Category: The Daily Wrap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

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

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

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

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

Anchorage, Alaska, 11.41 pm

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

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

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

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

— C.B.

Today on the Dish we assembled analysis on the DOMA ruling and added Andrew Koppelman's clarifying point. David Boies reflected on the Prop 8 trial and the Vatican kept digging a hole. A big roundup of Palin '12 speculation here; Andrew thinks she's unstoppable. Josh Green started to come around to that possibility. A reader planned to pull a Rip Van Winkle while another called out her record on killing grizzly bears.

Andrew laid into neoconservatives over their failures in the Middle East, detailed his views on journalistic decorum, and reiterated his conservative case for extending marriage rights. The WSJ starts to catch on to that conservative view. Joel Wing briefed us on troop withdrawal in Iraq, Golblog interviewed the UAE ambassador, Governor Lingle played the incest card, and the song "Down's Syndrome Girl" was up for an Emmy. Legalization update here.

In assorted commentary, Bacevich got backlash over calling Obama amoral, Jonah Lehrer jumped aboard the soda tax, Andrew Leonardyes explained the vicious cycle of AC and global warming, and Kerry Howley covered cryogenics. A few readers chimed in on the latest HIV news and another opened up about open marriage.

The double rainbow dude is so hot right now. A heartwarming beagle video here and MSM lampooning here. Christianist watch here and particularly crazy Hewitt Award here. Cool ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Thursday on the Dish, a longtime CNN journalist, Octavia Nasr, was canned for a controversial tweet. Juan Cole pointed his finger at the Israel Lobby, Stephen Walt also sided with Nasr, Greenwald asked if any reporters have been fired for anti-Arab/Muslim sentiment, and David Carr was on edge. A federal judge ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act. More great news on HIV treatment and some bad news out of Iraq.

In Palin news, she launched her first campaign ad, GOP insiders loved it, and readers observed a lack of ethnic appearances. Doug Mataconis explained how potentially new primary rules could hurt her chances with the nomination, Andrew highlighted her intransigence on defense spending, a reader tore into her special needs record, and Gail Collins noted the creepiness of Levi and Bristol's latest statements.

Andrew went after WaPo for its use of "torture" and showed the consequences of newspapers not calling it like it is. He also sided with Coulter over Steele's comments. Andy Bacevich leveled a serious charge at Obama, James Gibney made the case for ending aid to Egypt and Israel, Yglesias preferred to cut Medicare over Social Security, Reihan tackled sugar taxes, and readers broached sugar subsidies. 

Dan Savage joined the monogamy debate, Stephanie Mencimer checked in on NOM, Lindy West told us WTF is up with Gallagher, Dana McCourt commented on why Americans don't watch the World Cup, and a reader had a deep thought about AC. Hathos here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Wednesday on the Dish, the Iranian government was set to stone a woman to death, the Uganda beheading turned out to be a hoax, the Hawaiian governor vetoed civil unions, the Louisiana governor called for guns in churches, and raising the retirement age looked more likely. Andrew and Beinart felt that the president further caved to the Israeli prime minister, Andrew confronted Chait over the gulf between Congress and the American public on Israel, and the US inroads into Arab PR continued to falter.

In Palinland, Andrew scratched his head over Levi's sudden about-face, Chris Good explained why it matters, Mercede couldn't understand why her brother would turn on her, and a reader figured it was all part of a custody battle. Hasidic women were crazy for Palin's hairdo, Steve Kornacki took a turn at her chances in '12, readers added on, and Dana McCourt was sick of all the Trig talk.

Andrew circled back to the NYT's application of "torture," called out the AP for the same, examined the evolution of public perception on torture, and mounted a defense of AC. Bernstein and Wheeler jumped on the public perception thread while TNC piled on the NYT.  Ambers and Kaplan savaged Romney on his foreign policy and others joined in. Wehner had some wise words on the Steele debacle, Adam Serwer pointed out that more deportations are occurring under Obama than Bush, Frum questioned social mobility, Terry Tamminen proposed taxing carbon on a state-by-state basis, and Robert Wright saw humans as a global superorganism.

A particularly foul Hewitt Award here. Yglesias here. Mad Men fodder here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. The latest winner of the window contest here.

Ithaca, New York, 12 pm

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew sided with Steele against Obama's war in Afghanistan and spotlighted the extremely small number of enemies there. The president was already beating Bush on the budget and his healthcare bill was growing in popularity. Cameron stood tall against torture and the mayor of London stood up for marriage equality. A gay man was slaughtered in Uganda.

In economic coverage, Hale Stewart showed how the recession has been good to business owners, Brad DeLong pushed for another stimulus, Adam Ozimek weighed the pros and cons, and Howard Gleckman took a turn at the question of unemployment benefits and laziness. Josh Green explained how pot propositions help Democrats on the ballot. Thiessen posed as a tea-partier, Larison voted nay on a Palin nomination, and NRO nominated her for RNC chair. Another big dose of Trig talk here.

Looking abroad, the American public continued to diverge with Israelis over the flotilla, Beinart went to bat for Karl Eikenberry and gave a pep talk to Obama on Israeli discontent, settlers tightened the screws on Bibi, Andrew highlighted how US taxpayers fund the settlements, and the IDF got down to Ke$ha.

In media coverage, new details emerged over Weigel-gate, Chris Beam profiled a humble David Brooks, Chait offered his take, Greenwald defended Nazi comparisons, Howard Kurtz outed personal emails again, and Prince proclaimed the end of the Internet. Readers wondered whether to pray for an atheist and sounded off on the evolutionary case against monogamy. Hilarious tech video here and a funny video on "faggots" here.  MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Michael Steele let slip his biggest blunder yet, Kristol flipped out, Greenwald slammed the DNC for its Rovian response, and Larison and Frum sounded off. Econ bloggers chewed over the latest job numbers, Barlett somewhat sided with Krugman, Yglesias pushed for lifting the Social Security cap, Pew provided data on how the recession is affecting us, and Alex Hart looked at whether collecting unemployment makes people lazy.

Marcy Wheeler countered the NYT's defense of its torture policy and Greg Sargent took a swipe at the paper. WaPo FAIL here. Deborah Newell Tornello sketched out a sexist double standard in Palin coverage, Josh Green analyzed her latest numbers, and Trig talk caught on. Andrew pegged tea-partiers as secular fundamentalists.

In assorted commentary, Bob Wright pondered withdrawal from Afghanistan, Annalee Newitz predicted a rise in male nannies, Jessica Dweck delved into the decline of fag hags, Chris Orr eulogized M. Night Shyamalan's career, and Andrew wondered whether people should pray for Hitchens. Readers pushed back against another who complained about taxing the rich, others swarmed Thiessen for slamming soccer as socialist, and still others chimed in regarding gay eugenics.

Malkin Award here. Kickass cat video here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Thursday on the Dish, Garrett Epps relayed Kagan's response to marriage equality, Adam Serwer picked up on her philosophy, and Bernstein wasn't so sure. Andrew asked if the Israeli-Palestinian relationship was apartheid and aimed both barrels at the NYT over torture. Greenwald piled on.

Sharron Angle finally talked to the media – about church-state separation – while a Tumblr transposed her and other Christianists' words with Christ. Palin-Johnston spat here. More Trig discussion here and here. More Palin here. Andrew returned fire to Breitbart and shared his thoughts Hitch's diagnosis

Frum grasped for an approach to a double-dip recession, Leonhardt stayed positive on the bad job numbers, and Rory Stewart remained gloomy over Afghanistan. Drum wanted to nudge Social Security into solvency, Free Exchange was afraid of soaking the rich, Allahpundit predicted Obama's cooperation with Republicans, and a reader dissented over Andrew's support of lifting the cap. Alan Simpson pointed out Reagan's multiple tax hikes.

Mark Liberman took down the "Obama is first female POTUS" meme and a reader helped. Dan Zak glimpsed at the end of gay history and Alyssa Rosenberg looked forward the new Jersey Shore. Readers added to the thread on in utero gay therapy and another defended porn. Malkin Awards here and here. More dog love here. Tumblr fun here and a dose of Simpsons here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

(Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty)

Wednesday on the Dish, Kagan yucked it up with Senators, punted on the Twilight question, and went back on her word. The British government moved on torture, a new study proved that the NYT rarely used the term with the US, and the first hurricane seemed to do some good in the Gulf. Andrew challenged Breitbart on his offer to pay $100K for Journolist.

Prop 8 update here. Drug War coverage here and here, and police state watch here. A reader didn't buy the Palin clone's shtick. More on Palin here and here. More Trig talk here, here, and here. The Stranger and Jim Burroway looked at efforts to change sexuality in utero.

Frum addressed his apostasy, Bob Bennett scrutinized his own side, and Continetti criticized Beck. Noah Millman went another round on Afghanistan, McArdle countered Dylan Matthews on Social Security, Dana Goldstein put the conflict mineral trade under the microscope, and Gene Demby noted the end of rubber rooms. A reader demanded evidence showing that porn is detrimental and another critiqued the MSM. Cup coverage here and here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Tuesday on the Dish, Palin shut out even conservative bloggers, Sharron Angle tried to hide her real views on abortion, and the Palin campaign model metastasized. Taibbi pwned Lara Logan, Pareene called out an LA Times blogger, a CNN reporter chose access over reporting, and a reader nailed the insecurity of MSM reporters. Friedersdorf wanted to drop the topic of Trig, readers disagreed, and Bernstein went another round. Douthat defended himself on Afghanistan. Empire watch here.

In Cup coverage, Dayo Olopade saw a surge in pan-African pride. More soccer fodder here, here, and here. The Economist examined the blackmailing of journalists' opinions, Fallows explored the end of privacy, a reader wondered why anyone trusts the secrecy of email, and Greg Marx explained the necessary intimacy of blogging. John Hawkins didn't think Frum was sufficiently conservative and Frum replied.

In other commentary, Gail Dines baited Douthat with porn, Tony Woodlief praised parenting, Free Exchange suggested that the gays could make better parents, and Dylan Matthews balanced Social Security. Hewitt Award here, a recession view here, and a glimpse at guerrilla gardening here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. The latest Window View winner here.

Bali, Indonesia, 7 am

Monday on the Dish, Andrew spoke ill of Senator Byrd, readers dissented en masse, and Nick Gillespie pushed back. Due credit to Byrd on the Iraq war here. Andrew fisked Douthat over reasons to stay in Afghanistan, called out Cantor on the deficit, and commented further on the Weigel-WaPo row. Dave spoke out. Dissension in the Vatican here. Get your Palin fix here and a huge dose of Trig-gate here.

The nationalism of the World Cup explored here, here, and here. More Cup coverage here, here, and here. The blogosphere slowed down and the iPhone's phone continued to falter.

In assorted commentary, Kristol hearted Obama on Afghanistan, George Will invoked Vietnam, Joel Wing checked in on Iraq oil, Marc Lynch addressed the Islamic threat, and Beinart looked past the Tea Party to see the government's success. Laura Freschi tackled the source of food aid, Hale Stewart worried about housing, and Greg Beato was barraged by ads. Robert Stacy McCain had some wise words on the stigmatizing of reporting by conservatives, TNC talked journalist discourse, and Politico accidentally spoke the truth on access. A reader compared McChrystal and Barry Bonds and another called out conservatives who demonize libertarians.

Hewitt Award here and Malkin here. Hathos here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Andrew punted on the female orgasm.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Andrew laid into the MSM for missing the McChrystal story. Freelancer Michael Hastings and Jon Stewart did the same. Andrew also clarified his point about the indefinite occupation of Afghanistan and a reader got his back. Additional Afghan coverage here, here, and here.

In other media news, Weigel was outed by someone on JournoList and summarily ousted from the WaPo. Julian Sanchez and Phil Klein came to his defense. Goldblog went on the offensive and soon retreated, but not before Friedersdorf pushed back. Klein killed JournoList. In other news, the globe warmed at a worrying rate, a dude on the beach chronicled the tar balls, Van Susteren caved to McCain, and more of Palin's dirty work surfaced. She also saw the president as Hitler.

In assorted commentary, Geoffrey Aronson looked back at the punishment of Gazans, Daniel Berman penned a postmortem on the Australian PM, Bruce Bartlett missed H.W. on deficits, Kinsley vented, and Felix Salmon questioned parking space. A reader sounded off on South Park machismo and another defended soldiers on the same.

Our continuing coverage of animal masturbation here. Malkin Awards here and here. Colbert bait here and hilariously creepy ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Andrew wrote a Valentine to Dish readers.

(Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew continued to wring his hands over the post-McChrystal situation in Afghanistan. He also sparred with a dissenting reader. More analysis from Fred Kaplan, Reihan, and two readers in the military. In other news, police raided an archbishop's home, polls showed that the American public is divided over the flotilla, KIPP charter schools saw some success, and Conan got the last laugh. Team USA update here and coverage of the North Koreans here, here, and here.

In assorted commentary, Josh Green found that Americans actually want an angry black man to lead, Dylan Matthews assailed agricultural subsidies, Tom Schaller laid out the demographic crisis for the GOP, Karl Smith added on, Mark Oppenheimer opined on debate team, and Drezner dreamed of zombies. Zach Anner made a push to become the first major host with palsy. A reader contributed a recession view, another shared a story about real-life Team America, and another talked Marty McFly and hoverboards.

Bristol earned some hathos here, gay/guido coverage here, and beard-blogging here. More viral vids here and here. An especially good MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. And what everyone was surely waiting for: an update on animal masturbation.

Wednesday on the Dish, the president removed General McChrystal but not COIN. Reax here. Andrew's take here. Pre-announcement analysis here, here, here, here, and here. Beinart examined the MacArthur analogy. The Rolling Stone reporter responsible for it all shared the secret of his craft.

In other news, Australia selected its first female PM, the Bartonites dug in, and we provided polling on Obama here, here, and here. Team America kicked ass at the last minute to keep the dream alive. Other Cup coverage here and here.

In assorted commentary, three bloggers from the Dish stable debated the power of the presidency, DiA doubted that citizens change their minds based on reason, Bernstein didn't relent over criticizing tea-partiers, and Balko kept up his campaign against canine-killing cops. Vaughan Bell relayed some fascinating trends among the divorced, Bundled showed how much we spend on gas, Jonah Lehrer explained why computers suck at Jeopardy!, Drum joined the discussion on kid flicks, and Andrew overshared over animal masturbation. A reader watched a goat get off, others extended the public execution thread, and another sent in a stirring video of dancing with cancer.

Derbyshire served up some more racism while Steyn contributed some cant. MSM bashing here and here, great acts of journalism here, and dissent of the day here. Recession views here. Colbert bait here and badass Palin bait here. More ex-gay hilarity here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

(Barbara Sax/AFP/Getty Images)

Tuesday on the Dish, General McChrystal's comments created a firestorm in the blogosphere. Even Kristol felt he should resign. Andrew's take here and here. Stephen Biddle looked on the bright side of Afghanistan and the Texas GOP went off the deep end. BP took its PR to Twitter, the Big Picture took stock of the spill, and another worst case scenario emerged. We chronicled another odd lie.

In assorted coverage, Saletan studied the blood ban for gays, Adam Serwer antagonized the GOP over Faisal Shahzad's guilty plea, Plumer preferred climate change legislation over EPA intervention, Chris Good looked ahead on Prop 8, Steinglass suggested decriminalization over legalization, and Friedersdorf praised Continetti for having the courage to say that Roosevelt wasn't a fascist dictator.

In other commentary, Jonah Lehrer disagreed with Clay Shirky over cultural consumption, Steven Zeitchik noted a surge of kid movies, a Dish reader cheered them on, and cancer survivor Ananda Shankar Jayant shared her love for dancing. Readers continued the discussion on public executions and others contributed to the fall of the fourth estate. Seth Masket wondered why the right hates soccer. Incredible goal here.

Von Hoffman award here and cool ad here. Ex-gay hathos here, Haggard's tweets here, and Colbert bait here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. The latest winner of the VFYW contest here.

Monday on the Dish, we passed along BP's latest duplicity on the extent of the leak, processed the easing of the Gaza blockade, spotlighted the latest evils to emerge over Maciel, and blogged the tweeting of an execution in Utah. The new coalition in Britain laid out its views on gay equality while Kagan stiffed gay rights. A view of the violence in Afghanistan here.

BP also burned turtles alive. Michael Barone backed Barton and Reihan did as well (but soon followed up). Crist could be coming back from the political dead because of "Drill Baby Drill". Palin wanted to pray the leak away.

Chait pushed for the EPA to bypass Congress on climate change and worried about Sharron Angle. Frum predicted that the Tea Pary will lose the GOP seats, Ariel Levy put her money on Huckabee in '12, and Larison poured cold water on Palin's chances. Kinsley criticized Krugman over the debt. Friedersdorf blegged over what could replace local newspapers and a reader responded.

In other commentary, Steven Berlin Johnson critiqued Nick Carr's new book, Evgeny Morozov went toe-to-toe with Clay Shirky over his new book, Shirky sounded off on the publishing industry, Wilkinson countered Bryan Caplan over having lots of kids, and Dreher felt sorry for child geniuses.

World Cup crack here and here. Uber pwnage of a politician here, delicious unicorns here, and Bieber-looking lesbian coverage here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Andrew gave Hildog some love.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, the GOP establishment began to back Barton's comments, Joyner challenged Andrew over the BP "shakedown," and Frum wrung his hands. A local reporter in Nevada put the heat on Sharron Angle, readers cheered him on, and another dissented. Another good sign of journalism in Ann Arbor. Readers piled on Palin's attempt to meet with Margaret Thatcher. More Palin crack here, here, and here.

In other coverage, Josh Levin despaired down in the Gulf, Andrew sighed over the slipping of Arab sentiment towards Obama, and NRO noted Etheridge's past violence. A small sign of racial progress here. Stewart Brand previewed cold fusion power, Keith Hennesy didn't like "fossil fuels," Steven Taylor knocked "oil addiction," Free Exchange looked at carbon taxing in the UK, Bagehot was bullish on the new British government, Business Week spotlighted some good governance in the US, DiA countered Yglesias over gerrymandering, and Ambinder predicted a GOP mellowing by 2012.

In assorted commentary, Steyn dug in over honor killings, Friedersdorf dug deeper, Glenn Reynolds flipped out over the Internet flip switch, Seth Godin eulogized "The Office," and Chris Orr hearted Pixar. Dish readers sent in some fantastic links, others continued the thread over soccer in the US, another wrapped it up, others closed out the discussion over Gaga, and another fleshed out the news over "Fox News North."

A Derbyshire classic here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

(Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew took a long look at Obama's competence in the face of the media and partisan critics on both sides. Amen from a reader. Boehner distanced himself from Barton's "shakedown" comments while NRO backed the charge. The employment forecast didn't look good. More on Britain's war crimes here. Palin blurred the truth again, Julian Sanchez addressed her views on pot, readers piled on her O'Reilly appearance, and E.D. cheered the Dish's efforts.

In other coverage, Tom Gross collected cartoons of anti-Israel ugliness, Diego Valle Jones illustrated the resurgence of drug killings in Mexico, Pareene profiled Canada's version of Fox News, Bruce Bawer was hounded for his "hate speech" about Islam, and Liz Mair exposed FGM at Cornell. Female Viagra fell flat and Eminem stood up for the gays. World Cup crack here.

In assorted commentary, Joe Klein was bummed about Afghanistan, Josh Green challenged Obama on defense spending, John Michael Greer tackled tea-partiers and peak oil, Lee Harris defended the partiers, Friedersdorf called out Steyn for his epistemic closure, Bernstein marveled at McCarthy, and Dan Ariely shared some insight on email. Tara Parker-Pope showed how marriage and children are increasingly decoupled and Andrew offered his take on the institution.

A reader served up a creepy ad, another added to the celebrity thread, others broadened the recognition of gay rights pioneers, others continued the discussion of soccer in the US, and others gave feedback on the window contest. Ralph Maccio made his comeback, Comic Sans put the smack down, and Gaga emulated another pop group. Great videos of bears (the literal kind) here and here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. 

Wednesday on the Dish we covered the president's big Gulf speech. Larger reax here, a reader reaction here, and the Oil Drum explained why the gusher is growing. Netanyahu budged a bit on the Gaza blockade. Closing coverage of the Prop 8 trial here and here. Andrew lauded the forefather of the gay rights movement, James Risen lashed out at bloggers, Drum diagnosed the Tea Party, and a reader dissented over Andrew's diagnosis.

In Palin coverage, O'Reilly put some heat on her, a reader shrugged, Patt Morrison was outraged over her attempt to exploit Thatcher, and Scott Morgan gave her props over pot tolerance. Tons of Wasilla gossip here and here.

In Cup coverage, Drezner wondered when the US will seize upon soccer and Yglesias responded. Get your vuvuzela fix here and here. Senior citizen prognosticating here and here. People were flooding into Texas. In assorted commentary, Tim Kowal cornered op-ed writers on the Middle East, Jay Rosin put the press corps under a microscope, Cameron Abadi looked at Neda's doppelganger, Yglesias defended gerrymandering, and Robin Hanson talked celebrities and evolution.

Gaga is still no Madonna. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Bab Az-Zahra, East Jerusalem, 12 pm

Tuesday on the Dish, Britain finally owned up to the war crimes of Bloody Sunday, GQ provided a harrowing account of the oil rig disaster, Tom Philpott shone a light on the use of chemical dispersants, and the St. Petersburg Times exposed the latest creepiness of Scientology. Andrew took a long look at the nature of the Tea Party.

In Iran coverage, Juan Cole kept faith with the Greens, Andrew did as well, and Joe Klein joined in. Greg Scoblete and Kevin Sullivan tackled Kristol's argument for bombing Iran and Andrew piled on. Iraq kept its title as the most dangerous country, Blackwater's big man could be getting away, and God smote a terrible sculpture. David Pollock looked at new polling out of Israel. World Cup coverage here and here.

In assorted commentary, Greenwald called for the arrest of Etheridge, Ezra Klein calculated the true cost of oil, Jonathan Bernstein addressed the deficit, and Edward Glaeser wanted to know what libertarians would have done about the Gulf disaster. Readers speculated on Trig-gate here and here, others sounded off on the Office of the Repealer, another pushed back against the idea of a terrorist watch list for guns, another continued the conversation on clocks and clouds, another reminesced about NYC, and another sent in some Fabio hathos.

Hewitt Awards here and here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Check out the winner of this week's VFYW contest here.

Monday on the Dish, bloggers reacted to Afghanistan's new bounty, Andrew offered a snap analysis, and Thomas Barnett's focused on the China connection. In Israel coverage, Schumer admitted his desire to punish Gazans, the Globe and Mail profiled the Knesset member present on the flotilla, Victor Davis Hanson suggested that Obama is anti-Semitic, and Andrew went another round with Chait.

In Palin coverage, she defended her wardrobe and told a pernicious lie about her hotness. Andrew challenged Lisa Miller over Sarah's cover story, Jay Nordlinger earned a Malkin over Trig, and we highlighted a bit of hathos. (Some South Carolina hathos here.)

Updates from Iran here and here. Kristol beat his war drum, a NC congressman went ballistic on an amateur reporter, Fiorina couldn't say sorry, Josh Green did so to Rand Paul, and McArdle got married.  Andrew discussed homophobia with Dan Savage while Apple succumbed to the ick factor. World Cup coverage here, here, here, here, here, and here.

In assorted commentary, Scott Horton sounded off on Dawn Johnsen's failed bid, Balko cheered Brownback's call for eliminating government programs, Beinart mulled over the media coverage of Afghanistan, Exum examined the argument that terrorists are idiots, Louis Klarevas worried about them getting guns, Greenwald argued that partisanship is breaking apart, Bartlett surveyed Republicans in favor of debt default, and Tara Parker-Pope assessed the value of pets.

Readers extended the thread on dead birds, another hailed the role of Twitter in Iran, and another criticized Jonah Lehrer's take on scientific truth. Creepy political ads here, a cool ad here, and another Malkin Award here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Iceland unanimously adopted gay marriage, we found a raft of new footage showing dead and imperiled Iranians, and a new video of the flotilla emerged as well. Andrew confronted Chait's latest take on Israel, responded to a reader invoking the trauma of terrorism, and talked about the president's management style with the spill. More on BP's criminality here and here (and a heap of BS here). Talk of a Gulf recovery act here and an ethanol bailout here.

In other news, the recession forecast looked excellent, the cannabis forecast looked good, and a reader's recession was looking up. Quote for the day here and questions here. Malkin Award here. Readers went back and forth over the impact of wind turbines on birds (carbon is still the biggest culprit). Jesse Bering looked into the evolutionary ties of public speaking. Andrew sided with the England team and highlighted some English humor.

In random goodness, a YouTube starlet hit the big time, Alfred Hitchcock dropped a TWSS, and a badass dog made his escape. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Farmington, New Mexico, 4 pm

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew delivered his latest take on Israeli politics, kept the heat on Michael Oren, and bloviated over means testing Social Security. He also highlighted the harsh anti-gay policy of the Boston archdiocese, and readers chimed in here and here. In spill coverage, the Brits bit back over perceived xenophobia, more horrible details emerged about dead birds, and the company got lampooned by UCB. Further BP coverage here, here, and especially here.

An unusually long string of daily quotes here (Kristol), here (NoKo), here (Kagan), here (Israel), here (Prop 8), and here (oil spill). We also dug into the data on interracial marriage, saw more evidence of gay acceptance, and kept an eye on the far right in Holland. Palin hilarity here. Glenn Beck hathos here.

In assorted commentary, Larison countered Yglesias on Iran sanctions, Joel Wing spotlighted the extreme wealth in Iraq politics, and Joe Klein took down Dorothy Rabinowitz over Obama's patriotism. Readers dissented over the gay generational divide, shared their thoughts on the spill's spiritual crisis, offered expert opinion on California's new primary scheme, sounded off on the VFYW contest, and shared more info on the Carpenters.

Hewitt award here, a close candidate here, and Thiessen bile here.  Entertaining videos here, here, and here. Random hilarity here and here. Petite vanilla scone update here. Super creepy ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Optus Secret Training Camp from Paranoid US on Vimeo.

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew took a long look at the complex and troubled history of Israel. He also scratched his head at Michael Oren and Eli Lake. Gadi Taub pleaded with Israel to change course, Yglesias analyzed the latest sanctions against Iran, and John Collins Rudolf revealed the hidden damage of the oil spill. Prop 8 court updates here and here. Get your Palin fix here and here.

In electoral coverage, Josh Marshall checked in on the latest primary results, Ambinder addressed California's new jungle primaries, Taylor Steven made the case for an incumbent victory this fall, and Andrew hoped for a GOP comeback. Kaus campaign update here. In assorted commentary, Jeff Jacoby went to bat for petroleum, Edward Glaeser defended merit pay, David McRaney talked counter-culture and capitalism, Doug McCune visualized San Francisco's various crimes, Patrick examined the demographics of Internet users, and Alain de Botton warned of the perils of tracking the news.

Andrew meditated over death and conservatism while readers sounded off on fag hags. Lesbian PSA here, remixed movie posters here, and more music from the Carpenters here. Our chart of the day showed a shocking rate of incarceration. Recession view here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

We also announced the winner of our first VFYW contest and heard from a bunch of losers.

(William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Tuesday on the Dish we looked closely at the supposed al Qaeda-flotilla link, Israelis were found to have strongly supported the raid, Andrew challenged Walter Russell Mead's view of the US-Israel relationship, some Israeli students made a savvy gesture towards Turkey, and Madrid barred gay Israelis from a pride parade. Andrew also dug into a disturbing new report on Gitmo torture and wondered if there is a single anti-Zionist columnist. Dissents of the day here.

In spill coverage, Flowing Data illustrated BP's gross negligence, ProPublica exposed more criminality, and the Onion did its work. Beinart shone a light on American hubris, TNC piled on the White House press corps beach party, Greenwald mocked Limbaugh's fourth marriage, Jim Burroway scrutinized a study of lesbian parents, Jesse Bering studied fag hags, E.D. Kain scrunched his forehead over school choice, and Matt Welch knocked journalist "objectivity."  Foreign Policy commemorated the Green Movement and a rock group dedicated a song to Neda. Word Cup coverage here. Orly Taitz won't go away.

Readers defended atheism, others revolted over male reproductive rights, and another mused over her love for animals. Yeas and Nays scanned the District for gays and the Daily Caller spotted Obama speechwriters shirtless. Beard porn here and creepy ad here. MHB here, Sully MHBs here and here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

The Dish launched its first installment of the VFYW contest (with only a minor hiccup).

Monday on the Dish, Andrew laid into BP, demanded the full footage of the flotilla, spotlighted an empty apology from Israel, and went to bat for whistleblowers and Wikileaks. Beinart detailed the Israel-evangelical nexus and readers sounded off on his plea for Gilad Shalit. We also touched upon the Helen Thomas row and caught Palin in another lie.

In assorted coverage, tea-partiers started to get serious on military spending, Andrew Exum slapped his forehead over Fiorina, Bernstein further pegged the GOP as the party of torture, and Andrew Revkin kept a close eye on BP. Ezra Klein laid out his budget strategy, Greenwald had a field day with White House reporters Super-soaking with top officials, Chris Beam lampooned political scientists, Kinsely weighed in on worst case scenarios, Douthat looked for a silver lining in the potential Newsmax-Newsweek deal, and Yglesias predicted an army of elder bloggers.

Andrew and a reader discussed Palin's broken Christianity, another reader endorsed a quieter faith, and Stephen Prothero supported a similar non-faith. Elle renewed the debate over male reproductive rights, Sady Doyle downplayed the perils of hooking up, Laura Vanderkam vouched for working in pajamas, Jonah Lehrer gazed into our memories, Nick Carr garnered a bunch of attention, and a reader shared her recession.

Catholic WTF here. A cool ad for gay marriage here. Hot beard action here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Details about a new Dish feature here.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Andrew took stock of a week of commentary he characterized as “Israeli derangement syndrome” – a fiery take here and a cooler, more considered take here. Reader responses here, here, and here. Beinart challenged Gaza supporters to stick up for Israel’s captive soldier, Greg Sargent was aghast at Harry Reid’s response to the flotilla, Yousef Munayyer zoomed in on the blockade, Ackerman addressed Israel’s unprecedented unilateralism, Greenwald vented over liberal progressives who make an exception for Israel, and Exum shared an unsettling anecdote. Ugliness here, here, here, and here.

In Gulf coverage, the first effed-up images of oil-covered birds emerged. More visuals here and here. Rob Young doubted Jindal’s berm strategy, Niraj Chokshi looked at the downsides of not drilling, and Ryan Avent anguished over the inability of politicians to even talk about a gas tax. Gabe crapped on James Cameron’s role while a reader came to his defense. Car talk here and here.

New employment reports here and here. Iran updates here and here. Uganda update here. An unhealthy dose of Palin here and here. Andrew discussed the Dish brand, TNC had some parting words for Artur Davis, and Joshua Alston described Facebook’s power of outing. More on the career counselor thread here and here. Creepy ad here and coolness here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.

Andrew’s on Bill Maher tonight.

Thursday on the Dish we discovered that an American died on the flotilla and that Israel backpedaled on its claims of an Al Qaeda connection. Yaacov Lozowick called on Bibi to make the case for the blockade and Wieseltier responded to the row. Dissent of the day here. Andrew despaired over the Church’s decision to target gays in the workplace. Bush said he’d torture again.

In Gulf coverage, Michael Coren wondered if BP’s gonna pay up, John Calfree explained the downside of investigating them, Dickerson and Lehrer thought about thinking about the spill, and Copyranter went to town on the company’s PR campaign. Palin penned the foreword for a think tank study, the Wasilla paper apologized to McGinniss, and Sarah haunted Andrew’s dreams.

In assorted commentary, Douthat delved into the finer points of empathy, Andrew and Dreher discussed tradition and culture, Andrew addressed the rudeness of Brits in pop culture, Virginia Postrel processed Obama’s glamor, Steinglass studied the shifts in Western conservatism, Liz Halloran tallied up the new women running in the GOP, and the Economist imagined car-less cities. Nate Silver made a deal with the NYT and Taegan Goddard shared his thoughts. The Dish recognized the Green Movement’s birthday.

Malkin awards here and here. More retirement talk here. Readers kept the job-hunting talk going and Drum chimed in. Another serving of crack and cleavage here and another dose of Dishness here. MHB here, VFYW from Israel here, and FOTD here. Feel-good video here. And one of Andrew getting tackled by his beagles here.

Wednesday on the Dish we learned that BP has been criminally culpable for years and that Palin has more chutzpah than we thought. With the help of Noah Millman, Andrew took a long look at the Israel dilemma. Readers dissented en masse. We also heard from a friend of the young American who lost her eye protesting the flotilla, we learned how harmless its cargo was, and we watched some right-wingers rub it in. Larison laid into Israel for blockading Gaza, Jim Henley clarified his point about Israel “winning,” Thomas P.M. Barnett turned the klieg light on Turkey, and Pareene parodied Palin.

In other coverage, Phillip Smith saw some good signs for legalization in California, an NRO contributor gave props to Obama for his drone policy, and we rounded up some racial commentary on Artur Davis’ loss in Alabama. Maureen Dowd demanded that Obama be more like daddy, Reihan rolled his eyes at the call for an oil spill czar, Leonhardt looked at worst case scenarios, Bernstein balked at majority rule, and Andrew agreed that we should prune benefits for senior citizens.  David Runciman examined the UK’s unraveling and ITN reported on a rampaging gunman.

Paul Bloom discussed our attachment to fictional characters, P.J. O’Rourke recommeded live obituaries, and Michelangelo sketched brains on God. Steve Jobs dissed blogging, Steve Coll had some parting words on the medium, Nick Carr criticized links, and Dave Coverly drew an accurate conclusion. Ken Layne spotted manbearpig. Beard sighting here. Cracks and cleavage here. Recession view here and cool ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Holy shit! moment here.

Tuesday on the Dish we focused most of our attention on the flotilla fiasco. Reax here. Passengers spoke out, a commando was quoted, the Turkish PM fumed, Israel’s foreign minister stood firm, Washington went along, Bibi’s cabinet appeared in disarray, the Mossad chief chimed in, Ahmadi smirked, Sarah Palin twittered, and Ha’aretz huffed. Andrew raged against the necon response, David Grossman anguished over the actions of Israel, Bernard Henri-Levy lamented the media fallout, Packer piled on, Beinart blamed the embargo, Jim Henley acknowledged US impotence, and Michael Rubin shrugged at the death toll. Chait mostly concurred with the Dish, McArdle did as well, and a reader not so much. Drezner compared Israel to North Korea, Robert Mackey brought up the Exodus, and Exum provided some dark humor.

Oil leak updates here, here, and here. Joyner assessed the latest death of al-Qaeda’s No. 3, Exum protested over the perception of drone kills in Pakistan, Joel Wing saw some signs of optimism in Iraq, and Michael Yon was not hopeful about Afghanistan. The Malawi couple was pardoned but still in peril.  Al and Tipper split.

Jesse Zwick gushed over Jindal, Greenwald went after Ron Paul’s critics, and rapper M.I.A. went to war with a journalist. A reader shared some expertise on job hunting. This photo of a sinkhole in Guatemala City is unbelievable. Malkin Award here, epic SATC2 review here, MHB here, and incredible stunt here. More Dishness here and a dose of Ptown here.

Lake Anna, Virginia, 12 pm

Monday on the Dish, the holiday weekend erupted with the attack of Israeli commandos on a flotilla of aid activists bound for Gaza. Dramatic footage here. Israeli version of events here, a foreboding sign from Turkey here, and an unconfirmed report of a blinded American here. Gideon Levy compared the incident to the 2008 assault on Gaza, Goldblog responded with angst, and Andrew posed a counterfactual. Readers reacted here. Before the incident, a reader reflected on how Israel responds to its enemies and Time told us what really happened during that supposedly contentious meeting between Barack and Bibi.

In other news, the Guardian reported on the resurgence of the far right in Britain, Joel Wing worried about Iraqi refugees, and Graeme Wood investigated the widespread use of witch trials in Africa. Joe McGinniss broke his silence to Weigel, TNC tackled Lanny Davis, and Andrew criticized George Will’s reasoning over Obama and the spill. He also examined the latest victim of the closet.

In spiritual coverage, John P. Meier explained the Jewishness of Jesus, a Protestant reader discussed death and faith, another reader enriched the debate over Christ’s divinity, another delved into the deeper meanings of Frost, an Orthodox Christian tried to apply original sin to bonobo apes, and atheist David Sloan Wilson went after Dawkins. Olivia Judson looked at man-made DNA, Bailey defended man-made organisms, and Ryan Sager summed up some studies on happiness.

In assorted coverage, Nick Carr kept up his crusade to save our attention spans, a reader countered, Mike Konczal critiqued online education, and Kottke came up with a great use for the iPad. Swimming pigs made it into an MHB and a few readers provided parting words for Ralph. Cool ad here, cool map here, and a heartbreaking map here.  Lots of amazing images of animals here.  And the Dishness was strong with this reader.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Andrew chewed up Noonan over Obama's response to the spill, Larison seconded, and a reader dissented. Netanyahu gloated over showing up the president, Beinart and Eli Lake discussed settlements, Ron Radosh called the former a commie, and the alleged commie tussled with Foxman. Readers rushed to McGinniss' side, Crowley kicked him in the shin, and Andrew kicked back.

In assorted coverage, Horton kept the heat on the administration, Ackerman saw the bright side of drones, Serwer piled on McCarthy, Friedersdorf sympathized with libertarians, Joe Klein supported a mosque near ground zero, TNC shared some wisdom on journalism, CNN rolled in dough, and Felix Salmon talked internet money. Recession view here.

Aquatic pig coverage piled up here, here, here, and here. Andrew was forced to imagine Bubba in a wet suit. More 24 here and here. Cool app here and two feel-good videos here.

Thursday on the Dish, the House voted to end DADT and a key Senate committee did as well. Joyner questioned the public opposition to it, lesbians harmed by the policy told their stories here and here, and we glanced at the dregs of the debate here and here. The oil leak appeared to be plugged, bloggers debated its similarity to Katrina, more images of the damage emerged, and we looked back at another big spill in the Gulf. The Dish also did due diligence on the Korean crisis.

In Palin coverage, she erected a fence to fend off McGinniss but not convicted criminals, Jack Shafer shielded the journalist, Kate Pickert partially backed Palin, and readers more so. Bernstein insisted on scrutinizing her, Timothy Egan pwned her, Ben Smith reported more juicy details, a reader requested a view from McGinniss' window, Andrew doubted Bristol, and Pareene put it best.

Rand Paul updates here and here. Noah Millman queried the paleocons, Douthat doubted their relevance, Wehner marveled at the lack of crime, Massie covered Clegg, and Friedersdorf manhandled McCarthy. More on the Israel debate here.

Critical Ralph updates here and here. Kaus campaign coverage here. Recession view from a reader here. Early Christian discussion here and Robert Frost in the Atlantic here. More on 24 here and here. Beard-blogging here and metrosexual-blogging here and here.

(By Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images)

Wednesday on the Dish, BP was compelled to stream footage of the "top kill," bloggers vented over the dire situation in the Gulf, and John Hudson shone a spotlight on the seediness of regulators. Senator Nelson gave his go-ahead on DADT, Gates sounded circumspect, readers gave their thoughts on the surge of support from Obama, Ben Smith relayed some intriguing details, and Steinglass called out homophobia-phobia.

In other news, McChrystal made Afghanistan sound even worse and Obama revived the line-item veto. Stimulus updates here and here. In Palin coverage, Weigel unloaded on her targeting of McGinniss and readers differed over her interpretation of the Frost poem. More Palin crack here and here. Premium coverage of Ralph the Swimming Pig here, here, and here. Home news here.

Andrew and Chait went another round over Zionism, we spotted an unsettling bit of news out of the West Bank, and we posted a follow-up on that disturbing photo of the taunted Palestinian woman. Horton turned up the heat on the administration over detainees, Scott Morgan divined the their response to legalization in California, Douthat dumped on the paleocons, and Balko bowed before vending machines.

Christ conversation continued here. More discussion of DC here and especially here. Creepy ad here, Malkin Award here, Saddam-sodomy blogging here, and Bruni-sodomy blogging here. Idol-blogging here and 24-blogging here. Especially lovely window here and especially fucked-up face here.

Pau, France, 2.40 pm

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew was cautiously optimistic about the dramatic developments over DADT and wondered why Obama seemed to shift all of a sudden (clues here and here). Fallows also weighed in. Meanwhile, support for ending the ban was as popular as ever – as was acceptance of gay and lesbian couples.

In spill coverage, BP will try to plug the leak, ABC looked down below, Elizabeth Kolbert glanced at our oil future, readers wrung their hands over Obama's response to the crisis, and we worried about hurricane season. In Palin coverage, Joe McGinniss got a little too close, she responded with another flub, Andrew Sprung tried to make sense of her latest narrative on Obama, and Wendy Kaminer wondered how the Kagan response would be different if she looked more like Palin. In other news, the Church kept misleading its followers over HCR, Julian Glover reviewed the Queen's speech, and a plunge in the stock market popped back up.

In other coverage, Jonah Lehrer gave props to parenting and Tablet and Beinart tried to talk to their kids about Zionism. More discussion of Christianity here and here. Conor-led DC talk here and here (bonus suburbia here). Malkin Award here, creepy ad here, Lost's many jumping sharks here, crappy old postcards here, and butched-up rainbows here.

Monday on the Dish, Pelosi got bolder over ending DADT, we checked in on the size of the oil spill, and Andrew let out a great lament. He also took another long look at the Beinart-led debate on Israel.  In the wake of Rand Paul bailing on Meet the Press, Ambers thought he will weather the storm, several bloggers assessed his libertarian cred on foreign policy, Julian Sanchez addressed the conflict between his idealism and the real world, TNC examined the racist baggage plaguing many libertarians, and a reader wrung his hands over the media's treatment of Rand.

In other coverage, a Republican won the seat of Obama's birthplace, Ricks relayed a daunting report on getting stuck in Afghanistan, and a new twist on the Malawi couple surfaced. Palin told another pernicious lie, a former conservative pointed his finger at her, even Pete Wehner couldn't defend her, and Todd, as it turns out, appeared to make most of the decisions.

Bruce Bartlett predicted a political storm over Medicare and slapped conservatives over military spending. John Seabrook sang the praises of adoption while a few readers took exception. More on the origins of Jesus Christ here and here, More on the essence of hippies here.  A video version of the Hewitt Award here, a kick-ass nature clip here, and a cool ad for the World Cup here.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, Rand Paul continued to pile on controversy. Readers pounced on his latest comments, his views on the CRA, and the selective nature of his libertarianism. Damon Root defended Paul, Friedersdorf did as well, and Weigel saw it all coming. The blogosphere reacted to the passage of financial reform in the Senate and the Malawi gay couple was given the maximum sentence possible.

In other news, Pakistan pouted about some people putting images of Mohammed online and Reason orchestrated a bunch of drawings.  Bruce Bartlett warned us about the debt and the GOP in Chris Christie continued to balk at raising taxes to help solve it.  Iraq update here. Andrew lauded the Cameron-Clegg coalition, its new foreign minister sanctioned an investigation into torture, and Greenwald praised the new government on civil liberties. The Onion reported on Palin.

The Beinart-led debate on Israel continued here, here, here, and here. More on the complexity of the closet here and here. Another drunk history lesson here, an incredible impression of Ian McKellen here, unearthed footage of Crystal Bowersox here, end of gay culture watch here, and cool ad here.

(By Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew gave a qualified defense of Rand Paul and his controversial comments on the Civil Rights Act. Weigel joined him, TNC wasn't as forgiving (and praised Maddow's approach), Ezra grilled the GOP nominee, a reader piled on, and Paul started to panic. Friedersdorf still thought he'd make a good addition to the Senate. Andrew Gelman downplayed Tuesday's elections.

In other coverage, the new British government showed signs of democratic reform, Nate Silver checked in on the California's governor race, Derek Thompson and Ross Douthat toyed with budget cuts, Norm Geras and Shikha Dalmia bashed Hitchens on the burqa ban, Douglas Adams and Maureen Tkacik talked authoritah on the internets, and Goldblog grilled Josh Green over his gay groupies. Andrew and Greenwald continued to bang their heads against the wall of secrecy of sexual orientation.

In other commentary, readers tore into another reader over the drug war, others teared up over the bus driver's birthday, another responded to the Cannabis Closet, and yet another gawked at Beinart's support for denying rights to Arab Israelis. Bible study here and here. We also read the spiritual reflections of a hospice nurse. David Simon joined readers in slamming NYC and Friedersdorf started in on DC.

Brain orgy here – something Nicolas Cage would have no appetite for.

Wednesday on the Dish, we rounded up reaction to Rand Paul's big win in Kentucky. Packer feared his influence, Larison added two cents, and he also warned the GOP against nationalizing House races. Bloggers reacted to the sudden sanctions plan against Iran, the gay couple in Malawi was convicted, and some unsettling details emerged over Rekers.  Palin's lying again.

Andrew addressed the politics of questioning Kagan's orientation and delved deep into the deception of living in the closet. More fallout from the Beinart piece on Zionism here, here, and here.  Walter Frost questioned military spending, Kinsley got cute over Kagan, Andrew saw some cultural progress in American Idol, Joe Carter went after atheism, a reader grieved for Adam Bellow, another dissented over our drug coverage, and we were introduced to a utterly unique face in politics. More on NYC's alleged tyranny here and here.

TNR dodged a fabulist, a bus driver got the best birthday ever, and a head of state got owned by a wreath. Cool ad here and trippy MHB here.

Lander, Wyoming, 8.52 am

Tuesday on the Dish, Patrick Winn reported on the violence in Bangkok and readers commented. Andrew sounded off on the new Iranian deal and looked inward over the Kagan controversy. More details on her emerged. Netanyahu did a good deed and the Church not so much. A big dose of Palin gossip here and a close scrutiny here.

In assorted commentary, Larison gave props to Rand Paul, Reihan was bullish on a conservative comeback, Douthat revised his case for decentralization, Ezra prodded him, Aravosis examined Obama's record on gay rights, Gary Wills conversed over his Catholicism, and Dave Barry talked about his craft.  More on the Zionist crisis here and here.

Readers continued the "Treme" thread and bloggers did so for NYC's alleged tyranny. More life-and-death musings here, here, here, and here. A dispatch from the Cannabis Closet here. Cool ads here, here, and here. Stoner-and-bear blogging here.

Monday on the Dish, Iran announced a deal over nuclear fuel and Portugal went for gay marriage. Peter Beinart provoked a new wave of commentary over the Zionist crisis, manifested here and here. More evidence to bolster his position here and here.

Andrew tackled Solmonese over the big Kagan question, Bernstein scolded his stance on ambition, and Donna Brazile backed her. Steve Coll showed the lack of sunlight between the Labour and Tory on foreign policy, Lisa Margonelli took in the implications of the oil spill, Balko vented over the drug war to Vice, and Steven Taylor illustrated the futility of the war. Get your Palin fix here.

Elsewhere, Andrew Rice looked at the growing addiction to SEO and pageviews, Suzanne Lenzer sold us on eating alone, and Scott Adams thought about thinking. More life and death talk here, here, here, and here. More NYC debate here and here. Porn follow-up here, insanely sexy CPR here, hathos alert here, and a baby sloth bonanza here.

— C.B.

Today on the Dish, the oil spill seemed much worse than expected, readers addressed further dangers, and Andrew pointed out Palin's stubborn ignorance on the issue. He also vented over the White House's treatment of Kagan, readers dissented yet again, Greenwald called out Kagan's hypocrisy, and Jack Balkin found her easy to read.

British electoral coverage here, here, here, and here. Iran updates here and here. Another drug war casualty here. And marriage skyrocketed in DC. 

In various commentary, Kinsley took on the tea-partiers, Friedersdorf differed, Fallows followed up on his cover story, McArdle investigated QVC, Yglesias advocated for better buses, Graeme shared his experiences with burqas, Eric Baker studied our sex drives, and we took a close look at Gov. Christie's fiscal fortitude. Andrew reflected on his writing and blogger identity. Cannabis closet here and MHB here.

(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Thursday on the Dish, Andrew kept the heat on Kagan, a reader turned up the temperature, she continued to be coy, Crist went to bat for her, David Sessions surveyed the Christianists, Serwer joined the race/ethnicity debate, and Kinsley sounded off. In election fallout, Andrew and a reader examined the proposals for electoral reform, the Tories touted their religious and gay diversity, the Brits showed up the US, and the BBC made a funny flub.

Oil spill updates here, here, and here. HCR update here. More on the drug war here, here, and here. The debate over Israel and smears carried on here and here. Get your Palin fix here and here.

In assorted coverage, Leonhardt defended himself on Greece, Sara Rubin looked at the lettuce threat in Arizona, Drum replied to Andrew about atheism and the afterlife, Friedersdorf lovingly hated on NYC, Lewis Black pwned Beck, several more readers added to the burqa discussion, and others rapped about Modern Family. Paternal superhero here. Super creepy ad here.

Wednesday on the Dish we rounded up reaction to the Cameron-Clegg alliance. Andrew sized up Cameron and his similarities to Obama, Clive Crook was skeptical of the alliance, Frum addressed its concern over the debt (US version here), LSE looked at voting reform, and Gideon Rachman remembered the new chancellor.

In other coverage, Palin came out with a new book, Laura Bush came out for marriage equality, and another cartoonist was attacked. Greece update here. Andrew updated us on the latest smearing of Goldstone, Fallows investigated the state of online journalism, Ramesh broached the topic of race in the court confirmation, The Economist stood up for burqas, Packer diagnosed Karzai, Lexington learned from the spill, and Balko followed up on the puppycide video.

Readers continued to dissent over Andrew's view of Kagan, one stood strong with him, others loved our recent tribute to mothers, and another confessed from the closet. Stephen Asma grappled with the soul and Drum discussed his lack of faith. A funny new site for parents here. 

Riverside, California, 7.22 am

Tuesday on the Dish we saw Brown resign and Cameron take over as PM. Drama leading up to the dramatic switch here, here, here, here, here, and here. Andrew's thoughts on the developments here, Cameron's speech here, a warning from his right here, and how it could affect the American right here.

In Kagan coverage, Andrew scrutinized her careerism and elitism, readers continued to dissent over his outing inquiries, and others commented on her issues with recruitment on campus. Horton examined her views on the executive, Stuart Taylor did the same approvingly, Josh Green assessed the politics of the confirmation, Maggie Gallagher tried to decipher her stance on marriage equality, and a New Yorker commenter challenged Toobin on the closet. Andrew continued to mull over Kagan's identity here and especially here.

Finally, an answer appeared.

Monday on the Dish, Andrew reacted at length to the nomination of Elena Kagan. Hanna Rosin thought Andrew's kind of inquiry was out of line and readers agreed. Blogger reax here and here. Beinart targeted Kagan's views on military recruitment, Balko did the same on executive power, the NYT dug into her pseudo-personal past, AOL dug deeper, and Google users deeper still. More from John Palrey and Kagan herself. Ugly rhetoric from Ed Whelan, Bill Kristol, and an assortment of others on the far right.

In British election fallout, Gordon Brown announced his intention to resign. Subsequent commentary and analysis here, here, here, here, here, and here. Possible replacements for Brown here. Andrew offered his take here and especially here, fearing a death knell for the Tories.

In assorted coverage, the concrete dome failed to stop the oil leak. Iraq update here and EU economic crisis here. McCain made of chump of himself, Goldblog alleged some anti-Semitism, Israeli officials piled on Goldstone, McArdle fumed over the puppycide video, and Scott Morgan talked legalization. Yglesias award here, Mothers' Day tribute here, dog-blogging here, and cool ad here.

— C.B.