The New Republic

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Obama sure looks to be in trouble, but we’ve seen this summertime hysteria before. As the Dog Days of August descended upon us, there developed across the progressive chattering classes a deep sense of malaise bordering on depression, if not panic--much of it driven by fears about the leadership skills of Barack Obama. The polling numbers seemed to weaken every day, and Democratic unease was matched by growing glee on the airwaves of Fox and in Republican circles everywhere.  Within ten weeks, however, Obama was elected president and joy returned to the land.  READ MORE >>

Quentin’s Back, Baby: Fifteen Long Years After ‘Pulp Fiction,’ Tarantino Rediscovers His Ambition In An Exhilarating And Only Occasionally Exasperating WWII Flick, by Christopher Orr READ MORE >>

In his column today, Nicholas Kristof argues that the United States wastes massive amounts of money on its prison system. Why? Because we unnecessarily imprison some nonviolent offenders, namely drug users and dealers. The result, Kristof says, is that the government is investing vast sums in keeping people who aren't necessarily dangerous under lock and key--while our education and health care systems suffer from underfunding. READ MORE >>

I don't agree with Paul Farhi's proposal that newspapers essentially shutter their websites and go print-only, but I don't think Ezra Klein makes the right critique of it when he writes: Farhi is saying that the media should make a decision to inform fewer people. To do its job -- if you understand its job as providing news rather making profits -- worse. READ MORE >>

Don’t Sweat It: Obama Sure Looks To Be In Trouble, but We’ve Seen This Summertime Hysteria Before, by Ed Kilgore Why Are The Heirs Of Ayatollah Khomeini Supporting Iran’s Opposition? by Ali Reza Eshraghi READ MORE >>

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The contrast between Chuck Grassley's increasingly obvious signals that he has no intention to support health care reform and Max Baucus's insistence that negotiations are absolutely fine is making Baucus look increasingly pathetic. Grassley has been railing against a fictitious "government takeover" of health care and fanning fears of "death panels." He stopped participating in Gang of Six negotiations during the August recess because of a supposedly packed schedule. READ MORE >>

An interesting bit of legislative history in today's big Boston Globe scoop about Ted Kennedy's ongoing efforts to make sure that his seat doesn't remain vacant for any period of time should he be unable to complete his term: Massachusetts governors used to have the power to fill Senate vacancies, as happens in many other states, until the Legislature made the change five years ago. READ MORE >>