The New Republic

The Chicago police declared today that the death of former Rod Balgojevich fundraiser Christopher Kelly was a suicide. The Times reports: READ MORE >>

The conservative echo chamber continues to play "telephone" with its estimates of the crowds at the 9/12 protest. Follow along: 1) On his radio show yesterday, Glenn Beck claimed that the London Telegraph "quote[d] a source from the Park Service, the National Park Service, saying that it is the largest march on Washington ever." READ MORE >>

A couple of significant developments in the race for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Steve Lynch, last seen getting booed off the stage at a Labor Day health-care rally, has decided not to run. Meanwhile, Alan Khazei, the founder of City Year, is getting closer and closer to announcing that he will run. READ MORE >>

A friend following Joint Chiefs chairman Mike Mullen's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee sends over this exchange between Mullen and John McCain, who asked the general about Carl Levin's proposal to prioritize training of Afghan security forces over U.S. troop increases: MCCAIN: Is there any reasonable scenarios, Admiral—a prospect that trained Afghan security forces can handle the bulk of the fighting over the near to medium term? MULLEN: No, sir. READ MORE >>

Joe Biden's making his third trip* of 2009 to Iraq. That's the same number of trips to Iraq Dick Cheney made in his eight years as vice president. *--One of Biden's Iraq trips was taken when he was veep-elect. READ MORE >>

Bank of America and the SEC were blasted on Monday in a ruling issued by a Federal District Judge. The two parties had proposed a settlement deal over bonuses that had been paid to Merrill Lynch last year. The judge, Jed Rakoff, not only rejected it; he criticized the ethics of the proposal: "the proposed Consent Judgement is neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate. It is not fair, first and foremost, because it does not comport with the most elementary notions of justice and morality," READ MORE >>

In my review about the resurgence of Ayn Rand-ism on the right, I cited an op-ed by Cornell economist Robert Frank. I called Frank's central point, that luck plays a huge role in success, "seemingly banal." It occurs to me -- I haven't heard from Frank or anybody about this point -- that that line sounded dismissive. I didn't intend it that way at all. READ MORE >>

The former president on Biden: The president didn’t think much of Joe Biden either. “Dana, did you tell them my line?” the president once asked with a smile on his face. “No, Mr. President,” Dana replied hesitantly. “I didn’t.” He paused for a minute. I could see him thinking maybe he shouldn’t say it, but he couldn’t resist. “If bullshit was currency,” he said straight-faced, “Joe Biden would be a billionaire.” Everyone in the room burst out laughing. The former president on Hillary Clinton: READ MORE >>

Pinch yourself, Washingtonians. Looks like Joe "the plumber" Wurzelbacher, in addition to his post-campaign career as a foreign correspondent, pundit, author, motivational speaker, aspiring singer, and all-around philosopher, also harbors dreams of comedic greatness. At the very least, he is the very first name listed in the press release I just received touting this year's "star-studded line-up" for the 16th Annual Funniest Celebrity in Washington contest. (Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the DC Improv) READ MORE >>

What exactly must a lawmaker do to distinguish himself as one of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress? The mind reels. Helpfully, the goo-goos over at CREW have read the reports, crunched the numbers, categorized the sleaze, and laid it all out for us in their 5th annual survey of the many and varied ways in which political power is abused in this town. READ MORE >>