Some fascinating and beautiful photography from Brazil by Dionisio Gonzalez. The trick:
[He] deftly documents the architectural disarrangement of shanty towns in Sao Paolo, Brazil by piecing together photos of the shanty towns themselves with photos of modern, geometric architecture that blend the clean and modern with the grungy and scattered.
More criticism here.
It looks more and more like one:
By the end of the primaries and heading into the summer, we could be looking at the collapse of the real estate market, which will have an impact upon homebuilders and suppliers, like Home Depot and Lowe’s … Whoever gets the nomination is going to be staring at a recession and a financial market running scared with safety and soundness issues. Citibank and J.P. Morgan could be facing insolvency, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well.
Gulp. So what about this?
It’s the New Oxford American Dictionary’s preferred euphemism for "goddamned hippie." And it’s the word of the year!
From the entertaining annals of campaign desperation:
"[Reporters in Iraq] do not believe the coverage of Iraq over time has been too negative. If anything, many believe the situation over the course of the war has been worse than the American public has perceived," – from a new Pew poll.
That stupid and ugly use of the troops and the idiotic idea that our current Middle East policy is somehow in danger of becoming another version of the 1930s. Over to you, Larison.
It seems to me that McCain’s passion on torture has peaked as his belief in the "surge" rises. It’s as if he knows he cannot be anti-war and anti-torture at the same time and win over Republicans. But the problem is: he is so wedded to a maximalist Iraq strategy that he would be very vulnerable next year in a general. There are a number of fair-minded Americans happy to hope for the best in Iraq; but I can’t see more than a handful who actually, at this point, think of it as something we’d do again if we had the chance of a do-over. McCain is giving the impression that it’s another great advance for mankind. Wishing doesn’t make it so, alas.
This just about sums it up:
Nothing about health care. Nothing about how long they plan to stay in Iraq. Nothing about the impending attack on Iran. Nothing about Middle East policy in general. Nothing about energy policy. Nothing about education. Nothing about the mortgage mess. And of course, nothing about how they would restore Constitutional law.
Not entirely fair: they did discuss Iraq briefly. I don’t think the absence of healthcare represents bias on the part of CNN, so much as a lack of interest in the GOP base. It’s clear to me that the two major issues for them are immigration and spending. In general, it felt like a debate from a party that expects to be in the wilderness for a while. And they sure deserve to be.
And I predict you’ll be engrossed in this amazingly prescient article from the Ladies Home Journal from over a century ago.
Fred calls it for Huckabee:
He’s genial, funny, extremely likable, and not very substantive.
Poifect. Malkin:
Romney looked strong and energetic, with one stumble on the Bible question. Huckabee didn’t harm himself, so he “wins” by not losing. McCain and Thompson were lethargic, with a few lucid moments each.
Mike Huckabee is on a huge roll, Rudy Giuliani is sucking wind, and Mitt Romney sounds like an automaton. And one more thing – the Republican party should listen to John McCain on torture … Simply put, Mike Huckabee can turn out the base that has been sitting home for the last year.
It would be a mistake for Democrats to underestimate Huckabee…he’s not a hater or a lunatic or a fool. He’s personable, funny, and apparently for the most part a decent human being. I still think Obama would eat his lunch, but Huckabee v. HRC could be much too close for comfort.
I agree with all but Malkin. I think you have to be a GOP tool to think Romney did well. He creeped me out more thoroughly than ever before, and I kinda want to like him.
"The next 45 days are about whether Rudy or Mitt runs against Hillary," – Hugh Hewitt.
This strikes me as more plausible:
On February 7, presumptive nominee Mike Huckabee pledges a campaign of "compassion, comparison, and civility" against presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg announces the formation of an exploratory committee for an independent presidential campaign. Rumored budget: $1.5 billion. The cover of TIME magazine screams: "Tsunami 2008: The Year of the Upset."
