Category: The Dish

A reader writes:

Is it wrong for me to think Michelle Malkin in a cheerleader outfit is incredibly hot? As one of the leaders of the morality bunch, does she not realize what damage she is doing?

Without temptation, there is no virtue.
 

This Jesse Walker farewell is priceless:

Tom Tancredo has dropped out of the presidential race. He will be replaced by Montezuma Aztlán Calderón, an undocumented worker from Oaxaca who will denounce the Brown Peril for just $3 an hour plus room and board.

Did he kill off Thompson’s campaign? We’ll all miss one-liners like this:

"I took accordion lessons. It was horrible. I never practiced. I hated it. It’s child abuse."

But not torture.

Iowans, who have had much more time to examine and judge the candidates, lean toward Obama against the leading Republican candidates. He beats all of them by much wider margins than Clinton. One obvious example: in a Clinton-Romney match-up, Clinton wins by 48 to 45. Obama beats Romney 51 to 39. Obama is over 50 in every match-up; Clinton below 50 in all of them.

Less there than once met the eye. Not nothing – but much less than advertized.

An unnamed source in an Atlantic blog gets Limbaugh to bring out the taser. Congrats, Marc. If you’re not reading his campaign blog, you really should.

A reader writes:

Together at last? Ha!

Hadn’t you noticed, except for not liking each other, you’ve agreed on everything for years? Okay, except maybe immigration. But with that exception, whenever there’s been actual policy on the table …

S: "I believe Y because of Q! Unlike bigoted assholes like that Derb."
D: "I strongly endorse Y, for reasons of Q! Unlike Sullivan, that pc-addled pooftah!"

It was adorable.

You’ve always been a great couple. Just a little Beatrice & Benedict, is all.

I guess that makes me Beatrice. She does have the better lines.

A reader writes:

As an Icelander I can testify how much this story has hurt the image of America in Iceland. This was all over the news last week and Eva has been on the biggest talk shows in Iceland telling her story. The effects of a thing like this is to enforce an increasingly negative image that Icelanders have of America. This negative imaged is a direct result of the actions taken by the current administration on issues such as the torture of prisoners and refusal to do anything about global warming. This is very sad development because Iceland used to be very pro American and the relationship between the countries has been very friendly. Still not everything is lost and the apology that the Department of Homeland security offered to Eva was well received.  I can however say for sure  that 95% of the population is hoping that America does a lot better when it picks its next president.

On the other hand, here is a voice from the Republican base:

As someone who is increasingly and unapologetically isolationist in my attitude towards trade, immigration and global policing, I feel no sympathy for her.  Let’s translate her pity party in every language so future potential visitors understand one thing loud & clear:   Follow our laws, or go home in disgrace.

One thing people like me have to understand: the core of today’s GOP is not merely indifferent to this kind of abuse, it actively supports it. Just as it actively supports and endorses torture. It’s one reason I feel so alienated by the Republican party I once felt some loyalty and affinity for.

Tucker Carlson, barely restraining his affection, writes an hysterical and perceptive essay on Dr Paul, and his band of merry men and women. One anecdote will suffice:

Though Paul argues passionately for liberalizing marijuana laws and is beloved by potheads (Timothy Leary once held a fund-raiser for him), he has never smoked pot himself. He sounded shocked when I asked him. "I have never seen anyone smoke marijuana," he said. "I don’t think I’d be open to using it." For some people, libertarianism is the philosophical justification for a zany personal life. Paul, by contrast, describes his hobbies as gardening (roses and organic tomatoes) and "riding my bicycle." He has never had a cigarette. He doesn’t swear. He limits his drinking to an occasional glass of wine and goes to church regularly. He has been married to the same woman for 50 years. Three of their five children are physicians.

Ron Paul is deeply square, and every bit as deeply committed to your right not to be.

And one sentence:

Paul is pro-choice on pasteurization entirely for reasons of principle.

I wish Tucker would get off TV and write more. I’d forgotten how good he is.

Against the GOP, Obama is the best bet in the Zogby poll:

His margins of advantage range from a 4 percent edge over Arizona Sen. John McCain and a 5 percent edge over Arkansas’ Mike Huckabee to an 18 percentage point lead over Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the survey shows. Against New York’s Rudy Giuliani he leads by 9%, and against Fred Thompson of Tennessee he holds a 16 point edge.

Clinton loses to Huckabee, Giuliani and McCain. Perhaps just as interesting: Huckabee and McCain are the most viable general election candidates.

Ramesh Ponnuru admits that the theocon position on gay couples is not about marriage as such:

Giuliani opposes a federal marriage amendment, as do McCain and Thompson. He also, like those two, says he opposes same-sex marriage. Giuliani’s campaign has also backtracked from his previous support for civil unions. He no longer supports civil unions that are too close to marriage—and in his view all existing civil-union laws are too close.

He seems to be well within party orthodoxy on marriage law, in other words.

I can understand – even though I don’t agree – why some people want to keep the m-word for heterosexual couples. I don’t understand why it’s also important to deny gay couples the responsibilities even of "civil unions." What does "too close to marriage" possibly mean? "Too close" to being publicly acknowledged and accepted? Or too supportive of the relationship itself? I wonder if Ramesh understands how insulting it is to gay couples when we read this kind of sentence. It is as if we have the civic cooties.