Category: The Daily Wrap

By Khaled Desouki/Getty Images

Today on the Dish, we tracked Egypt's Friday of Anger. Protesters prayed, and got water-gunned, gassed and injured. The army arrived, some protesters cheered, fighting continued into the night, Islamists joined, and protesters formed a human chain to prevent looting of the Egyptian National Museum. ElBaradei was detained, a curfew was declared, Cairo caught fire and later calmed down. Mubarak stayed mum at first, and then dissolved the government but didn't resign. We got the background on the "not ordinary" police, teargas cannisters were Made in the USA, and we kept an eye on the human toll. Marc Lynch offered advice to Washington, and Clinton spoke. Alex Massie zoomed out, we assessed the role of the Arab youth, and Joshua Tucker wondered if 2011 would be like 1989 for revolutions. Larison looked to a possible future without Mubarak, Goldberg urged Obama to push him out, and Bernstein prescribed caution. Steinglass cheered them on despite our interests, many considered the implications for Israel, and readers were torn. You can trace the updates as they developed here and here, Al Jazeera's live-stream here, and today's best video here, here, and here.

Conor begged to differ with Glenn Reynolds about uprisings and US intervention and approved of the NYT's handling of the Wikileaks cables. Isaac Wood looked at the house in 2012, Conor delved into the details of the discourse war, and rabbis fought against Glenn Beck. Conor parsed Clinton on the drug war, and championed the food truck.

Quotes for the day here and here, question for the day here, chart of the day here, MHB here, Yglesias award here, FOTD here and here.

By Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images.

Thursday on the Dish, we tracked the momentary lull in Egypt, an Egyptian Dish reader gathered all the relevant links, and #jan25 became defunct. Youths led the revolt, clashes erupted in Suez (videos here) and beyond, and Claire Berlinski explained why Americans should care (hint: it's your tax money). Egyptians didn't want to drink a sweet drink made from rotten fish, and financial markets reacted. Elliott Abrams delinked the protests to Israel, a reader penned a letter from Cairo, the Muslim Brotherhood decided to join Friday's protests, and the Egyptian army benefitted from a luxury Officer's Club. Protests spread to Yemen, Amira Al Hussaini collected Arab reactions on Twitter, Chris stayed vigilant with fresh videos and put the protest in context. Larison rated Lebanon's new PM, Conor egged on Ezra Klein about China's rise, and Chris captured the shock and horror of the murder of Ugandan gay rights advocate David Kato.

Conor agreed with Mark Levin (for one sentence), took Barbara Ehrenreich to task, urged Arizona Republicans to grow up, and wouldn't back down on why vile rhetoric doesn't work. Conor picked on Gingrich's ridiculous passion for ethanol, Mitt threatened to skip Iowa, and James Poulos saw a generational shift in Obama's campaign during the SOTU. Obama answered one question on prohibition, and Conor weighed the crimes of Spitzer against Clinton's. Readers rebutted Millman, and regaled us with their dental woes. The Hirschorn stood up to the Smithsonian on behalf of free expression, Facebook forced your friends to advertise, and Whiskey bloggers ruined whiskey blogging. Patrick visited the United States Of Swearing, people exercised in intersections with i-pods, and Palin capped off the week with a WTF moment.

Chart of the day here, cartoon of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, quote for the day here, and FOTD here.

Wednesday on the Dish, Patrick rounded up the SOTU reax, including the three words most NPR listeners heard, while Nate Silver put Obama's power in perspective. Conor illuminated the real state of the union and obliterated the perfunctory SOTU editorials, while Douthat bemoaned the lack of specifics on the deficit. Alex Balk comforted us about the state of our stomachs, and Kevin Featherly ogled Bachmann's pupils.

Chris tracked events on the ground in Egypt, including the status of Facebook/ Twitter, and the day's craziest pictures and video. Blake Hounshell critiqued the WaPo for critiquing Obama's response, and Marc Lynch remained humble but optimistic, along with Steven Cook. Stephen Walt stood by his earlier assessment about Tunisia's domino effect, and Conor prickled at the blatant profit-scheme of the military-industrial complex. The US lost more troops to suicide than combat, but gaming helped them cope. Jennifer Rubin refused to apologize for calling Steve Clemons an Israel-basher, and Conor wondered if ending hotel porn would increase escort calls. Belgium pranked its phone company, and terrorists were punished.

Conor fought back against Hugh Hewitt's insistence that the right is a victim, but he wasn't any easier on Olbermann's bazooka style rhetoric. Frum blamed Fox News for the lack of 2012 candidates, Conor begged Bill Kristol to break a story about the GOP's inner sanctum, rather than just complaining about it, and he dared Ailes to hire Glenn Greenwald. Conor reiterated the Dish's policy on airing dissents, and the Internet still wanted the President to answer questions about our drug policy. We heard the flipside to animal testing, Noah Millman rebutted a Dish reader on the three-fifths compromise. Readers also weighed in on evolutionary psychology and rape, Obamacare, and Conor luxuriated in Huckabee's "folksy Old Testament wrath."

Walter Murch tested the science of 3D and found our evolution lacking, but Dish readers proved him wrong. E.G. found the shame of states bigger than just a joke, studying declined, and Apple (and Girl Talk) changed how we listened to albums. The DEA sold rubber duckies, America shuddered at eating soy, and weed went the way of Walmart.

Headline for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Stowe, Vermont, 2 pm

Monday on the Dish, Conor raged against the cable news machine and wasn't too broken up over Olbermann's anouncement. Patrick parsed the cult of Palin and Douthat's dismissal of her, while Andrew took a sick day. Conor raised concerns about Obamacare, took Rich Lowry to task, and rallied for a political blogosphere with lots of parties and cliques. We rounded up reactions to the abortion crimes of Dr. Gosnell, William Saletan challenged pro-choice writers, and readers chimed in on the connection between abortion and slavery. Tunisia's press hit a bump in the road, Alexis Madrigal went behind the scenes for Facebook's compromised security, and Joshua Foust helped put a bombed Afghan city in context. Chris Rovzar urged us not to overstate Giffords' recovery, and Jen Paton connected the dots between Loughner's insanity and McVeigh's terrorism.

Frum infused Obama's SOTU with some Bushisms, Don Taylor lobbied for left-wing deficit hawks, and Conor challenged David Brooks to think outside his box. Palin could paint Texas purple, and even Limbaugh's callers nailed him on being a nutbag. The Tea Party Patriots put everything in the budget on the table, Bernstein yawned at Cilliza's analysis, and Ezra Klein picked at the low-hanging fruit in the GOP's healthcare qualms. Bloomberg might save us from ourselves, Jamelle Bouie argued European multiculturalism doesn't have the same implications as America's, and Yglesias shilled for dental hygenists.

More friends made us more popular, Ebert learned to love his lack of a chin, and we dove back into the ideology and science of Angry Birds. Novice-like teachers intrigued students, the bubble of higher education came closer to popping, and Chinese youths escaped via fake Facebooks. Young women envied a prostitute's life, and Conor asked whether local newspapers are enough. Beagles needed love, and Conor penned the trailer copy for Aaron Sorkin's new John Edwards vehicle. The artist himself closed the books on Calvin & Hobbes, Ferris Bueller could also apply to a Fight Club treatment, and horoscopes all say the same thing. 

VFYW here, beardage watch here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew scoffed at the Republican budget cut suggestions and named its ultimatum on Obama's SOTU. Ezra Klein spied a Tea party/ GOP battle on cuts, Steve Bell envisioned the shuttered hospital cancer wings that would ensue, while Exum uncovered one area that Republicans did want to trim on defense. Steven A. Cook connected Ben Ali's neglected army to the uprising, Mark Steyn showered Britain with exceptional love, Foreign Policy lured Dan Savage on to Berlusconi, and Will Wilkinson stood up for Western individualism.

Andrew pegged the Palin-Free February to the Beltway's incompetence and naivete, America had to fight its morbid curiosity about her, Pence stepped up to the plate, and Palin would speak to her "fellow" hunters. Steve Clemons fought back against anti-Semitic neocon charges, Megan lobbed a Loughner complaint at Andrew, and Pawlenty's books couldn't sell. Cheney's latest Big Lie amazed Andrew, especially since the dynamic Bush-Cheney duo failed the last decade's employment numbers. DADT cost Americans $200 million over five years, Skip Oliva nerded out on the House Speaker, and more of the Smithsonian's betrayal came to light. Some organizations escaped the ObamaCare's mandates, and Mankiw's ObamaCare math came under attack.

Andrew ceded some ground to John Allen on the church scandal, and Andrew weighed in on Santorum's abortion/ slavery metaphor. Aid helpers can't help doers become autonomous, and Goldman gamed the system. Readers hated on Apple, but Andrew came to its defense, Ann Friedman examined gendered friendships, Hobbes may or may not have had more reason and independence than Tyler from Fight Club, and musical ties don't make for credible debates. Beards enhanced performance, and voting offered pretty good lottery odds.

Dish cloud here, email of the day here, cool ad watch here, VFYW here, Malkin award here, dissent of the day here, Fox poison watch here, Limbaugh poison watch here, chart of the day here, mental health break here, and FOTD here.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew debated the past and future of marriage with James Poulos, and came down hard on John Paul II for the church's handling of abuse. Bernstein expected more of the same from the GOP on marriage equality in 2012, and Andrew backed Goldberg's outrage at the Smithsonian's betrayal of their curators. Larison and Max Boot assessed the role the US did or didn't play in interferring in Tunisia, and Steven Heydeman compiled a checklist for the Jasmine Revolution. Noah Millman weighed in on the wealth and democracy overlap, and the revolution's pictures are here. We rounded up the debate over a destroyed Afghan village, and the legacy of torture still reverberated around the world.

Andrew served up a nice helping of Palin crack, and Howard Kurtz profiled Palin's id. Josh Marshall defended TPM's Palin coverage, and a word cloud of her labor experience with Trig here. We tracked the fake success of the fake repeal, Frum boiled down the GOP's healthcare dilemma, and the party needed an infusion of new blood. CPAC's conservative freedom featured stopping a mosque, and we trained our eyes on Texas for a debt-minded Tea Party. Libertarianism hit its stride, and Obama's coup could last. Tyler Cowen and Jayme Lemke feared an era of high unemployment, but that didn't mean the US should force its companies to act like China's just for the thrill of it. The antics of Arizona's worst sheriff spotlights the ridiculous politics of the Dupnik recall, and one Supreme Court Chief Justice hid some relevant family ties. Demographers followed the flow of college grads, and aerial spy photos didn't impress Gregg Easterbrook. PZ Myers poked holes in Bering's evolutionary defenses against rape thesis, and Breitbart didn't mind a little PubicCoke, as long as he gets a raise. Fight Club paralleled Calvin & Hobbes, we treasured another classic case of Washington scorn, and air sex is safe but not easy.

VFYW here, Moore award here, Apple accolades here and here, Malkin award here, dissents of the day here, FOTD here, and MHB here.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew lambasted Limbaugh's latest poison, and crushed the major myths about the Tea Party. Tea partiers booed freedom in the form of decriminalization, and Andrew solidified Obama's bump by insisting he embrace Bowles-Simpson. Palin's blood libel against Assange mirrored her own, and Andrew wasn't placated by her low favorability ratings. On the conservative media front, Roger Ailes experimented with propaganda, Hugh Hewitt masqueraded as a journalist, and readers delved into the right's rhetoric on past shootings. James Wolcott embalmed Beltway consensus, opposites don't attract, and Michael Lind opted out of Regressive politics.

Robert Mackey profiled the Tunisian blogger turned government worker, Jennifer Rubin defended herself and Bush, and Beinart discounted American influence, since democracy was better off without it. US unemployment climbed higher than the world average, and language barriers persisted between China and the US.

Larison grimaced at 2012 wild card Kain's hawkishness, Chait guessed what Lieberman was thinking, Scott Stossel eulogized Sargent Shriver and his view of public service, and California's boomers fleeced the state. The US government could fight drugs with its uncoolness, Howard Gleckman patted down the healthcare mandate, Austin Frakt proposed a repeal related to the deficit, and a reader argued PTSD could be a normal response to trauma. Oklahoma City's memorial didn't change our rhetoric, and some wounds from Tuscon won't heal. Robin Handson believed in digital brains, readers joined Andrew in defending the pure style and functionality of Apple, and Starbucks could explode your stomach.

Christianism watch here, Yglesias award here, VFYW here, marriage equality index here, quote for the day here, MHB here, creepy ad watch here, and FOTD here.

By Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew urged Obama to call the GOP's bluff on spending, and Pawlenty pandered to the far right to Andrew's dismay. The Big Lie parroted by the right seeped into American opinion, and Andrew saw a secular hope in Apple's vision of the future. Freddie de Boer charged the blogosphere with being anti-leftist, Ryan Avent questioned de Boer's union love, and the GOP needed the middle but still didn't want to take the civil route. Nate Silver showed Douthat the stats on Palin's pull, and Andrew couldn't imagine Frum's Huckabee victory. Journalists fabricated turning points for narratives, and Herman Cain could add a touch of crazy to 2012.

Jennifer Rubin got trounced for giving neocons credit for Tunisia, while Scoblete defended her. Josef Joffe pinned Tunisia's revolution on being rich, Scott Lucas chronicled the new government's concessions, and the immolation trend in Egypt was getting out of control.

Andrew Cohen parsed the rocky road ahead for DOMA, Ezra Klein previewed the real showdown in healthcare revisions, and PTSD spread to civilian professionals. Loughner's ideology didn't fully square up with Nietzsche's, Jim Sleeper compared him to 1993's Colin Ferguson, and Gabrielle Giffords' husband kept grace alive. Sedentary screen time kills us, Gary Sick questioned the Stuxnet worm, the Twittering machine shrieked, and cigarettes got cropped from stamps. The police state lived, the enthusiasm gap evaporated, and Ike's last bested JFK's first speech. Julia Sherman traced the international hair trade, marriage evolved, and America reinvented herself. Irin Carmon defended casual sex, karate slippers used to get you into the club, and LBJ talked about his junk.

Chart of the day here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and the VFYW contest winner #33 here.

Tunis, Tunisia, 6 pm

Monday on the Dish, Andrew picked apart Tony Blair's legacy, and revealed his blogging philosophy of "generous anger." Balko raged against the paranoid style of some bloggers on the right, and Chabon happily returned to being a novelist. Andrew rebutted Douthat with some Palin hathos, and rejected Rich Lowry's argument on Loughner's disturbed mind. Tunisia's spark kept smoldering, and Egypt got in line. Koplow focused on the revolution's secular nature, we kept at the Twitter connections, and we looked at implications for the rest of the Arab world, with more analysis here.

The Labor party in Israel split, Brooklyn jumped the shark, and the love hormone oxytocin also caused racism. We honored MLK, and Akim Reinhardt argued the real abolitionists were considered lunatics on the fringe. Maud Newton interviewed Misha Angrist on a Gattaca-lite future, Scott Rosenberg wanted us to figure out Twitter retractions now, and bounty hunters were smart economics. Alan Jacobs saluted Wikipedia, Louis Menand unraveled the Feminine Mystique, and loyalty survived. Andrew revealed his take on Freud and cuddly rabbis, the gay fish lived, and Canada was cold.

VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and chart of the day here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, we followed Tunisia as its President dissolved the government, and a state of emergency was declared. Larison stressed the importance of Tunisians deposing an autocrat on their own, without US intervention and Andrew debated Evgeny Morozov on how instrumental Twitter was. We rounded up reax and reports from the ground in Tunisia here, here, and here, and the role of Wikipedia in the coup here and here.

Sarah Palin said sorry seven times (last year), Limbaugh sunk to new lows, and Julian Sanchez explained why we love to hate politicians. Andrew called the death threats to Palin despicable, while Nancy Goldstein (and readers) scrutinized them. Clive Crook called Palin the anti-president, and she wouldn't even appear on Bill O'Reilly. Andrew pinpointed the divide in discourse is not between left and right but open and closed, while Mark Levin only suggested someone kill himself, not that they commit murder. Frum fought against paranoid narratives, Kate Pickert previewed the tone of next week's agenda, McWhorter railed against compromise, and Dan Amira didn't want Republicans and Democrats to sit together during the SOTU. Gary Wills connected Obama's speech to Lincoln's from Gettysburg, and Greg Sargent stressed Obama's smarts.

Andrew urged the GOP or Obama to take on tax reform, and Ezra Klein corrected the record on the "job-killing" healthcare bill. Ta-Nehisi explained slavery's social construct, Chabon jumped in on Obama's rain puddle in heaven, and the double space after a period is wrong. Computers can never copy human brains, meth travelled from Mexico, Pew predicted the fuel efficiency of cars in 2050, and it helped to know someone's name.

Cool ad watch here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, ibogaine testimonial here, chart of the day here, Hewitt award here, and FOTD here.

Kenema, Sierra Leone, 12 pm 

Thursday on the Dish, we rounded up the web's best reax on Obama's Tucson speech, where he called for a more civil and honest discourse, and Andrew characterized him as the most Christian president in recent memory. Conor proposed a civility pact for the blogosphere, Limbaugh's poster contradicted his defense, and this video evidenced how dangerous discourse has become. Andrew used "blood libel" in a historically appropriate manner, Joe Klein captured Obama's rhetorical power, and Politico dropped the ball. Sprung parsed Loughner's currency kick, Weigel made the case for enacting no Tucson-inspired legislation, Lee Woodruff shared the harder parts of healing a spouse's brain trauma, and more bloggers bucked against locking people up. Palin scrubbed her Facebook page in record time, Jennifer Rubin faulted her for surrounding herself with loyal amateurs, and even Jpod told her she needed to serious herself up. Chris Christie backed slowly away from her, and Palin's breath would keep Andrew awake tonight.

Tunisia had the Arab world on edge, Ethan Zuckerman wondered if it could be the next Twitter revolution, and the Internet captured the bloodshed and the spark that started it all. Andrew answered Greg Mankiw on what rich people deserve, Yglesias asked if the US caused the spike in global food prices, and Norquist kept conservative on a possible war in Lebanon. Pawlenty would reinstate DADT, and Serwer balked at the chaos it would cause. David Boaz summed up the CPAC controversy, climate change accelerated, and Palin intimidated future presidential candidates. Howard Gleckman pleaded for tax reform in the SOTU, the goverment could steal your tweets, and Jenny McCarthy couldn't let go of her vaccine conspiracies. Reihan hyped up the Florida Governor's new education reform proposal, and these were the five emotions invented by the Internet. Michael Chabon blogged, Wikipedia passed its own test, and it was hard to quantify the mechanics of beauty. A reader who wanted to adopt according to her own race defended herself, readers argued over neti pots and Sudafed, and a Cannabis Closet reader connected with "God." Chatroulette wanted to monetize more schlongs, Joan Rivers terrified Andrew, and a drag policewoman kept Baltimore on its toes.

Yglesias award here, VFYW here, comment of the day here, Glenn Greenwald's pledge drive here, chart of the day here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty.)

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew live-blogged Obama's moving speech in Tucson. He still didn't buy Palin's victimization, which tightened her grip on the base. Readers broke down her skewed logic on whether rhetoric can inspire violence, Ezra Klein seconded Andrew on what she should have said, and Steve Benen focused on the ever-opaque Palin model of interacting with the press. We worked Dan Riehl over for his vile discourse and moral grandstanding, and Jews apologized to Palin. The left also had a bullseye map, and Andrew nominated Boehner to revolutionize the right in tone. Clive Crook pushed back against anger, Mark Thompson grew tired of debate over debate, and a reader amended Buchanan's Yglesias nomination. Nate Silver applied statistics to threats and tried to understand the evolution of the gun debate. Choire Sicha couldn't compute how we identify crazy, and Shafer sized up Loughner's mugshot. Tony Woodlief feared for his own parenting habits, and readers balked at involuntarily committing patients. Serwer and Sullum rejected Loughner's schizophrenic connections to cannabis, Andrew pored over his gamer days and political obsessions, and we grasped at the science of Giffords' survival here.

John Seabrook marked the Haiti earthquake anniversary on a personal note, Brazil whooped the US in combatting poverty, Cowen explained why the French succeed, and Stieg Larsson's trilogy upended our assumptions about Sweden. Larison had concerns about South Sudan, Schwarzenegger never wanted a safety net, and conservates and liberals both thought the other was illegitimate. Readers offered more background info on adoptions, and on the war against meth. Ta-Nehisi feared for the film adaptation of the Great Gatsby, Jessa Crispin decoded Berlin through books, some compliments were never doled out to restaurant websites, and 50 Cent made mad money off of Twitter.

Deep thought of the day here, unemployed in Brooklyn advice here, VFYW here, Malkin award here, cool ad watch here, MHB here and here, FOTD here, and dissent of the day here.

By Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew seized on David Brooks' accusation that the media dared to politicize the attempt on Giffords' life and Joe Klein sided with Brooks. Andrew fingered the right's rhetoric not for partisan reasons but out of genuine fear for the future. Limbaugh came out swinging, and Andrew thought he seriously crossed the line, along with many other leading conservatives in America. Ailes took the high road with calls for his staff to tone it down, and Scarborough and Buchanan admitted they'd have apologized if the crosshairs were theirs. Andrew predicted this moment was made for Obama to take charge, since the right flagrantly refused to take any responsibility. Pawlenty dug in at Palin, and Instapundit mocked Pawlenty's masculinity.

Glenn Beck brandished a gun to "stand together against all violence," Andrew once found himself in the line of crosshairs (and they weren't Palin's), and Amy Davidson considered the blood on our hands. E.D. Kain understood Loughner as at war with reality, Larison saw pure nihilism, William Galston advocated for involuntary commitment to protect the rest of society, and Weigel predicted an armed Arizona. Henry Farrell likened the debate over rhetoric to the climate change fight, and McWhorter argued that was in part the Internet's fault. The National Review called for more civility, and Matt Taibbi accepted some of the media's blame. Ross Douthat and Michelle Goldberg proved civil discourse is possible, and Giffords' doctor updated us on her condition.

DADT caused blackbirds to die, Kevin Drum offered a toin coss for $1 million that most people opted to refuse, and Angry Birds weren't all fundamentalists. Tom Delay was sentenced under the same rules that apply to all Americans, and the drug war on meth made it harder for sick people to get cold medicine and more lucrative for the meth business to buy drugs. Sudan verged on becoming two separate countries, and rape ran rampant in Haiti's tent cities. Huckabee pulled ahead in Iowa, and Greg Ip called out Paul Ryan. We wondered if the U.S. should shill for Internet freedom, and Arran Frood imagined computerized nutrition. James McWilliams argued animals aren't objects for eating, and a reader corrected the record on a dying Vanuatu culture. This Cannabis reader (and grower) also donated to the political cause, and a new drug entered the Dish spirituality thread. Porta-potties impressed Canadians, and green apples spark bonobo orgies. 

Map of the day here, MHB here, Yglesias award here, quote for the day here, sane conservatism watch here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #32 here.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew unravelled the right's evasions on the assassination. The market for Palin tanked, Andrew wouldn't let her dismiss the shooting as non-political, and Frum didn't think Palin demonstrated any larger humanity with her response. Beck calmed Palin down by presaging an assasination attempt on her, and Conor didn't want to blame her for thinking politics was all a big joke. Palin's own adviser evaded responsibility for her actions, while even enraged football players apologize for their violent rhetoric, and Giffords herself predicted Palin's need to accept the consequences.  The 9-year-old father spoke, crosshairs weren't the culprit, and some chalked it up to a silly poster, instead of the usual Grand Theft Auto excuse. Loughner's friend admitted his unstable mentality reminded him of the Joker's, but it wasn't pot that pushed him over the edge. Andrew disparaged gun violence worship, and Ezra Klein begged for a dialdown in the rhetoric of fear. Some feared we'd become Pakistan, and most were concerned that the shooting would hurt the essence of in-person democracy. 

A reader hoped we'd see the gay intern who saved Giffords' life at the State of the Union, Jonathan Alter hypothesized how Obama will reference it in his speech, and Westboro church amazed us with this pure vitriol. We examined the roll of Giffords' religion and the possible American Renaissance connection with Loughner's motives. Jim Burroway didn't think it could happen so close to home, and Peter Beinart imagined if Jared Lee Loughner were named Abdul Mohammed. Stephen Budiansky wouldn't let the right off the hook, especially when threats against congressmen have tripled. Reader's asked how Loughner got a legal gun, and the blogosphere examined his weapon of choice. Jonathan Cohn and Vaughan Bell assessed our mental health system, and Joe Gandelman predicted a temporary calm in rhetoric.

Answering David Link, Andrew unpacked what CPAC's version of conservatism would look like if it weren't anti-gay. Andrew Bacevich traced the military-industrial complex from Ike's day to ours, Gordon Adams questioned Gates on defense cuts, and Serwer argued that those "cuts" are really an increase. Noah Millman reconsidered military intervention, Goldberg praised Obama's work on Iran, and on the flipside, sanctions forced Iran to use 40-year-old planes which often crash. Scary climate changed commercials don't work, some Home Ec classes used to practice on real babies, and California outlawed ironic Twitter impersonators. Roger Ebert reprimanded HuffPo for wimping out on Huck Finn, readers attacked Phillip S. Smith's review of the Cannabis Closet, and the Tea Party really is that insane on the debt.

VFYW here, quote for the day here, FOTD here, and MHB here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew feared a rising tide of religious fundamentalism. The Daley dish from the left kept rolling in, and Andrew defended Obama's choice. Andrew skewered the "swinging dicks" of the conservative media elite, and felt a smidge less of his Palin concerns since she fell prey to her own love of over-exposure. Hal Rodgers planned to replace Obamacare with funding for Gitmo, and David Cole penned the only slightly more ridiculous Conservative Constitution of the United States of Real America. Sean Scallon drove home what tea partiers still have to learn from Ron Paul, Yuval Levin wanted to replace size with purpose every time Republicans talk about the government,  and we rounded up reax to the jobs report. California police can search cell phones without a warrant, SWAT teams create unnecessary violence and don't stop the drug war, and lobbyists supported the symphony.

Neocons understood one large lesson about a democratic state in Iraq, and Angry Birds isn't modelled on terrorists. Muslims offered themselves as human shields for Christians in Egypt, but an American named Mohamed isn't safe from detainment. China was on its way to more elderly than the US, and Foreign Policy nominated some contenders for the world's most dangerous terrorist. We couldn't pull the plug on energy subsidies yet, and taxes tested our civic duties. Helen Thomas came back from the dead, and no one could ever replace the intimate aggregator, Denis Dutton. We heard stories of adoption and unadopting a child, sex abuse caused this tragic suicide, and some ancient cultures don't want fancy new cars. The drug trip tales continued, Kanye retired, and Judd Apatow doesn't translate well in Asia.

VFYW here, chart of the day here, MHB here, It Gets Better (the remix) here, Malkin award here, and FOTD here.

Prairie Village, Kansas, 9 am

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew exposed Paul Ryan for a fraud, the GOP's healthcare repeal law would increase the deficit by $230 billion, and Douthat called the GOP on their spending illusions. An Irish Catholic sportswriter came out, and readers challenged Andrew on his claim that Catholics approve. We got some historical perspective on calling a horserace this early, and the GOP was reliving 1994 again. Issa's attack on Obama backfired, and Sullum weighed the president's options for vetoing military spending on Gitmo. We covered the Daley decision, and Ezra tried to unpack it, with Sargent's help. Palin's public records get the special treatment, and Ann Coulter baited her. Andrew stuck to his guns on Will's support for Palin for president, Victor Davis Hanson accused the wrong person of sophistry on bogus grounds, and the government takeover of healthcare has already happened.

Andrew cleared up Grover Norquist's "boring white bread Methodist" faith, and Heritage bowed out of CPAC. The Grand Mufti of Egypt and Muslim moderates shut Marty's argument down, and Joe Klein tried to unravel the Afghan endgame from his last conversation with Holbrooke. Marc Lynch worried about the stirrings of an Arab uprising, and Iraq had lots and lots of public employees. Brits loved America for British reasons, and some Israelis could make fun of themselves. Clay Shirky documented the shifting of the international tides with Assange and Wikileaks, and the NYT couldn't hold a candle to Dish VFYW readers. Conservatives centered their crosshairs on invincible Jane Mayer, Andrew Wakefield's lies may have killed children, and Francine Prose helped Andrew see why the difference between slave and nigger matters in Huck Finn.

Lego ads used to be great, we heard more reader stories of international and racially diverse adoptions, and asshole parents make Keanu sad. Jeffrey Leonard proposed cutting off all energy subsidies to save green tech, and the world's four riches citizens control more wealth than the world's poorest 57 countries. Comments are sexist but people are racists, and the American anti-contraceptive culture effects teenage pregnancy.  Danny McBride fused powers with James Franco, and self-deception sells jewelry. Love poured in for the Birds, even while children were vomitting. Men laughed with fruit salad, this coach hated losers, and Phillip S. Smith reviewed the Cannabis Closet. Quote for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and Von Hoffmann award here.

   

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew assessed Israel's chokehold on Gaza via a Wikileaks cable. We featured more fallout from CPAC's acceptance of gays, which some blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood. The recession changed us (the graph edition), and Andrew and Allahpundit weren't buying the Republicans on fiscal reform, or on healthcare reform either for that matter. Mitch Daniels feared for the deficit, George Will endorsed a Palin presidency implicitly, and Kinsley suggested parents get another vote depending on how many kids they have, to undermine the power of the elderly. We parsed the Prop 8 future with reax from around the web, and Douthat thought Obama was right to weigh in on the power of second chances, for Michael Vick. Larison didn't accept the tea partiers as Jeffersonians, and unemployment means the US now has a reservoir of labor for growth not dissimilar to China's, while Drezner insisted the US is still number one. Bernstein predicted a good year for Obama, considering what looks to be a major jobs surge, and Boehner didn't promise much, in a good way.

Limbaugh missed a football game and thought of the Donner Party, and these two girls whooped ass on our immigration policy's fence. It takes a certain someone (an economist) to make $11,000 per monthly column, and Felix Salmon saw American plutocrats as the Russian oligarchs of the financial industry. Lisa Margonelli worried about $3.07 a gallon, and HIV prevention groups ramped up their circumcision tour across Swaziland. Nyhan pleaded for term limits on columnists like Gail Collins, Serwer and Jennifer Rubin duked it out over the New Black Panther Party controversy, and the religious unaffiliated were underrepresented in Congress. A homeless man with a voice of gold gets a leg up in the internet age, and Andrew weighed the loss of older cultures against a new SUV. Readers added to the chorus on adoption, and shared some more psychedelic flashbashbacks, and Andrew threw in his two cents here. Women laughed alone with salad, and a fun PSA on wrapping up "gifts" hit the right notes.

Chart of the day here, Hewitt award here, Yglesias award here, 2010 in cartoons here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and MHB here.

By Uriel Sinai/Getty Images.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew joined Paul Gottfried's pile-on of Lowry, and commended E.D. Kain on his interview with the editor of The American Conservative. Bruce Bartlett  and Andrew banded together to ask Obama to save sane conservatism, Matt Steinglass nailed Israel's growing illiberalism, while Andrew saw the larger fight against religious fundamentalism.

Andrew didn't care that Sarah Palin retweeted Tammy Bruce on gay rights, while some were all too eager to insist she could win a general election. Erick Erickson begged to differ, Noah Kristula-Green documented the O'Donnell effect, and Peter Beinart asked the tea-partiers to re-read the Constitution. Tom Jensen rated Huckabee's chances, Ed Morrissey wanted Obama around more, and Obama out-trended Reagan. Sprung argued political calculation isn't always paramount to results, anti-gay groups boycotted CPAC because of GOProud, and the national debt climbed. International conflicts are down, but some cultures (and the chiefs among them) still had to fight to keep themselves alive. Judith Miller called Julian Assange a bad journalist, speaking on behalf a terrorist could mean providing material support, and Google was killing magazine puns.

Leonhardt opened our eyes to the rationing that already exists in healthcare, and we heard dueling opinions on the faul healthcare repeal. Sean Strub critiqued New York's new HIV scare-tactic, parking is pricey, Prop 8 headed back to California's Supreme Court, and readers responded to Ross on abortion and adoption. TNC called Kanye's latest album racist, Snooki was the new Fitzgerald, gay actors weren't getting gay roles, and Andrew weighed in on Hitchens' rules for the perfect cup of tea.

Chart of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, Yglesias award here, Malkin award here, more mushroom threads here and here, dissents of the day here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, VFYW contest winner #31 here, and a bear and a bucket here.

Monday on the Dish, we caught up with the escalating religious cleansing in Egypt, and Claire Berlinski annhilated Marty's knee-jerk reaction about Islam. Andrew choked on this sentence about Iran's efforts to unseat the regime and seconded Goldberg on Israel's recent transformation. Andrew pushed back against Ross Douthat on the paradox of America's unborn, and Lindsey Graham promised permanent occupation for good behavior in Afghanistan.

Nate Silver and Krauthammer sized up Palin's chances, the neocons and liberals aligned, and Andrew called it her shark-jumping period. Palin quit Fox, Captain Owen Honors boldly went where others don't go with the military's video equipment, and Will Wilkinson captured why it's legitimate to criticize America's military policy. Rumors of a presidential run could help the ambassador to China (but not the GOP), and could lead to an advantage in 2016. The Dish destroyed Rich Lowry's arguments that Americans (and the politicians who keep repeating so) are the greatest. Andrew defended the concept of the (much improved) press from Professor Reynolds' takedown. Bruce Bartlett called out the GOP on the debt limit, John McWhorter argued ending the drug war would end the "black problem," and Ta-Nehisi had some tough questions for him. We eyed the 2011 energy crunch, Andrew questioned George Will's unlikely column, and Rudy Giuliani contradicted himself. Andrew Breitbart drank to get through college, and our computers had to lie to us so they wouldn't freak us out with their intelligence. 

Beer and monogamy correlate and Andrew revealed his mental colonic for the holidays. Rob Horning ruminated on boredom, Cosma Shalizi defended the lottery, and the soundbite shrunk (with good reason). Joanne McNeil composed a brief history of blogs, i-phone alarms rebelled against the new year, and Dave Barry roasted the year in review. Andrew looked forward to the Christmas Epiphany, DC was livable (the graph edition), readers weighed in on their magic mushroom experiences, and nature could still blow our mind.

Chart of the day here, FOTD here, cool ad watch here, 50th Odd Lie of Sarah Palin here, VFYW here, quote for the day here, FOTD dissent here, MHB here, and video heralding the New Year here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Michael Crowley shrugged over the Afghanistan presser, NRO rejoiced, Scoblete observed our vicious cycle in that country, Ackerman wrung his hands over drones, and Drum and Kaplan were at their wits' end. Mike Luckovich said a thousand words on DADT, a gay soldier spoke out against the injustice, and Senator Corker dishonored him and every other soldier. Obama reality check here. Krauthammer and Will gave the president some credit. Andrew took a long look at Obama's long game and Israel.

On the domestic front, Paul Ryan defended his support for the tax deal, Kaus talked tax rates, and Ezra sounded off on Orszag. Much more on the individual mandate debate here, here, here, here, and here. Romney got punched around some more. Palin presidential watch here and here. Hunters took aim at her and even neocons joined in. Andrew featured further evidence that FNC is propagandist – and highly effective.

Hitchens pilloried Kissinger for his vile anti-Semitism while Peretz excused it. Reason held a forum on free speech, Bernstein talked talking points, Tracy Clark-Flory looked at legalizing incest, and Reihan pondered leisure. Readers rebelled against the English professors here and here, a few more sounded off on the Assange rape case, and others continued to giggle at accents.

Alexis introduced us to the Books Ngram Viewer, which the Dish had fun with here, here, and here. Cool app here and creepy ad here. VFYW here, FOTD here, and MHB here.

 

(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, amidst fears that the clock was running out, news broke of a weekend vote to repeal DADT, and Scott Brown got on board. Andrew lauded Lieberman's role in the whole process.

On other political fronts, Steve Benen debunked the GOP mandate, Bill Connelly alerted us to a wave of Republicanism in state legislatures, Hugh Hewitt struggled to explain the consistency of GOP promises and the tax deal, Steinglass rolled his eyes at McCain's song and dance over earmarks, and Ezra Klein called out deficit frauds. Douthat tried to give Romney's pandering the benefit of the doubt while Larison shattered any doubt. Bloggers and readers debated at length the healthcare mandate.

Looking abroad, Ackerman thumbed through the Afghanistan review, more bad news here, and Exum recommended cutting down the flow of cash to the country. Reza Aslan suggested a certain alliance between the US and Iran while Joel Wing had trouble seeing one between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Greenwald highlighted the horrible prison conditions of the alleged Wiki Leaker, Serwer responded to the American charges against Assange, and a reader pointed out a likely reason why Sweden wants him back.

In assorted coverage, Britain's former drugs minister called BS on the Drug War, a reader explained why a lot of teens smoke pot over cigarettes, Bruce Schneier envisioned the future of cyber security, and Tom Friedman sparked a history lesson. Fallows questioned the Orszag row and Chait added two cents. As Palin's poll numbers continued to weaken, her ratings continued to soar – and captivate Andrew's attention.

Feministe had advice on dealing with racist relatives over the holidays, a reader took offense to some un-PC Dish humor, another dissented over the portrayal of Assange's alleged rapes, and another wanted a clearer picture of what actually happened (BBC clarified the charges).

Andrew got creeped out over Glenn Reynolds' take on communist sympathizers. Malkin awards for Louie Gohmert and Limbaugh and an especially strong Yglesias for John Nolte. The Dish spotlighted crusty punks and awkward pregnancy portraits. Readers both vented over awful tropes in English 101 and illuminated more toys with bodily fluids. An especially amazing VFYW here, FOTD here, and MHB here.

 

 

Wednesday on the Dish, as polling showed unprecedented support for gays in the military, the House voted to repeal DADT. Sargent and a Dish reader helped Commandant Amos eat his Malkin-esque words over gay servicemembers. Choi buckled under the intense pressure of it all. DeMint threatened to torpedo the lame-duck session as the tax deal split the field of GOP presidential hopefuls. Douthat and Andrew took a long look at the Tea Party's place in these tough times. Reality checks on Obama's performance here and here.

Andrew chewed over the Assange arrest and furrowed his brow over a leak in Algeria. He also mulled over demographics in Israel/Palestine and contemplated the anti-family aspects of Jesus Christ.

Palin's polarization deepened even further, Seth Masket saw a silver lining in knee-jerk partisanship, Chris Beam clarified what bipartisanship really is, FNC was further exposed for its propaganda, and Breitbart's Big Government kept its blinders on. More on Orszag's government gravy train here and here. Ron Paul appeared prescient about the Fed and a reader responded to Megan's question about government force.

In assorted commentary, Josh Green spotlighted gay-rights champion Tim Gill, Jeremy Lott showed both sides of William F. Buckley, Avent pushed high-speed rail, Reihan tackled Diane Ravitch, two Ordinary Gentlemen talked slippery slopes, Tyler Cowen sparked a deep debate on inequality, Mike Meno explained why cigarettes are harder to get for teens than joints, and Jack Shafer delved into the intoxicating world of nutmeg.

The Pope enjoyed a purely heterosexual display of half-naked male gymnastics, HuffPo joined the Atlantic in turning a profit, Kevin Spacey cried foul for being recognized as gay, and Ben Crair investigated Holocaust games. Vagazzled hathos here and a video Malkin here. Zombie massacre here. VFYW here, FOTD here, and a particularly entertaining MHB here.

Havana, Cuba, 1 pm

Tuesday on the Dish, George Packer, Leon Wieseltier, and Rick Hertzberg remembered Richard Holbrooke, as the man's last words took on a life of their own. Critical DADT developments here, here, and here. Assange fought Sweden over bail, Berlusconi survived a no-confidence vote, and an HIV case was cured. As bitterness among Palestinians grew, Andrew took a long look at Israel's intransigence over a two-state solution. A reader sounded off.

A reax of the unconstitutional ruling for Obamacare here and here. Mitt came out against the tax deal, thus joining the awakened opposition on the Tea Party right, and Chait heard a dog whistle. Douthat predicted a Dem revolt stemming from tax deal, Seth Masket downplayed liberal handwringing, Sprung mulled Obama's strategy, and Ezra talked unemployment rates. Ron Paul tipped his hat toward 2012. Kevin Drum and Andrew reflected on the risk-averse decade of the '00s. Andrew also went another round with Pejman over presidential legitimacy.

Bush basked in his lack of self-awareness while Limbaugh displayed a shocking dose of cognitive dissonance – in sharp contrast to the sane conservatism of Jim Manzi and Adam Ozimek. A RedStater called for invading Mexico and ACLU critics engaged in epistemic closure. Get your Palin fix here, here, and here.

In assorted commentary, Julian Sanchez cautioned celebration over Holder's reform of the Patriot Act, Avent reassured us over a bubble bursting in China, Adam Ozimek gave investment advice, Bjørn Lomborg showed how household energy efficiency hasn't gone anywhere, Stephen Budiansky charted consumption, and Adam Serwer observed downward mobility among blacks. A reader questioned Beam's article on legalizing online gambling.

More on O'Reilly's conflict with Christianity here, here, and here. More on Chicago pubs here and a new installment from Boston here. Andrew reminded us to watch the powerful documentary Restrepo. Hathos here and here. VFYW here, FOTD here, and MHB here. The latest VFYW Contest here. Get your Dish merch here and "The Cannabis Closet" with shipping discounts here.

Monday on the Dish, Manchin lost his spine over DADT, Peter Orszag shamelessly cashed in on his government stint, RINO hunting season opened in Minnesota, a judge in Virginia declared the healthcare mandate unconstitutional, and Ezra explained a silver lining. Palin got her hair primped in Haiti, palled around with Kate Gosselin, elicited a hilarious quote, and continued to play the media. Andrew went toe-to-toe with Pejman Yousefzdeh over Bush and Obama Derangement Syndromes.

Drum analyzed new polling on the tax deal, Chait talked future tax reform, Continetti gave Obama credit for compromising over fiscal matters, Kristol cackled over the same, Larison chimed in, a reader defended lefty whiners, another criticized whiny Dem pols, Kaus discussed the estate tax, and P.M. Carpenter vented over Krugman's fundamentalism.

Bill O'Reilly's fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus was picked apart here, here, here, and here. Andrew disagreed with Sprung over the "doctrine of the fall". Jonathan Schanzer warned Palestinians against unilaterally declaring statehood, the Israeli far right was at it again over illegal settlements – which credit card companies were willing to support over the legal Wikileaks. Yglesias engaged Exum over local governance in Afghanistan and Joel Wing doubted a military coup in Iraq.

Stephen Walt added to the discussion over American exceptionalism, Ryan Avent had a foreboding feeling about Britain, Reihan joined the marriage debate, and Tyler Cowen commented on wedding expectations. Shirky cheered the death of news wires, Frederick Hess scrutinized school choice, and Chris Beam backed the legalization of online gambling. Frum practically begged Rich Lowry make NRO intellectually honest.

Andrew highly recommended a video on being and time. Idiotic hiking shoes here and more on Chicago pubs here. Chart of the day here. Creepy ads here and here. VFYW here, FOTD here, and MHB here. A Dishmas card from the whole crew here. And we're still selling T-shirts, totes, and the new Cannabis Closet book!

— C.B.

Today on the Dish,  Andrew decried the derailing of the DADT repeal by a few homophobic senators, even as he understood that the final truth of brave, gay soldiers would explode the heads of the Christianists. He twisted the knife on the GOP's demonization of Obama, and decimated the slippery slope arguments on gay marriage. And the Dish stocked up on copies of The Cannabis Closet, a new collection of stories from readers around the country.

Jay Newton-Small believed Palin will run, Palin's endorsed Paul Ryan's roadmap, and Hitch attacked the Tea Party. Palin's "family values" were lacking, even as she splayed her family out all over the media. We dug deeper on Gary Johnson, including his abortion track record, and Geroge Will ramped up for Pence for President. The stars were aligning for a tax reform compromise, and we took stock of the future of the pay-roll tax cut holiday. The blogosphere beat back Krugman on the tax cut compromise and the economy, Bernstein explained triangulation, and the Dish agreed with Krauthammer. Biking could be sold as carbon credits, Reihan clarified his immigration theory, and Timothy Lee batted another round.

Exum witnessed a resurgent enemy in Afghanistan, and Michael Cohen just called Afghanistan the girlfriend who is just not that into us. Iran was beating Israel, America robbed China of its talent, and we should still be reading the Wikileaks cables.  We checked in on American pubs, pot in California was relegated to the shadows, and Manzi defended matrimony. If wallets could talk, some wouldn't be happy, scientists opted to be Democrats, and humanity and misanthropy traversed the internet hand in hand.

VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and badass reader generated book here.

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew pondered whether Obama could finagle peace in the Middle East after starting over, and drafted a State of The Union address. James Franco's self-kiss left Andrew speechless, Peter Beinart measured the exodus of Israeli youth to other countries, and Andrew assessed the tuition tax hikes in Britain and what they've done to the Lib-Dem brand. We suffered another jolt in the DADT roller-coaster thanks to one man's bitter vendetta, and we tracked the full reax. Nate Silver decided DADT could be a nice slice of social reform pie to pair with economic reform, we kept an eye on Lieberman's tweets, and Serwer reminded us why DADT matters.

Will Wilkinson disparaged the left for its overblown reaction to the tax compromise and its silence on core liberties and Andrew agreed in principle. Hugh Hewitt hyperventilated about Tea Party opposition, Bush's economic wonk advised the right to take the deal, and Ed Kilgore considered a failed tax deal, with more analysis here. Larison nominated DeMint as the right's fiscal fraud, and Pelosi did to the tax cut deal what McCain (and Reid) were doing to DADT.

Babbage interviewed the Wikileaks Anonymous hackers, and Greenwald called it a war over control of the Internet. Andrew pointed out that the emperor still has clothes just not the power to keep them on, and Hemanshu Nigam confirmed the government probably won't ever be able to shut down the site completely. Contra Reihan, Serwer and Timothy Lee defended the DREAM Act, and Conor chalked it up to more than economics. Partisanship ruled whether attacks ads are considered fair, TSA may be categorizing airports as Fourth Amendment free zones, Google squared off with Amazon on e-books, and Matt Feeney marveled at the wave of Kelly Slater's skills.

Dissent of the day here, when Maggie met Sully here, FOTD here, VFYW here, chart of the day here, MHB here, and email of the day here.

By Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images.

Wednesday on the Dish, on the tax front, Andrew argued the deal would win back independents and some Republicans. Andrew parsed the two sides to Obama, and cheered that a post-partisan president could pop the bubble of demonization that the GOP had drummed up. Nate Silver previewed the GOP line of attack for 2012, readers responded, and Leonhardt imagined three outcomes for the tax cut game in 2012. Macroeconomic Advisers did the math, Howard Gleckman assessed it from both sides, we realized not even the Tea Party train could stop Bush's tax breaks, and we tracked the rest of opinion on the tax compromise here, here, and here.

Assanged was transforming from punk to hero, and Serwer feared for national security journalism if Assange gets prosecuted. Samuels expected better of journalists, Michael Moynihan tried to resist the conspiracy theories surrounding the rape accusations against Assange, and E.D. Kain asked the pertinent question of whether we'd let China do to Assange what we want to.

The DADT repeal teetered on the brink of getting to the floor. Steve Chapman was hopeful about DADT since he realized familiarity with gays breeds acceptance. Scott Morgan predicted a cannabis-friendly campaign for 2012 hopeful Gary Johnson, and Larison could hardly contain his enthusiasm for Johnson to run. McCain reversed himself on the DREAM Act, abortion politics stayed the same even when everything else changed, and Amanda Marcotte didn't understand what's so grand about marriage. Reza Aslan pleaded for a Palestinian state, and the most conservative part of the country ate like gluttony isn't a sin. The greenest packaging may already exist in banana leaves, Clive Thompson gushed over Instagram, and e-cigarettes celebrated a judicial victory. Tom Friedman baited Matt Taibbi with his bad metaphors, and Marty Beckerman sailed free with crotchless men's underwear.

Creepy ad watch here, chart of the day reax here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew pegged Obama's tax move as shrewd and McConnell as a sucker. We rounded up the best reax from around the web and Ed Morrissey gathered reaction on the right. Andrew agreed with Clive Crook on what's wrong with the left on taxes, and the rest of the blogosphere conceded the compromise "makes sense if…" everything else falls into place. Greg Sargent honed in on why congress should extend their calendar to repeal DADT, Pareene and Burroway fumed, and Andrew advised a scaled-down temperature for the gay movement. Lyle Denniston decoded the logic in yesterday's Prop 8 arguments, Timothy Kincaid was optimistic, and Illinois state senator Ricky Hendon hated the hypocrisy.

Andrew prescribed we cutoff aid to Israel, after Obama threw in the towel on getting them to agree to a settlment moratorium. Israel allowed gay soldiers to serve, but some citizens didn't want to rent to gentiles. Salon envisioned scenarios for an American collapse, Obama finally exercised his pardon powers, Iran can't control Iraq, and Afghans don't enjoy being bombed. We collected the web's best on Assange's arrest, Clay Shirky straddled the fence on Wikileaks, Weigel differentiated on different document dumps, and Ron Paul nailed truth vs. treason on the head. Heather Mac Donald recognized Obama's commitment to American supremacy in attacking Assange, and Andrew charted Assange's rise to underground hero status.

The Weekly Standard profiled an actual government conservative (and his medical marijuana use), Breitbart played the victim card, and Domenico Montanaro fact-checked Halperin's hackery. Neocons feared nihilism, and TNC put the world's prison population in perspective. Allahpundit honed in on Huckabee, and Ed Kilgore looked at him from the Dems' side of the aisle. James Fallows saluted Elizabeth Edwards, who passed away today. Traffic cameras raise money but don't stop accidents, and the government can track you in real-time without a court order. Christmas signaled fascism to Andrew, and Chicago remained a good place to get drunk.

Chart of the day here, Andrew's household logic here, email of the day here, Malkin award here, MHB here, Hathos alert here, dissents of the day here, FOTD here, Andrew in DC on Catholics here, VFYW here, VFYW contest winner #27 here, and the VFYW Archive here.

Seattle, Washington, 8.15 am

Monday on the Dish, Andrew countered Brendan Tapley on the future of manly love in a post-DADT world. We tracked the Prop 8 oral arguments, and Adam Bink summarized Olson's points. David Link exposed a McCain clinging to prejudice, Brian Beutler killed the GOP defense canard to stall a DADT vote, and Andrew urged them to extend the calendar. James Harkin wasn't impressed with Iran's Twitter revolution, and Peter Beinart exploded the Arabs versus Iran argument on democracy in the Middle East. The Russians almost waged nuclear war on the Chinese (in 1969), Goldblog got accused of anti-Israel leftism, Scott McConnell calculated the real cost of our relationship with Israel, and a no-knock drug raid gone wrong turned a corner on the road to justice.

Andrew weighed the problems of debt vs unemployment, and compared Sarah Palin (who has been killing it lately) to a zombie. Andrew saw cold-blooded pragmatism in Obama's tax cuts compromise, Weigel saw disappointment brewing on the left, and Dan Bartlett relished the tax-cut trap he and Bush set for the future. Democrats were willing to bargain, Felix Salmon offered historical perspective on why federal taxes are the lowest they've been in 60 years, and millionares are now people who earn a million dollars a year. The left trumped the GOP on fiscal conservatism, Don Taylor watched for Obama's next move on the debt, and Ross praised progress made by a failed Simpson Bowles. Allahpundit propped up Mike Pence for 2012, and bloggers agreed that the dickishness of the GOP was out of control.

Racial profiling at the airport doesn't work, the Washington Monument will never be secure from terror, and we trust people more when we're holding a warm cup. Cablegate Roulette is Chatroulette without the penises, Umberto Eco compared Wikileaks to Orwell, and on the anniversary of prohibition's repeal, cigarettes got burned. Michael Lind defended big biz, Stephen Bainbridge tracked the church's moral evolution and readers debated whether religion is inherently sexist. Al-Qaeda could poke you, Cory Doctorow likened newspapers to vinyl, and Mark Halperin kept hackery alive. American hunters comprised the world's largest unofficial militia and the internet pounced on Mel Gibson's The Beaver. Portland and Wisconsin hoarded all of America's pubs, New York lured a lot of college graduates, and Colorado didn't want you to order a beer that wasn't strong enough. New Kids On The Block sang one for the children, Turks had to take it from behind and smile to prove they unfit for service, and Nicole Kidman moved her face.

VFYW here, quote for the day here, dissent of the day here, chart of the day here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew tried to understand a man like McCain who could condone torture and betray (gay) soldiers he claims to appreciate. Fred Kaplan fingered McCain's faulty logic on DADT, and James Fallows was disappointed by McCain's late-era loss of his historical standing. Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe sided with repeal, Greg Sargent reassured everyone about a relaxed timeline for implementing it, and Adam Serwer exposed a sickening GOP strategy for avoiding pinning a DADT repeal on unelected judges. Dan Drezner unloaded on DADT, Yglesias prodded its supporters, Ezra Klein explained a filibuster, and 28% of Americans live in a jurisdiction recognizing same-sex marriage. Andrew responded to George Weigel on the Pope's condom comments, and Yglesias awarded kudos for what Wikileaks says about North Korea. John Limbert outlined why Arabs and Iranians don't get along, and Marc Lynch and John Nagl made the case for more diplomacy in Iraq.

Andrew singled out Paul Ryan as a fiscal fraud for killing the deficit commission. We gathered reax to a gloomy jobs report, tracked the tax cut game of chicken, and Felix Salmon eyed 9.8% unemployment. Matthew Continetti urged the government to invest, not just consume, but Yglesias begged to differ. Bruce Bartlett thinks a deficit plan would slow growth, and Jonathan Cohn predicted a hard road ahead for healthcare repeal. Reader asked Cher and Justin Beiber to shut up and sing, pub culture was endangered in the UK too, and Ben Sherwood's resume mucho just got another boost. The spousal diaspora extended to military families, Fox News hogged almost all of the GOP's pundit stars, and Pete Wehner chose civility.

Wikileaks quote of the day here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, cool ad watch here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew protested and mourned the removal of David Wojnarovicz's video "A Fire In My Belly" at the behest of Bill Donohue. We tracked day one the DADT hearings, and awed at McCain's shameless flip-flopping. There were hints of a huge civil rights movement in the gay community (and not to advance marriage-lite) and for Hispanics. Frum countered Wilkinson on the DREAM act, and Scott Brown pleased his state across party lines and may vote to repeal DADT. Andrew insisted anti-Semitism wasn't raging in Adams Morgan, Douthat compared Assange to al Qaeda and Will Wilkinson reassured us leaks will happen with or without Assange. Timothy Garton Ash appreciated the candor of the cables, and American diplomats in Germany didn't care for the privacy of German citizens.

Palin obscured the economic reality for working class supporters, and even her supporters urged her to rise above her celebrity gossip status and actually address some policy arguments. Andrew advised Obama on his next big gambit, we sized up Bloomberg's shot at 2012, sniffed the blood in the water for Pawlenty, and got some historical perspective on past primary dwarves that have risen to the occasion. Stan Collender and Howard Gleckman plumbed the depths of deficit commission's pitch and Bernstein dug away at whether deficits matter more than just politically. The GOP was bipartisan in name only, and the west coast was impenetrable to the Republican tsunami.

The smug not only burned, it also bombed. Readers got wild and crazy on bicycle dates, nerds had similar startup ideas, and the suburbs killed American pubs. We asked the Partridge family to shut up and sing, and the spousal diaspora spread. Iraqi police dressed the part, Scott Morgan caught us up on the cannabis substitute ban, the pill could be affecting fertility, and Michael Agger wanted to mine Facebook's data to improve society, not just to fill the coffers of advertisers.

Chart of the day here, tweet of the day here, Malkin award here, email of the day here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew raged against the dickishness of the GOP and the prospect of a failed DADT repeal. Andrew skewered Douthat on the idea that during W's reign the right showed anything like the integrity of the left under Obama. And in another round with Goldberg, Andrew cited a recent poll on what Arab countries really think of a nuclear Iran, to demonstrate that these countries aren't really aligning with Israel.

On Wikileaks, Andrew argued Julian Assange is a red herring for a new era in internet culture, and that it has helped expose torture by the U.S. government. Aaron Bady pointed to the real damage done by Wikileaks, by hindering the government's own internal ability to communicate. Karim Sadjadpour pondered a democratic Iran, Kristol wanted to whack Wikileaks, and Matt Welch called him "flippantly authoritarian." Drum simmered down the partisan sniping, and Robert Gates shrugged.

Andrew was moved by Palin on Trig's future adult life, and wondered about the whereabouts of the anti-Palin brigade. Frum would settle for a Romney-Huckabee ticket, and Allahpundit insisted Palin wins the Huckabee followers if he doesn't run. The Fiscal Commission released their final proposal, and the next leak was aimed at a big bank. Bernstein defended why deficits don't matter politically, but Andrew wouldn't totally excuse it. We parsed Mike Pence's speech on economics, the housing bubble was still popping, and AGs waged ideological warfare. Andrew sang his own tribute to World AIDS Day, and it wasn't his offer to "die digitally." Gregory Johnsen didn't think killing Al-Awlaki was going to solve the problem of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Dish readers divulged their own spousal diaspora tragedies, and defended Lennon's "Imagine." Ryan Avent pined for an American version of the British pub, and movie spoilers are as old as Greek tragedies.

Cool ad watch here, fails of November here, MHB here, Malkin award here, 2010 in photography here, Yglesias award here, VFYW here, FOTD here, and your Dish Christmas guide here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Goldberg rejected the claim that he wants war with Iran, and incensed Andrew with his conflation of Israel with all Jews, while Andrew remained adamant that Iran remains as dangerous as ever. WaPo leaked the DADT report, and Andrew breathed a sigh of relief at how sane, fair and extensive the report was. Obama stepped up his support, military families were against DADT, and we rounded up the full web reax. A Dish reader chalked it up to McCain being old and out of touch but Andrew wasn't buying it. Kim Kardashian was going to die on Twitter to stop AIDS, civil unions still don't sound as good as marriages,and Orin Kerr had his doubts about Judge Stephen Reinhardt's place on the Prop 8 panel.

We kept on top of the Wikileaks story with Andrew's take on the Forbes cover story, Will Wilkinson's defense of the substance of the leaks here, and a rebuke to Assange here. Simon Jenkins opened the floodgates on what's wrong with American foreign policy, and George Packer and Greenwald debated whether governments have a right to secrecy. Bill Keller tried to justify Wikileaks to a former British diplomat, Fred Kaplan showed us the bright side of Obama's diplomacy from the leaks, and Sarkozy chased a dog chasing a rabbit.

Andrew weighed in on the federal pay freeze and his longview on Obama and the debt, and joined the Douthat/ Fallows debate on our ability to hold principles to account, no matter the president. Adam Serwer shut down Marc Thiessen on torture, Iraq got scammed, and Stan Collender argued fiscal hawks should praise TSA's body scanners. Fox News amped up its GOP presidential candidate production with the Fox Five, Mason Herron threw cold water on Christie in 2012, and we tallied probabilities on Palin. McCain's former advisor begged Palin not to run, as did Pravda and four "educated Jews." David Sessions honored Alex Pareene with the hackiest religious pundits, a Harvard illegal immigrant mourned the DREAM Act, and Anderson Cooper was on fire.

Dan Ariely wrote your Christmas shopping lists, Reihan predicted Microsoft will rise again, and alcoholic whipped cream comforted us. Some readers don't like to take dates on bikes, while other readers were happy to bike their kids and spouses around. Readers photographed their own pictures of America, and Alexis Madrigal summed up Nick Denton's vision for the future of the internet. "Imagine" made the Shut Up And Sing contest, and readers added their two cents on Disney's cartoon omissions.

Voyeurs' doornob here, Yglesias award here, Hewitt award here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, poseur alert here, chart of the day here, and VFYW contest winner #26 here.

Redding, California, 7.30 am

Monday on the Dish, Andrew considered Beinart's assertion that Wikileaks might be the Starr Report of American foreign policy. Marc Lynch kept an eye on Al-Jazeera, and we tracked more reactions to the document dump here, and here. Andrew countered Goldberg's rejoinder on Israel's interest in attacking Iran, and wouldn't let him chalk it up to anti-Semitism. Fallows pwned Douthat along similar lines, Wikileaks revealed what Netanyahu wants, Ben Smith covered Israel's own version of Fox News, and the human element remained an important part of the peace process. And Andrew shook his fist at the spousal diaspora that only the U.S. perpetrates.

Palin was grateful on Thanksgiving for being able to drag her kids around on her book tour, but Bernstein still didn't think America was buying it. FrumForum wrote her Alaskan Cliff Notes so you don't have to watch, and Palin could have stopped Wikileaks since she almost stopped her own book leaks. Andrew weighed in on whether Republicans were sabotaging the economy, and was grateful for the Muslim fathers concerned about their extremist sons. Brian Curtis sounded the alarms on possible immigration subcommittee chair Steve King, and we got the Prop 8 update here. An education was expensive, but not as expensive as the exorbitant amount we spend on defense. Ending the marijuana prohibition could provide training wheels for legalization, states might be able to declare bankruptcy, and Medicare was moving quickly towards unsustainability.

The Simpsons jabbed Fox News again, Hitchens found time in his busy schedule to battle Tony Blair, and congressmen cited the bible on climate change. Andrew opted for his bicycle over the new Chevy volt, Kid Rock was the Monkees of today, and Alan Jacobs didn't want to be interrupted. Underdog brands win, internet stunts can only take you so far, some films are meant to be spoilers, and humans can't walk a straight line. Bono got his Shut Up day in the sun, and we had more entries here, MHB parody here, and a Hathos Alert entry here.

America in one photo here, slowest news day of the 20th century here, map of the day here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew rejoiced over Fox's snarky comments about Palin during a break, and Palin hired a freelance columnist to explain the European debt crisis to her. Readers responded to Willow's slur, the slur's recipient spoke out, and Alaska and grizzly bears still weren't self-sufficient. The Bush tax cuts did not aid economic growth, and Americans knew about as much general political knowledge as Sarah Palin would like them to. Hugh Hewitt pranced around about tax cuts, Ezra Klein thought Simpson-Bowles has failed, and Bruce Bartlett rejected the idea of a payroll tax holiday. Noam wanted to tax millionaires, and name recognition couldn't save Romney.

The GOP stalled on START, Larison raised red flags, and Josh Marshall considered it a betrayal of Reagan. David Cameron offered comfort that It Gets Better, which Dick Cheney or Sarah Palin would never do. Ross would like to end the rhetoric and have the GOP get specific on policy, and Ozimek argued the bailouts should be painful. Matt Yglesias finessed the climate hawk position, and gangsters were copying the CIA on waterboarding. The abortion vote was a hoax and a disturbing one at that. Readers got riled over calls for a more violent Medal of Honor, and TNC shut down James O'Keefe. On the TSA, Weigel and Krauthammer saw the larger picture of "don't touch my junk," Dave Barry had a blurred crotch, and James Poulos argued the screenings keep us prisoners to fear.

Scarborough got the Olbermann treatment, a doctor admitted his mistake, Choire Sicha saluted the hate retweet, and the blogosphere debated whether America is a banana republic. Quote for the day here, American interactive map here, graphic of the day here, Moore award here, VFYW here, tweets of the day here, Yglesias award here, FOTD here, MHB here, poseur alert here, and chart of the day here.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew credited the Mormon church for their shift on homosexuality. The mayor of London excoriated Bush on torture, and because he tortured detainees, we can't convict them. But that doesn't mean we should send them to a military commission. Poorer countries were catching up with their richer counterparts, and Mexican journalists couldn't afford to report on cartel violence for fear of their lives. Hani Mansourian made the case against sanctions in Iran, and Joel Wing examined the state of doing business in Iraq.

Andrew joined Michael Goldfarb in riding the GOP to attack the deficit like the Tories have. Lee Drutman undressed the politics of earmarks, Chait fell for the other deficit plan in town, and Jim Cooper didn't have a happy ending to offer Americans. The GOP's solution to the deficit was to cut NPR's funding, and after that, to go after Historic Whaling. We monitored the horserace with Nate Silver on favorability rankings, and James Rydberg's survey illuminated what we think of politicians' character. Alex Massie was pumped to have Limbaugh moderate a GOP debate. Bryan Fischer argued that Jesus kicked ass on the cross and that we should award our soldiers for killing the enemy, not saving lives. Bullying continued as far up as the Catholic church, and rich people could one day do prison time out in the real world.

Palin lashed out at intellectuals (i.e. the Fed), but we remembered how nonsensical she was on the bailout. Palin's "self-sufficient" bears loved to scavenge other people's trash, and Palin still believed she was a victim despite her fame and fortune. The real DWTS fans were outraged about Bristol, and Andrew wasn't ready to give Willow a free pass on "faggot," even while some readers defended her. And even Tripp Palin's aunt wondered why Palin wouldn't put the Trig rumors to rest.

The web was destroying cable, tweets were worth more than you think, women were greener than men,  and readers loved to support the bloggers they love. Sullum saluted Four Loko and bemoaned the nanny state that killed it, and Aaron Carroll warned that we're all expecting too much from the healthcare reforms. Michele Leonhart disappointed, premature ejaculation was evidence of natural selection, and Andrew wanted scanners to find explosives in someone's taint. Chart of the day here, all the secret words here, VFYW here, Malkin award here, quote for the day here, FOTD here, MHB here, and dissents of the day here.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew rejected Adam Serwer's understanding of Awlaki. Palin earned more free air time from Bristol's rigged appearance on DWTS, while the dancing made this man shoot his TV. Bristol teamed up with The Situation to teach kids about safe sex, Bernstein ignored the polls, and Palin relied on Todd and God to protect her from all outside forces. Willow defended her mother's show on Facebook by calling a kid a faggot, while the show's producer insisted the show isn't political at all. Sarah Palin accused Obama of not being vetted, and Conor called her out for being the ultimate inauthentic politician.

Dick Morris exemplified stupid, James O'Keefe made our stomachs churn with his latest antics, and Hugh Hewitt followed the Palin model of press. E.D. Kain destroyed the illusion of a conservative movement on Fox News, the House GOP feared Obama, DADT wasn't dead yet, and Murkoswki prevailed. The pill benefited the budget and the environment, but the Catholic contingent of pro-lifers still won't allow it. Andrew argued a blogger's home can affect the output, and Hitchens regretted not speaking out against Mugabe. Noah Shachtman didn't believe scanners were keeping us safe, and Seth Masket argued it was really all about a humiliated professional class. Neocons supported START, Andrew recommended Bjorn Lomborg's new film, and answered global warming critics. Cheaters proliferated with the help of an anonymous source, and Americans borrowed money to sue.

Sullum briefed us on the war on meth, qat threatened Yemen's water supply, and Julian Sanchez was tracking his own burglar. Andrew articulated his gay version of hell, Four Loko was banned, a reader enjoyed the pirates' khat, and Christmas just got gayer. Writing about ignoring a royal engagement still counted as covering it, and beards encouraged foreplay. VFYW here, quote for the day here and here, cool ad watch here, MHB here, Yglesias award here, Malkin award here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew responded to Glenn Greenwald on defending Awlaki's free speech. On Simpson-Bowles, Douthat defended its lukewarm reception on the right, but Andrew begged to differ. Andrew scoffed at the record of Republican presidents on debt, and Charlie Cook wrote the speech Obama should give endorsing it. Unemployment benefits soon to expire could expose the ultimate cynicism of the right, and Frum wanted to reform campaign finance law to empower moderates. DADT protestors were arrested at the White House, and Paul Suderman weighed the GOP advantages of a tweak versus a repeal of the healthcare reforms. A GOP freshman didn't understand Obamacare but still asked for it, and Limbaugh painted an unapologetically racist portrait of the president.

Bernstein discounted Palin and Romney, and the 2012 tea leaves kept coming. The old Palin was itching for glamour and culture, but the current one still can't fish. Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell's WaPo's article on a one-term Obama was demolished, and Andrew longed for a way to support Ezra Klein without the WaPo. Johann Hari mastered the art of handling Fox propaganda, and Rangel toppled on 11 of 13 charges.  Balko raged against cops who arrest those who videotape cops, Yglesias skewered universities and their presidents, and New York needed innovators. Andrew gave mad props to Clinton on owning the peace process, Steinglass asked why we keep throwing money at Afghanistan, and Bill Gates approved of China's energy advances. Cantor committed his own treason and called it patriotism, readers rebutted the practice of eating dogs, and Goldblog advised America to freeball it for the TSA.

We plumbed the record of DEA director nominee Michele Leonhart, and readers regaled us with more stories of the bathtub gin of cannabis, including an all-natural alternative. Sophistication didn't make for good dinner party guests, President Obama could order flowers over the phone more easily than Lady Gaga, and Timothy Lee praised Apple's design method. Men fake orgasms, and our vintage transsexual could just be breeching. Chart of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #24 here.

Gothenburg, Sweden, 8.27 am

Monday on the Dish, Andrew mused over Beastweek and the future business of web journalism. We kept tabs on DADT, and the repetitive list of McCain's absurd requests. Drum and Avent duked it out over the deficit, and Heather Mac Donald challenged the Tea Party to step up to the plate. Frum called out the Republican fiscal farce, and Felix Salmon didn't love the NYT's tool for fixing the budget. Ezra Klein insisted the healthcare bill was moderate, while the GOP pledged to ignore the 50 million uninsured.

Andrew took stock of Khalid Sheik Mohammed's detention for the foreseeable future. Yemen is capable of beating Al Qaeda back, and Andrew distanced himself from an ACLU so ready to represent Anwar al-Awlaki. The unconditional became the conditional in Israel, Mark Lynch was skeptical of the new deal, and readers offered situations similar to Cantor pre-empting Clinton.

Tim Pawlenty couldn't get people to remember his name, Palin was inept at firearms, and the rest of the country liked her more than Alaskans. Andrew praised Obama's era of pragmatism which was different from Kennedy's idealism. E.D. Kain doubted governments just as much as the people who run them, and Adam Bonica predicted the most polarized Congress in recent memory. Jay Rosen was sick of national security journalists cozied up to the state. Dialysis was dangerous in ways you wouldn't expect, and rocket dockets accelerated foreclosures. We marveled at the earth's ecosystems from space, fake pot could be enjoyed, and Arizona won medical marijuana. Travellers didn't want their junk touched, fish were farmed too, and this reader enjoyed eating dog. A Rubik's cube was no match for this kid, sexy robot girls would always exist, and Andrew preferred zombies to vampires any day. Springsteen sang about the Promise, and Ebert comforted the internet's lonely.

VFYW here, full disclosure of the day here, chart of the day here, transsexual carte-de-visite here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew and E.D. Kain meditated on doubt, and Andrew was not alone in his hybrid politics; Jon Stewart was right there with him. Andrew sized up the Simpson-Bowles proposal relative to Britain's austerity measures, and Judge Judy could balance the budget with Obama. Weigel argued voters don't care about debt, McArdle wasn't tricked by budget sleight of hands, and readers sounded off. Derek Thompson chastised liberal bloggers for their lack of support, Chait made the liberal case for Simpson-Bowles, Bulworth jumped on the bandwagon, and Drum was willing to bargain. Yglesias clarified his position, and Stan Collender still needed some convincing. Palin couldn't get the record right even on stories about cookies in schools, but grocery items were actually shrinking in size. Readers let us know why they voted, Andrew Sprung compared voting to prayer, and Will Wilkinson raged against the TSA.

Even though Marco Rubio is a Catholic he goes to church with Southern Baptists, and Romney was embraced by moderates despite all odds. DADT divided the McCains, and a gay Texan couple married in DC via Skype. Douthat rooted for the unknown darkhorse in 2012, the B-list is better than the A-list, Roger Ebert spoke to the internet lonelies, and marriage was still magic. Cantor pre-empted Clinton on Israel, Dogs can save soldiers lives, David Cameron didn't support torture, and China could be the America of the 1850s.

Tina Brown became editor-in-chief of both Newsweek and The Daily Beast, and we tracked the reactions. Andrew seconded Alan Jacobs on the internet's new brand of scholarship, and TNC evolved his blogging form. We previewed Uwe Boll's new Auschwitz film which sparked readers' ire, and Democrats and Republicans didn't watch any of the same television shows. Fake legal marijuana made this reader throw up, and this reader didn't appreciate a four-year old weed-growing apprentice. Male circumcision was close to a collapse, and nut shots in film trailers predicted a deathkiss for movies. Quote for the day here, FOTD here, MHB here, email of the day here, and VFYW here.

 

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew kept the spotlight on the Simpson-Bowles breakthrough, with complete analysis here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Kilgore predicted the GOP will go after Medicaid, Cato thought the Tea Party could help trim the Pentagon budget, and Kevin D. Williamson fired back at NRO readers on why the deficit plan makes sense.

Andrew remained aghast at Bush's interviews and reviews of his book, and a Pentagon study group reported we could end DADT with minimal risk, and no special treatment. Drum discussed the GOP brain-drain, Damon Root defended federalism, and birthers loved to email absurd videos. Bernstein examined the GOP's lame horses, Douthat offered a second opinion, and Tom Jensen found a bright side for Palin. We examined inflation charts to check out Palin's grocery numbers, and the cookies were debunked. People like to vote even if their votes don't matter, but they didn't appreciate their politicians acting out of spite.

Iraq reached a new government agreement, and Goldblog reprimanded Bibi on borders. Poppy seeds cost a mother the first days with her newborn baby, the Cannabis Closet book was coming, and the war on drugs pushed people to buy chemically-laden "legal high" drugs. Fallows engaged his coal critics, and we might one day replace street lamps with glowing trees.

Barack wasn't Jimmy Carter, Bristol Palin sported a Tea Party t-shirt during dance rehearsals, and Old Spice got spoofed. Poem for Veterans Day here and six word memoir video here,VFYW here, best view in London here, MHB here, FOTD here, Moore award here, and vintage gay tumblr here.

Hanover, New Hampshire, 9.30 am

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew had hope for the Simpson-Bowles proposal to crack down on the debt, with more reax here. He took on Maureen Dowd (and her brother) about the Big Lie of the right, and readers rallied. Andrew expressed shock and dismay at the recent round of Israel's settlement rhetoric, violence raged on London campuses, Afghanistan has developed into a blitzkreig, and sectarian violence surged in Iraq. We rounded up reax to ending DADT, and the new threats to DOMA.

Palin served cookies at a school, but didn't want John Dickerson posting on her wall. This Alaska voter corrected the record on Miller vs. Murkowski, and this one lobbed the head off Limbaugh's twinkie distortion. Andrew rejected this reader's grocery list computations, and Ezra Klein dared the GOP to repeal the popular parts of healthcare reform. Nate Silver comforted the Dems about 2012, we gathered assessments of the GOP's lame horses, and Allahpundit wondered What Would Karl (Rove) Do about a Romney / Mitch Daniels square off.

Sprung danced circles around Krugman on the stimulus, we could learn from Pittsburgh's failures, and jobless claims bottomed out. Dave Roberts added his input to Fallows' coal debate, student stalker Andrew Shirvell could be Fox's new star, Clay Shirky tore down the paywall, and BloggingHeads rocked out. Readers defended Maddow on her partisan honesty, even policy wonks were fleeing the GOP, and Jonah Goldberg was sorry he popularized fascism.

Spam might be worth more than gold since at least you can eat it, and industrious readers shared their weed secrets. Arnold pandered to pot a couple of weeks too late, teenagers needed to know if a joint was similar to birth control, Nate Silver sized up pot's future, and this reader benefited from a foreskin graft (to a foot). Chart of the day here, quote for the day here, beard for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and beards? There's an app for that.

 

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew collapsed the Big Lie of the right, and Rush Limbaugh believed in the twinkie diet. Obama's Indonesian nanny was a tranny, and he used his trip to Asia to put Israel in its place, while Larison wondered what India on the UN Council would mean for Iran.

Sarah Palin still couldn't read the WSJ on grocery prices, and readers sounded off. Palin's Alaska heavily depended on federal funding, and we looked at the 2012 Tea leaves state by state. Romney's former sanity on healthcare has been destroyed by his ambition, Dylan Matthews doubted Hillary Clinton could have passed healthcare reform, and Frum proposed that eventually the GOP will realize it should have cut a deal on Obamacare. Douthat dissed the unprincipled moderates, Nils August Andresen charted the GOP's brain drain, and political scientists tracked Democrats' unpopularity.

Jack Shafer urged MSNBC to come out of the partisan closet, and Jason Mazzone pointed the way forward for Obama to end DADT, but Drum wasn't on board. Ryan Avent bet there'd be self-driving cars for his infant daughter to ride in 2026, and Americans overestimated the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. FDR's innate leadership stemmed from his temperament, and readers insisted Mitch Daniels was pretty short. Johann Hari put Churchill's racism in perspective, and P.J. O'Rourke had sympathy but not empathy for politicians.

Andrew almost lost his lunch over this foreskin revelation, Serwer skewered The Walking Dead, and this writer was losing his words. This reader's father enjoyed his vaporizer over Christmas dinner, readers taught us all a lesson about illegal US plants, and many responded to the agnostic thread. This is how Michael Caine speaks, Yglesias award here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and the VFYW contest #23 winner here.

By Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew countered Mark Vernon on civil partnerships and gay marriage and sounded the bells on Israel's eagerness to wage war with Iran. Gates backs an end to DADT, along with the rest of the country and the military. Andrew rebutted readers on the legality of natural plants, and we revisited Norml's pot map and Prop 19 results. Mike Meno wondered if Prop 19 could have passed in 2008, and, from the cannabis closet we got the story of when pot heals pain but could still ruin prospects for employment.

Andrew gagged a little over Politico's piece, and didn't want to underestimate the GOP, while DeMint continued to feed the fiscal fraud lines. Palin edits her own reality (television), Darlene McBride seemed like the pre-Palin Palin, and the Palins go way back with the Morlocks. Scott Adams imagined a world without political parties, and Andrew Sprung flipped his lid on Obama. Olbermann returned, the media nitpicked in predictable ways, and Marc Ambinder removed his blogging pajamas. Churchill may have harbored a dark side, Iraq drifted closer to sectarian war, and the U.S. joined China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in using the death penalty the most. Razib Khan considered gridlock, and Obama busted a move.

Comics thrived on the internets, but didn't prevent Nicaragua from invading Costa Rica based on Google Maps. TNC had to explain the police to his son, video games were as dangerous as real life, but they also challenged players to solve climate change. Whole Foods didn't want Dan Ariely's experiments, smart parents don't always produce book-smart kids, and religion helped the health of cities. Quote for the day here, miracle of medical science here, TNR archive favorites here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here and the new VFYW game here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew outmaneuvered Josh Marshall on freedom and weed, and countered Cowen and McArdle on whether children change the equation. Sullum considered the employment provision of Prop 19, while ironically Mendocino county voted against it. Rob Kampia promoted Prop 19 on the ballot for 2012, and Scott Morgan seconded the idea. Andrew responded to Greg Scoblete on aid to Israel, the US was addicted to monetary heroin, and the Dish hoarded reax to the October employment report.

Sarah Palin denied she favorited any tweets on purpose and then they all disappeared. Douthat realized the "limits of Palinism,"Kondracke announced them, and Peggy Noonan joined the chorus by calling her a nincompoop. BP failed their maintenance test in Alaska, Olbermann got suspended indefinitely, and Fox got away unscathed. Larison couldn't foresee a 2012 run by Gary Johnson, polls can't be trusted, and Republicans proposed an agenda of no. Serwer dissected the Latino vote, readers pushed back on gerrymandering, and proposed that Thomas Jefferson preceded Lincoln on taxing the rich. Americans needed healthcare reform for their health, and Ta-Hehisi downsized Americans for blaming their problems on someone else. 

We breathed easy and popcorn popped, the phone book killed privacy, and Hitchens wrote the handbook on cancer etiquette. Julian Sanchez uncovered the key to our obsession with American exceptionalism and Jessanne Collins revealed why the web is filled with crap, though reality television wasn't far behind. MHB here, VFYW here, Malkin award here, Yglesias award here, quote for the day here, dissents of the day here, chart of the day here, FOTD here, and Andrew's Leibovitz gap ad here.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew argued the lack of a real existential threat from Iran in the third installment of Debating Israel-Palestine. Palin advertised for 2012, with a rising sun that is actually setting in reverse, and Tina Fey dusted off her impression. Palin vowed to never be vulnerable to "lamestream" media (of her choosing), Christianists dressed up in Tea Party clothing, and Bristol Palin can't dance but she could win by trying really hard. James Joyner eyed the 2012 front-runners, and Fox didn't want Christine O'Donnell for a news contributor.

Limbaugh's ranting ran counter to Abraham Lincoln and Adam Smith on tax cuts and Obama could be the black Eisenhower. Americans still badly needed jobs, Steve Pizer and Austin Frakt don't think Republicans will repeal healthcare and Dana Goldstein agreed with Obama that education could offer fertile ground for bipartisanship. Reihan supported Paul Ryan's take on taxes, and Ari Fleischer didn't want to ruin chances for spending cuts in 2012 by enacting legislation now. Rudy Giuliani wanted the Republicans to kill DADT already, readers sounded off on redistricting, and Gallup's poll was worse than Rasmussen's.

Kevin Drum looked on Prop 19's bright side, Yglesias joined him, while readers reacted more strongly. Kanye was feeling for Dubya, and with more civility than cable news, Bloggingheads loved to yell at each other. Ugly mugs fell in love, Alex Balk died a little for the McRib, Annie Leibovitz's photography isn't very expensive, and a niche blog of autocorrects made us laugh. Chart of the day here, Yglesias award here, VFYW here, quote for the day here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

By Alex Wong/Getty

Tuesday and Wednesday for the election, Andrew live-blogged the bloodbath. Rolling coverage of incoming results here, here, here, here, and here. Silver waged war on Rasmussen, and a hefty collection of projections to refudiate are here, here, here, and here. Highlights included O'Donnell's loss and and Alaska humiliating Palin. Yglesias and Karl Smith assessed Palin's 2012 prospects, and Douthat and Andrew joined the chorus for not nominating lunatics. Batty Paladino went down like Al Capone, the base believed Obama doesn't dress "properly," and Packer predicted the next two years won't be pretty.

Some readers dissented over Prop 19 and some defended it, even as it crashed and burned – thanks to the generation gap. We tracked the full reax to its official death, with readers weighing in, and kept an eye on the other state pot initiatives. Jacob Sullum remained positive that Prop 19 helped prove the intellectual bankruptcy of prohibition (elsewhere, San Francisco banned the happy meal).

On the analysis front, Andrew demanded some form of actual GOP proposals on spending cuts, and Tim Rutten wondered if the Republicans would fold on the debt when push comes to shove. Andrew praised Obama's pragmatism, while seniors stood in the way of Medicare cuts. Brendan Nyhan didn't put much weight on the mythical permanent majority, Andrew argued it was actually a great night for gays (just not the Republican ones or the Iowan judges). Working off of Douthat, Chait and Andrew nailed the difference between winning in policy and winning in politics. 

Frum fisked Boehner and McConnell for their second-hand radicalism, Douthat reminded the GOP to at least try to pass some laws, and Wilkinson seconded Brennan's advice on voting well or not voting at all. Ambinder looked to future legislation, Saletan singled out Boehner's lack of agenda, and the rest of Speaker Boehner reax is here. Meanwhile, the GOP geared up for hearings on the "scientific fraud" behind global warming, and Kinsley mocked Americans for wanting their fat-free chocolate cake politics. Judis asked if we're now Japan, while a first former Real World cast member was elected. Steven Taylor wanted to know what would have to happen to prove the Tea Party's influence on the GOP and Boris Shor fingered the moderate Republicans in the wave. Ackerman eyed McCain's newly elected hawks, and the congressional elections impacted the drumming war machine against Iran. McWhorter gushed over Marco Rubio, and Angle turns out to have mobilized the Hispanic vote. A reader reported on the other big prop in California, redistricting updates here, and readers reactions to the election here.

FOTD here, VFYWs here and here, chart of the day here, and MHB here.

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut, 5.30 pm

Monday on the Dish, Andrew lambasted Palin for wanting to be both "Republican Queen Esther and the Tea Party's Joan of Arc," when in reality she most closely resembled the Snooki of the Republican party. Andrew offered thanks that the FedEx bombs didn't work, and that the federal government's system basically did. Andrew thought the Dems showed more promise on fiscal responsibility than the GOP, and Reagan in '83 sounded a lot like Obama today. Andrew argued with readers over the rally's silent plurality, and Muslims rallied (with signs) and helped fight terrorism.

On the cresting election wave, Sam Wang made his predictions, Cook's here, Nate Silver explained how the GOP may outperform expectations, and Louis Masur hearkened back to history. Fallows thought divided government would kill clean tech, Douthat doubted the importance of immigration, and Evan Osnos read the tea leaves from Beijing. Joe Miller could ride the coattails of the enthusiasm gap, Reid could be ruined by it, and O'Donnell blamed Ladybug-gate on her opponent. Chait, Gelman and Drum debated the stimulus' repercussions on the election, and the Tea Party flunked history. Larison and Avent sorted out the GOP's war machine on Iran, and Larry Ferlazzo cautioned about turning beliefs into principles. We kept an eye on another sane conservative idea on social security and the retirement age, David Vitter didn't want to pay for tax cuts, and Alaskan governor Sean Parnell didn't want to speculate on the age of the earth. On the global front, the foreign press loved to hate the Tea Party, Google wanted to dominate the African market, and the Israeli loyalty oath sparked debates about the country's particularistic worldview. Inside Iraq griped on power price hikes, and the drug war in Mexico was less about drugs than about crime, according to Yglesias.

Zach Galifianakis toked up on television, Prop 19 made a last dash for victory, and Sullum showed why if alcohol wasn't always as bad as heroin, neither was pot. Economies loved delusional participants, Walter Kirn loved nachos on roadtrips, and buying little things made people happy. A megachurch pastor came out of the closet, we wished Bloggingheads a happy birthday, and sometimes nothing could be a real cool hand. No Shave November began, and Stephen Fry, speaking for all men, loved sex more than women. Global reality check here, scariest Halloween pumpkin here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, FOTD here, MHB here, and dissent of the day here.

–Z.P.