The End of Times Select

If you haven't heard yet, the New York Times will lay to rest their failed experiment of containing some content, including their Op-ed writers, behind the Times Select subscription firewall. I stole this photograph from Crooks and Liars, but really, it's my sentiments exactlY:

I love Rep. Tim Ryan [again]

This guy is great.

See why I love Rep. Ryan of Ohio at Crooks and Liars. This is the second time I've heard him tell it like it is. Finally, a voice from the wilderness. Thank you, Representative Ryan!

Why won't the Dems listen to him?

...And you’re coming up with new phrases again, fascism and all of this stuff. $8.4 billion per month; $1.9 billion per week in Iraq; $275 million per day in Iraq; $11.5 million per hour in Iraq. If this is the legacy of the Bush administration, you know what? If I was in the White House, I wouldn’t want that talk about this either.

Country Singers Get Uppity

Ooowee... I don't know about Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's politics, but from what I know, country singers usually vote Republican. So... President Bush better shoo nuff watch it when country singers get uppity and spout off about the horrible Katrina response from the Federal government.

Hill and McGraw were promoting their new tour, and as natives of Mississippi and Louisiana, they had some choice words for the gubment.

Via Crooks and Liars,

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill embarrassed over Bush's Katrina response

Hoffmania:

"McGraw specifically criticized President Bush. "There's no reason why someone can't go down there who's supposed to be the leader of the free world … and say, 'I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done. And you're held accountable, and you're held accountable, and you're held accountable.

Hill, who grew up in Jackson, Miss., echoed those sentiments. So overwhelmed, she uncharacteristically unleashed an epithet, calling the situation, "Bull- - - -" "It is a huge, huge problem and it's embarrassing," she said...read on

There's a link at Hoffmania to an actual recording of the press conference, while here's an article from AOL about the news conference.

And rutroh... here's the conversative NewsBusters take on the hullababloo... hmmm... they shoot horses and turncoats, don't they?

Repeat after Me...

From Crooks and Liars:

As Jane points out, [Jack] Abramoff never gave a dime to democrats. Between 2001 and 2004, Abramoff gave more than $127,000 to Republican candidates and committees and nothing to Democrats, federal records show...read on

So when you hear folks say that Jack Abramoff's clients gave to Republicans and Democrats, just ask 'em, but what did Abramoff give to Democrats? Nada. Zip. The big nuthin'.

2006 might be interesting indeed...

Dowd vs. Gore

I read a great post linked from Crooks and Liars from "Lawyers, Guns and Lawyers" called Dowd and the Kneecapping of Gore. I've written about Maureen Dowd twice on my nascent blog, one in which I was fully behind her regarding her op-ed on Judith Miller, and then more ambiguously when her book, "Are Men Necessary: When Sexes Collide" was excerpted in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. So it's probably a good time to remember just what role she played in helping to demonize Al Gore during the 2000 election. She's one of the reasons, among others, that we now have President George W. Bush. And that just makes me cringe.

Scott Lemieux writes:

But when he was busy being elected, Dowd was lying about Gore's fundraising, peddling the "invented the internet" and "summer chores" lies, accusing Gore of flip-flopping with no evidence, writing idiotic pop-psych nonsense including the "earth tones" crap, discussing Hillary Clinton's haircuts, spreading the "Alpha Male" meme, attacking Gore for having the temerity to discuss actual issues in a Presidential campaign, and on and on and on. (And any feminist defense of Dowd should explain her attacks of Gore in re Naomi Wolf's salary. Anybody think she would comment on the salary of a political consultant if said consultant had a penis?) And she didn't just repeat the empty cliches and lies of others. She actually created some: Dowd invented the bullshit Love Story smear.

Yes, it's certainly good to look back and remember what Dowd hath helped wrought the next time I'm leading a cheer when she slams someone I don't like, like Judith Miller.

I had the opportunity to see Al Gore speak twice last year, once for Move On's environmental conference and then his explosive speech at New York University regarding the Bush administration. I must say that I wish he had shown the fire in those speeches that he lacked somewhat during the 2000 election. I think most of that had to do with the hullabaloo during the last of the Clinton years, and Gore wasn't able to find his feet, trying to distance himself from the scandal and stepping out on his own.

But Dowd didn't help Gore with her columns, and her Love Story smear. And that, I should never forget.