Today on the Dish, a rebel commandeered Qaddafi's hat, Muammar was still nowhere to be found, and Yglesias invoked Francis Fukuyama’s The End Of History. Factionalism among the rebels represented the next stage in the battle, Larison defended his use of stalemate in describing Libya, and Zack lobbied for humility in arguments. Fareed outlined a new model for intervention with an emphasis on local involvement, we kept an eye on revitalized revolutionaries in Syria and Yemen, and Wikileaks made McCain and Butters look just a tad hypocritical. Around the rest of the world, we ignored Iraqi agency in understanding the surge, Leonard Spector feared chemical warfare in Syria, the world car population passed one billion, and readers recalled Jack Layton as a defender of gay rights in the 80s.
On the campaign trail, the GOP continued its search for a "consensus conservative," Perry pulled ahead of Romney in the polls, and Patrick pinpointed the dangers of a Ron Paul presidency. We debated how much importance to give to politicians' scientific views, we exposed Peggy Noonan's pundit tricks, Maisie wondered if a black swan political event loomed in the US future, and the internet schemed about how to get Palin out of the spotlight. In other national news, we examined whether Clinton's welfare reform succeeded, education boomed even in poorer countries, and Stephen Rose offered perspective on just how bad the economy is. We tried to get to the bottom of the GOP's payroll tax cut position, and readers defended the USPS. The sports world garnered another marriage equality convert, a reader took issue with our drug arrests graphic, and telemarketers hit a nerve with readers.
We peeked inside Roger Ebert's new memoir, Sam Harris argued we'll reach a point where we'll all want wealth redistribution, and no one likes a moral crusader. We appreciate over-used positive words to talk about ourselves, one reader wished telemarketers stuck to the script, and men and women sleep differently. Marriage may cause weight gain among other hazards, asexual readers considered dishonesty cheating, and pronouns have a psychology all their own.
VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.
–Z.P.
The Dish 