Biden: “Is it fair to say, Judge, that you, like, cringe at the mention of fried chicken and collared greens, or that ‘the bling,’ as I’m told the homies call their shiny material possessions, makes you socially uncomfortable—?” Chairman Specter: “—That question is completely inappropriate, Senator, and the Chair admonishes you against using this forum as an opportunity to float such inflammatory hypotheticals –!” Biden: “—You’re absolutely right, Mr Chairman.
January 12, 2006
Another NSA meditation: responding to recent criticisms.
To answer AL and MF, who continue to raise NSA “domestic spying” questions in the comments here—including the charge that no one who supports the program has addressed Lawrence Tribes’ (evidently, to their way of thinking) dispositive proof that the administration, by way of AG Gonzales press conference “slip ups,” has admitted to breaking the law (a position shared by Jonathan Turley, among others). But this is a false and
January 12, 2006
The “I am not a pundit post” post (from the protein wisdom conceptual series)
What do I think about the prospects of Iran getting a nuclear weapon? I don’t, honestly. But let me tell you this much: if Patriots’ QB Tom Brady thinks he’s gonna spread the field and have his tight ends or backs abuse the Broncos’ linebacking corp by getting Ben Watsen or Christian Fauria or Corey Dillon in favorable coverage situations, he’s never seen Ian Gold, desperate for a Nutty-Buddy, sprinting
January 12, 2006
Sources: EU-3 To Demand UNSC Action on Iran
From Reuters: The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany meet on Thursday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme and EU diplomats said the trio would call for Tehran to be hauled before the U.N. Security Council. The United States said on Wednesday it was “more likely than ever” Iran would be referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions and that it would seek to “change Iranian behavior” through
January 12, 2006
Awards are hard on the Beaver, June
protein wisdom has been nominated for this year’s Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards in two categories: Best Jewish Humor Blog and Best Overall Mega Blog. Which makes sense, because let’s face it: if anybody deserves recognition as a Super Jew, it’s this agnostic mensch. Anyway, the 2005-6 competition is being co-sponsored by israellycool.com and the Jerusalem Post, which—while it ain’t quite Wizbang, ain’t chopped liver either, as the Hebes are
January 11, 2006
Schumer v Alito—the abridged Senate Confirmation Hearing questioning, 2
Schumer: “I was going to ask you, Judge Alito, why you think—and please, let’s dispense with all these so-called ‘qualifications’, references to ‘relevant context’, or invocations of ‘attendant legal precedence’—I was going to ask you , sir, why you believe that the Constitution does not allow a young girl who’s been brutally raped by her White Trash Pappy the legal availability of an abortion? Is it because you hate women,
January 11, 2006
More NSA wrangling: a fresh(er) perspective
Some interesting discussion spun off from my recent post on “The Wisdom of Wiretaps”—a few responses (in the form of an exchange) I’d like to highlight here. First, here’s Tom Ault, who takes the tack of dividing the NSA “domestic spying” question into competing impulses / questions—one having to do with the program’s legality, the other having to do with the pragmatic nature of the program, from the standpoint of
January 11, 2006
The new, less “pedantic” protein wisdom: post number 3
I really do love “The Rockford Files,” but I can’t help be think that if they made the show today, Jim would be played by David Caruso—and instead of a shiny gold Firebird, he’d be driving a tricked out Hummer with bullet-proof glass and an entire portable crime lab set up in the back. And Angel? They’d probably make him a chick—a doe-eyed 25-year old former exotic dancer with a
January 11, 2006
Chimpy McHitlerburton’s smirky rodeo ride through history: 18
From AFP, “Afghans reject bin Laden, want more peacekeepers : poll”: Huge majorities of Afghans reject Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, approve the US military role in their country and are grateful to international bodies like the United Nations. The survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland also found strong support for President Hamid Karzai. “Clearly this (poll) is a positive portent for the
January 11, 2006
If a Cedar tree falls in the Syrian forest, and the only person there to hear it is a Special Forces soldier directing an air strike with GPS tracking equipment and an unmanned aerial drone, does it make a sound? Or does it just, y’know, kinda leave pulp and a little pencil-thin mustache?
From the Telegraph (UK): President Bashar al-Assad of Syria secretly incited Iraq’s top Shia leader to declare holy war against US and British forces, according to Washington’s former administrator in the country. In his new book, My Year in Iraq, Paul Bremer said he heard the explosive intelligence in October 2003 as sectarian tensions soared across the country following the fall of Saddam Hussein. The report came from an extremely