Category: long story short

“There was not a time and place of an attack….” Let’s be fair. No one could have known to protect against hijacking at airports, before the planes even took off!

1. Until recently, the key assumption was that the number of jobs created between now and the election would determine the result. But the context was that, given the Republican edge on security and defense, only a very bad economic picture could turn the vote against them. With that security edge blunted, the Democrats’ advantage…

The National Academy of Sciences says we are currently in an ideal period for conducting experiments that test basic causal relationships. It is very common for a theory to maintain that a certain condition will produce the same effect with absolute consistency, “all other things being equal.” According to the Academy, all other things have…

Been thinking the last few days about the impact of the latest 9/11 revelations on the campaign. If nothing else, this should put a clamp on future Bush campaign 9/11 TV ads. Here’s a related thought: Last year, most (me included) figured that a NYC convention would be a source of strength for the Bush…

I don’t think so. I think this is Bush’s Iraq. Or maybe Bushes’ Iraq. And there will come some future mess. And there will be parallels. And the press will say, “Is this President Whathis/hername’s Iraq?” And the papers will ask: Is President Whatshis/hername at risk of losing their presidency, the way GW Bush back…

Washington Post: “The latest round of tension began March 28, with the U.S. closure of Sadr’s al-Hawza newspaper….[which] had printed articles that U.S. officials deemed inflammatory.” –Good thing we nipped that in the bud.

You are Maureen Dowd! You like to give people sillynicknames and write in really short, nonsequitur paragraphs. You’re the most playful ofthe columnists and a rock-ribbed liberal, butare often accused of being too flamboyant andfrivolous. You tend to focus on style oversubstance, personality over politics. But yourheart is in the right place. Plus, you are…

Looks like there’s some very big badness taking place in Iraq. Quick takes from two perspectives – one from Tacitus on the right over here and from DemFromCT over on Kos over here. As the real world intrudes, perhaps the outcry over Kos’ post re mercs (discussed ad infinitum on Tacitus, Kos, and a million…

(Greetings from a newcomer!) Back in the day, I wrote: The liberal committment: “If it is possible, it can be arranged.” The radical: “If it is necessary, it can be achieved.”

Absolutely excellent post here from talkingpointsmemo.com’s Josh Marshall. It discusses a Condi Rice piece in Foreign Affairs, from early 2000, laying out what she saw as the countries five key foreign policy priorities. Marshall writes: Only the last made any mention of terrrorism and it was: “to deal decisively with the threat of rogue regimes…

It’s as easy as falling off a log ( + 25 years).

They start noticing things again. When they feel that something needs doing, they do it. They stop being afraid of making mistakes. They stop hiding from themselves. They wake up to find out they are the eyes of the world.

Be the first on your block to hop on board the xianerrific express! Later, you can tell your friends: “I knew that guy back when he was just a blogger.” Act now!

and I’m late on my way to the Palace Hotel in SF for the coronation anunciation assumption announcement by Howard Dean about his plans for DFA 2.0. We hope you like our new direction.

There’s something to be said for sleeping whenever you’re tired and waking up a lot to fiddle around with stuff until you’re tired again.

It’s a guy from my car insurance … reading my survey answers about how I switched…. He tells me they’re planning an ad campaign…. Am I interested in being on a billboard?

Interesting article by former Clinton pollster Mark Penn here. His point in short: both Kerry and Bush have it exactly wrong. Their initial wave of ads are designed to reinforce their respective strengths, when they should be focused on shoring up their weaknesses.

It’s as good a time as any to do another week in review: Monday I finally closed out my February files, deposited some checks, and then met my editor, Pete Gaughan, for a lunch on the sidewalk outside Arizmendi (pizza in the sun, yea! it almost made me feel like I had kicked this cold)…

Lane Stretching Silk Fibers Originally uploaded by mamamusings. Posted by xian from how do i post this to a different blog?

On Monday my throat felt scratchy and I had a sinus drip. By Tuesday it was a full-blown cold. It’s almost as if my body scheduled its next breakdown for the precise end of the California primary season. I voted for my candidate but, as he had already withdrawn from the race, he of course…