Informed Speculation

My greatest fear for this country at the moment is not the thought of a nuclear-armed terrorist.  That thought is indeed horrifying, and though the odds are relatively small, they are not insignificant, and the danger must be fought against with every tool at our disposal.  More troubling for me at the moment, because far [...]

It’s a given that Democrats have lost the public debate over health care reform.  What once seemed inevitable is now seen as impossible:  60 Senate votes is a bridge too far.  What is to follow is an open secret – the Democrats will seek to use the budget reconciliation process, a process that was designed [...]

Paul Krugman might as well just quit his post at the NY Times, put on a skirt, grab his pom-poms, and camp out on the White House lawn.  Seldom has a major op-ed figure been such a shill for the sitting president.  His latest piece is an attempt to convince you that – get ready [...]

Dead of brain cancer at 77…you can’t, of course, look at the man’s life without considering the massive scandal that is Chappaquiddick…but I’ve never felt entitled to sit in judgment of anyone, no matter how grave the sin, and I believe that human beings are complex mixtures of good and evil – all of us, [...]

Mickey Kaus, who I trust more than any other blogger, left or right, quotes a person who he trusts, and…oh, hell, let’s just go straight to Mickey: Mark Krikorian, whom I’ve found trustworthy on these matters, explains that illegal immigrants will too get health insurance under the current Democratic proposals. They’re technically not eligible, maybe–but [...]

In case you missed it, the Obama administration upped its long-term deficit projections by $2 trillion over the weekend.  Reuters has more: President Barack Obama’s domestic policy proposals will face the reality of skyrocketing deficits on Tuesday when officials release two government reports projecting huge budget shortfalls over the next decade. The White House budget [...]

I posted this little bit of weekend fun before, but YouTube knocked the old link down.  They’ll probably get this one, too, but in the meantime, let’s revisit once more the smoothest of the smooth, as the incomparable Frank Sinatra just kills this medley with Antonio Carlos Jobim from a 1967 television special.   This [...]

No, it’s not health care – but rather the war in Afghanistan: A majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Most have confidence in the ability of [...]

Jay Cost, in an apropos followup to yesterday’s post: After a rough week for health care reform, Democratic leaders appear to be pulling back on their demand for a public option. It remains to be seen whether liberal Democrats, especially in the House where they are more numerous, will go along with this. But this [...]

It’s hard to see how any objective observer can view the initial nine months of the Obama presidency as anything but a failure.  Afghanistan is as big a mess as ever, Gitmo has not been closed (indeed, Obama has continued most Bush policies on the War on Terror), and North Korea and Iran have so [...]

…nor is it the only story Mickey Kaus has obsessed on (hey, I left off with Mickey several days ago, why not restart with him as well?).  The great Kaus has been all over phoney-baloney John Edwards and his love-child from day one.  Now, with Edwards admitting not only the affair, but his paternity, as [...]

…so I haven’t been posting. Glad to see you guys keeping the dialogue going in the comments…new content very soon!…

What can I possibly add to this? Here’s a thought: What if Obama said, to the health care protesters and worried seniors, “I understand your concerns” instead of letting his press secretary and party allies sneer at them (for being “well-dressed” or thugs or dupes who don’t know “the facts,” etc.)? Isn’t that more the Obama Way, [...]

The group Snow Patrol has been opening for U2 on some of its 360 tour dates. Two nights ago, the band played Poland, and of course they brought out their Solidarity-inspired masterpiece New Year’s Day. Gary Lightbody of the aforementioned Snow Patrol was so moved that he wrote a letter to U2 and its fan [...]

Mickey Kaus thinks he’s found one: From out here on the West Coast, it sure looks as if OMB Director Peter Orszag is the Donald Rumsfeld of the looming health care quagmire, in the sense that a) it’s his strategy that’s failing–at least failing to win over public opinion; and b) it’s hard to see how the strategy changes [...]

From the new Quinnipiac poll on health care reform: American voters, by a 55 – 35 percent margin, are more worried that Congress will spend too much money and add to the deficit than it will not act to overhaul the health care system, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. By a [...]

…who are criticizing Bill Clinton for his recent mission to free two hostages from North Korea. I am most emphatically not one of them. Instead, my reaction is, “Thank God”. You done good this time, Bill…you done good…

Well, after all my U2 360 posts, I would be remiss if I didn’t include one from the 3 night stand in Dublin’s Croke Park. Why not go straight to the top? Elsewhere, I named this song the single best rock tune of the last 25 years (well, I said twenty years, but time has [...]