This one has made the rounds on the cable news nets already but still deserves mention, even if I’m late to the party:
Archive for July, 2008
Authority Gone Awry
Posted in Law Enforcement, Personal Liberty, tagged nypd brutality, police beating on July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
US Exports Record Quantity of Petrolium Products in May
Posted in Economics, Energy, tagged oil, petrolium, refinery capacity on July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reuters:
Critics of the offshore drilling plan noted that the Energy Department released data this week showing that U.S. exports of finished petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel, soared to 1.592 million barrels per day in May.
The exports set a record for the month and were up 31 percent from a year ago.
Jim [...]
Is it Really That Difficult?
Posted in Politics, The News Media, tagged fox, obama/osama confusion on July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Picked up yesterday by TV Newser. As noted, FOX & Friends cohost Steve Doocy picked up the error and apologized for it about 45 minutes after it aired. I can understand the occassional verbal Obama/Osama slipup. I even expect it. But a chyron? I don’t ever recall typing Obama when [...]
Yanks Trade Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers for Ivan Rodriguez
Posted in Fantasy Baseball, The Yankees on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Considering Jose Molina’s superb defense, I figured the Yankee braintrust was just fine with his mediocre (at best) hitting and fully expected him to remain as the starting catcher down the stretch following the the news that Posada’s season is officially finished. Chad Moeller would continue serving ably as Molina’s backup.
Apparently I was mistaken. [...]
Straight Talk Express II
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, The Straight Talk Express, tagged mccain, Salvatore Ferragamo on July 30, 2008 | 1 Comment »
While Andrew Sullivan is on vacation, seperate guest posters at Daily Dish submitted two posts that I think Sullivan would have combined. Patrick Appell linked this press release from McCain campaign manager Rick Davis and pasted the following quote:
Only celebrities like Barack Obama go to the gym three times a day, demand “MET-RX [...]
The Straight Talk Express
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, The Straight Talk Express, tagged Landstuhl, mccain, straight talk express on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Washington Post debunks McCain’s claim that Obama cancelled his trip to visit injured American troops in Germany because the DOD wouldn’t allow him to bring cameras:
For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could [...]
Brew Your Own Auto Fuel at Home?
Posted in Energy, tagged alternative fuel on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Economist (requires subscription)
The brain behind this idea is Donald Highgate, a polymers expert, who made his name in the 1970s by developing soft contact lenses. The polymer he has come up with this time is used to make what are known as proton-exchange membranes. These, depending on how the device containing them is set [...]
Obama to House Dems: If Sanctions Fail, Israel Will Likely Strike Iran
Posted in Iran, Israel, Middle East, tagged iran, Israel on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
From ABC’s Political Punch Blog
Obama told the caucus, according to an attendee, “Nobody said this to me directly but I get the feeling from my talks that if the sanctions don’t work Israel is going to strike Iran.”
I think an Israeli strike has been seen for some time as the most likely playout of events, [...]
Is the War Over?
Posted in Iraq, Middle East, tagged Iraq on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Eric Martin at Obsidian Wings slaps Michael Totten for a column which I touted here. Martin writes,
That is every bit as brash as “Mission Accomplished” was five years ago. While it is true that many former Sunni insurgents have ceased attacks on the Shiite-led Iraqi government and US forces (opting, instead, to collaborate [...]
American Predator Drone Reportedly Kills Senior Al Qaeda official
Posted in Pakistan, War on Terrorism, al Qaeda, tagged masri, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar on July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
LA Times
PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN — A Pakistani security official said an apparent U.S. missile strike early Monday may have killed a senior Al Qaeda trainer believed to be a chemical weapons expert.
Local officials in the tribal region of South Waziristan said that at least 12 people died in the attack, believed to have been carried [...]
Give Him an A For Effort
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Internet, Politics, tagged Internet, mccain on July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
SF Chronicle
“Am I a tech freak? No,” he said in an interview Monday with The Chronicle. “And I don’t like to text message because I’d rather call somebody on the telephone.”
“I do understand the importance of the computer. I understand the importance of the blogs,” he said.
McCain said he is well aware that technology [...]
The Straight Talk Express
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, The Straight Talk Express on July 26, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Looking at the clip of Wolf Blitzer’s interview of John McCain below this post, a few things become increasingly clear. McCain has resorted to stating, in highly definitive terms, things he cannot possibly know for sure. When Blitzer asks what McCain would do if Maliki demanded American troops withdraw from Iraq in a [...]
Quote of the Day
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq on July 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Well, yesterday’s quote of the day, anyway:
I was working on a draft of a post digging into all the problems with Sen. McCain’s explanation of why he’s all for Maliki’s 16 month timetable for withdrawal and dead-set against Obama’s 16th month timetable for withdrawal. But I think that sentence alone illustrates how thin a strategic [...]
More on Converging – and Diverging – Foreign Policies
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, tagged converging iraq obama bush mccain on July 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
From today’s NYT:
Republicans also say the administration’s decision to authorize high-level talks with Iran and North Korea has undercut Mr. McCain’s skepticism about engagement with those countries, leaving the perception that he is more conservative than Mr. Bush on the issue.
Essentially, as the administration has taken a more pragmatic approach to foreign policy, the [...]
Yanks Trade for Nady and Marte
Posted in The Yankees, tagged Yankees nady tabata marte on July 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Thats the rumor currently being reported at MLB.com
PITTSBURGH — Pirates right fielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte have been traded to the Yankees.
Though the team confirmed a trade, the Pirates have not confirmed that both players are indeed going to New York. However, according to one official baseball source, Nady and Marte have [...]
Protestors Push Back at FOX News Channel
Posted in Politics, The News Media on July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Hip hop star Nas joined about 50 protestors outside FOX News HQ yesterday to deliver over 600,000 signitures demanding that “FOX stop their racist attacks on the Obama family and on black Americans”.
Stephen Colbert was all over it yesterday:
The Straight Talk Express
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, The Straight Talk Express on July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
CNN Political Ticker
John McCain defended comments he made in an interview on Tuesday when he incorrectly argued that the surge in Iraq gave way to the so-called “Anbar Awakening” – when Sunni leaders joined forces with U.S. troops to fight Al Qaeda in the fall of 2006.
The Arizona senator told reporters Wednesday afternoon that when [...]
No Help for Troops in Afghanistan as Long as Bush is President
Posted in Afghanistan, Middle East, Politics on July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Excerpts from the Q&A portion of yesterday’s DOD briefing
The commanders have identified a need of three additional combat brigades. I think everybody in a position of power in this building has spoken about that at length publicly. That is what the commanders wish for. The secretary, working with the president in Bucharest, helped the president [...]
The Straight Talk Express II
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Economics, Energy, The Straight Talk Express on July 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
McCain credits President Bush with the recent oil price drop. The White House did not stand by that assessment:
Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said the price drop also could reflect diminished demand.
“I don’t know if we fully deserve the credit,” Perino said.
“We don’t predict what happens in the market,” she said. “We can’t really [...]
Yanks Looking For Ways to Deal with Key Injuries
Posted in The Yankees, tagged jason bay, posada, trade, Yankees on July 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been a tough year, injury-wise. Damon has returned from his recent shoulder injury, courtesy of a crash into the plexiglass portion of the left field wall and Richie Sexson provides some needed pop from the right side of the plate but the likely losses of Matsui and Posada for the remainder of the [...]
The Straight Talk Express
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, The Straight Talk Express on July 23, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Hilzoy points to Spencer Ackerman’s exceptional work in exposing McCain’s latest historical revision, this time regarding the chronology of the Sunni Awakening and President Bush’s Troop Surge.
Update
H/T: Jed Lewison CBS apparently decided to edit out McCain’s botched answer:
On Converging Foreign Policies
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, The News Media, tagged bush, converge, Iraq, mccain, obama on July 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Much has been made in the past few days on the supposed recent or current converging of competing Iraq policies.
One significant item I came across, which I can’t find anyplace else is this account of Terry Moran’s interview with Barack Obama, part of which was played on Nightline yesterday. AFP reports the following, [...]
Early Word on Obama’s Meeting With General Petraeus
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, tagged Iraq, obama, petraeus on July 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Watching Obama’s live speech from Iraq now, he says of Petraeus (paraphrasing): His concern has to do with wanting to retain as much flexibility as possible. The focus of their discussion, Obama said, wasn’t on how precipitous the exit would be. He added that he’d feel the same way if he had Petraeus’ [...]
Maybe We’ll Print It if You Throw in a Timetable
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, The News Media, tagged mccain, NYTimes, Op-Ed on July 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The NY Times committed what might be their most egregious error in judgement since putting Jayson Blair on the fast track up the newsroom ladder. It was announced today that they rejected an Op-Ed piece submitted by John McCain, which he wrote in responce to an Obama Op-Ed the Times ran last week.
In an [...]
Setting the Record Straight on al-Maliki’s Statements Regarding Troop Withdrawl
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics on July 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Following the disputed translation of Maliki’s comments to Der Spiegel, the NY Times confirms the accuracy of the translation:
The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr. Maliki’s comments by The Times: “Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this [...]
The Straight Talk Express
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Iraq, Politics, The Straight Talk Express on July 20, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Statement issued by the McCain Campaign yesterday:
“The difference between John McCain and Barack Obama is that Barack Obama advocates an unconditional withdrawal that ignores the facts on the ground and the advice of our top military commanders,”
Hmm….
From the Obama campaign website:
The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders [...]
Don’t Call it a Timetable
Posted in Iraq, Politics on July 19, 2008 | 1 Comment »
NY Times:
President Bush agreed to “a general time horizon” for withdrawing American troops in Iraq, the White House announced Friday, in a concession that reflected both progress in stabilizing Iraq and the depth of political opposition to an open-ended military presence in Iraq and at home.
It’s a preliminary measure and it’s short on details. [...]
The 2008 Siren Music Festival
Posted in Brooklyn on July 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Today is the 8th annual Siren Music festival at Coney Island. An all day free concert featuring multiple bands performing on two stages. Its easily my favorite Brooklyn event and with the future of Coney Island sadly uncertain, I don’t know how many more Siren Festivals there will be. I’ll be sure [...]
The White House Turnaround on Diplomacy with Iran
Posted in Iran, Middle East, Politics on July 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It must be very rare to see such a White House stark position shift in such a short period of time. It was mid-May when, at the Knesset for Israel’s 60th anniversary celebration, President Bush discussed the notion of diplomacy with “terrorists and radicals”
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, [...]
Yanks Agree to a Deal With Richie Sexson
Posted in Sports, The Yankees on July 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
ESPN
Sexson fits in New York because the Yankees needed a right-handed slugger to match up against left-handed pitching — and Sexson had a .344 average against lefties this year.
Assuming the deal is completed, he’ll be in the lineup Saturday against Oakland.
The Yankees will only have to pay Sexson the prorated minimum of $390,000 from his [...]
Loophole Discovered in Gmail Privacy
Posted in Internet on July 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Securiteam:
Ever wondered what name is behind some obscure gmail address? Maybe your preferred gmail address was taken and you’re wondering who took it?
Here’s a cute vulnerability in the gmail system that comes from the strong tie-ins between gmail, the google calendar and all the other services.
I’m not sure how cute I think this is. [...]
What Happened to the Cheap Fuel-Efficient Sub-Compact?
Posted in Energy on July 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Checking Consumer Reports for mileage stats on the most fuel efficient cars on the market has me shaking my head. The Toyota Yaris Base with manual transmission at 26/44 mpg is apparently the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid car on the road. The best rating overall went to the Toyota Prius Base, at 35/50 mpg.
What [...]
Is the War Over?
Posted in Iraq on July 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Michael Totten:
What most of us still think of as “war” in Iraq is, at this point, a rough and unfinished peacekeeping mission. Whether it is officially over or not, it has certainly been downgraded to something else, and it’s about time more analysts and observers are willing to say so.
He cites Michael Yon, whom Totten [...]
Jon Stewart on What Obama Should Have Said
Posted in 2008 Presidential Election, Politics, The News Media on July 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I’m running into trouble embedding Comedy Central’s video format so I’ll just link the clip here.
Now, to be fair, that New Yorker cover did put Obama in a tough spot. Let’s not dismiss that most polls that ask still have 10% or more respondants indicating they believe Obama is a Muslim. Obama has [...]
Introducing the Zero Truck
Posted in Energy, tagged alternative fuels, electric cars, Energy, fuel on July 14, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Popular Mechanics reviews Electroride’s zero emission commercial box truck:
The Specs
The Zero Truck is a Class 4 or 5 (depending on configuration) commercial truck based on the Isuzu NPR—one of the best sellers in the industry. The Zero Truck is an “Integration Package.” In other words, participating dealers receive the Zero Truck conversion components in a [...]
