The New Republic

Ed Kilgore is managing editor of The Democratic Strategist, a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and a frequent contributor to a variety of political journals. READ MORE >>

The NYT's trend-watcher says potbellies--or what they term "the Ralph Kramden"--are the latest craze with all the Brooklyn hipsters. (In other parts of the country, they clearly never went out of style.) READ MORE >>

I realize the NYT's "Thursday Styles" is all about fashion frivolity and specifically tailored to a certain self-satisfied Manhattan snobbery. But this may be the single meanest, snottiest piece I've ever read in a real newspaper.  --Michelle Cottle READ MORE >>

It's not all that surprising that Dick Cheney has bitter feelings about George W. Bush, but the WaPo's Barton Gellman has an article today that fleshes those feelings out a bit: READ MORE >>

As musical parody goes, this exploration of how the characters of G.I. Joe amuse themselves when they're not on the clock isn't particularly memorable. What's fascinating, though, is that the satirists managed to assemble a vastly more talented and interesting cast than that of the actual, $175 million film. READ MORE >>

State Department European affairs chief Phil Gordon to visit Belarus, meet with "Europe's last dictator." --Michael Crowley READ MORE >>

Not So Fast, Obama: Questioning The Administration’s Assumptions About How Quickly The Economy Will Recover, by Noam Scheiber The Swiftboating Of Health Care Reform: When Facts No Longer Matter, by Jonathan Cohn READ MORE >>

Reader JP just alerted me to an email blast from a group called "The Pray In Jesus Name Project." It suggests that ObamaCare will not only pull the plug on grandma, but also result in a gay and transgendered takeover of the entire health care system. Among the bogus claims in the group's petition:   READ MORE >>

Ed Kilgore is managing editor of The Democratic Strategist, a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and a frequent contributor to a variety of political journals. READ MORE >>

What opponents of gay marriage and health care reform have in common. The conservative attacks on health care reform and Barack Obama's economic plan seem to have reached a fever pitch this week. Their obsession with the topics has been matched only by the inanity of most of their critiques. Why are the conservative talking points on these issues grounded in such weak arguments? Is there something else at play here? READ MORE >>