I seriously wonder what the Republican Party and its operatives hope to gain by trying to defend and normalize torture as a policy tool. There are a number of possibilities, none of which are particularly heartening. The first is that torture was so widespread and so widely accepted by the Party during its time in power that investigation would result ... Read More
The government has opened 20 criminal investigations into the TARP program. Bankers screwing people out of money? I never thought I’d see the day! Snark aside, honestly, what else would you expect? It was a large amount of money being dispensed with in a short time in a period of national emergency; it’s very easy to take advantage of that ... Read More
I couldn’t help but wryly note that the New York Times published a time-pegged article on the state of play in marijuana politics for April 20th. “420″ is a common slang term for marijuana, and April 20th (4/20) is, according to the article, often accordingly known as the “High Holiday”. I don’t actually think that the relatively stodgy Times is ... Read More
While I share your horror, Elise, I wish I could share your surprise. It’s hardly as though the United States (and especially the CIA) has kept its hands clean up until now. From our campaigns against Native Americans, to dropping two atomic bombs on civilians, to all the nasty and still-classified things we did in remote corners of the Third ... Read More
So apparently McCain’s strategist, Steve Schmidt, is recommending that Republicans drop their rabid opposition to gay marriage. I think the “rabid” part is right; it’s certainly not netting them any votes. Strategically, however, I think it’s wise for them to not just give in entirely; it’s hardly as though there’s a clear majority of Americans in favor of gay marriage, ... Read More
It’s hardly surprising to learn that after Congress demonstrated in 2008 that there were no penalties for overstepping the bounds of domestic spying, the NSA continued to overstep the bounds of domestic spying. In the summer of 2008, Congress passed the FISA Act, which immunized telecom carriers for their past violations of privacy, and ex post facto legalized some of ... Read More
It is time for the United States government to address the most threatening nuclear proliferation threat of our day: Lehman Brothers. The former investment bank is sitting on enough raw uranium to make an atomic bomb comparable to the Hiroshima weapon. There is no question as to how the US government should respond: prompt and excessive violence. Lehman Brothers struck ... Read More
Goldman Sachs reported profits of $1.6 billion for the first quarter of 2009, and is hoping to put their newly demonstrated strength to use, by paying back their TARP money and getting that pesky federal government off their backs. Quick thoughts: In that quarter, how much have they taken in government money, either direct (TARP) or indirect (Government-financed payouts from ... Read More
It seems a bit odd to be making a big ol’ thing about this American captain that was captured by pirates. Not to insult the man: he went through something awful, and obviously it is quite a big deal to him and his loved ones. However, the news media seems to be treating this as some sort of consequential American ... Read More
It would be a pity to let go without comment Obama’s recent speech in Prague. For those of you who didn’t follow it (the North Korean missile launch an hour before somewhat overshadowed it), it was surprisingly consequential. A decent number of commentators dismissed it, echoing Slate’s Anne Applebaum in critiquing Obama’s “odd obsession with universal nuclear disarmament”. It’s interesting ... Read More
So I happened to notice the Debbie Downer note of Elise’s last post, and I wanted to focus specifically on the question of whether “it jibes with even his progressive values to stand for one set of rights at home and another one abroad.” That’s actually not a helpful way to phrase the question, for it elides the disconnect between ... Read More
It’s rather hard to comment in detail on Secretary Gates’s new plan for the military, for the reason that the plan in and of itself is rather lacking in detail. Things like actual budget numbers for individual programs, or a top-line net change. Which, given Obama’s budget, is almost certain to still be positive. But as a broad declaration of ... Read More
So the latest incarnation of the bank rescue plan is as follows: Banks have crap. Changes in accounting rules allow banks to paint crap gold. Bank buys “gold” from other banks at prices that allow it to declare itself healthy by selling off its own “gold”. This is a viable business model because the “gold” purchases are funded by “non-recourse” ... Read More
New Orleans takes a chance on charter schools In his recent response to the State of the Union address, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal took the unusual step of drawing national attention to an issue in his own home state: education reform. He declared, “After Katrina, we reinvented the New Orleans school system, opening dozens of new charter schools, and creating ... Read More
“I’m going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there’s an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened.” -George W. Bush
