Posted 12/4/2003 09:16:52 PM by Edward Driscoll
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE:

1) nothing to do 2) a sharp knife 3) a large lime 4) a patient cat 5) too much tequila 6) and it's football season?

This.

Posted 12/4/2003 02:04:13 PM by Edward Driscoll
DAVID HEMMINGS DEAD: The iconic star of the ultra-cool 1960s classic Blowup died of a heart attack after finishing a day's movie shoot in Romania. He was 62. UPDATE: I have more, at Blogcritics.

Posted 12/4/2003 12:23:36 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE CULTURE OF MISTRUST: James Bowman puts the events of early October in perspective, when the media simultaneously attacked Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rush Limbaugh. "That is the way the media game is played in a world where outrage is a commodity and is traded on the media markets of left and right for potential gain. And not just political gain either", Bowman writes. Of course, Schwarzenegger won, and Limbaugh still has his radio show, if not his high profile ESPN gig. This week, the stakes seem somewhat lower in gotcha-land.

Posted 12/4/2003 11:17:31 AM by Edward Driscoll
SUSAN ESTRICH, referring to the recent "Hate Bush" rally that Hollywood middleweights held Tuesday, writes that the politics of hate won't beat Bush:

The way to defeat Bush is not to advertise how much you hate him. Hard-core ideologues who hate Bush are not going to decide this election. They'll vote for the Democrat, as they do every four years, but there aren't enough of them to elect a Democrat. You need swing voters to do that. Hatred may motivate the left to contribute money, but it is hardly an effective talking point for public consumption if you want to win elections. Ari Emanuel, a talent agent who represents Larry David and whose brother served in the Clinton White House and now in Congress, knew just how bad the Drudge story was for Democrats. "People are assembling over a political issue -- the 2004 election," he told the press in response to the ruckus about hating Bush. "The invite didn't say 'Hate Bush,' and I don't think (the Drudge story) was productive." Productive? I bet it produced a lot of money for George Bush. And worse, it helps produce votes for him. The people whose votes Democrats will need to defeat George Bush don't hate him. On a personal level, they like him. They need to be convinced not to vote for him, for reasons that have to do with the war, or special interests or the economy. "Hate Bush" headlines do just the opposite.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time.

Posted 12/4/2003 11:05:01 AM by Edward Driscoll
OUCH: Tell us what you really think about Gary Trudeau:

Trudeau's political instincts are as unerring as ever. Whether harping on Schwarzenegger's rowdy behavior, cheerleading Wesley 'Help, Mary!' Clark as an intellectual, or getting on the wrong side of every position relating to Iraq, Trudeau is a marvel of the thoughtless conservatism of today's upscale liberal. He represents a faux bohemian class whose political niche appears more like a therapeutic echo chamber than an ideology. They have no solutions to offer, just more bitching. Trudeau exacerbates the effect with strips that don't read like a dialogue between two characters but like Trudeau talking to himself in a didactic lecture for the reader's benefit. I doubt an example is necessary to anyone who has gotten through more than a week's worth of his material. It's an embarrassing habit moreso because Trudeau does not appear to realize that you can't have a Socratic dialogue with yourself: that's masturbation.

Fortunately, the Internet has allowed a few competitors to emerge...

Posted 12/4/2003 10:52:53 AM by Edward Driscoll
TERMINATED: Schwarzenegger repeals law allowing drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.

Posted 12/4/2003 10:26:17 AM by Edward Driscoll
THOUSAND WORDS DEPARTMENT: David Frum writes, "If you wonder how reconstruction is going in Iraq, take a look at these photos of Baghdad by night."

Posted 12/3/2003 08:17:03 PM by Edward Driscoll
AIDS, REAGAN, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, AND THE LEFT: A must-read post by Andrew Sullivan. Be sure to follow the links, as well.

Posted 12/3/2003 01:16:13 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE FUTURE AND ITS ENEMIES: Novelist and screenwriter Roger L. Simon has some new terminology he's using on his blog:

What divides our society now is not the old dichotomy between "liberal" and "conservative," it is those who oppose fascism and those who want to let it be. On this blog, I am going to start calling those sides what they really are -- anti-fascist and pro-fascist.

Meryl Yourish adds:

So Roger has the new term: They are now pro-fascists. How else to describe those who insist that Yasser Arafat is 'the sole legitimate representative of the palestinian people' yet refuse to admit that he was elected in a sham election against a prop candidate, while all the true candidates were terrorized into not running? How else to explain those who want Ariel Sharon remanded to an international court for 'war crimes' while insisting that Saddam Hussein must be removed by his own people because that is an 'internal' matter? How else to describe those who protest George Bush's visit to Britain while completely ignoring the destruction of a British embassy and bank by Islamic terrorists, because that is not the message they're trying to get out that day?

George Orwell would likely agree.

Posted 12/3/2003 12:00:57 PM by Edward Driscoll
TAKE THAT, NEW YORK TIMES! The president honors Robert Bartley, editor emeritus of The Wall Street Journal, with the Medal of Freedom, calling him "one of the most influential journalists in American history." We can't argue with that.

Posted 12/2/2003 11:07:47 PM by Edward Driscoll
WELCOME MUSICTAP READERS! Matt Rowe was very kind to link to our site via a button on MusicTAP's homepage, and we'd like to welcome those of you who've clicked on it. If you're unfamiliar with Weblogs, be sure to check out the article I wrote for the late, lamented SpinTech in early 2002, and republished here. We tend to kick around politics, the economy, as well as pop and Internet culture on this blog, but we've written our share of music reviews as well, many for a "meta-blog" called Blogcritics. And be sure to read the many fine blogs on the links page, beginning with the all-mighty InstaPundit, whose Weblog was a direct inspiration. Of course, my day job is as a freelance journalist. It's in desperate need of being updated, but click here for a list of articles I've written for both the Web and for numerous "dead tree" publications. We try to update the Weblog on this site several times a day, so check back frequently!

Posted 12/2/2003 10:53:01 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE NEW, NEW NIXON: Commenting that on her return from Iraq "Senator Clinton struck exactly the right note for a member of the opposition party", David Frum writes that Hillary could very well be taking a page out of Richard Nixon's playbook:

A theory went around a few weeks ago that Wesley Clark was some kind of Clinton stalking horse. After listening to Dean on the stump and then to Senator Clinton, I think she’s got a simpler plan: Stand aside as Howard Dean leads the Democrats to catastrophe, including seat losses in the Senate and possibly the House as well, and then step forward as the candidate of Democratic pragmatism and moderation. In the1990s, conservatives described Hillary’s paranoia and scheming as “Nixonian.” But remember that in 1968, Richard Nixon ran as a “new Nixon.” That’s what we’re going to see in 2008: a “new Hillary” – less nasty, more statesmanlike. Might work; certainly it will work better than Howard Dean’s plan to re-enact the 1972 McGovern campaign – only this time, as Karl Marx might have said, as farce.

Unlike some, I doubt very much that we're going to see President Bush replace Dick Cheney with Condi Rice as his VP in 2004. But I could definitely see Condi running for the presidency in '08. And if it's against Hillary, it will be a political wonk's dream come true.

Posted 12/2/2003 06:48:54 PM by Edward Driscoll
FILMS WE WILL NEVER SEE: Bruce Walker has a provocative list of titles that Hollywood will produce right after the Weather Channel reports arctic conditions in the ninth circle of Hell. For even more films we'll never see, check out this similar article from June of 2000, by Kenneth Lloyd Billingsley.

Posted 12/2/2003 01:40:59 PM by Edward Driscoll
GUESS WHO SAID THIS, in 1945:

If the United States and the United Nations truly want peace and security let them fulfill the hopes of the common people everywhere -- let them work together to accomplish on a worldwide scale, precisely the kind of democratic association of free people which characterizes the Soviet Union today.

Paul Robeson, who joins Frida Kahlo as another unrepentant Stalinist to be honored with his own American Postal Service stamp. As The New Criterion asks, "what's next, a stamp honoring Julius Rosenberg"? UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan unearths an even more jaw-dropping quote by Robeson, and asks, "Would anyone who had written such things about Hitler in 1945 now be celebrated on a postage stamp?"

Posted 12/2/2003 12:47:31 PM by Edward Driscoll
WOW, I'LL HAVE WHAT DENNIS IS SMOKING! Kuchinich's Website has all the happy little animals from the enchanted forest happily voting for him. (Link via the Corner, which asks, "If a tree in the woods endorses Kucinich, is it even worth making fun of?")

Posted 12/2/2003 12:18:41 PM by Edward Driscoll
BACK IN THE US, BACK IN THE US, BACK IN THE USSR: James Taranto explores the Howard Dean-Gerald Ford connection. And scroll down for Jimmy Carter's "final solution" for the Middle East. Of course, given Carter's friends in the region, that's quite a Freudian slip. UPDATE: Charles Johnson writes "Howard Dean’s appearance on the “Hardball” show last night [is] bursting at the seams with so much idiocy that it must be read to be believed."

Posted 12/2/2003 12:06:39 PM by Edward Driscoll
AS TIME GOES BY: David Cohen casts a fond look at Casablanca, the greatest film Hollywood made during WWII.

Posted 12/2/2003 02:57:31 AM by Edward Driscoll
THINKING FOR COLUMBINE: Joanne Jacobs brilliantly deconstructs "The Bowling for Columbine Teachers' Guide". Be sure to read the comments as well.

Posted 12/2/2003 12:20:56 AM by Edward Driscoll
BAY AREA NFL UPDATE: Skip Bayless asks, are the 49ers "too nice" for their own good? Meanwhile, Bill Callahan calls his Raiders "the dumbest team in America"!

Posted 12/2/2003 12:04:39 AM by Edward Driscoll
ADVANTAGE ED II: Rush Limbaugh writes:

Only one 'analyst' has suggested the parallel between Bush's domestic policy and Nixon's domestic policy, and you're reading his website right now.

Err, sorry Maharushie, but actually, we noted the comparison in the very early days of this blog, a year and a half ago! See also this article by James Pinkerton from a year ago, titled "Richard Milhouse Bush".

Posted 12/1/2003 11:07:34 PM by Edward Driscoll
ADVANTAGE ED! Drudge has a link to an article, and this blurb:

The city of Cerritos, Calif., is planning to become the biggest Wi-Fi hot spot in the nation. The city, southeast of Los Angeles, inked a deal Monday with Aiirnet Wireless to install wireless data transmitters throughout its borders to give residents, businesses and city employees high-speed Internet access...

Of course, the idea of city-wide 802.11 is nothing new to our readers.

Posted 12/1/2003 06:58:44 PM by Edward Driscoll
"HERE'S..... DICK!" That's the caption that Drudge has below this photo of Dick Gephardt's err...profile. I think those are some notes or a pair of gloves he's holding. I think. Of course, if it's not, all I can say is...wow! UPDATE: John Hawkins has picked it up (the photo, that is). His readers are having lots of fun in the comments page.

Posted 12/1/2003 12:30:40 AM by Edward Driscoll
HEY, AT LEAST IT WASN'T LBJ'S DAISY AD: David Limbaugh writes, "GOP puts TV spotlight on Democrats' undermining". (Here's what the headline above refers to, for our younger viewers. Err, readers.)

Posted 11/30/2003 11:39:37 PM by Edward Driscoll
IT'S MEME-KILLING TIME, over at Ballon-Juice.com.

Posted 11/30/2003 10:37:43 PM by Edward Driscoll
"THE PROMISED LAND" is the title of David Brooks' latest essay in The Times. It's tremendous; here's the money graph:

This week the G.O.P. behaved as a majority party in full. The Republicans used the powers of government to entrench their own dominance. They used their control of the federal budget to create a new entitlement, to woo new allies and service a key constituency group, the elderly.

As Orrin Judd writes, "One does wish that Ronald Reagan were in possession of his senses so that he could see his people arrive in the Promised Land." As the spiritual leader of the Republican party, no doubt, the Gipper would enjoy the destination. But would the small government-oriented conservative who gave the legendary "Rendezvous With Destiny" speech in 1964 approve of the route taken to get there? UPDATE: Somewhat related to Brooks' essay, Donald Lambro writes:

The last three Democrats to occupy the White House were Southerners, two of them governors. Fewer governors means fewer chief executives to promote for higher office, a gloomy picture indeed of the Democrats' political future.

Posted 11/30/2003 10:21:39 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE STORY OF LAST WEEK was of course, President Bush's secret trip to Iraq. I didn't know about it until Thanksgiving afternoon, when my parents mentioned it over the dinner table, after they heard the story reported on TV. Here's one very, very good reason why it was kept secret from the press. UPDATE: John Cole asks, "Who has become more predictable regarding their reactions to President Bush? Al-jazeera and the Arab Press or the American Left?"

Posted 11/30/2003 10:09:27 PM by Edward Driscoll
H IS FOR HATRED, HOLLYWOOD, AND HYPOCRISY: In the Bay Area, you certainly see a fair number of bumper stickers that read "Hate Is Not A Family Value" (usually written in 72 point Helvetica bold, in all caps, on a fluorescent neon background, for maximum emphasis). But for some folks on the left coast, hate seems to be just fine. UPDATE (12/01/03): Aaron Russo, the producer of Trading Places is quoted as saying, "Iraq was not a threat to me, and personally I'd be more afraid of George Bush than I would of Saddam Hussein," he said." Of course, Russo wouldn't be the first Hollywood tycoon to turn a blind eye towards a mass-murder.

Posted 11/30/2003 09:53:33 PM by Edward Driscoll
NOW THAT'S A GREAT HEADLINE: The purpose of the headline, in both newspaper and advertising copy writing, is to grab the reader's attention by giving him a headline that's so provocative, he's got to read the rest of the story. This headline by Nicholas Stix certainly fits the bill:

Does The New York Times Wish The President Dead? It's a great article, as well. Be sure to read the paragraph that's third from the bottom.

Posted 11/30/2003 09:36:34 PM by Edward Driscoll
HAPPY (BELATED) THANKSGIVING! Back from a four day visit to the east coast, to visit parents and friends. Watch for regular blogging to resume shortly.