The New Republic

[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] Isn't it nice that diamonds are not being used to fund horrific civil wars in Africa anymore? Isn't it nice that so-called "conflict diamonds" are not flooding the world market? Now, instead of fueling conflicts, diamonds are being used to prop up gross human rights violators like Zimbabwe. READ MORE >>

[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] The New York Times has a long report today on what the paper calls the "new, quiet effort" to build a Muslim community center near Ground Zero. The piece can be read from a number of angles, or with varying degrees of optimism. Yes, the project is moving forward. But: READ MORE >>

[Guest Post by Isaac Chotiner] From Charles Blow in today's New York Times, recounting a trip to the south where he spent time with blue-collar workers (the title of the column, 'They, Too, Sing America,' was admittedly fair warning): READ MORE >>

Writers should be excused their obsessions, and they should even be pardoned for writing too much about those obsessions. But Tina Brown, the editor of Newsweek, has decided to make her article on “Diana at 50” the cover story of her magazine. The piece ponders what Diana would have been doing with her life had she not died in Paris. READ MORE >>

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[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] Representative Ron Paul, in Iowa: "We're not on the verge of having a king, but we are on the verge of having way too much dictatorship in Washington, D.C.." Senator Rand Paul, in Washington D.C.: READ MORE >>

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[Guest Post by Isaac Chotiner] In his column about the United Kingdom, David Brooks writes: Britain faced an enormous task [in the first 20 years of the 20th century]: To move from an aristocratic political economy to a democratic, industrial one. This transition was made gradually, without convulsion, with both parties playing a role. Brooks also quotes the French ambassador to Britain, who reportedly stated: READ MORE >>

[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner] In his item below, Jon speculates on why liberals dominate political satire. It's a good question, but it should not obscure the fact that conservatives have their own brand of humor. Take Dennis Miller, who regularly appears on Fox News, and who last night made an appearance on Fox's biggest show, The O'Reilly Factor, to reflect on the death of Osama Bin Laden. READ MORE >>

Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India By Joseph Lelyveld (Alfred A. Knopf, 410 pp., $27.95) READ MORE >>