Scholars and RoguesScholars and RoguesA diverse band of thinkers, social analysts, activists, grousers, jesters, and troublemakers. We're different in many ways, but we share a general belief in progress, a conviction that smarter is better, and a passionate distaste for convention. Articles
Don?t let the future be compressed?fight for a free Internet
2008-04-22 04:36:00 Last week AT&T exec Jim Cicconi did his part to spread FUD by claiming that the Internet will reach the limits of its capacity by 2010, bolstering this doomsday notion with absurd claims that three households could conceivably consume as much bandwidth as the entire existing Internet, or that the entirety of existing networks built today came from private-sector innovation, a claim I’m sure everyone from Vint Cerf to Al Gore can dispute. Why would Cicconi make such claims? As Ars Technica astutely notes, AT&T has every interest to push bandwith-throttling tactics like those used by Comcast in its blocking of BitTorrent, because like Comcast, AT&T’s supposed high-speed Internet offering relies upon existing network connections, rather than building true fiber-optic cable to the home as Verizon is doing with FiOS–and is prey to the same bandwith restrictions and infrastructure problems as a result, when it’s not literally blowing up in ... More About: Future , Free , Cain
From hog slop to White House?
2008-04-21 23:50:00 Despite one presidential candidate’s proclamation that hope is nigh, little appears visible. Pennsylvania votes Wednesday in what reasonable people might wish is effectively the last of a primary season in which presidential aspirants have effectively revealed their character by tearing down each other to become the last man or woman standing. That intent is much of the content of their words, ads and deeds. Why should voters value destructive behavior? Why should voters value stridency? Why should voters value the invective that candidates (and their side men and women) throw at each other with such little concern for accuracy? Why should voters value the plausible deniability presidential candidates erect in their campaigns when their acolytes cast aspersions on opponents, then fall blithely on their partisan swords (soon to be rewarded, if their swain wins, with an ambassadorship or a political post)? It’s oddly amusing that the electorate seems to think that these m... More About: House , Democrats , White House , White
?We don?t need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in the state of Colorado?
2008-04-21 23:01:00 Colorado’s most infamous asspipe, Douglas Bruce, is at it again. Bruce booted after “illiterate” remark By Jessica Fender The Denver Post Disparaging remarks aimed at migrant workers got resident rabble-rouser Rep. Douglas Bruce banned from speaking on an alien worker bill today. “We don’t need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in the state of Colorado,” Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, told the chamber to an audible gasp. Rep. Kathleen Curry, leading the House at the time, immediately barred Bruce from speaking at the podium, an uncommon maneuver. “How dare you?” she asked Bruce, before House members moved back to discussion of a bill aimed at helping seasonal farm workers from other countries enter the state legally on a temporary basis. In case you’re unfamiliar with Bruce, he masterminded Colorado’s notorious Amendment 2 debacle and the state’s disastrous “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” (TABOR). He’s been relat... More About: Colorado , State , The State , Peasants
Courting the white male vote
2008-04-21 20:00:00 Finally, somebody puts it all into clear perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkjT70iHID c Thanks to Djerrid for pointing this out to us. More About: John Edwards , White , Stephen Colbert , Vote , Male
More on the debate
2008-04-21 17:05:00 Apparently what we reported on last week was just the tip of the iceberg. According to our friend Brad Jacobson at MediaBloodhound, things got even more interesting after the cameras were turned off. CHARLES GIBSON, ABC ANCHOR: …OK, so let’s continue. “Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come. Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday. Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long. I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.” GIBSON: That is a quote from The Beatles drug-inspired anthem “I Am the Walrus.” Senator Obama, exactly how stoned were you the first time you heard this song? And did the bong hits, combined with the tabs of acid you ingested, make this song less or more enjoyable? Complete transcript available here. More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Debate , C News
S&R Poll: your band name stanks
2008-04-21 16:03:00 The results of the latest S&R Poll are in. Which of the following is the worst band name in history? 1: Hoobastank (28) 2: Limp Bizkit (15) 3: Hootie and the Blowfish (14) 4: The CC DeVille Experience (12) 5: Toad the Wet Sprocket (8) 6: Porno for Pyros (6) 7: Goo Goo Dolls (5) Panic! at the Disco (5) 9: A Flock of Seagulls (4) Mott the Hoople (4) 11: Def Leppard (3) Our new poll, which asks you to evaluate how you feel about your chosen presidential candidate, is now posted in the column to the right. S&R polls are not scientific. Please, no wagering. More About: Band
Nota bene
2008-04-21 14:16:00 Got hot links if you want ‘em! Nobody took off George Stephanopoulous and Charles Gibson’s heads and handed them to them better than Will Bunch at Attytood. But, in an interview, he also asked Barack Obama, if elected, whether he would prosecute the Bush administration after it’s out of office. “Obama sent a clear signal that — unlike impeachment,” he writes, “which he’s ruled out and which now seems a practical impossibility — he is at the least open to the possibility of investigating potential high crimes in the Bush.” Bill Ayers responded to the furor George Stephanapoulos incited over his history — or lack thereof — with Obama. “I’m sometimes asked if I regret anything I did to oppose the war in Viet Nam, and I say ‘no, I don’t regret anything I did to try to stop the slaughter of millions of human beings by my own government.’ . . . This is then elided: he has no regrets for s... More About: Middle East , Iraq , Democrats , Iran , Hillary Clinton
The women of FLDS: teary-eyed defenders of the church of child rape
2008-04-21 08:04:00 In 2005, the state of Texas passed one of the quickest bills in decades, changing the age at which young people with parental consent could legally marry from 14 to 16. Why the hurry? Warren Jeffs and the FLDS had come to town. Here?s a quick, easy definition of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints: ?The FLDS practice polygamy in arranged marriages, sometimes between underage girls and older men.? This is the accepted tagline used with almost no variation by AP, Reuters, the Post, the Times, Fox News… palatable. Neutral. Not too upsetting to hear during breakfast. Not nearly as hard to think about as the truth, which is simple enough for even the Texas Legislature to grasp: An underage girl is a child. A child cannot consent to a marriage, arranged or otherwise, or to the sexual consummation of that illegal marriage, nor can her parents consent for her. Non-consensual sex is rape. Jeffs, his father before him and two generations of their fellow predators had created... More About: Women , Child , The Church , Rape
Retiring pol + unused campaign cash = power, access, influence
2008-04-20 21:50:00 On Jan. 1, Federal Election Commission records show, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.) had $862,809.75 in his campaign operation, Reynolds For Congress . From Jan. 1 to March 31, FEC records show, he raised $271,851.79. Allowing for spending by his campaign ($123,825.39), Rep. Reynolds finished the first quarter with $1,010,835.55. That’s a nice piece of change for a Republican incumbent to take on any challengers, eh? But on March 20, Rep. Reynolds became the 29th Republican in the 110th Congress to announce his or her intended departure (or actually leave) the House, saying: While there is always more to do, elected officials are only temporary stewards of the people?s trust. That?s why today I am announcing that I will not seek and be a candidate for reelection. [emphasis added] Now that Rep. Reynolds won’t be a steward of the public’s trust, what kind of a steward will he be of the million bucks of other people’s money tucked away in his campaign fund? Ac... More About: Power , Bush administration , Campaign , House of Representatives
NYT?s 1Q profit bombs: Now what?
2008-04-19 21:30:00 In the first quarter a year ago, The New York Times Co. made $23.9 million in profit. This week, the company reported a loss of $335,000. That’s about the worst quarter-to-quarter loss the company ? and the news biz ? has ever seen. In a story by The Times‘ Richard Pérez-Peña, president and CEO Janet L. Robinson said “it was ‘a challenging quarter, one that showed the effects of a weaker economy,’ compounded by ‘a marketplace that has been reconfigured technologically, economically and geographically.’” That’s Robinson-speak for “Holy crap! We’re screwed!” Hands down, The Times is still the best newspaper in America (the occasional hit job on a presidential candidate notwithstanding). But this multi-million-dollar loss caps a humbling year. Like all newspaper companies, it seeks above all else to maintain a traditionally high profit margin (around 15 to 17 percent industry wide) to placate investors. But that ... More About: Profit , Bombs
Saturday Video Roundup: the best of music video, part 3
2008-04-19 20:54:00 In previous Best of Music Video posts (part 1 and part 2) we’ve looked at everything from Johnny Cash to Prodigy to Death in Vegas to NIN and then some - and if you noticed a certain … heaviness … five points to Gryffindor. Today, in honor of the beautiful weather outside, we’re going to look at some of great rock video’s comparatively lighter moments. We’ll start with one of the cleverest narratives I’ve ever seen in the video genre, Blues Traveler’s retelling of the Wizard of Oz fable from “Run Around.” Cynical, anyone? (And by the way, what did Adam Duritz ever do to John Popper?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2jj8Yw6WC g I remember being just blown away the first time I saw New Order’s “Round and Round,” primarily because of its staggering minimalism. At first you’re struck by just how little is going on, but the more you watch, the more you’re intrigued by how much is going on. http:/... More About: Music Video , Roundup , Saturday
Click here to read JS O?Brien?s absolutely accurate and unimpeachable colle
2008-04-19 02:54:00 If US News holds true to form, it will publish its 2009 undergraduate college rankings in August 2008, just in time to drill its way into the heads of all those eager new high school seniors who have to decide where to apply for early decision before November 1, and for regular decision before January 1. Not to mention what the rankings do for their parents’ bragging rights. The US News rankings are controversial, especially among those colleges that aren’t highly ranked. They complain that the magazine doesn’t measure what actually goes on in the classroom and the learning outcomes at various universities, and they’re right. Of course, the schools themselves don’t know that stuff either. No one knows that stuff. I can’t even find a college that clearly defines exactly what skills and knowledge an undergrad should have before getting a degree, nor can I find one that tests to make sure their graduates have what the schools haven’t yet d... More About: Click , Read
Screw the hints. Here?s why really bright kids steer clear of most state u
2008-04-18 22:58:00 By overwhelming, popular demand (and if you haven’t met Doc Slammy, you don’t know the meaning of the word “overwhelming”), here is a point-by-point translation of Lena Antman’s letter to the editor that prompted me to write the first article in this series. I know I said before that I wouldn’t do this because it would be insulting your intelligence, but rest assured: I’m not insulting your intelligence, I’m insulting Slammy’s intelligence. Here’s my analysis. Once you’ve read it, I’ll give my take on (drum roll please) exactly why so many, many bright kids steer clear of state universities. A disappointing education As my first year of college draws to a close, I realize that I have learned nothing academic from these hallowed halls at the University of Colorado . Translation: My writing skills are such that I think hackneyed phrases like “hallowed halls” are wildly creative. I am spending $8,000... More About: Kids , State , Bright
Quotabull
2008-04-18 22:14:00 In a garbage dump in Haiti, people scavenge for food. They look at me and say, ?Papa, I?m hungry,? and I have to look away. It?s humiliating and it makes you angry. ? Saint Louis Meriska of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, whose “children ate two spoonfuls of rice apiece as their only meal recently and then went without any food the following day”; food prices in Haiti have spiked 45 percent since 2006; April 18. 904 Million pieces of direct mail sent out by credit card companies in October 2007 688.8 Million pieces sent out in February 2008 ? illustration with New York Times brief about credit-card companies scaling back on direct-mail offers; April 14. Sleep well tonight. Your National Guard is at work. Since 1836, the National Guard has played an important role protecting our country’s freedom so American can rest easy in their homes and at work, every hour of the night and day. The Guard is vigilant and ever-alert to potential threats in every time zone across our count...
Want to know why so many really bright kids forego a state U education?
2008-04-18 18:17:00 The top students at my local high schools attend college at places like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, CalTech, Stanford, Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, and the like. They often pay exorbitant prices and take on substantial debt to go far away from home to frigid climes in dreary Eastern cities, leaving 300+ days of sunshine, mild winters, extraordinary outdoor recreational opportunities, and even a Division 1 football team behind. The local state U - the University of Colorado - woos them with honors programs and merit scholarships. There is even a full-ride scholarship in the state that many of these kids could earn, but most don’t apply. In other words, most of these kids could attend college for minimal money, but they choose not to. Why? Given the dearth of data supporting the idea that education at a brutally selective college leads to higher lifetime earnings (given the same level of talent) than education at your run-of-the-mill big box state U, why are so many tal... More About: Education , Kids , State
If the Democrats lose another presidential election, this time it won?t be
2008-04-18 15:25:00 Low-information voter indeed. In the previous two presidential election campaigns, Al Gore and John Kerry, starched at the collar to begin with, ran campaigns prudent to the point of pussyfooting. Both Democrats attempted to court the corporate interests that helped bring Bill Clinton success. Meanwhile, those who had sought to take it away, the religious right, were given a wide berth. By way of post mortems, alternative media and progressives have spent the years since heaping abuse and scorn on the Democrats for the timid campaigns they ran. Give the public some credit, went the refrain. Hew to the Democrat ideals which saw this country through a Depression and a world war. If you truly respect the Republicans, instead of appeasing them, emulate their rock-ribbed conviction. We haven’t heard much talk like this lately, have we? The current presidential campaign cycle kicked off with the likes of Dennis Kucinich, an unreconstructed leftist, and John Edwards, an advocate of ... More About: Presidential , Hillary Clinton , Time , Cain
Bush?s global heating proposal - responses and S&R analysis
2008-04-17 22:18:00 President Bush announced yesterday that his administration would address global heating. This basic fact has been covered, and re-covered, in media around the country and around the world. The general response appears to have been negative, with a widespread view internationally and from domestic environmental and progressive organizations that Bush’s proposals are a serious case of “too little, too late.” And U.S. conservative and libertarian groups consider Bush’s announcement to be little more than political appeasement. Today I’d like to dive a little deeper into Bush’s claims about his global heating record and his new proposal. But first, a small sampling of responses from around the world. “There is no way whatsoever that we can agree to what the US is proposing,” South African Environment and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said in a statement. (Source: AFP story) “President Bush’s global warming propos... More About: Analysis , Proposal , Bush administration , Global
ABC sinks to new low in debate, but record won?t stand for long
2008-04-17 21:18:00 I missed last night’s “debate” between Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama . From what I can tell this morning, that was the smartest thing I did all day. I’ve read a good bit about it and seen some video and it looks like what transpired in Philadelphia may have been a new low-water mark in American journalism. Let’s see what people are saying. We’ll start at Crooks & Liars, which has video of the debacle. Next let’s check in at the ABC “News” Web site, where the network’s viewers are still engaging in one of the bloodiest nard-stompings I’ve ever seen. Nearly 16,000 comments as I write, and the consensus is not a happy one. SenateGuru explains why G-Steph should be embarrassed. Yes, Charlie, the crowd is turning on you. Because you’re a joke. Jack & Jill Politics called it a “freak show,” a “disgrace” and “a great disservice to the American people a... More About: Democrats , Bill Clinton , Cain
Even better than the real thing: mass media and manufactured beauty
2008-04-17 17:20:00 Give me one last dance We’ll slide down the surface of things You’re the real thing Yeah the real thing You’re the real thing Even better than the real thing I figured out a long time ago, even before I began encountering grad-level feminist critiques, that our media’s stylized construction and portrayal of female beauty was problematic. It’s bad enough that unattractive people don’t appear in movies, on TV or in magazines unless the narrative expressly requires someone unattractive, and sometimes even that isn’t enough. I mean, the star of Ugly Betty isn’t really ugly. But it goes beyond this. It’s not just that we’re only shown pretty people. It’s not just that we fetishize youth and beauty in all things. It’s that we have now passed the point when natural beauty suffices. Jean Baudrillard talks about the simulacrum, the hyperreal, the artificial representation that has no real-world referent. If that’s ... More About: Media , Beauty , Real , Mass Media , Mass
WordsDay - welcome, spring!
2008-04-17 16:33:00 While spring may have only recently made its appearance in some parts of the country, here in the Sunny South it’s been springtime for several weeks already. The proliferation of blossoming dogwood, cherry, and redbud trees puts one in mind of poetry about spring. So let’s start with those most famous of lines about enchanted April, Chaucer’s opening to the Canterbury Tales: Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote The droghte of Marche hath percèd to the roote, And bathèd every veyn in swich licoúr, From which vertu engendred is the flour; When Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Enspirèd hath in every holte and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe course yronne, And smale fowles maken melodie, That slepen al the nyght with open eye, So pricketh hem natúre in hir coráges:? Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimàges, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry landes; And specially, from every shir... More About: Spring
Springtime in the Rockies: update
2008-04-17 01:03:00 I told you yesterday that it was supposed to be in the 70s. Actually it topped 80. Here’s the view from my porch right now. Black dog, no comment… More About: United States , Colorado , Springtime , Update , Rockies
Happy Birthday to us! S&R turns one year old today
2008-04-16 19:03:00 One year down. Several more to go, with luck. Scholars & Rogues launched one year ago today with two posts: one from Whythawk on unlearning helplessness and another from me on Joe Wilson’s firebreathing, bomb-lobbing nard-stomper at the Conference on World Affairs, where he called the Bush administration a pack of traitors and said Fred Thompson was “a member of the treason faction of the Republican Party.” A lot has happened since then. 1339 posts from our writing staff. 39 guest posts, a couple of which almost blowed up the Internets. 16 honorary Scrogues in the masthead, from Lord Byron to Babe Ruth. Thousands of comments, many of which were quite thoughtful. Thanks to some security issues, we closed up shop at Wordpress and moved to our own domain. We made it to Technorati 10K status in five months. After the move to our new domain we had to start over, and less than six months later we’ve nearly made it to the Top 10K again. We’ve been l... More About: Today , Happy , Birthday , Happy Birthday , Year
The Weekly Carboholic: Study says dams reduced sea level rise
2008-04-16 14:00:00 Image Source: US Bureau of Reclamation Dams exist to store massive amounts of water, water that may be used for flood control, irrigation, human consumption, or even electricity generation. And dams are very, very good at storing water. So good, in fact, that a new study from Taiwan’s National Central University says that dams slowed sea level rise over the 20th century. From the Nature blurb about the story: By damming rivers, humans have masked the full extent of surging sea levels, a new study finds. Sea levels have risen by an average of 16 centimetres since 1930, and they would have risen by an additional three centimeteres but for the water tucked away in manmade reservoirs last century, not carefully tallied until now. As a result, the paper’s abstract says “[t]his demands a considerably larger contribution to GSL rise from other (natural and anthropogenic) causes than otherwise required.” In other words, the approximately 10,800 cubic kilometers ... More About: Study , Weekly , Rise
The J Street Project, or ?Yes, Virginia, you can be pro-Israel and progress
2008-04-16 04:26:00 I’m Jewish. You don’t hear me blog about this much for a variety of reasons, one of the major ones being that you are then inevitably asked to take a stand on Israel –as if such a thing even needed to be discussed, like Marx’s odious asking of “The Jewish Question.” My faith influences my thinking in a lot of ways, but it is not the sole arbiter of my thinking, and I don’t feel that I have to travel in lockstep with what any other Jew thinks–certainly not about Israel, which has every right to exist as a sovereign state, yet commits indefensible acts against peoples it (rightly or wrongly) perceives as implacable foes. As such, people like myself stay out of the debate, allowing it to be usurped and dominated by a cabal of crazy ultrahawkish right-wing Zionists who claim that anything short of total annihilation of Palestine will end with, as my father says, “the Jews being driven into the sea.” Thankfully, there’s an ... More About: Middle East , Cain , Project , Judaism
TunesDay: music that haunts?
2008-04-15 20:43:00 Sometimes rock gives us music that is simply haunting. Here’s underappreciated sixties band The Left Banke with an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seuwhZvXa6 Y And here’s a Left Banke for the Millenials, The Republic Tigers, with an equally haunting work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6yrVU6AwM 4 For a friend of mine, this jewel from the Me Decade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxC4lAuXpR c Finally, a haunting tune from misunderstood 90’s rockers The Gin Blossoms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tXShNtyvR s Happy, happy, joy, joy…. More About: Music
Springtime in the Rockies
2008-04-15 19:27:00 Springtime has come to Colorado. Which means it’ll be in the 70s today and they say it could snow tomorrow. But let’s enjoy the nice weather, shall we? I took the dog over to the open space at Davidson Mesa this morning and snapped a couple shots from the overlook at the west end of the park. This first shot is of the Boulder Valley, and that cluster of buildings in the distance at the foot of the mountains is the University of Colorado campus. Then I swung the camera north a bit for this shot of Long ’s Peak , the 14er closest to us here. It’ll start greening up here in the next week, I imagine. Meanwhile, hope the Spring Fever doesn’t hit you too hard (or, if it does, that you aren’t trapped inside all day). Feel free to link us to pictures of what it looks like at your place… —————- Now playing: Juliette and the Licks - “Mind Full of Daggers” More About: United States , Springtime , Rockies
An REA model for 21st Century broadband?
2008-04-15 18:38:00 Our friend at the Niagara Falls Reporter, the Pulitzer-winning John Hanchette, today comments and expands on Denny’s analysis concerning the need for a new business model for news organizations. Denny’s post and Hanch’s follow-on, taken together, represent about as coherent a starting point for the discussion of the future of news as I’ve seen, and while I’m certain that no self-respecting media exec would be caught dead in the presence of this kind of lucid thinking, there’s no reason you shouldn’t give it a read. According to the folks who run broadbandreports.com — the most informative site I’ve found yet on this subject (and one which also took note of the relevance of Adlai Stevenson’s famous quote) — this is because “we lack a comprehensive national broadband strategy of any kind.” Instead, we leave such decisions and initiatives to big corporations and utility companies, neither of whom the Dubya ad... More About: Broadband , Model , Century
Nota bene!
2008-04-15 14:14:00 With the downturn in the economy, the welfare reform Bill Clinton enacted during his presidency might not seem as politically prescient as it once did. In his New York Times article, “From Welfare Shift in ‘96, a Reminder for Clinton,” Peter S. Goodman reports on Peter Edelman, who quit his post as assistant secretary of social services at the Department of Health and Human Services in protest after Mr. Clinton signed the measure. Not only Bill, but Hillary, doesn’t “‘acknowledge the number of people who were hurt,’ Mr. Edelman said. ‘It’s just not in their lens.’” Once Hillary was in the Senate, Goodman reports, “When the overhaul bill came up for reauthorization, Sandra Chapin, a former welfare recipient affiliated with a coalition called Welfare Made a Difference, lobbied Congress to allow more women to attend college while they received aid. Mrs. Clinton ‘wouldn’t have anything to do with it,R... More About: Internet , Culture , Arts , Bene
Seriously ill? Need costly drugs? Go broke or die
2008-04-14 23:48:00 Has the financial tipping point of life vs. death finally arrived? Do you now need to be financially healthy (meaning rich) to ease suffering from or survive diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and some cancers (such as metastatic breast cancer)? The lead story in the print edition of today’s New York Times reports this chilling fact: Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases. With the new pricing system, insurers abandoned the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug?s actual cost. Instead, they are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of do... More About: Drugs , Bush administration
Nota bene!
More articles from this author:2008-04-14 15:06:00 Nota Bene attempts to provide an overview of the week’s news. Meanwhile, in its appendix, we cull trenchant comments to articles and posts, as well as those heard in person or emailed. This week Nota Bene appears in two installments: Political and foreign policy today; the economy, lifestyle, and the appendix on Wednesday. Candidate for most surprising person to come to the defense of Obama for his “Small town comments” (also known as Bitter-gate)? How about correspondent David Brody of Pat Robertson’s network, CBN News? “Look, could Obama have said the whole thing better?” he asked. Of course, “but to me this seems like a case of piling on. We talk a lot in Christian circles about giving people ‘grace’ but in politics those same rules don’t apply.” That was the bad and the ugly for Obama. Here’s the good. At the Petraeus-Crocker hearings, writes Joe Klein in his Time magazine piece, “Petraeus Meets His Ma... More About: Congress , Middle East , Iraq , Democrats , Iran 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
|
 |
|
 |
