The Plank
Today At TNR (December 4, 2009)
The GOP's Obstruction Manual
Yesterday, Judd Gregg sent around a memo to his Republican colleagues detailing the procedural tactics they have at their disposal to hold up the health-care bill on the Senate floor. READ MORE >>
Tucker Carlson's Theory of Obama
This afternoon, for no particular reason, I swung by a conference in downtown DC at which an association of conservative state legislators was presenting its annual journalism award to Tucker Carlson. Carlson, in turn, had a few thoughts on current events, including a theory for why Obama--as he claimed--has so drastically overreached in his domestic agenda. READ MORE >>
Slideshow: The Decline of the Summit
You Think the American Relationship With Pakistan Is Fraught Now...
...but just imagine if this scenario had played out: Shortly after 9/11, President Bush had issued a “lethal finding,” giving the C.I.A. the go-ahead to kill or capture al-Qaeda members. (Under an executive order issued by President Gerald Ford, it had been illegal since 1976 for U.S. intelligence operatives to conduct assassinations.)... READ MORE >>
Behind the House GOP's ACORNaganza
It's been apparent for years now that increasingly large elements of the conservative movement in this country have been building a parallel universe with its own facts, its own rules, and its own drama of good versus evil. It's largely impervious to empirical data, and relies heavily on assertion and reassertion of key claims that flow from ever-more-lurid (and thus inherently unverifiable) conspiracy theories. READ MORE >>
McCain's Afghanistan Hackery
First Read, which often has smart takes on the news -- it's far better than the Note -- has a smart take on John McCain's new status as partisan point man on foreign policy: READ MORE >>
Hillary, Quick on Her Feet
Hillary Clinton's extemporaneous words have at times caused problems for the Obama administration. But you have to tip your cap to her quick and clever comeback here: Several lawmakers mentioned the months of deliberation, which resulted in what Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called a policy with "a little something for everybody." READ MORE >>
The Battle of the Bulge
The fashion's industry's escalating feminization of masculinity is usually Michelle's beat, but this morning I encountered an example of truly remarkable proportions (a pun, as you'll see). I don't typically read men's magazines, but the fellow next to me on the Metro had one open and I could not help but notice a particularly aggressive full-page ad for the "Shock Jock Extreme," with "Frontal Enhancing Technology." The accompanying photo was of a surly-looking young man in his underwear, his hands taped like a boxer's. READ MORE >>
