This conversation actually took place in January, and I wrote about it then. The context was U.S. spying on Iran’s nuclear program. At the time, that revelation was greeted with outrage. Some of the most outraged nations and individuals, however, have been unusually quiet in recent days as Iran got itself back into the headlines.
Frankly, [...]

Peter Beinart, one of my favorite Democrats and a man who writes things that drives some other Democrats absolutely up the wall, has further thoughts on “Tough Liberalism.”

When John Kerry lost in 2004, I started in my despair reading about the late 1940s, the first years of the Cold War. That was the last time [...]

Scenes from Iran today.

“Iranian school boys shoot with their toy guns at an Israeli flag as it burns during an anti-Israeli rally marking “Al-Quds Day” (Jerusalem Day), to support the Palestinian cause, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Oct. 28, 2005. Tens of thousands of Iranians staged anti-Israel protests across the country Friday and repeated calls by [...]

The full text of the Libby Indictment.

From the AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The vice president’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter’ Libby Jr., was charged Friday with obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation, a politically charged case that will throw a spotlight on President Bush’s push to war. Libby resigned and left the White House.
What’s [...]

That’s what the Libby indictment reads:
Joseph Wilson was married to Valerie Plame WIlson (”Valerie Wilson”). At all relevant times from January 1, 2002 through July 2003, Valerie Wilson was employed by the CIA, and her employment status was classified. Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson’s affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside [...]

Well, that’s one confirmed.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, was indicted Friday by a federal grand jury investigating the public unmasking of an undercover CIA operative.
Charges included making false statements, obstruction of justice, and perjury, court documents show.
Indictments in the case were the first in a nearly [...]

Here’s a topic sure to create some controversy …
Maybe it is time to reconsider the Executive Order 12333 2.11 (search), that forbids the United States government from orchestrating strategic political assassinations of both foreign officials and terrorist leaders.
Yes, Pat Robertson was loudly decried for proposing the Chavez assassination and was ridiculed for being [...]

Why the need for linking a quota type mentality to positions such as that of the Supreme Court?
As the selection process begins again the first thoughts should be upon qualifications in the area of constitutional law versus gender, race, color, or creed.
In choosing a replacement for Harriet E. Miers, President Bush [...]

At least not today, says the AP.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Karl Rove won’t be indicted Friday as prosecutors and his lawyers try to resolve questions in the CIA leak investigation, two people close to Rove told The Associated Press. The White House still braced for an indictment against another top aide.
In discussions Thursday, Rove’s lawyer was [...]

Yeah, Harriet Miers withdrew her own nomination…
Right…
By withdrawing her nomination, Harriet Miers spared herself an agonizing inquisition and probable rejection by the Senate and did George W. Bush the greatest service of her career. She may just have helped him save his presidency.
Like a school marm indulging a teacher’s pet, Miss Miers just gave [...]

Government enforced racial segregation is alive and well in Birmingham.
No, not Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham, England.

Young black and Asian men in Birmingham hack chunks out of each other in a self-described “race war”, while the government’s education White Paper quietly prepares the ground for a massive expansion of faith schools. At first, these seem like disparate, [...]

This is a blogging thing, but I thought this was pretty cool.
If you type Harriet Meirs into Google right now, two of our articles are on the first page of results.
Whoa.
I guess we must be doing something right.
EGG ON FACE UPDATE: The commenter points out that I didn’t spell her name correctly. Actually, [...]

That’s what NY Daily News is speculating about today.
In the closing hours of the grand jury probe, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald paid a visit yesterday to Rove’s lawyer, Robert Luskin, prompting speculation that a plea bargain could be in the works for the deputy White House chief of staff.
It was the latest of several one-on-one [...]

Interesting analysis of the current state of the party here. I’ll let others chew on it: It’s not my party anymore. But I will say it’s often counterintuitive and attempts a revision of a lot of conventional wisdom on all sides of things, which I always enjoy seeing done.

In the midst of the media and anti-war celebration of the 2,000th dead American soldier in Iraq, the milblogger Greyhawk pauses to remember one who fell when the number was still in single digits, a casualty of the war’s first days, Marine Capt. Ryan A. Beaupre, of St. Anne, Illinois:

In his tiny hometown of St. [...]

Yes, I know the body isn’t even cold yet, but Harriet Miers’ name has now officially been banished to the land of “Jeopardy” and “Trivial Pursuit” as an answer to the question — “Who was the most embattled and underqualified candidate for the Supreme Court?”
So, the question’s being posed … Next?
Looking over [...]

Quite significant findings coming out of the Oil for Food investigation by Volcker & Company
In an interview, Mr. Volcker said that while he knew the naming of companies and the exposure of international “machinations” would draw attention, he hoped it would not obscure his committee’s purpose in keeping the focus of their work [...]

An observation both sides of the political aisles should be able to agree upon – more discretion and sanity needs to prevail in federal allocation of program funding.
By now, most of you have undoubtably heard about funding that had been proposed for the infamous Alaskan “Bridge to Nowhere.”
This is just one [...]

Just heard it on NPR.
Here’s more from MSNBC. It looks like they used the old “don’t want to give them the documents” defense.
WASHINGTON – Confronted with criticism from both the left and right, Harriet Miers on Thursday withdrew her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a statement, President Bush said he “reluctantly accepted� her decision [...]