFYW contestants discourage you.
–Z.P.
The Dish 