Author: Andrew Sullivan

The news from Iraq today is about as good as one can hope for right now. Some Sunni leaders have been enticed to support the Constitution on the understanding that they have a few months to finesse it after the vote. It’s a messy, fraught and unsatisfying compromise, which is to say it’s politics. Politics, recall, is what Iraq hasn’t really had for thirty years. Under Saddam, it had tyranny backed by sadism and corruption. The politics that existed was the politics of internal mafia disputes. Now we actually have negotiation, brinksmanship, and the astonishingly resolute refusal of the Shiite leadership to be drawn into civil war by Zarqawi’s brutal slaying of Shiite Muslims. There’s even evidence that al Qaeda’s leadership understands that terror attacks on mosques might actually undermine Jihadism and so are trying to restrain Zarqawi. None of this, of course, guarantees ultimate success. But the whole point of this war was to transform a region ruled by fear into a region ruled by consent. We’d be foolish to believe this could happen overnight; and we’ve been criminally negligent in not providing the security that is indispensable to a successful transition. But given Rumsfeld’s refusal to pacify the country, this violence-strewn mess is our best hope. And hope there still is.

Musement Park has a suggestion on the hacker’s identity.

Whoever Dafydd is, Karl Rove needs to hire him pronto for the White House’s p.r. department. If you can spin a mili-second’s pause in a television interview, you can spin anything.

Okay, I have my suspects. Just kidding. Apologies for what just happened. I’ve had bronchitis for the past few days so got up a little later than usual to find the sweet little message. My site-manager and server-manager are looking into it. I’ll keep you posted.

Yes, I know the plastic scratches. But I couldn’t help myself and bought two new iPod nanos for me and the DP. I got a black one. Technically, they’re no better than my old iPod, and actually contain fewer songs. Aesthetically, they’re irresistible. More grist for Virginia. I know I’m guilty of hypocrisy since I’ve whined about what iPod culture is doing to social interaction (while admitting at the time that I was an addict). I’m also guilty of pure consumerism. I just like the look and feel of the thing. Beautiful things need no utilitarian defense. What Apple understands is that beauty matters for its own sake; indeed, that beauty is ultimately all I was buying. In an often ugly world, that’s good enough for me.

More evidence that Bush’s education reform is helping.

National Journal sees some new twists in the Plame investigation.

In Indiana, a law banning assisted reproduction technologies for anyone not legally married (i.e. gays and lesbians and co-habiting or single straights), and restricting their use even for married couples, just got withdrawn. Phew. Some theocons are still in favor.

Of course, he’s correct in general about the healthiness of recent conservative intellectual debate over Bush’s often unconservative presidency. Money quote:

Unlike the boy who cried wolf too many times, today’s Republicans — and conservative commentators — are the boys who never cried wolf. On the size of government and the size of the deficit, for example, the Bush administration has been as anti-conservative as an administration can possibly be — and has faced only scattered criticisms from most conservatives.

Ahem. Some of us were criticizing him on conservative grounds for the past two and a half years. Not everyone was silent. Cato and Heritage yelled about big government conservatism. George Will has been consistently skeptical about this administration. Bill Kristol has been after Rumsfeld for quite some time. Some of us even endorsed Kerry because of Bush’s record. I know we’re a tiny minority, but do none of us principled conservatives count?

“Arnold did not capitulate on gay rights. From his response after the veto of the bill:

“California Family Code Section 308.5 was enacted by an initiative statute passed by the voters as Proposition 22 in 2000. Article II, section 10 of the California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from amending this initiative statute without a vote of the people. This bill does not provide for such a vote.
The ultimate issue regarding the constitutionality of section 308.5 and its prohibition against same-sex marriage is currently before the Court of Appeal in San Francisco and will likely be decided by the Supreme Court.
This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue. If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this bill is not necessary. If the ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective.”

This is not a capitulation. It is an adherence to the laws of the State and it makes perfect sense.”