Dispatches

Santorum Solves the Catholic Church Scandal
07.12.2005 09:59 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Pennslyvania Senator and all-around wingnut Rick Santorum has figured out who was to blame for Boston's Catholic church pedophilia scandal: liberal professors at MIT. I kid you not. This morning's Boston Globe has a column by Brian McGrory detailing Sa...

"Do You Have Questions on Another Topic?"
07.12.2005 04:21 | RUSS WELLEN
From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot.It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for Scott McClellan. The White House Press corps, dormant so long, recently started rumbling and yesterday finally erupted. (David Corn is best on this.) Content, since 9/11, to p...

Under and Un - Appreciated, That Is
07.12.2005 04:18 | RUSS WELLEN
From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot. 9/11 triggered an explosion of reporting and commentary. In fact, the case can be made that we live in the Golden Age of Journalism. However, little reaches the bulk of the public. Progressive voices no longer boast...

The Art of Doublespeak
07.11.2005 17:25 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Scott McLellan tries to evade his past statements, and--miracle of miracles--the White House Press Corps calls him on it. It's more than a little absurd that Judith Miller is in jail over this while the White House hems and haws. Also, hasn't the White Ho...

Cities and terrorism
07.11.2005 10:18 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Earlier I wrote about why cities make attractive targets for terrorism. One reason was that high population densities provide both anonymity (for the terrorists) and a lot of victims (i.e., on a subway or crowded street.) Now the folks at the Marginal...

Rail Security
07.08.2005 11:08 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Although nothing can make a transit system completely safe, the US could certainly be doing much more than it does now. The Bush Administration has proposed about $115 million for transit security for the current year. That's pretty paltry, especially whe...

More Miller
07.07.2005 11:40 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Anyone interested in the full debate over Judith Miller's imprisonment and the many ambiguities that swirl around it should go to the Poynter Insitute's blog. I've made my position known, but here it is again in short: Is this a collapse of press fre...

Attacks in London
07.07.2005 10:42 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Needless to say this morning's bombings are appalling. It bothers me that almost four years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and that much of the public and (it seems) military's attention is directed elsewhere. Obviously the situation in Ir...

The Jailing of Judith
07.07.2005 04:47 | RUSS WELLEN
From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot.The New York Times editorial about Judith Miller seems designed to steamroller the ambiguities of her case with patriotic cant: “She is surrendering her liberty in defense of a greater liberty, granted to a free press b...

Oh, Please
07.06.2005 17:27 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Bob Geldoff has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently the award can be given to any person who organizes a whole bunch of charity concerts that raise no money. On the other hand, I see that album sales for all the participating bands hav...

I like Rosa Brooks
07.06.2005 10:42 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
She doesn't like Judith Miller. And while we're at it, since the media still seem to be playing the Judy violins, let's revisit Franklin Foer's critique of her in New York magazine....

September 11 and Occam's Razor
07.05.2005 11:33 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
My colleague Russell Wellen has posted a missive on LIHOP vs MIHOP -- essentially the question of whether the Bush Administration, with regard to September 11, "Let It Happen on Purpose" or "Made It Happen on Purpose." These ideas seem to be creeping into...

Benjamin Wittes on the Future of Roe
07.05.2005 10:40 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
What if the new Supreme Court overturns Roe vs Wade? Would this be a disaster for women's rights and liberalism? Benjamin Wittes, in his article "Letting Go of Roe" in the January Atlantic Monthly (subscription required), argues that it would not, and th...

The Judith Miller Lies
07.05.2005 10:38 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Time Inc. has capitulated to the special prosecutor investigating the outing of Valerie Plame, and it will turn over documentation to the government about the person or persons who contacted its reporter with the identity of a covert CIA agent. To reca...

IHOP? No, stupid – LIHOP. Or was it MIHOP?
07.05.2005 05:28 | RUSS WELLEN
(Let It Happen on Purpose versus Made It Happen on Purpose) From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot. You’d think that with its tendency to stumble into situations without forethought the Bush administration would accidentally blunder into a bill or initi...

Let the Frog March Begin
07.02.2005 08:43 | RUSS WELLEN
From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot.Editor & Publisher reported yesterday that Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, stated on John McLaughlin's show that Karl Rove will be named as the Valerie Plame source in the "document dump that Time maga...

Now It Will Hit the fan
07.01.2005 10:21 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
Sandra Day O'Connor resigns from the Supreme Court. This will be one messy fight with a whole lot of lobbyists...

Vietnam Deja Vu?
06.30.2005 12:07 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
The Altercation weblog today reprints a prescient list from 2003 that was originally posted on MediaWhoresOnline. Here Goes: VIETNAM 2 PREFLIGHT CHECK 1. Cabal of oldsters who won’t listen to outside advice? Check. 2. No under...

Vietnam Deja Vu?
06.30.2005 12:07 | MICHAEL MANVILLE
The Altercation weblog today reprints a prescient list from 2003 that was originally posted on MediaWhoresOnline. Here Goes: VIETNAM 2 PREFLIGHT CHECK 1. Cabal of oldsters who won’t listen to outside advice? Check. 2. No understanding...

The Trouble with the D. St. Memo
06.30.2005 05:19 | RUSS WELLEN
From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot. Actually, there are two problems. No, not with the probity of the memo(s), but with why it gets stuck in America’s craw. First, most of us not only don’t object to a president lying – to us, for us, it’s all the...