Category: The Daily Wrap

Today on the Dish, Andrew defended Christine O'Donnell from Gawker's crude kiss and tell. Andrew differed with Stratfor's George Friedman on bombing Iran, and in America, even when the FBI foils an attack, local law enforcement still gets awarded more power. Prop 19 was a watershed no matter what the outcome, San Francisco Giants fans smoked weed, and Conrad Black reported the 420 percent increase in cannabis searches at the NRO. Al-Sadr was poised to gain a good amount of power in Iraq, Salopek and Tom Ricks debated landmines, and Trevor Case waterboarded his girlfriend.

Even Daniel Larison couldn't get psyched about a Republican surge, Bruce Bartlett feared a similarly bad outcome, all of which is probably true when you look at Rush Limbaugh's marching orders. Raising the retirement age to 65 sounded like a sane conservative idea to us, and scrapping the corporate income tax appealed to Megan and Drum. E.D. Kain wanted a local tea party to solve what aren't really national problems, and readers phoned home on Obama and DADT, and on why gays are stronger for having been through the struggle.

Two real candidates actually campaigned together on a "civility tour," but looking at the attack ads of 1800, it seems some things never change. Steven Taylor nominated Sarah Palin as the first Fox News candidate, and President Bush got advice during the war years from radio talk show hosts. This video is why Andrew ran away from political science, Radley Balko didn't think we should vote on DAs, and Drum outlined the limits of interviewing any politician. Jim Manzi laid the smackdown on the liberal gene theory, Aaron Carroll rated the US healthcare system low by any account, and elites accelerated their careers.

Americans loved to drop pumpkins, and bromance bloomed in the UK. Dutch teens had sexy safe sex with parental consent, but marriage equality was not going to lead to kids being raised in warehouses any time soon. Quote for the day here, dissents of the day here, apology of the day here and here, time-space continuum threatening VFYW here, double rainbox VFYW here, Greenwald bait here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

John D. Rockefeller's old office suite on the 25th floor of 26 Broadway, 5.20 pm

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew parsed the NYT poll on the sometimes schizophrenic opinion of voters. He also picked apart Obama's waxing and waning support for marriage equality, went another round in debating Israel-Palestine, and chastised the NYT on their double standard for torture. Andrew opened up about coming out and the remarkable Dan Choi recounted how he met his partner.

Mike Pence pledged "no compromise" with the Democrats and an ad supporting Angle's campaign proclaimed "us vs them." Chait explained the endless loop of spending and tax cuts for Republicans. Justin Wolfer hedged his bets against everyone else's bets, while admitting no one would remember either way. Rove waged war on Palin, who may have waged war on herself in her own backyard with Miller in Alaska. Obama was still the least unpopular of the Republican frontrunners, Joe Miller Halloweened Murkowski, and we tracked Sabato and Silver on the horserace here and here.

Bernstein proposed that Fox News is part of the Republican party, and readers responded to Andrew on whether liberals should appear on the channel at all. Tea Party members were not fans of Islam, according to one of their founders. Yglesias defined climate hawks, terrorists could turn to cyber offense, and Mark Lynch feared open war talks with Iran. Megan looked at a future without Warren Buffet, and Prop 19 got a polling reality check just as the national numbers were improving.

Dyed beards can be sexy, readers didn't want to do away with snow days, and a country singer serenaded weed. Ben Goldacre informed us on how we read newspapers wrong, Kevin Costner outperformed Captain Hindsight, and Annie Lowry asked if there were too many lawyers. MHB here, FOTD here, email of the day here, quote for the day here, Malkin award here, VFYW here, and GIF fun here.

 

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew conceded ground on Helen Thomas and initiated dialogue with Goldblog on Israel, Palestine, and the chasm between. Andrew clarified his case against Juan Williams to Saletan once more, and in response to readers, gave credit to Shep Smith, vowed never to appear on Olbermann, but allowed Maddow her due. Andrew echoed Greenwald on marrying gay foreigners and how behind America really is. The Tea Party had its heart in the right place but its head was nowhere to be found. The British take on American ingratitude for what Obama has done right was spot on for Andrew. 

On the Prop 19 front, Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch deemed it the most important issue of 2010. David Boaz made the all-too-reasonable libertarian case and Andrew couldn't agree more. Ryan Tracy saw Holder's hands tied, masked gunmen with tasers served marijuana warrants in New Haven, and Ron Hill saw Republicans mellowing on the drug war. The average pot smoker (and voter) was the one who quit, the drug war wasn't colorblind, and this is what the reality of that war looked like.

Joel Wing tried to follow Iraq's sketchy financial paper trail, and Derbyshire noticed that we're only occupying two of the top five most corrupt nations. Joe Miller admitted wrongdoing and lying about it, the curb-stomper wanted an apology, and there was news of possible Democratic ballot shenanigans. Ezra didn't see divided government helping the deficit, money couldn't buy elections, and some campaign ads stunk – literally. Americans mistook America for a country more equal than it is, former bartenders with bachelor's degrees sounded off, and Josh Barro designed a better gas tax. Dana Goldstein questioned whether we could teach our kids true grit, Ebert defended Hugh Heffner and the Playboy era, readers served up another grammar lesson, and snow days ended for ease of scheduling. 

Some things just shouldn't be sexed up for Halloween, New Yorkers were scared of clown births, but the rent was so damn high that most people would accept ghosts as roommates. Moore award here, quote for the day here, campaign ad of the day here, journalistic standards for bloggers here, MHB here, VFYW here, VFY-CPAP here, and FOTD here.

By Uriel Sinai/Getty Images.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew was aghast at the human rights abuses in Omar Khadr's "guilty" plea. Wikileaks offered Steve Coll a moment of clarity, but adding mayonaise to chicken shit didn't make it chicken salad, according to Tom Ricks. Andrew joined the boycott on Fox as a propaganda channel, but E.D. Kain thought Fox gave the people exactly what they wanted.

Andrew pushed back against David Brooks and Mickey Edwards on what they want Dems to learn this year, the GOP stood for one thing only, and Andrew wasn't optimistic about Gingrich's tax promises. Andrew wondered why John Heilemann didn't factcheck Palin, Sharron Angle played hide and seek with the press, sheriff Joe Arpaio gave Palin some pink underwear, and the Tea Partiers were just as elite as the people they disparage. WWII eerily paralleled Iraq today, readers didn't want to pardon Bush, and the Onion illuminated the true source of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Decriminalization may have hurt Prop 19, Thoreau wondered where all the liberal think tank support was, Kevin Williamson shot down dishonest arguments against it, and Barbara Boxer could ride Prop 19's coattails all the way to the win. It Gets Better went global, gayness doesn't die out because of genetics, it was possible to be gay and republican, and Lincoln wasn't the only gay president.

America was number one… in incarceration. Cowen expressed uncertainty, bloggers added their two cents on "curb-stomping" in the blogosphere, and we shed a tear for the end of snow days. Our wardrobes were proof of how wealthy we are, New Hampshire loved beer, and mushrooms could be the new styrofoam. Homer would have trouble not eating meat on Fridays, highbrow TV was the new elite entertainment, and too many future bartenders might be paying for higher education. Dish grammar nerds united, soy sauce took us for a ride, but loyal readers grounded us again. Apology of the day here, political ad of the day here, app of the day here, passive aggressive note of the day here, dissents of the day here, FOTD here, VFYCPAP here, VFYW here, MHB here, and VFYW contest winner #21 here.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew continued to delve into the difference between liberals and conservatives. TNC pwned Saletan on the Sherrod analogy, and Fallows eloquently defended NPR. Andrew lent some historical perspective to Silver's predictions, Larison's were here, and Kaus wanted a "none of the above" option on ballots. Reihan corrected the record on his fiscal proposals, Ross put TARP into perspective, the birthers were still at it, and a reader wondered if Obama should pardon Bush.

We tracked Prop 19 and cannabis across the country, Margaret Haney myth-busted addiction rates, and TNC and Cynic mulled over the Culture Of Affluence. President Lincoln slept with a man, a reader defended anti-bullying bracelets, and the Washington Times fear-mongered on DADT. Around the world, we saw drug war torture in Tijuana, David Rieff skewered the status quo on global aid, and microfinance money didn't always end up where we expect. Stephen Walt took us down a notch on Mission Accomplished, the NYT still won't call it torture, and Wikileaks wasn't helping politicians much in Iraq.

Elsewhere, men didn't scoop the poop, airbags might be coming to a bicycle near you, bloggers debated curb-stomping, and hip-hop was down with G.O.P. We looked into whether Google should give up its tax loophole, and Choire Sicha asked what people were doing with their iPads when they aren't reading magazines. Alain de Botton camped out in Heathrow, we guffawed at the economics of Seinfeld, and good luck charms work if you already believed in them. Quote for the day here, VFYW here, FOTD here, Yglesias award here, MHB here, and campaign ad of the day here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew wouldn't back down on the Juan Williams case, with more reaction here, here, here, here, here, and dissents (and Andrew's rebuttals) here. Obama told America It Gets Better. Samual shared the brutal story of his ex-gay therapy, and HRC stooped to a new marketing low. On Prop 19, John Gravois unearthed the juicy story on the Napa valley of marijuana, Al Giordano thought Prop 19 could usher in legalizations across the country, a new ad upended the arguments about underage access to it, and we kept a close tally on the polls.

In international news, the Wikileaks doc dump promised some grim reading, America's one real exceptionalism may endanger it the most, dogs remained man's best bomb detector, and we tallied the human toll in Iraq. Max Boot mourned Britain's spending cuts, Larison laughed, and Yglesias didn't think they stood a chance in the U.S.

Video surfaced of Miller's press intimidation, and blogazines continued to fascinate bloggers. Fallows found the best ad of the election cycle, Anita Hill told the truth, and Hertzberg took a Dish reader to task. Peggy Noonan lambasted DC Republicans, but Andrew didn't have much hope for the Tea Party either. Andrew egged on Reihan about inefficiencies in government, San Francisco revolted against public pensions, and Republicans sicked their dogs on Mitch Daniels for thinking about taxes. 

Science figured out a way to funnel fat into breasts, Moore award here, email of the day here, view from your CPAP here, VFYW here, FOTD here, MHB here, chart of the day here, and Andrew on the Big Think here.

By Ethan Miller/Getty.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew sized up Britain's budget cuts and replied to Rick's response on inequality and the dying middle class. British defense cuts could precede our own, and even McCain's former policy advisor applauded them. Al-Sadr switched up the chess game in Iraq.

We talked bigotry on air with the firing of Juan Williams, and Andrew wasn't going easy on him, Fox News, or those who came to his defense. Andrew relished Jonathan Martin's Palin expose two weeks before the midterms, Nate Silver measured the electoral wave, and a political ad unsettled Ozimek. George Packer mulled liberalism, and a reader changed Andrew's mind on Palin-Nixon parallels. Andrew joined the defense of hipsters and hippies, and connected them to the truly religious.

Scott Morgan laid the smackdown on the LA Times, Reason interviewed Prop 19's supporters and opponents, drug busts don't affect prices, and the polls tightened. Yglesias urged the scandalous to stick around, Greenwald gutted the defense of Miller's "bodyguards," and we hailed Tyler Cowen as an economist. The DADT ruling was stayed, and Ben Adler annihilated Obama's argument that only Congress can allow gays to serve.

TNC weighed the benefit of fighting when young, with the bad of fighting as an adult. Kinsley summoned the best defense of buck-raking there is, the Dish became a "mixed regime," and this quote made William F. Buckley roll in his grave. Megan learned no one owns a city, and police officers chilled out because of surveillance. FOTD here, headline for the day here, Nick Carr bait here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, map of the day here, and skinny CPAP views here.

By Antony Dickson/AFP/Getty Images.

Wednesday on the Dish, Dan Choi re-enlisted. Andrew pushed back against Walter Russel Mead and Goldblog on Israel, and on Ross for lowering his expectations on the GOP establishment and the Tea Party. Farhad Manjoo tracked the blogazine's rise while we lived it, and this reader tried to balance the right and the left. Frum preached compromise and Andrew urged conservatives to be realistic (when imagining a world where McCain had won). Andrew picked apart Obama's stealth tax policy, and we hoped it wasn't true about his visit to India.

France and Britain joined forces to blow Bagehot's mind while saving money on defense, and we rounded up opinions on what the UK's defense cuts meant for the U.S. Scott Horton reported on Obama's secret prison in Afghanistan, albinos were still in trouble in Tanzania, and aid money engendered the need for more aid money.

Hillary Clinton believed It Gets Better, to the consternation of some in the gay community, while Adam Serwer wondered if DADT was going to be Obama's Prop 8. Daniel Larison made the constitutional argument for church and state that O'Donnell was incapable of making, and 9/11 terrorists never attacked Texas. Rand Paul slipped down on Rasmussen, and Charlie Cook predicted a counterwave to this election's wave. DePaul University curbed their students' cannabis policy group, and the drugs and states rights battle escalated in California.

Bristol Palin danced in a gorilla suit, painters lied about how pretty Venice is, and the Rent Is Too Damn High went the way of the meme. DVR killed the political ad, supply killed the demand for prostitutes, and lots of people drop their cameras. Malkin award here, Yglesias awards here and here, view from your CPAP here, more BLT community names here, VFYW here, more on the "successful" here, email of the day here, dissents of the day here, MHB here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew commended Dafna Linzer's reporting on the blurred lines between classification and deception, and juxtaposed Rick Hertzberg's left with his right. Andrew called the Tea Party on their executive power hypocrisy, and a reader felt jettisoned by them in general. Andrew weighed in on Rand Paul's "anti-Christian" satirical brotherhood, O'Donnell didn't know her First Amendment, and the internet (and reader) moshpits went at it over Andrew's definition of "successful."

Will Wilkinson thought Obama might be sacrificing young voters on DADT and the drug war, but Scott Morgan disagreed. Chris Good inquired about commercial cannabis sales, California's major newspapers wimped out over Prop 19, and we looked at 46 tons of burning bud. Justin Logan challenged the Defending Defense people to a debate, early voting was under-developed, and Bush II wasn't ambitious enough. Carly Fiorina had a magical budget plan, we learned journalists can smear some groups and barely apologize, and Palin may have already peaked. 

Most of Americans' friends existed on television, and Adam Ozimek foresaw a future of computers connected to our brains. Homer and Bart were officially Catholics, and Limbaugh was officially a parody of himself. The Rent Is Too Damn High Party would let you marry a shoe, and The Social Network nailed every t-shirt Zuckerberg ever owned. Belgrade had a curious cure for homosexuality, and readers updated GLBT to the new and yummier sounding BLT. The jart touched many lives, humans played with bikes, the media made miners better men, and we compensated teachers in a crazy way. Pirates were winning, police didn't always appreciate whistleblowers, Sarah Palin hates puppies, and C-SPAN had a lovers' spat.

Quotes for the day here, here, and here. Yglesias award here, more responses to your CPAPs here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest #20 winner here.

Krakow, Poland

Monday on the Dish, Andrew related to The Social Network (minus the coke orgies, that is), and revered authority only in the search for truth. Andrew butted heads with Serwer over what to call illegal immigrants and gays, and mostly rejected the rose-tinted worldview of the Tea Party. We considered the geography and the ideology of a two state solution, and heard a Palestinian's personal account of the revolution. The Iraq surge fail lived up to Andrew's predictions, and Goldblog nailed the difference between Islam and political Islamism. 

Chris Wallace held Carly Fiorina's feet to the fire, Andrew Ferguson did brutal justice to D'Souza, and Andrew put Tunku Varadarajan in his place. HRC consistently held up their double standard, and the Palin model assisted in the arrest of an Alaskan blogger. Democrat Jack Conway ran the ugliest Christianist ad of the season, fundamentalism threatened liberal society as evidenced by Damon Linker, and this British TV critic came clean. Mazzone dug into Gibbs on DADT, Mike Barthel didn't think It Gets Better for humanity as a whole, and Senator Michael Bennet played the gay issue in his favor. Kleiman and Yglesias unpacked Prop 19's impact on federal drug laws, and you can hear Dr. Donald Abrams on cannabis as medicine here. Jim Manzi fisked the NYT on economics, Larison went to bat for absentee ballots, and Ross pep-talked Obama staffers.

Privacy died in 1888, fewer babies might mean more carbon, and America bailed out GM for one venti latte per person. Daniel Kaplan questioned internet privacy, Lawrence Lessig loved the remix, and apparently we all love chicken dishes. Yglesias award here, VFYW here, shell art here, more views from your CPAP here, MHB here, FOTD here, and fake political ad of the day here.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew jumped off of Noah Millman's point on gay rights to make a larger point about Tea Party nostalgia and America's future. He endorsed some of Pete Wehner's explanation of Bill O'Reilly on Park 51, and Andrew, Frum and others bounced back and forth on a post-November GOP. Jonah Goldberg and Jonathan Chait bet their blogs on Obama's impeachment, while Thoreau and Drum played along.

Andrew called foul on the Obama administration on DADT, while Ed Morrissey envisioned a scenario where the injunction lasted for the next two years. Brian Palmer explained how the military figures out which soldiers are gay, Glenn Beck was disgusted by bigotry for sport, a pollster explained America's increasing support for gay equality, and this Catholic primate thought AIDS was "immanent justice."

Andrew bucked Jamelle Bouie's jeers at the "successful."Joyner agreed that ADHD may be a symptom of an archaic education system, and U.S. life expectancy was low because of Medicare. Oregon was bicurious via our readers, Kaiser looked at the popularity of a health care repeal, and readers weighed in on absentee voting. Reagan reduced California's incarcerations, and the ethanol lobby fueled full-steam ahead. A paraplegic walked on a robot exoskeleton, and Greenwald likened the war on drugs to the war on terror. Pot was more popular than some politicians, Chris Hayes visited and began to understand what occupation requires, and Israel took more steps backwards. More voices sounded off on the foreign money bonanza, Ackerman previewed Monday's WikiLeaks dump, and Larison didn't want to confuse military spending with defense spending.

Hathos red alert here, FOTD here, chart of the day here, quotes for the day here, more responses to views from the recession here, creepy ad watch here, views from your CPAP here, Grant Gallicho's Dish roast here, Jonathan Bernstein's toast here, VFYW here, email of the day here, MHB here, and more beard sportage here.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew marvelled at Obama's record thus far, even if his messages sometimes suffered for it. Andrew nodded in agreement with Douthat over climate change, and still believed conservatives should seek to conserve. Tim Lee and Andrew expressed concern over the rise of absentee ballots, and Christine O'Donnell was the perfect product of America's talk show culture.

Andrew stayed firm on the Chamber of Commerce foreign funding hoopla, while Wilkinson didn't mind the foreign countries watching out for their interests. Valerie Jarrett redeemed herself with her genuine apology, Dale Carpenter destroyed the myths about heterosexual frailty and DADT, and Andrew seconded this reader about gay pride parades as adult affairs. Jews and Andrew were in agreement over gallivanting, and Israel and America had a lot in common about not being able to see what's being done in their name. Obama didn't listen to his own advice on defense spending, Ron Paul may have been right about terrorism and military occupations, and Africa is officially huge.

Readers joined the tea with unicorns party on Clinton era tax rates, Paladino thought girl on girl porn was awesome, and Alex Gibney rewrote the Spitzer saga. Frum knocked Jonah Goldberg down a notch over his anti-elite elitism and Greg Easterbrook didn't feel so sorry for seniors. Foreclosure journalists invaded privacy but with good reason, and readers set the record straight on Rand Paul and Kentucky's meth problem. Starbucks slowed its baristas down, and the Kindle may be bringing the pamphlet back. Prohibition birthed Nascar, which Dish readers already knew, the Insane Clown Posse were awed by magnets, and W.G. Grace batted through the greatest sports beard ever.

View from your recession here, MHB here, VFYW here, opinions on the miners here, Drezner's Dish toast here, Juan Cole's here, FOTD here, readers on straight men fruit flys here, and Andrew on Parker Spitzer here.

Los Angeles, California, 1 pm

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew shook his head at the evolution of Goldberg on Israel. Paladino apologized but Andrew was unimpressed. We relived Paladino saying that gay marriage is like Hitler, while Valerie Jarret just blamed teenage suicides on a "lifestyle choice." Jonathan Chait and Matthew Yglesias toasted the Dish and Andrew treated himself to a a classic Trig relapse.

Andrew sighed over lazy legislatures and the culture that reelects them, whereas Matt Continetti and Matt Welch duked it out over tax cuts. The war raged in the air over Afghanistan, and Andrew condemned the right's inablitity to wake up to the realities of tax rate hikes. Andrew jumped in on Dana McCourt's disdain for the term illegal immigrant and we rounded up opinions on insider trading by congressional staffers.

Serwer bemoaned the left's drug attacks on Rand Paul, McCain didn't think he was pandering, and politics pimped itself out for paid speeches. Josh Green profiled Ron Paul in the new issue and Andrew believed his integrity, at least. Huckabee may be the biggest contender for 2012 according to Obama's folks, and Sarah was looking ever more stoppable.

Yglesias examined the Dutch marijuana model, and a child psychiatrist responded to readers about teenage pot use. Self-driving cars could speed up the electric car revolution, Aaron Sorkin somewhat clarified the female computer nerd conundrum, and for former bullies, It Gets Worse. An anniversary/ apnea recap of the view from your CPAP here, map of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, quote for the day here, Google time sink here, creepy ad watch here, FOTD here, and beards in sports here.

Tuesday on the Dish, the Log Cabin Republicans trapped Obama on DADT, Andrew butchered Paladino's perverted speech and Steinglass thought he just blew his chances. Andrew reminisced about the past ten years of blogging and apologized again for his "fifth column" remarks. For the anniversary he appeared on Charlie Rose, and readers offered their two-cents.

Sarah Palin wanted war with Iran and she rehabilitated the odd lie about the death panel that is out to get her family. Andrew prodded Obama to fight the fiscal fight, and Ilya Somin doubted a burqa ban could stop radical thoughts. Goldblog shot down Pamela Gellar's obsession with a Muslim takeover, we analyzed the semantics of calling people "illegals," and Tim Cavanaugh mocked politicians who promise things they can't deliver. Democrat Joe Manchin took a rifle to cap and trade, and Beinart patted down Obama's new national security adviser Tom Donilon. Dan Savage asked Valerie Jarrett to put her money where her mouth was at the HRC dinner, and Benjamin Dueholm wagged his finger at Savage for attacking all Christians for the sins of a few.

Will Wilkinson wanted more rules for government's oversight of the economy, and James Poulos didn't know who was going to offer up undergoing the pain of fiscal conservatism. John Carney tracked the banks' inability to trace their own steps in the mortgage debacle, and Tyler Cowen targeted systemic economic biases. Readers ignited a debate over how bad pot is for teenagers, Balko attacked Woodrow Wilson, and the GOP's reluctance to admit the truth about climate change was preventing the world from fixing it. Canadians don't travel to the U.S. for health care, British conventions are small affairs compared to their American counterparts, and water in a box didn't master the tap yet. We stared at Hot Guys on Judge Judy, Ebert and O'Hehir went at it over a horse movie, and women had a role in creating Facebook, even if the film doesn't portray that. VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, Yglesias award here, correction of the day here, and the VFYW contest winner #19 here.

By Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images.

Monday was the Dish's 10th anniversary.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Andrew swore to never resist the aging process again after yesterday's beard-catastrophe. Goldblog tackled Andrew's Israel lobby frustrations, and Eugene Volokh dug deeper on Israel's rape by fraud case. Hamburger health insurance created an interesting dilemma for Obama, and we covered the verdict on the mandate's constitutionality. Andrew still couldn't pull the lever for Harry Reid, this reader nailed the Greenwald spat to the wall, and others piled on. We heard from a child psychiatrist's reservations about opening up the cannabis closet, Hitch's humor was alive and well, and the Tea Party was running a fake candidate.

On the pot front, Brian Doherty followed the No on 19 money, Maia Szalavitz wondered what Prop 19 would do to usage numbers, and this reader put New Jersey's medical marijuana program in its place. Chris Weigant thought pot could save the Democrats, and the Republican proposal to drug test the unemployed was as misdirected as it sounds. For your sex fix, Savage outed this justice as a sexual hypocrite, and the Jewish Standard made a splash and then backtracked with this same sex couple's marriage announcement. And Valerie Jarrett was set to shill for the Human Rights Campaign this weekend.

Felix Salmon gulped over the jobs report, WaPo sunk to a new low and published D'Souza, and the casting call for this political ad could have cut the posturing.Democrats might win the moderates, Kilgore jumped in to the enthusiasm gap debate, and Bernstein budgeted the future under a Republican congress. America's decline was as imminent and as unlikely as ever, and Slate asked who gets to be a feminist? Walter Russell Mead decoded the Castros' Cuba, and Urbanophile assessed the New York model for better living.  America used to need England's help to build houses according to Bill Bryson's new book, and our army recruits turned the corner.

The American people hired a lobbyist, Saletan heralded the rise of heterosexual anal sex, and you, America, were not a witch, but a man who wanted your money to buy pizza. Some Dish readers came out as stag-hags or bro-mos or insert your nickname here, we sated our curiosity as to when "it" drops, and our minds were blown by these Reddit facts. Chart of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, Friday poem here, VFYW here and in memoriam here, and your moment of extra gay here.

The Japanese Popstars Feat. Green Velvet – Let Go from David Wilson Creative on Vimeo.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew pressed the Catholic church to embrace gays and the special cross of suffering they bear. Andrew defended Obama's "Kenyan rage" at Wall Street and healthcare companies against D'Souza, and wished for a Tory-like Tea Party: "socially centrist, fiscally badass."

Readers attacked Andrew's meager defense of Glenn Beck, Douthat dug deeper on defense spending, Rand Paul went back to loving Medicare, and Drum wondered if Republicans were just blowing smoke on repealing health care reform. Chait questioned the National Review's support of Romneycare in 2008 versus what they'd say today, and Silver dissected the enthusiasm gap. Joyner joined Schwarzenegger in predicting Obama's second term, Ben Smith scooped the story on the Palin model of endorsements, and while Palin is no Thatcher, Claire Berlinski just about called her candidacy for president a case of "mass psychosis."

Kinsley echoed Silverstein on intellectual dishonesty in D.C., Howard Kurtz killed Silverstein's will to report, and then got promoted at the Daily Beast. Autotranslate amazed Goldblog, the Tories weren't fiscal frauds, and Rufus F. appreciated the culture wars because culture matters. NOM sought revenge on Iowa's judges, and 4.2 percent of men are gay. Life got better for Tim Gunn, and Phoebe Maltz remained hesitant to complain about the portrayl of Jewish women. John Cole explained how we create terrorists, and prosecutors break laws too. Size does matter and explains why California will legally lead the way with marijuana.

Monty Python took Jesus Christ out, John Scalzi voted for smart yogurt, and not counting emotional attachments, pot wasn't worth more than gold. Headline of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and map of the day here.

Montreal, Canada, 8 pm

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew stayed his ground in the aftermath of Greenwald's barrage and seconded Hitch on the power of the pro-Israel lobby. Conservatives had to come to terms with the war on drugs if they wanted to argue limited government in Obamacare, and Niall Harbison only needed Twitter for his news but Andrew disagreed.

Christine O'Donnell was not a witch unless you are, because she's you, but it was her China conspiracy theories that put Fallows over the edge. Ezra took Friedman to task on third party possibilities,  Silver came to Friedman's defense, but was skeptical of Gallup's likely voter model. Obama's poll numbers eerily reflected Reagan's, while Glenn Beck dropped some Mormon code against Obama. Beinart envisioned failure for the Tea Party on slashing spending, while the U.S. was still number one in defense, with more than half the entire world's defense spending. Volokh disassembled the wall between church and state, the rebirth of books happens every six months, and a word to the wise: do not combine Canada with an i-phone.

Mormon Dish readers bucked Packer's homophobic remarks, The Wire had lessons for New Haven, and Schwarzenegger's progress on pot was overshadowed by the lack of progress on other drug issues. Surowiecki mined the philosophy of procrastination, and gay-bashing also threatened straight men.  Abstinence only education continued to be funded, and Iran interrupted the lives of its young, but most Americans still weren't anywhere close to supporting a war with Iran. Pet Shop Boys' new single likely kept the band "Together," Andrew feared no beard, and Larry Kudlow didn't like the looks of Obama hugging Rahm. Readers defended their vegetable gardens, creepy ad watch here, Malkin award here, VFYW here, MHB/ VFYR here, FOTD here, and VFYW contest #18 here.

By Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Monday on the Dish, Andrew looked to Israel's moment of truth on the settlements, pulled the reins on Glenn Reynolds, and (almost) defended Glenn Beck. Scott Horton held the adminstration to task on al-Awlaki, and Andrew fought back against Larison on the semantics of killing. Andrew had qualms about the premise of Sam Harris' new book, but that wasn't going to prevent him from reading it.

Mary Fallin abused the Palin model to the extreme, while Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes, thought it up first. Jim DeMint kept Christianism alive, attacking gay and female teachers while Dan Savage wanted to see some gay Christian characters on television, but he didn't care for "good" Christian children taunting gay kids. Smear campaigns work, Tom Friedman's third party presidential prospects weren't looking good, and Chait skewered a culture war that is really about economics. We parsed the tax receipt proposal, a reader defended Alan Grayson, and financial reform could be simpler.

Kyle Berlin toured California's first pot factory, we tracked the back and forth over Michigan's medicinal laws, and Rob Kampia started full court press on Prop 19 since it's definitely better than the 1972 initiative. Idaho welcomed a mosque into its community, the housing bust devastated Florida (in photos), and Lee Billings didn't believe in the "Goldilocks" planet. Adam Ozimek championed the societal good of frozen vegetables, and the U.S. needed to hop on the frugal engineering bandwagon. An anonymous freelancer reported from Beijing's casual tyranny, and Ken Silverstein couldn't stand Washington any longer. Jon Hamm liked websites, teenagers used condoms more competently than adults, and American captives gave North Korea the finger. FOTD here, VFYW here, MHB here, and the acronym you need to know here. 

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, the lionization of Petraeus and the military incensed Andrew. The GOP pledged to America to massively deepen its debt, and wasn't much better on civil liberties according to Conor's tally. Massie compared Palin to Gerald Ford, and Graeme Wood exposed Glenn Beck on his anti-Semitic (and insane) source. Lexington argued against "constitutional idolatry," Gene Healy reconsidered Carter, and Democratic complacency could ruin their chances this fall, unless they devote themselves to the debt.

Andrew bucked against the dissent of the day, and defended calling bullshit on the Dems and HRC. Readers see-sawed over Log Cabin Republicans, and Dan Savage bemoaned Obama's absence on the day of the DADT debate, though he did have time to call some WNBA players.

We learned the science behind lethal injection, Jonathan Weiner waged war against aging, and drug companies risked major money to save lives. Matthew Kahn believed the Spocks could save the Homer Simpsons from global warming, commuter and hobbyist bicyclists clashed, and this guy had a death-wish to fly. Middle class incomes haven't changed in a decade, college subsidies don't always work and you can check your job against your divorce rate. We saw life through the eyes of Muslim America, and abroad, and Johann Hari protested the Pope while supporting Catholicism.

McArdle gave hope to nerds, Chris Good paved the way for a Mustached American leadership, and Ta-Nehisi loved living in sin. Yglesias award here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and MHB here. The Facebook fail made it hard for us to find out who was hungry or tired, more content and more clicks signaled tragedy for our attention-span, and Colbert explained corn-packer to a congressman.

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew assailed the Republican Party's "Pledge To America." Reax here and here. The Obama administration decided to defend DADT against Republicans. Andrew called for Solmonese's head and sparred with other bloggers over Dem inaction. Steinglass instructed HRC to take notes from the Tea Party.

The "all fags must die" plot thickened. A Dem congresswomen race-baited her opponent, Boxer and Fiorina went a round, a conservative group aired a maudlin ad against Obama, and Larison rolled his eyes. Snapshots from the Tea Party here and here. Christianism watch here and Trig watch here. DiA disagreed with Douthat over Palin, a GOP congressional candidate slammed her celebrity, and Sharron Angle pwned the press. Wilkinson wanted members of the media to stop picking on red-staters, while Dan Savage sought to keep bigots from picking on suicidal teens.

A drug warrior in Spain came to his senses, Iran kept oppressing its press, and we may have already attacked the country's nuclear plants.  The world got fat, but cookstoves could be cleaner. Adam Ozimek looked at illegal immigration around the world, Felix Salmon warned us about market forecasters, Tyler Cowen defended the liberal arts, and Kate Hopkins kept the "culinary luddite" thread going. Readers dissented over Andrew's portrayal of Burning Man, and a combat vet called for showing more graphic content.

Blockbuster finally bit the dust. David Broder and Bob Woodward buck-raked to their wallets' content. A clever new ad strategy is coming to your captchas and this app went from cool to profound. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Be lucky your name isn't Sarah Palin.

Edinburgh, Indiana, 6.57 am

Wednesday on the Dish, the New York Times torture farce continued. Andrew was unimpressed with Woodward's excerpts, but more importantly disappointed with Obama's ultimate decision for Afghanistan. But at least the president spoke to Americans like adults.

McCain knew nothing about DADT. Andrew sparred with readers over yesterday's vote, HRC and the Democrats weren't any help, Reid was indefensible, and Mataconis spread the blame around. A Chambliss staffer didn't know the internet could trace his homophobic rants, and Dan Savage reminded gay kids that things will get better.

Following her mama grizzly mentor, O'Donnell swore off the national media. Bernstein and Douthat debated Palin's chances, another of her proteges campaigned on bigotry, and Nyhan charted her unfavorability; she looks a lot like Dan Quayle.

Andrew responded to Ross on what might change for the GOP base between now and 2012, and he agreed with Mark Greenbaum that divided government could benefit Obama. Rand met with the neocons, and Kos got so defensive it sounded like straight-up paranoia. The FBI lied to Congress over monitoring activists, a cartoon helped us understand health care, and Stewart and Colbert blurred what little is left of the line between media and politics. On race, Ta-Nehisi went after Marty, Matthew Duss called out a double standard for Jews and Palestinians (eg Helen Thomas and Marty), and Pat Buchanan played the race card. Sullum and Stimson argued over intoxication, while support for Prop 19 kept getting higher.

VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here. More Americans believed Obama was a cactus, Milton's Paradise Lost was headed for 3D, and Burning Man made people all sorts of happy.

 

By Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty.

Tuesday on the Dish, McCain stooped to a new low by stalling the repeal of DADT, while gay soldiers continue to sacrifice. We compared the Tea Party to its establishment counterparts and investigated the Palin model of doing business. Serwer pointed out that "individual liberty" extends to marriages – whether they involve children or not – and Boaz called out conservatives for ignoring divorce. Andrew unearthed the reality behind O'Donnell on wanking.

There was little progress made on punishing torture in Iraq, even if atrocities are committed by our own soldiers; but waging a different sort of war on Congo's rebels could offer a smarter way forward. The recession may be winding down but unemployment isn't (a reader shared his own view) and taxing pot may solve our revenue woes. Climate change critics stayed quiet over record summer temperatures.

Skip Gates defended Marty, Pat Buchanan played the race card, and a reader backed artisanal foods. Cool ad here, MHB here, and dissent of the day here. Bristol tapped "virgin territory", Kenny Powers mastered the art of seduction, and Antoine Dodson laughed all the way to the bank. VFYW here, and a stump-worthy window contest here.

Monday on the Dish, O'Donnell was a bit of a flake; Palin urged CQ Politics to "print truth;" Tea Partiers weren't quite libertarians; and a review of the full O'Donnell files can be found here. A majority of Americans were for marriage equality , even if the National Review thought marriage was only for mating and we reiterated that DADT isn't just about parades.

Andrew fired back at the Krauthammer dissent, defending his Malkin award; and Newt was today's inductee for his Sebelius "in the spirit of Soviet tyranny" remarks. We mined history for the roots of Marty's mistakes; and while the American right was scary, it still didn't hold a candle to the Taliban. Graeme Wood wondered about the Medal of Honor; Ta-Nehisi grappled with compassion and the Civl War; and Buckley got real on the Boomers.

The Life Sack saved lives; hype trumped security in Haystack; and Fidel Castro helped create the gay rights movement in the U.S. Pope protestors created quite the signage; the killing continued in Iraq and even journalists weren't immune from PTSD. Weed got crowd-sourced; essay mills weren't worth the money; and Rachel Laudan wrote in defense of processed foods. Jeff McMahan wondered whether all meat-eaters on the planet could be evolved into herbivores; green jobs were made to move abroad; and the war on Christmas came early this year. You can find the VFYW here; MHB here; and FOTD here. Ira Glass read the New York Times; Livejournal remained timeless; we gazed at shrooms and capitalism killed Prep.

–Z.P.

Today on the Dish, we judged books by their covers and judging by Mehlman, gays were either destroying our country or don’t exist. Conor captured start-ups and wipe-outs on the California scene and made the case for localism. The Catholic Church got the mosque treatment; hipsters got more of the church treatment, and Dan Savage asked the crazies to have a little faith.

Will Wilkinson got some post-partisan love; liberty and tyranny still weren’t very useful for liberals, or libertarians; and B. Daniel Blatt thought being gay among conservatives was easier than the other way around. High class city living across the country was pretty hard to compare; while government officials were wreaking havoc on poor people’s property in Montgomery, Alabama and firefighters’ pensions were probably unsustainable according to one in the know. The Arab press responded to the Park 51 mosque; Larison did another round with Douthat; and we disassembled the military conservative complex and parsed the Pakistani military role in the humanitarian crisis.

Egypt got a little risque with Coca Cola; we charted the bard; and sharks may or may not be chasing our boss. Facebook sued so teachers can’t use the “book;” and the cat came back to haunt us. VFYW here; Malkin award here; FOTD here; creepy ad watch here; MHB here; and long form ketchup journalism here. Bristol is going dancing with the Situation and Levi was sorry for saying sorry about his situation.

(By Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, we debated Americans’ obsession with moderate Islam and how it eclipses the greater battle against extremists. Exum declared a different sort of victory in Iraq; we saw a another side of the war in Afghanistan; Wilkinson and Conor debunked the myth of the much brighter past; and this reader mused on memorials. Frum found Romney’s Achilles heel; Reid went negative; and sometimes rental inspectors save the day.

We got a glimpse of the view from your recession; some blowback on the Cash for Clunkers debunking; and Mehlman came out of the closet. We wrapped our minds around the fallout from the housing market crash; tuned in to drop-outs; and tackled why no one really wants to live in the middle of the woods and get paid in cash. Pensions came back to haunt us; Kinsley pushed for more stem cell research; and Bernstein put liberals and conservatives into their respective camps.

We compared cats and children; kept an eye on Christianists, and an ear on Marin’s Christian apology. VFYW here; MHB here; FOTD here; long form accolades can be found here and here; the case against envy here, and poking continued across international lines. We inducted Neutral Milk Hotel, Nick Cave, and Black Sabbath into the annals of hip Christian rock; Infinite Jest battled infinite Joyce; and liberals and libertarians all wanted to swim in the deep end.

Wednesday on the Dish, Conor arm-wrestled with Poulos over liberty vs. tyranny. Drezner dissected the millennials’ attitudes on war; private prisons seemed a little perverse; and we heard a personal testimony from the ground on dropout factories. Alaska may be the start of the establishment upset thanks to Palin, and an apologetic Christian said sorry to his gay best friends, but still thought it was a sin.

On the Mosque, Santorum spread lies; Harper had faith in American society; and Daniel Larison threw in his two-cents. Conor differed with David Pryce-Jones over how most Americans view Islamist radicals and this stabbing was a bad omen. We checked in on Pakistani politics and a trucker’s view of the traffic jam in China. Drum defended statism; renters were searched like second class citizens; and used cars cost more thanks to Cash for Clunkers. 

Facebook dissed pot, approved cocaine, and lectured you on having babies. Religious hipsters continued to rock; and we kept up the rants on hula hoops, Christmas trees and the rat race. Serwer wanted his video games to stay unrealistic, and when it comes to gadgets and redevelopment projects, sometimes less is more. We got a sobering view of one man’s depression and the chart of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and Colbert bait here. Time Magazine grew up; firefighters got rich (thanks to pensions); and this woman got caught hating cats.

Suva, Fiji, 11.51 am

Tuesday on the Dish, Mosque detractors papered the streets of New York; readers reminded us of past and present real estate and Mosque clashes; and Budiansky railed against excessive memorials. We assessed the odds of Obama being a Muslim vs ghosts existing; Weigel compared slurs; and the New York Post costs less than Skittles. Mormons reacted to the Mosque on religious freedom; and there are round-ups of the rest of the debate here and here.

We analyzed our two unfinished wars; the WikiLeaks rape case didn’t help cases of real sexual assault, and Conor parsed whether the military should have cooperated with WikiLeaks, with Conn Carroll on Bloggingheads. Fallows reminded us about how declarations of war have to work; and Lynch argued Goldberg’s article makes an attack less likely.

We found some hipster church rockers that passed the sniff test; tracked the housing market crash; and kept tabs on Obama’s record on gay marriage. We dished on for-profit prisons, anchor embryos, the success of the stimulus, and more on dropout factories. Conor leveled Levin on statism; Wilkinson weighed in; and readers responded to elitism in America.

We baited Sullivan on the natural law of beards; bedbugs are worse in recessions because of our moods; and the Fox News farce reached all new heights. Readers berated the extravagant burial process; while Conor mocked email footer madness, and others ranted on cursive, curse words, and going topless. Balloons should cost more; and your long form fix for today is here. Creepy ad watch here; MHB here; island VFYW here; FOTD here. VFYW contest #12 winner here; and this reader of the day living vicariously and happily through better traveled Dish fans here.

Monday on the Dish, Muslims prayed at Ground Zero, while detractors angrily protested a non-Muslim man. Stephen Prothero put Mormons on the spot; Kinsley kept at Krauthammer; Eli Lake and Adam Sewer squared off for a Blogging Heads round; and moderate Muslims do (obviously) exist. We opened the thread on America and its ruling elites and asked the Tea Party what changes they might propose.

Sharron Angle campaigned against jersey colors, Hasselbeck supported gay marriage, and John Hawkins wanted to make the Republican party actually inclusive. We parsed Obama’s faulty logic on gay marriage and examined whether Ron Paul really mattered. Conor riffed on liberty vs tyranny; Reihan took the rightier road to keeping the rich here in the U.S; and we dropped in on high school and college dropout factories.

Goldblog and Lynch expounded on Israel; Mongolia begged us to visit, and a surge in porn markets could be good for Iraq. Damaged irrigation systems could lead to food shortages in Pakistan, and combat operations never end when governments say they do.

TNC went night walking; bloggers got taxed in Philadelphia, and others got paid by the GOP. Our choices for beverages were limited, but we learned we’re not that good at choice blindness anyways. The dog pile on Cesar Millan continued; hipster Christian rock bands have to pass the sniff test; and we all paid the fear tax.

Question of the week here, VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and awkward family pet portraits here.

— Z.P.

Today on the Dish, new polling on the misperceptions of Obama's religion dominated the slow news cycle. More evidence of widespread bigotry against Muslims here and here. Malkin award here and a reader's thoughts here. Conor engaged Reihan and Ross on broadening the Cordoba debate to issues of assimilation and discourse.  Laura Freschi, Daniyual Mueenuddin, and Dreher drew attention to the devastating floods in Pakistan. 

In assorted coverage, Howard Gleckman looked at the latest deficit numbers, Felix Salmon worried about 401(k)s, James Downie laid out Obama's record on marriage equality, Reihan ruminated over low-skilled labor, Peter Neufeld warned us about the dangers of witness testimony, TNC reported on an innovative new teaching program in NYC, Bernstein jumped into the Gary Johnson debate, and Graeme Wood reviewed a new book on the Green Revolution.

A reader sliced into Ross' position on marriage equality, another countered Kaminer on the nature of coercion, and another defended Islam against Hirsi Ali.  A wrap of the week-long tenure thread here. Conor's discussion of talk radio received feedback from readers here and here, while host/ibex Mark Levin sneered at him again.

Colbert bait here and here. Antoine Dodson hit the big time, Facebook continued its imperial march, and China dominated beer consumption. Hathos alert here. Creepy ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

— C.B.

 

Thursday on the Dish, Palin had chutzpah (or something else entirely) on the First Amendment, and then got schooled by Linda Holmes. Ross responded to Andrew, and Patrick parried with the heart of a Sullivan response until his return. 

On the Mosque, Conor accounted for both sides of Imam Rauf while Goldblog continued to bat for him. Conor tallied up post-9/11 Muslim backlashes; Dreher acknowledged we have trouble talking about controversial issues and Bush evaded comment entirely. Steinglass responded to Ezra; Wendy Kaminer warned liberals about criticizing Dr. Laura and the critics of the Mosque; and this reader flipped the 9/11 porn hawkers merch on them.

Conor countered McCain on combat operations ending, again, in Iraq; Patrick argued Dems dominate domestic issues while the GOP focuses on foreign policy. NASA showed us Pakistan, before and after the floods, and some parts of Mexico weren't racked by violence. Conor reflected on the nature of political leanings (towards libertarianism) and he wished Dr. Laura well in the future, while pointing out her mistakes. David Post questioned copyright; and Matt Lewis rounded up the right's responses to Coulter at Homocon. 

The Internet may be dead but Reihan glimpsed a future of coordinated clothing and devices. Buses got a boost, and another wordy wonder here. Tracy Clark-Flory asked if sex is a fundamental right (for a disabled man on the taxpayers' dime) and Jonah taught us popularity leads to power and then power leads to some unpopular tendencies. A cop threatened rape, unemployment ticked up; librarians fought back over tenure and made this reader's day. Quotes for the day here and here, charts of the day here and here, cool ad watch here, MHB here, Yglesias award here, VFYW here,and FOTD here.

Readers let the dogs out over Cesar Millan; we guessed over dog or sex toys; and this butterfly was very, very lucky.

Wednesday on the Dish, on the Mosque front, Conor weighed in on assimilation and intolerance, Balko tracked the success of Muslims in America, Will Wilkinson disagreed about the intentions of the GOP, and Imam Rauf engaged with the other side. We grappled with Holocaust analogies, disparaged hawkers of 9/11 porn, remembered the Dubai Ports controversy, and Peter Feaver begged us all to focus on the floods in Pakistan.

Pat Tillman's story kept an R rating because of his last words, China developed a "Spider Man complex," and Yglesias debated amateur barbers. Patrick rallied with a reader over the dissent of the day; Conor countered the cult of the presidency, and we got your read on middle class privileges. Conor defended talk radio listeners here and here and Sugrue, in for TNC, reinvigorated the race and education thread. Your Yglesias award nominee here, Malkin award nominees here and here, quote for the day here, VFYW here, MHB here,and FOTD here.

Pirates ate turtles, commuting killed (kinda), North Korea twittered, and librarians were tenured.  We argued about burger prices across the country, health care jobs were growing, and even Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck were punished for getting too close to marriage equality, while the economic equalities of divorce remained crystal clear. 

We featured the last batch of first kisses, and this reader put Cesar Millan in the doghouse.

Irbid, Jordan, 6.38 am

Tuesday on the Dish, we asked how hallowed the ground around 9/11 really is. A reader questioned the automatic power given to 9/11 families, we assessed Imam Rauf and Mitt Romney; and Bernstein and Klein agreed the entire controversy doesn't matter. 

We looked deeper into the middle class milieu, argued about affirmative action, and the race debate kept reeling. Conor responded to Thomas Sowell on Obama overstepping his bounds by pointing out it has everything to do with war and nothing to do with illegal immigrants, and Eliot Abrams got the Atlantic pile-on for his comments on bombing Iran.

Conor appealed to Republican voters for substance instead of culture wars, Patrick asked who we trust, and Chris railed against CNN for giving airtime to Bryan "Ban All Mosques" Fischer. Kiera Butler responded to Dish readers about emails polluting the earth, hard times were harder for those susceptible to suicide, and convicts could walk the streets like Canadians, according to Graeme Wood. Palin's custody clause may be par for the course, circumcisions in the U.S. were on the decline, Matt Stopera compiled Maggie Gallagher's dumbest quotes, and the Great Zucchini was the subject of today's entry into the long form journalism Hall of Fame.

Ray Bradbury had enough of the Internets, there was more blowback on tenure from Beam, and the government gained license to steal. We collected the pot or profits debate, and this reader boiled 44 months of heavy use down to a likely cause: college. We marveled at the Depression in color, and awed at stories of your first kisses here and here. Cool ad watch here, FOTD here, VFYW here, MHB here, app of the day here, and the sailor who nailed the VFYW contest #11 here. 

Ta-Nehisi went to the woods, dogs made us better workers, and one reader informed us that TED can't be Harvard until it can get too drunk to undress itself.

By Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Monday on the Dish, Andrew was away, so we got to assess the fray. On the mosque, Halperin urged Republicans to avoid hubris; Reid crumpled; and Douthat, Bouie and Bernstein butted heads. Conor hit upon an apt analogy by imagining a Catholic prayer group scenario instead. There's a history of the entire controversy here; and Reihan on Ross and his own Muslim parents here.

Debbie Riddle pulled a Palin on Anderson Cooper; Palin pulled a Palin on Levi's custody agreement; and Levi talked to Kimmel.  Conor got excited over a Salon profile of the could-be-perfect 2012 Republican candidate who no Tea Partier has ever heard of, and Palin came in 4th in an early Iowa poll. Goldblog was asked to clarify "going nuclear;" Conor invited examples of when analysts have been wrong about their predictions before and Mexico's narco-censorship was on the rise.

Patrick responded to Bazelon on Prop 8; he picked at an America where even the rich claim to be middle class, and he pushed against Kleiman's 'grow your own' cannabis policy. Obama was grouped under the same TARP as Bush, and readers responsed to race, poverty, gangs and education in America here, here, here, and here.

Chris catalogued the current cultural imperialism of Facebook on the web, via French rap; and song lyric riddles went the way of Google maps. Creepy ad watch here, MHB mash-up here, FOTD here, and VFYW here. Hewitt award here, Moore award here, and Yglesias award here.

Conor was curious about your first kiss, goaded Obama on his global war on terror, and had his mind blown by this piece of long form journalism.

— Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Ezra stayed vigilant on Ross on Prop 8, Republicans stayed sociopathic, Britain followed our lead on civil marriage, and you can find a whole slew of Prop 8 legal reax and predictions here, here, here, here and here.

Lessig defended the left from Gibbs, the Gitmo farce continued, and we had more reactions to McWhorter on race and poverty here and here. We mined Bush's Cordoba connections, and feared Krauthammer's conflations of American Muslims with Al Qaeda. This reader lessened our guilt about email attachments, Jamelle Bouie and others begged to differ with Yglesias on the economic crisis for college grads, and Chait waxed poetic on Pete Wehner's unintentional poetry.

The Pope disappointed, prison rape proliferated, and we got a lesson on living in color photography. The Dish delved into a later withdrawal from Afghanistan and one reader's perspective of Iran's Green movement was vindicated.

San Francisco stole McDonald's toys from children, Congressman Gohmert invented "terror babies," and Kinsley almost changed his mind on Packer. VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and the coolest bike accessory you don't own here.

Ayn Rand ruled the playground, James Franco smoked the hot stoner celeb competition, and love conquered all in Iowa.

Thursday on the Dish, a majority of Americans supported gay marriage. Andrew responded to the poll, while readers snickered over the shape of the graph (and this one too). But Glenn Beck jumped on board, Rush Limbaugh honored the sanctity of marriage with his fourth, and Andrew replied to Ross on celibacy, monogamy, and the importance of integration, echoed by this reader's choice of home vs. security.

The base of the GOP was debased, a reader scoffed at the fight over the Mosque and over the confederate flag, and Liz Cheney made Bush look good. Andrew urged Obama to take the Tory line of attack; Damon Root justified the 14th amendment via supply and demand; and one reader contested that Bagram isn't that big. Islam-bashing didn't abate; immigrants were kidnapped; we debated torture, both at home and in Iran; and Dachau was once this idyllic field.

We heard kudos for TBD.com, learned what keeps poverty at bay, and readers responded to the unemployment chart of the day. The dream of libertarian parking reached San Francisco; Manning's suppressed sexual identity could have driven him to Wikileaks; and Mark Kleiman overhauled the war on drugs, but couldn't change the absurdity of this punishment. 

Pedestrian signs never looked so fun; a shirtless Conan stayed mysterious; and the bubble of Bush-era tax cuts were visualized here. Newborn pandas FOTD here, rural VFYW here, dogs wiping their bums MHB here, and creepy ad watch here. Yglesias nominee here and here, Moore award here, and Malkin nominee here. 

Email attachments polluted the earth, we pondered puppy mortality,and even monkeys grew tiny beards.

Wednesday on the Dish, Ross embarked on a response to Prop 8 (the Dish's is forthcoming), which Andrew addressed from behind enemy lines. Vaughn Walker may not be gay; the case's video and document evidence went public; Newt lived a double life; and two countries with legalized gay marriage now straddle the U.S.

Andrew looked again at the pain of war, at the evil of the Taliban, and at what it is to suffer alone, while this reader took a different road.

On the Cordoba Mosque, Hitch mustered outrage, Pamela Geller bullied the MTA, and Chris Mohney took the absurdity of it all and ran with it. The recession was kinder to college graduates; Leonhardt's insights reverberated around the web; and Nate Silver suggested a tax on the super rich. We dished on the Gibbs/ Left fiasco, readers defended lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court, and police ducked cameras.

Kristol spawned a spawn of a spawn named Ben Quayle, the worst of the oil spill may be yet to come, and the insanity of immigration reform has just begun. We caught the scariest storm in Helsinki ever here, snacks hidden in beards here, prospects for Hillary in 2012 here, and the delusions of a Palinite blogger here. FOTD here, VFYW here, and a simply stunning MHB here.

Facebook stayed juvenile, black teenagers dominated Twitter, and we apologized to every Jewish kid out there who wants to be Lebron.

Tuesday on the Dish, Fox News' Mr Gutfeld promised Cordoba Mosque a new neighbor– a gay bar that Andrew named this. Ben Smith gathered the 2012 candidate reactions to the Mosque, Gawker rocked out to the worst Anti-Manhattan Mosque anthem, and Andrew feared for the worst.

A top cadet at West Point resigned over DADT; blowback on Ross' column continued; and Andrew and a reader agreed: names mean something, and sometimes they mean more than politics. Asian-Americans outmarried, a Florida candidate offended, and we debated tax cuts, the budget and accountability here, here, and here. Gates whittled the military down but images of maimed Afghan children reminded us of the moral dilemma we're in. On the ground, Spencer Ackerman doesn't think we're leaving anytime soon.

For your philosophy fix, Andrew sketched the Oakeshott-Strauss divide between modernity and a past that will never return, and reconciled how he can support Reagan in the 1980s and Obama today.

Andrew's Bravo debut ended up on the cutting room floor, but he rejoiced over this kind of reader email. Other readers waxed realistic about weddings, your FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here and contest #10 winner here.

And of course, we dissected the Palin eye-roll. Our readers reamed her, we discovered the not-so drag queen theater teacher only directed Hedwig, and Conservatives4Palin.com admitted words don't mean anything, anyways. She might be allowed to go fishing, though.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew reached for dignity amidst the divine, in response to Ross on Prop 8. The war over the Cordoba Mosque ignited, with repercussions for the ADL, and hypocrisy from the Wiesenthal Center, while freedom continued to reign quietly at the Pentagon. Beinart missed Bush while Goldblog's open letter urged him to step up, a new study showed mosques deter terrorism and even Thomas Jefferson weighed in from the grave.

Nate Silver joined the pile-on of Paul Ryan, with more sparring from all sides. Angle failed on civil rights, and Fox News finally featured a real conservative on the program, Ted Olson. Cantor got owned on accounting, readers reacted to Ariely's medical labels, and we remembered Nagasaki. The Iraq fiasco continued; the settlements unsettled Andrew; we peered into the government pensions; and the gulf got hit again.

Palin was gone fishing, but one Alaskan teacher wouldn't let her off the hook, neither would readers.Che graphics got the boot, Maggie got the Malkin award, Wikileaks went through the wringer, and Rand Paul worshipped Aqua Buddha with bong hits.

Humans beat computers; the web beat television, and Basil Marceaux beat the internet. The history of tipping here, the rationale of first impressions here, brain-eating discourses here. VFYW here, MHB here, FOTD here, and Nigeria and Cameroon bonded over beer.

— Z.P.

Today on the Dish, Kerr kept at the ruling on Prop 8, with Andrew at his heels, and one reader dissented with Walker's use of history. Rowe glimpsed the SCOTUS future, Kilgore flagged an ad fueled by Prop 8, and Ruth met Jerry. 

Andrew got mugged by the reality of war; and Kristol's chutzpah didn't help. Arab confidence in Obama was collapsing, which may not be a bad thing, while Daniel Levy looked closer at piecemeal peace in the Middle East. Blumenthal plumbed the polls on tax cuts, Drum and Drezner graded Obama on trade and Leonhardt and Megan assessed unemployment.

Scott Morgan pitted thugs against pot; the gas tax argument got some fuel, Pawlenty cribbed Palin, and Serwer picked apart the rhetorical device of "decent Muslims." Cowen put an ear on Wyclef Jean's plans to run as Haiti's president, Mark Thompson and Joyner defended the dogs, and the beard base began to grow. Noah's Ark got a second chance, famous men retired to their man caves, and Anderson interviewed a different looking Hitch. While Dreher regretted regrets, Andrew argued they're the flipside of freedom, and opted for both. Kanye got cartoonish, McSweeney's remade the proverbs, and Colbert attempted to kill gay marriage for good…by falling in love.

Tough FOTD here, soothing VFYW here, and psychedelic screwnicorns for your Friday MHB here.

Palos Verdes, California, 9.30 am

Thursday on the Dish, we parsed Prop 8. Andrew chose conviction, Allahpundit prickled, Kerr downplayed, and Boaz blew Hinderaker out of the water. Obama disappointed; Drum doubted; and Drudge played dirty. There was wonder over Judge Walker, calculations for Justice Kennedy, and predictions for the Supreme Court in toto. Your thoughts, both personal and legal, here.

On the nation, Andrew attacked the tax cuts; in legislative accounting, Frum pushed Packer and Douthat joined in. Exum stood up for the Mosque on 1st amendment grounds, TNC and Kain volleyed on abortion and slavery, and the audacity of Breitbart's cadre continued.

Wikileaks won't go the way of Napster; Ignatius and Andrew weighed in on Iran sanctions. Goldberg and Walt assessed risk for Lebanon and Israel, while one congresswoman learned the AIPAC lesson the hard way, and Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation seemed farther away than ever.

Dogs needed defense, and humans did too. Clive Thompson forgot the phone; art went postal; Basil Marceau went viral. Prisoners aged and pseudo-Palin got zombified, while Gingrich edged closer. Bristol's feminism took a turn towards Todd, in the world according to Cottle.  VFY Budapest Window here, MHB here, and FOTD here. D.C.'s Real Housewives got the hate and Paul Rudd had the hair.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Wednesday on the Dish, Prop 8 was struck down. Judge Walker's eloquent opinion here; Arendt's timeless truth here. Andrew glimpsed hope. Ambinder laid down the facts, and Schwarzenegger followed Cameron's lead. The full reax here, and readers responses here and here and here.

Conservatism floundered in the face of the Mosque; some even missed Bush. Bloomberg took the high road; the National Review took the low road, and Chait and Andrew Sprung showed Dan Senor where to shove it.

Fiscal fraudulence still plagued the GOP, and bicycles were their new worst enemy. Colbert busted Ingraham; Andrew blasted the doctors behind torture. Congress cowered and Angle elevated fears of Palin 2012.

Douthat and Andrew found their fiscal cup of tea, and with the help of Christopher Preble addressed the elephant in the room, defense spending. Time's Cover kept kicking up dust, the Wikileaks war remained on the radar, and another round of Manzi vs. Kleinman here. On race, McWhorter scoffed, TNC ignited and E.D. Kain simmered.

Hitchens healed with humor. Bristol and Levi split; Arianna put Palin on the couch and Slate uncovered her Facebook farce. Weigel blamed the media, Andrew feared for our future. Madame Governor campaigned;  Iceland creatively gamed. VFYW here; True Colors MHB here, FOTD here. America quickened its descent, and you know it's bad when Canada wins.

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew and Joe Klein tallied up the costs of neoconservatism; a commenter at TPM nailed the Tea Party, and Andrew's hopes for one Republican congressman were bolstered by Ezra Klein. A terror rethink surfaced on the right, courtesy of Gene Healy and Jim Harper, and Frum called a Medicare spade a spade. 

On the fiscal front Andrew differed with Douthat; and Anne Applebaum demanded honesty on the right. Andrew joined Joyner in being embarrassed by some conservatives, but not by being one. He remained incredulous at Sharron Angle's Palinization of the press. 

Andrew shed light on the bigger picture for the Cordoba Mosque, with more Mosque parsing from Goldblog and Lieberman here. Insightful burqa reversal here. Misdirected honor killing here. And E.D. Kain reproached Anne Rice for quitting Christianity here.

Voter enthusiasm was a summer bummer. Prop 8 passed because of this ad, and this budding politician barebacked on Twitter. Mark Thompson paused to digest Thiessen on WikiLeaks — whereas Scherer openly rebutted him. The Newsweek ship weathered more rough waters, but marijuana might be going mainstream.

Slate got stoned. Twitter got its 20th billion tweet. Sanchez criticized the administration's digital power grab, Andrew dissed wonkery, and science bloggers got wrapped up in a war of their own. A nugget of Indian philosophy and faith here. TNC's insights into marriage, be they interracial or gay, here. And more Living Will reader emails led Andrew to bemoan a no-win situation.

Ever-industrious Dish readers pinpointed the VFYW contest #9 here, and then connected the place to Kevin Bacon in 3 steps. Malkin Award here, MHB here and E.D. Kain's response to Dish readers on abortion here. Hollywood finally went viral; and the Dish fell for the historical beard infographic. Prescriptions for preschool continued and this guy drank beer and vomited his way through a half-marathon.

 

Monday on the Dish Andrew used David Stockman's op-ed to jab the GOP for fiscal irresponsibility and outed Mike Pense as a fiscal fraud. James Antle III took a hard look at the Republican party and declared it unready to take back the majority. In international coverage, Frum gave China its due, Argentinians got hitched, Drezner watched Israelis head to the beach, some Palestinian children tagged along, and David Cameron addressed the gay community. Obama is zero for four on foreign policy thus far. 

Time's cover continued to provoke strong feelings about the war in Afghanistan; a slew of readers begged the US to call it quits, but a Marine made the humanitarian case for staying. Mankiw compared the importance of teachers to that of parents, and Jonah Lehrer celebrated preschool. A reader criticized Andrew's coverage of the Mel Gibson affair. Others shared their experiences with living wills and dying relatives. Shiny rocks are not the biggest problem in Congo.

Andrew echoed a yawn over the NPR and Fox News White House seating fight while Douthat and Yglesias debated Breitbart's whiffing it. Giuliani parroted the Palin line on the NYC mosque, as did Seth Lipsky. Peter Beinart called out the ADL. Andy McCarthy painted American Muslims as the new Reds while Marc Theissen advocated crushing Wikileaks – the sovereignty of our allies be damned. Julian Sanchez wanted to bring sunlight to the dark side.

Abortion is not like slavery. The unemployed may be organizing. The Christian Science Monitor brought us the latest in monkey annoyance research . Antoine Dodson went from the local news to autotune superstar in a matter of hours. Pot sounds an awful lot like an Intel Processor.  Doonsbury toyed with Palin. Rainer Maria Rilke slowed down to meditate on the sweetness of life. And here is the ugliest coat hanger of all time.

–Z.P

Today on the Dish, Andrew lauded Obama's historic efforts, recommended a new book on neoconservatives, and kept defending himself against smears. The blogosphere reacted to new GDP numbers. Allahpundit assessed the unsettling Time cover on Afghanistan, Ackerman relayed some surprising polling on drones, and Greenwald chided war supporters over Wikileaks. A distressing dispatch from Afghanistan here.

In Palin coverage, she found an ally in the ADL (commentary here), David Vitter ran with death panels, and Ruth Graham reviewed her upcoming biography. Wasilla gossip here. Pareene checked in on Huckabee and his new show. Insane Malkin award here.

Rauch analyzed the libertarian leaning of Independents and Posner knocked the WaPo series. More discussion of energy innovation here and here. Readers sized up the immigration unrest. Mel Gibson gossip here and here. Creepy ad here and a charming pro-pot cartoon here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Massa Martana, Italy, 12 pm

Thursday on the Dish, Congress encouraged war against Iran, the GOP continued to flail on fiscal issues, Cameron took on Pakistan, a reader explained the real reason behind his support for Turkey, and the Israeli army knocked down a Bedouin village. The oil spill didn't appear as bad as once thought.

Andrew sized up the midterm elections and tore into a WSJ op-ed on the fiscal crisis. Ambinder looked to November, Friedersdorf fingered the practical perils of partisanship, Josh Green backed Elizabeth Warren, Michael Singh cheered up Green Movement supporters, and Exum had some final thoughts on Wikileaks' latest.

Basil Marceaux campaign coverage here and here. Malkin award here. NOM watch here and here. "Death panels" had legs. Palin didn't appear to have them in New Hampshire. A Trig link here. 

Remaining mosque talk here and here. Another big installment of the energy innovation debate here. More on the affirmative action debate here and here. Andrew Hacker tackled tenure, Nate Silver pwned Mark Penn, and Balko finished off his debate on gambling.

The Dish eulogized cartoonist John Callahan. Circumcision comic superhero here. More Who-mania here and here. Startling celebrity sex quote here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew followed up on his neoconservative pitch for Palestine, went toe-to-toe with Frum over Turkey, dropped his jaw at Bush's profligacy abroad, sounded off on energy reform, added to a discussion on government inertia, and defended his provocative record. A new paper appeared to prove that the administration prevented a depression. Oil spill update here.

More coverage of the crusade against mosques here, here, and here. Neocon spluttering over Turkey here and here. Yglesias awards here and Hewitt here. Ambinder wasn't convinced of Palin's impact in New Hampshire and Democrats prayed for her nomination (a related post here). Chuck Todd blasted Journo-list and Reihan clarified his take. O'Reilly appeared more pro-gay than Obama. Wyclef Jean contemplated a presidential run. California cannabis update here. 

Readers gushed over Doctor Who, others carried on the conversation over affirmative action, and another gave advice to the unemployed. Email of the day here and runner-up here.

Andrew outed the Vatican and took the gay-pope bait. Christianism alert here and Christian hathos here. Colbert bait here, Stewart goatee here, and beardicide here. Foodie porn here and a nod to Futurama here.  MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. A great follow up to the window contest here.

By Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday on the Dish, Cameron had stern words for Israel, Bagehot found him tone deaf, Larison joined the debate over the country's usefulness for the US, and Roger Cohen reminded us about the American who was killed on the flotilla. Optimistic Iran update here. And things looked up for Obama.

More Wikileaks coverage here, here, and here. Gingrich got scarier. Christianism alert here. Elizabeth Warren commentary here and here. Andrew called out the neocons over a Palestinian state, took a hard look at the US budget crisis, and qualified his criticism of Journo-list. Mickey Kaus got in a good punch against the list-serv and Jonathan Strong gave due credit to Ezra.

In Palin coverage, Mudflats searched for her accomplishments for Alaska since leaving office, Nyhan compared her favorables to Clinton's, and a reader noted her self-promotion over Track's service. Her endorsement of a New Hampshire Grizzly backfired and she hit the campaign trail with Christ. Trig clarification here.

In assorted commentary, Leonhardt engaged Douthat over energy innovation, Bernstein eulogized cap and trade, Ryan Avent and Greg Mankiw were skeptical about the stimulus, and Chait loved to hate on the Weekly Standard. Readers continued to chat about affirmative action, another shared her recession view, and another dissented over characterizing soldiers sent to war.

Joe the Plumber sighting here, browser porn here, and another dose of slow lighting here. A special MHB here, a timeless VFYW here, and a surreal FOTD here. This week's window contest was another good one.

Monday on the Dish we rounded up reaction to the latest Wikileaks leak. Andrew's take here. He also ripped into Journo-list for its Trig talk (a reader poured salt), wrung his hands over epistemic closure, and continued to confront anti-Semitic smears.

ABC finally released the full transcripts of her 2008 interviews. More Palin coverage here and here. The backlash against Lindsey Graham got scary. "Torture" watch here and here.

Creepy ad here. Slow lightning here, unoriginal lyrics here, ugly animals here, guy stuff here, and the definitive case against monogamy here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

— C.B.