Category: The Dish

American Footprints says Pakistan is going to hell.

I share Scott Esposito’s befuddlement over this concept:

According to Sara Nelson, the editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, "Since there seems to be a blurring of lines between fiction and reality on TV, in books, in politics even, it stands to reason that a fictional character could write a book that actually gets published. It strikes me as one of those ideas that’s so bad it’s good."

Nikolas Gvosdev argues convincingly that other nations are ducking responsibility for Sudan and Zimbabwe by blaming Beijing.

A reader writes:

I don’t have anything witty to say about that passage you posted, other than it made me furious for about five minutes. This whole primary is turning into just bad theater with actors that aren’t sure when they are supposed to leave the stage and an audience made up of people that bought matinee tickets and were somehow upgraded to the evening performance.

Another adds:

You’ve got it all wrong. She’s, like, a total bitch. And that is why we love her.

And another:

Jeez, don’t assume it’s just gay men. She’s also hugely popular among lesbians too. Spread some of that disdain around!

Like wars, plagues can still affect those caught up in them years after the first wave of crisis is over. The psychological toll, post-traumatic stress, the need for escape, the sudden loss of purpose, and sheer exhaustion can take even the strongest men and women by surprise. These are our walking wounded; and sometimes, as David France memorably shows here, they fall.

A brief history of the condom.

Pace my approval of McCain’s web ad, Chris Orr writes:

But for half or more of its running time, this ad looks as though it’s an ad for Barack Obama (though, admittedly, still not a good one). Rather than coopt Obama’s message of tolerance, this ad seems merely to endorse it. I suspect if it got wide airplay–and it won’t–it would benefit Obama far more than McCain.

"I knew I should have withheld comment. Last month, I said something nice about John McCain’s tough-sounding stand against federal housing bailouts. Should have known better," – Michelle Malkin. Clinton got it right for once.

There are no small government conservatives running for either major party in this election. Which is why Bob Barr remains intriguing for libertarians.

Petraeus says he will never hold political office. A relief.

Not so fast on the Wilsonian analogies, argues Erez Manela.