Hapi To Have That Over With

Either Team Schwarzenegger is extremely good at managing the p.r., the press is not interested in getting after Arnold right now, or it’s some combination of both. Maybe someone can help me, but try as I might, I could not find one movie still of Arnold in the role...

Clinton Hype Outhypes Hype

“Clinton Mania Set To Rule” News 24 in South Africa shouts. The Miami Herald warns of the “Clinton Blitz.” “Love him or hate him,” the story begins, “you won’t be able to avoid Bill Clinton this week.” With his 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, and the release of his...

Saudi’s and Pakistani’s: What Goes Around Comes Around?

Credit goes to the 9/11 Commission for discovering these latest new orbits in the political planetary system. But then, will the discovery have lasting significance? Because the Administration seems to have gained a stronger hand over the news cycle over the past week, there is a perception in the...

Break

I have a few technical difficulties to work out. I will resume posting again tomorrow (Tuesday). Thanks!

UnKool

Hey, what happened to houseofmenthol.com? The cigarette manufacturer, Brown and Williamson, was nailed this week by a New York state judge for targeting cigarette sales to youths. Using “street marketing” techniques, the company was sponsoring a nationwide series of D.J. tournaments, branded as “Kool Mixx,” and had even begun...

Lead Photo: The Odd Couple

Having been a thorn in Bush’s side for most of the past year, John McCain traveled with “W” this week and even delivered a few speeches that made him sound like Bush’s parrot. Here’s the picture that leads today’s New York Times. The caption is titled: “Joining Forces.” What’s...

Trends Department:What’s Going Down

Note to the Administration: The battlefield shifted months ago.

North Goes South As Neocons Decompensate. Media The Big Target

The neocons are beginning to melt down over the results of their policies. Some of the reactions we are now seeing are nothing short of dissociative. Just witness Dick Cheney’s bizarre reaction to the 9/11 Commission yesterday. In the face of overwhelming, and now authoritative evidence that Iraq and...

al-Sadr Named Iraqi Occupation “Player of the Year”

Obviously, Muqtada al-Sadr has shown himself to be an adept politician, having clearly outmanuevered the Bush Administration over the past few months. One day his picture is hanging on a wanted poster in the White House post office. The next day, Bush is giving his tacit approval to the...

We’re Diplomats and Military Commanders, And We Can’t Take It Anymore

Today, a coalition of diplomats and military commanders (the DMCC) formally launched a campaign to undo the damage caused by the Bush administration. The group, consisting of 27 (and counting) chiefs of mission and retired four-star military brass called for changes in our foreign policy and defense policy, as...

9/11 Commission Issues Final Report: Bush, Cheney Come Off Worse Than Sudan

Of course, the big story of the 9/11 Commission final report is that there was never any link between al Qaeda and Iraq. The story people are overlooking, however, is the diplomatic incompetence of Sudan. From 1991 to 1996, having provided refuge to al Qaeda, the Sudanese convinced bin...

Report From New York

Above, you’ll find an image of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in 1968. As you can see, things got out of hand. Apparently, a lot of people were upset about a war at that time. Here in NYC, we’re gearing up for a Republican National Convention...

Getting A Handle On The Economy

send this cartoon to a friend! What Steve Roach at Morgan Stanley had to about politics and interest rates (complete comments): “Hans Tietmeyer went out of his way to venture into perhaps the most delicate and important aspect of monetary policy — political...

The Almighty Sleeve

–Ron Reagan Jr. comparing father’s faith to that of “other politicians” in memorial eulogy.

Latest Back Door Move: Bush Tosses Bonanza To Big Phone Companies At Expense Of Aunt Millie

(Last Wednesday, the Administration declined to appeal a court decision releasing regional phone companies from sharing their networks at reduced prices. There’s some good news, though. According to the NYTimes, analysts say that “if and when they start charging higher fees, the Bells are unlikely to raise rates by...

The Last Great Republican War

Another offering in this season’s steady stream of political documentaries is The Hunting Of The President. According to the website: “Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry’s incendiary documentary, based on the best-selling book by Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, offers a glimpse at the genesis of … partisan vendettas and...

Where Yesterday’s “Under God” Supreme Court “Decision” Ended Up:

Leading Pictures: Taking A Dive

Today’s L.A. Times leads with a surreal photo of George Bush (the elder) skydiving. The crucial thing to understand is that he is descending in tandem with an army sergeant (that guy on top of him). As the caption explains: “Winds and clouds prevented Bush from jumping solo as...