Author: Andrew Sullivan

“I believe we are at the end of what church historians will, in the future, call the Billy Graham era… I believe we are also nearing the end of the ‘Religious Right’ representing Evangelicalism… My prayer is that over the next 10 years, there will be a Love Reformation and the Gospel will retake the Bible-believing church," – the tweets of Ted Haggard.

The latest from the red Prada slippers brigade:

No, this is not a parody, apparently. This is a parody:

A reader writes:

I have long advocated that executions be televised. Networks would not do it, but public access channels should. Some people think this particularly gruesome of me. I suspect those are the same people who though the Utah attorney general’s remarks were shameless or callous. We could debate about whether the death penalty is ethical or not. But what seems clear to me is that the people should know what is being done in their name. Executions used to routinely be public several decades ago, and the people knew exactly what was being done in their name.

If the people of Utah could see the executions, and they were horrified, they would demand change, and executions would stop. If the people of Utah are not horrified by the executions, then the attorney general’s comments are a small matter. In any event, his comments take the state a step further in making sure the people know what is being done in their name, and hence should be perceived as a positive thing.

Another writes:

Were other witnesses allowed to text from the execution chamber?

(I suspect not; I'm sure everyone had their phones confiscated so no pictures or messages could be sent.) Is the state the only entity allowed to communicate from there? Could a condemned prisoner's family or supporters, unconvinced of his/her guilt, be allowed to tweet a counter-narrative? Now that it's been opened up to communication devices, is the Utah execution room considered a "public forum" where the government allows communications but cannot censor its content?

Perhaps one of your readers who's an expert on constitutional law could evaluate whether the AG – in what to my mind looks like a cheap ploy to look both tough and devout – has opened a Pandora's box for death penalty advocates.

You know who.

And the beat goes on …

First newspapers, then Google searches, now social networking sites. Alex Seitz-Wald isn't impressed:

… BP seems uninterested in the social aspect of social media. On Facebook, the company only accepts comments from people who “like” BP, while comments are disabled completely on the company’s YouTube channel

("BP fail whale" illustration by Oskar Krawczyk)

Andrew Exum runs through the pros and cons:

In the end, your opinion on whether or not Gen. McChrystal should be dismissed might come down to whether or not you think the current strategy is the correct one for the war in Afghanistan. My own prediction is that Gen. McChrystal will be retained. As much as critics of counterinsurgency like to blame Gen. McChrystal (and nefarious think-tankers, of course) for the current strategy, the reality is that the civilian decision-makers in the Obama Administration conducted two high-level reviews in 2009 and twice arrived at a national strategy focused on conducting counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. I suspect the president will not replace the man he has put in charge of executing that strategy with just 12 months to go before we begin a withdrawal.

Goldblog sides with Joe Klein:

I remember once in Iraq being made to feel profoundly uncomfortable by an Army colonel who was openly scornful of President Bush's tactical leadership of the war effort (this was well-before the surge). I didn't disagree with his analysis one bit, but I thought it was deeply inappropriate, and even nervous-making, to hear a senior military leader disparaging his commander. Civilian control of the military is a paramount American virtue, and anyone who undermines this core principle is unfit to serve. There's no way around this fundamental fact, unfortunately. 

Tom Ricks bets McChrystal will be gone in a week or two:

My nomination is for Petraeus to step down an echelon and take the Afghanistan command. You could leave him nominally the Centcom chief but let his deputy, Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen, oversee Iraq, the war planning for Iran, and dealing with Pakistan and the Horn of Africa. But more likely is that Petraeus will ask for another Marine general, James Mattis, who is just finishing up at Jiffycom, and who had planned to retire later this year and head home to Walla Walla, Washington. Petraeus and Mattis long have admired each other. The irony is that Mattis has a reputation — unfairly, I think — for speaking a little too bluntly in public about things like killing people. I think Mattis is a terrific, thoughtful leader.  

My gut tells me Ricks is right.

Last night witnessed another midnight baseball game in Alaska. No artificial light required. And here is a picture of the first, 102 years ago (the first post title said "equinox"; fixed now):

A methane-triggered tsunami? Yes, on my meds, I've had a few of those.