Author: Andrew Sullivan

The Weekly Wrap

Today on the Dish, we capped off a week of controversies. In NYC mosque coverage, Noah Millman defended Muslim Americans, readers pounced on Newt, and another reinforced the absurdity of the whole situation.  Limbaugh let his racist flag fly and FNC was close behind. Journo-scandal updates here and here. Commentary on the Israel rape scandal here, here, and especially here.

In Palin coverage, she whined about the press asking her questions, Cillizza noted a big challenge in New Hampshire, and Bernstein sounded off on the horse race. Bristol made a creepy ad. Internet fun here and here. The Trig thread continued here and here.

Andrew cornered Douthat on gay marriage, called out anti-Semitic smears, and agreed with Brooks about balancing the budget.  Iraq update here. Recession update here and a reader in China chimed in on wages. Glimpse at the impact of DOMA here.

MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Best places in Provincetown here.

Thursday on the Dish, Argentina sealed the deal for marriage equality. Andrew took a step back from the Breitbart-Sherrod scandal to revisit Obama's long game. Remaining race commentary from Josh Marshall, Adam Serwer, Conor Friedersdorf, E.D. Kain, and Ron Radosh. Drum pointed the finger at Fox. Andrew also shook his head at the latest Journo-list revelations and Fallows weighed in. 

Newt slithered into the NYC mosque mess, Yglesias smacked him around, and Larison found higher ground. In other Palin coverage, readers pounced on her NYC/Real America hypocrisy, Friedersdorf took a turn, Roger Simon concurred with the Dish on 2012, and Noah Millman shivered. Chin-scratching Trig posts here and here.

Sharron Angle continued to embarrass herself in the face of the press. Richard Silverstein went to bat for Andrew over Tablet's smears, a reader dissented over his take on the rape-by-deception case, and Frum reminded us (with reader feedback) of Israel's strengths to the US. Andrew held up the Cameron-led coalition as a model for Republicans.

Kinsley revived the estate tax debate and Glenn Reynolds stood up to the police state. Another, broader look at the WaPo series here. Dreher engaged Rauch on the move towards marriage equality. Andrew played with conversation. 

Mike Tyson talked shit about his tattoo. Crazy campaign ad here and a fun new blog here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Refudiate

Wednesday on the Dish, coverage and commentary of the Breitbart-Sherrod controversy continued here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and a reader dissent here. (Meanwhile, POTUS signed a major bill.)  On the Journo-scandal, Andrew challenged Chait, doubled down, and Ezra defended his defunct forum. Andrew also kept on the Hollywood scandal (multiple dissents here), defended himself from Tablet's charges, and meep-meep'd over the GOP. Scott Horton dug into the WaPo series and Ray Sanchez reported more on the police state.

In Palin watch, Goldblog sounded an alarm over her stance on Israel, her group blog peddled a revolting ad against the NYC mosque, readers rushed to defend religious freedom, another underscored the absolutism of her base on Trig, and Larison betted on Romney. Her latest mama grizzly surged in the Georgia governor's race.

In assorted coverage, Hitch grappled with the US-Israel problem, Christopher Papagianis and Reihan wonked out on homeownership, and Jonathan Rauch sees marriage equality as a foregone conclusion. Vice magazine shot a short doc down in the Gulf while Dan Ariely reminded us about the rainforests.  A look at a uniquely Green skyscraper here. A love letter to the Old Spice Guy here.

MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew sized up the congressional elections, glanced at the Angle-Reid race, shook his head at Journo-list's latest scandal, and cautioned against Breitbart's scoop on supposed racism in the USDA. (That caution proved prescient.) Some troubling rhetoric emerged from Netanyahu. Rahm watch here.

In Palin coverage, her political clout grew ever-stronger, the AP corrected her facts, Ambinder parsed her press strategy, readers pushed back against her bigotry on the Ground Zero mosque, Mark Liberman studied up on "refudiate," Doonesbury defended McGinniss, Andrew circled back to Weigel's Trig criticism, readers sounded off on the same, and another juxtaposed lil' Andrew and lil' Sarah.  Lots of drama from Wasilla here.

More on the WaPo police-state series here and here. Hitchens unloaded on supporters of Mel Gibson and a reader dissented over his and Andrew's criticism. Cali cannabis coverage here and Social Security here. In assorted commentary, Kornacki looked at Romney's record against female opponents, Bagehot checked in on Cameron's coalition, Drezner scrutinized smart sanctions, Brad Plumer perused what's left of the energy bill, TNC rubbed his brow over journalists blaming blacks for Prop 8, Balko backed gambling, and Douthat examined American meritocracy.  E.D. Kain and Timothy Lee added to the liberaltarian thread.

Anti-capitalist art here and funny dog video here.  MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. The latest window winner here.

Anchorage-AK-1141 pm

Anchorage, Alaska, 11.41 pm

Monday on the Dish, bloggers reacted to the WaPo's big feature on the police state. Andrew's take here. He also tackled the Christianists over Mel Gibson, replied to Frum on the state of the conservatism, threw up his hands at the GOP over spending, and kept his eye on Israel's campaign against Turkey.

Palin coined a Bushism and inspired a Twitter meme. Gallup had her in the lead for 2012, Blumenthal explained disparate polling, and a reader illustrated her immense clout in congressional races. Levi and Bristol made bank. More Palin drama here, here, and here. Andrew responded at length to Weigel's refudiation of Trig-gate, noted Cameron's wife's refusal to fly pregnant, and offered a belated take on the Levi-Bristol engagement. Sprung countered Weigel on Palin's need for policy chops, Chait realized the GOP can't contain her, and Goldblog glowered at her assault on the Ground Zero mosque.

Chris Good and TNC covered the departure of racist Mark Williams, the Brits leaked the latest withdrawal date from Afghanistan, Marc Lynch discussed our ever-possible bombing of Iran, Greenwald kept the heat on the NYT over "torture," and Bruce Bartlett dropped his jaw at the GOP's fantasy over the Bush tax cuts. Surge fail update here and here. California cannabis update here and here. Alex Ogle reported on a cash incentive program to lower AIDS in Africa and Chris Blattman worried about the drug trade there.

Noah Millman came around on marriage equality and Virginia Postrel talked glamour. Cailey Hall watched soldier music videos and Alexis Madrigal meditated over a YouTube bullying case. MHB here, VFYW here, and a young Sully face here.

— C.B.

How Freeways Kill Communities

Timothy Lee bemoans the urban planning decisions made in St. Louis, and elsewhere:

Carving up St. Louis with freeways didn’t just undermine individual neighborhoods, it permanently changed the region’s culture. By undermining walkable urban neighborhoods while simultaneously making it easier to commute in from the suburbs, planners effected a massive transfer of wealth from from cities to suburbs. It’s not surprising that many people responded to these incentives by moving to the suburbs. But it was hardly a voluntary choice.

Palin’s Chances, Ctd

Bernstein applauds Millman's analysis:

I do think that things are more fluid than [Millman] implies…there's still plenty of time for someone other than Mitt Romney to play the Romney role he imagines (Rick Perry?).  We don't have a good sense yet of whether Sarah Palin's appeal within Republican primary electorates is capped…well, we do have a sense that it is capped, but whether that's at 70% (not much of a problem) or 40% (very big problem) doesn't seem clear to me right now.  Some numbers: the current YouGov/Economist poll gives her a 77/17% favorable rating among Republicans…but we don't really know how many of those 77% are thinking of her as a presidential candidate.  For what it's worth, YouGov/Economist has her leading the horse race with 28%; that doesn't strike me as a very impressive total for a candidate with excellent name recognition against a bunch of unknowns.  Of course, there's also the very solid possibility that she bails anyway for any one of a thousand reasons.  But I think Millman's piece is very nicely set in the real-life world of nominations, with its interactions between various party elites and the voters.

Face Of The Day

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An Internet user looks at a Facebook page dedicated to Anna Chapman in Paris on July 23, 2010. Two weeks after 10 Russian spies flew back from the United States to Moscow, the buzz of interest around the ring's most photogenic member, the feisty redhead Anna Chapman, shows no signs of receding. While Chapman remains in an unknown location since her arrival in Moscow, reportedly being debriefed, she has apparently found time to write enigmatic Facebook updates and negotiate with journalists on her first interview. By Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images.

The Slow Death Of Cap-And-Trade

Dave Roberts watched Reid pull the plug yesterday. His prediction:

Big Coal will be back begging for cap-and-trade: No, really. Right now there are EPA rules in the pipeline that are going to shut down a third or more of the existing coal fleet. No new coal plants are going to get built — they're not cost-competitive with natural gas or wind, and every one runs into a buzzsaw of grassroots opposition. In other words, carbon caps or no carbon caps, Big Coal is in trouble. Sooner or later, the industry will realize that the funding it can get from cap-and-trade, to support carbon capture and sequestration, is its only path to survival. Robert Byrd tried to tell the industry the truth before he died. Byron Dorgan tried to tell it the truth just the other day. By 2012, certainly by 2015 when many of the rules kick in, the industry will be forced to acknowledge this basic truth. And they'll come begging Congress for cap-and-trade.

Bradford Plumer makes the same point.

Ptown Faves

Every year, some readers ask me what I recommend if you're coming to the end of Cape Cod. I'm conservative so stick with what I know, and there may be new joints worth exploring that I haven't found yet. But here goes.

Entertainment: Dina Martina is in a class of her own, in my opinion: total, dark, hilarious performance art. I'm going for the third time tonight. Slap And Tickle is a new play at the Provincetown Theater (tix here). Aaron is in it so discount this as bias if you want. But it's rare to see such a candid, and funny take on gay men's pathologies and vulnerabilities. The play is too dark, I think, for today's gay world and needs a less trivial title, but it is not Kushner-style propaganda or gay drama dreck. And some of the performances stay with you. Great reviews. One act: just an hour and twenty minutes.

Food: Devons, Edwige, Victors, Sake, Cafe Heaven for sit-down; Frappo66 for amazing fast but gourmet food, served cafeteria style.

Coffee: Wired Puppy.

Bakery: Relish.

Deli: Far Land and Angel Foods.

Weekly mass: Showgirls at the Crown and Anchor.

Browsing: Tim's Used Books

Clothes/Tchotchkes: Rogue's Gallery, All American Boy, Wa, Pulp, Southstream Design, and, of course, the legendary Marine Specialties.