John Kerry Waffler Supreme

Fantastic collage of clips from John Kerry on Iraq, Supreme Senator Waffler himself. In or out Senator? In or out?

Hat tip to Rush.


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Johah Goldberg on KSFO

Jonah talks to the KSFO crowd about the war on Iraq, Republican foibles, Bush's second term and transvestite muggings in Times Square and...

... I want an invite to Christmas at the Goldberg house.

Quite the segment, runs 20 minutes.


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Ahhh... San Francisco

Click here and vote

In truth I must admit that I am a California native and San Francisco is one of my all time favorite cities. But they are a bit out of the main stream.

Al Jazeera: Peace Activists Taken Hostage In Iraq (VIDEO)

Hat tip to The Political Teen for this video.



Download here (.wmv)

Iraq War Argument Rebuttal Cheat Sheet

http://www.rightsideredux.com/projects/iraq/

It seems that my most valued skills are that of a political taxonomist, taking the gambit of arguments for a specific issue and finding some coherent categorization for it all. Really, anyone can do my job... if it paid anything :).

The overwhelming positive feedback I've received from the Pro/Con Miers chart has led me to create one for the Iraq war. Given my proclivity to support the war I make no bones about the bias and purpose of this effort: to give pro-war advocates quick reference to rebuttals against the war.

Note: this is a work in progress. But you can make my life easier and submit your own argument. (See the link on the chart near the top to "Submit your own..."). Also note that some of the rebuttals have a "show/hide" feature for extensive details. Have at it!

http://www.rightsideredux.com/projects/iraq/

Harry Reid, Mormon Anomaly

The odd tale of a liberal Democrat Mormon.


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On the other border on the war on terror

Glenn Reynolds reports on some incredible reporting on the Iraq/Syria border. See here.

What's the Matter with Thomas Frank?

Thomas Frank's much touted tome: "What's the Matter with Kansas" says that Conservatives are simply paranoid for some of things they believe:

Conservative Listservs abound with bizarre speculation about what atrocity the liberals will inflict onus tomorrow, each wild suggestion made and received with complete seriousness. The liberal elite is going to outlaw major leaguesports. Forbid red meat. Mandate special holidays for transgendered war veterens. Hand our neiborhood over to an Indian tribe. Decree that only gay couples can adopt children. Ban the Bible.

The curious paradox Frank finds himself in is evident throughout the book: accusing conservatives of black and white over-generalization and then generalizing conservatives based on obscure Listserv comments. Is Frank really trying to say that Conservatives have cornered the market on fringe crazy discussions on the Internet? Have you read DailyKos?

But what about those "bizarre" atrocities that Conservatives infer? If you had to label each one of these liberal or conservative they fall nicely into the liberal mold. Am I wrong?

What's more, some of these items are actually touted by legitimate liberal groups. See here

Best quote of the week

Victor Davis Hanson is so prolific it's almost upsetting. I mean really, it's all us lay bloggers can do to keep up with his article from last week let alone the one he writes every other day!

Here's my quote of the week:

A bewildered visitor from Mars would tell Washingtonians something like: "For twelve years you occupied Saddam's airspace, since he refused to abide by the peace accords and you were afraid that he would activate his WMD arsenal again against the Kurds or his neighbors. Now that he is gone and for the first time you can confirm that his weapons program is finally defunct, you are mad about this new precedent that you have established: Given the gravity of WMD arsenals, the onus is now on suspect rogue nations to prove that they do not have weapons of mass destruction, rather than for civilization to establish beyond a responsible doubt that they do?"

This is brilliant. 'Nuf said!

Exclusive Video: I Bid you Stand: Men of the West!

My response to Murtha.

Special Plea for a Special Musical

Right now, just off Broadway, you can find an incredibly wholesome, inspiring Musical about Noah's ark. I'll admit at the outset here that I am a big fan of Michael Mclean and I would love to see this show succeed. I am also an acute theater critic and performer... so I know when to call a spade a spade. And this musical is a wonderful and exciting show!

Unfortunately, it doesn't fit into the debauchery that usually passes itself as art on Broadway. Whether it's the dregs of society singing pop songs or swearing puppets questioning their sexuality, Broadway is very uncomfortable with the Biblical themed show.

The NY Times critic wrote:

As family entertainment with a religious flavor, The Ark may win fans. But as musical theater it largely fails. For many in the audience, the theatrical merits of the show may matter less that its inspirational tone. Kevin Kelly, who began developing the book and lyrics 20 years ago, is a professor at Brigham Young University. His collaborator, Michael McLean, is a composer of Christian contemporary music, and both are practicing Mormons. Their primary aim, it seems, is to praise God and a particular set of family values.

Yeah, all that "family values" stuff is just too much. And frankly I don't think he has a leg the stand on. The show is solid through and through.

So, what can you do? Read more about the controversy here.

Then go up and buy tickets and see the show!

For more information www.TheArkMusical.com or Ticketmaster.com [link to: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/859988]

Great post on the futility of the FDA

Medical Progress Today | Spotlight: Aspirin: Not Approvable

With all the headlines in recent years about dangerous prescription drug side effects, many people must be wondering what happened to the days of safe, reliable medicines. Where are the new drugs that can get the job done safely? Where are the new aspirin, penicillin, acetaminophen?

As a drug discovery researcher, I can tell you something that might sound crazy: many of these older drugs would have a hard time getting approved today. Some of them would never even have made it to the FDA at all.

Blog Row Roundup

Executive Summary: The Senate Republican Conference today sponsored the first ever Blog Row. This was a follow up to a similar event on the House side a few weeks ago. A host of Senators paraded before about a dozen or so bloggers. The event was really unprecedented. As one staffer put it to us: rarely do the Senators spend 15 minutes fielding questions from a dozen guys. The topics were wide-ranging: from the vote on Tuesday's Warner Amendment (see here and here). Many of the responses were good, others were mere talking points. Tim Chapman @ Townhall has more here. Mary Katharine Ham, who recently joined up with Hugh Hewitt, was there as well. Flip at Suitably Flip has a great summary of the event. I also got my picture taken in the media seat. (Note: Flip is much better looking than I am so you will not see it here). Also, look for comments from W. Buetler at the Blogometer on The Hotline. And, of course, a nod to Pat Cleary at the NAM blog. The best part of the event however was the tour we got afterward of the media center in the Senate Republican Conference. I'll post some pictures later, but suffice it to say, they have there stuff together. In truth, their website has some of the most rich media content that I've seen. I'll be using it a lot frankly. Here are some pictures of Senators Allen, Brownback, Frist, and Santorum.

Senator Frist - Liberal Heart Surgeon

Today at the Capitol Hill Blog Roll:

The Senate Majority Leader fields a satirical question from one of our readers.

Senator Brownback

The Senator addresses a question by yours truly.

(apologies about the quality of the previous videos - bandwidth problems)

Justin is audioblogging somewhere in the D.C. area


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Senator Frist speaking to bloggers

Sent from my cell phone this time

Bloggers at Blog Row

Gerard Vanderleun - americandigest.org
Erick Erickson - RedState.org
TigerHawk - http://www.tigerhawk.blogspot.com/
Bill McCArthy - Defend Democracy
Tim Chapman - Townhall
Justin Hart - RightSideRedux.com
Mary Katherine Ham - hughhewitt.com
Orrin Kerr - Volokh Conspiracy
Patrick Cleary - Blog.nam.org
Ed Driscoll - OSM
William Beutler - Hotline
Flip Pidot - suitablyflip.blogs.com

Bloggin with the Senators

Hey, we're here!

List of Senators coming today:

Allen
Thune
Chambliss
Allard
Brownback
Thomas
Frist

Quick pics to kick us off:



Proof that I was invited





Ed Driscoll and others




Senator Allen introduces himself

Justin is audioblogging somewhere in the D.C. area


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Justin is audioblogging somewhere in the D.C. area


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Video: Hillary Clinton on Iraq 2002

Great clip of the pre-Iraq war Hillary Clinton. Looks like someone thought that Saddam was a large enough threat to "check".

Perhaps she meant we ought to write him a "check"?

Don't forget to check back at noon. I'll be blogging from the Capitol with Republican Senators. send your questions here

Hanging with the Senators

Tomorrow I will be blogging on Capitol Hill and talking to Republican Senators in the first ever Senate Blog Row!

You may recall about a month ago I was part of a similar event on the House side. Come back to Right Side Redux for updates throughout the day.

Iraqi progress

Great pdf download of specific success in Iraq from the Senate Republican Conference. Highly recommended:

click here (.pdf)

Kaden and Dora

Kaden

PETA says: "Bird flu a-comin'? Go Vegan!"

So I was on my way into one of my clients in DC when I caught a small protest happening on the corner of 12st Street and Independence Avenue right in front of the Department of Agriculture.

This is actually really funny. PETA was sounding the alarm about the Bird Flu as an incentive for onlookers to go "Vegan"! I laughed aloud.

There was also another protest right next to PETA. This one was the Ani-PETA crew shouting "PETA kills animals!". Classic.

Here are some pictures:

Yes, the coffin babes were in their skimpies.

Mike Lee on Hugh Hewitt

Here is the transcript from Hugh's interview with Mike Lee. Big thanks to Radio Blogger:

Samuel Alito, according to Michael Lee, one of his clerks.

HH: I've said often that nobody knows judges like their clerks. I believe that to be true. And joining me now from Utah, Michael Lee, who is general counsel to the Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah. He's a graduate of BYU in 1994, he was the president of the BYU student body, by the way. He is also graduated from BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1997, went on to clerk first for Judge Dee Benson of the U.S. District court, and then for Judge Samuel Alito on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. Personal note, I knew Mike's father. Rex Lee was the solicitor general of the United States when I was a special assistant to the attorney general of the United States. A great and good man. Mike Lee, welcome to the Hugh Hewitt show.

ML: Thank you.

HH: By the way, I gave the Reuben Clark lecture in 1997. I don't suppose you were there and just skipped that?

ML: You know, I don't believe I was. I must have been out that day. But I'm sure I would have been on the edge of my seat if I had been.

HH: I'm sure. Most people were nodding off, but it was on the establishment clause. More on that later. Mike Lee, tell us about the judge for whom you worked eight years ago, Judge Samuel Alito.

ML: He's just a outstanding human being, and I feel very privileged to have any association with him, and especially privileged to have served as his law clerk. This is a man who has no hubris. There is no ego to trip over for Sam Alito. He is all about the process, and all about the law, and decides each case on the basis of facts and law before him, and that's it.

HH: From the term that you served with him, Mike Lee, did you recall any of the decisions which may have been discussed right now? Are any of your decisions that you worked on for him currently the subject of much of the conversation?

ML: Well, the fraternal order of the police case, the case involving the beards, the religious exception for the beards, was a decision that was handed down that year, and that was exciting. I was happy to have been involved in some extent on that. It was a lot of fun.

HH: Well, then, use that one to illustrate for us how the judge approaches a tough case, because then we can go look it up. I mean, going into oral argument, what do you give him, how did he approach it, how long did it take to get a decision out?

ML: Well, there was a policy in place at the time that prohibited police officers from wearing beards. And there was a medical exception allowed for certain circumstances, and the judge said that consistent with principles of free exercise of religion, so long as the police department was going to allow a limited purpose exception for health related reasons, in all fairness, the police department would also have to recognize a similar exception for religious belief type purposes, and so that was the basis of the decision. I don't remember how long it was from oral argument to the issuance of the decision on that one. That was argued in the prior term, before I got there as a law clerk, but it probably wasn't more than a few months between argument and...

HH: Did he have a reputation of prompt issuance of opinions?

ML: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he definitely was not slow. He wasn't unreasonably fast. You don't want rushed justice, but he was not one to delay indefinitely the issuance of opinions. Internally, we always tried to get the opinions out within...we tried to keep it within three months of oral argument, which as an appellate advocate, an appellate litigator, I can tell you that's a pretty good turnaround.

HH: Yes, it is. Now Mike Lee, the judge was accompanied today by his wife, Martha, his two kids, Phil and Laura. Clerks actually get to know the families in many instances. What can you tell us about Martha Alito?

ML: Oh, she's just fantastic. She's a delightful, vivacious, bubbly personality, that is a delight for anyone to know. They compliment each other very well. Judge Alito has a somewhat reserved personality. He's an extraordinarily likable individual, but he's reserved, and he's a little bit more quiet. And she is the ying to the yang that her husband is. She is as bubbly, vivacious and outgoing and effervescent as he is at times reserved.

HH: Have you met his mother, Rose, whom the president referred to today?

ML: Yes, I've met her. Don't know her well, but nice lady.

HH: And the bio I've seen someplace says he's a Phillies fan, which is actually, maybe an occasion for filibuster.

ML: He's a huge Phillies fan, and if that's a basis for a filibuster, then he would have to watch out.

HH: Because they took Thome from the Indians. That's why I'm upset about that. But is he an Eagles fan, too?

ML: Yes, he is. Not quite as much of an Eagles fan as he is a Phillies fan, though.

HH: What else, just on the personal side...what are his hobbies? Is he an athlete of any sort?

ML: Well, he's very into sports. He follows sports, especially baseball. His wife, Martha, is a referee. She occasionally referees soccer games, youth soccer games. And the judge would go and watch as she would referee these youth soccer games. I always thought that was nice. He has a dog named Zeus, very good-looking dog, springer spaniel as I recall. They brought Zeus into chambers when he was just a puppy. He was running all over the place wreaking havoc on this ordinarily austere chambers, with law clerks that very obviously looked like they didn't get out much. And so it was a real treat to have Zeus visit the chambers.

HH: Now the reason I ask these questions is because I think they go to whether or not a personality is grounded and stable and thus not very capable of quote growing, once it comes to Washington, D.C., evolving into something that wasn't expected. What are the chanced, do you think, of Judge Alito quote growing to the left?

ML: Growing to the left...well, let me answer it this way. If what you're asking is, is this someone who will become intoxicated with his own power, his own authority once on the Court, I think the answer is clearly no. As I mentioned earlier, this is someone who absolutely is incapable, as far as I can tell, of tripping over his own ego, or becoming drunken with the wine of his own power. And so, that is not a concern to me.

HH: What I'm really referring to is does he have indifference to the blandishment of the legal elite, which is too often pretty hard left? You know, the summers in Switzerland, the visiting summer professorships at Harvard, that kind of stuff.

ML: Yeah, well, I certainly wouldn't put him in that category. He's a man of relatively simple interests, and I certainly wouldn't put him into the category of an elite individual who spends his summers in Switzerland or anything like that.

HH: Practicing Catholic, isn't he, Mike?

ML: Yes.

HH: That makes for the first time in American history a majority of members of the United States Supreme Court, if he is confirmed, as practicing Catholic. I don't think that matters one way or another. It's just sort of an interesting footnote. Tell us about his family history, because I'm just amazed that the son of an immigrant is going onto the SCOTUS, if all goes well. Did you ever learn how that story unfolded?

ML: You know, I was just trying to remember that, and it's an interesting question. I don't know that much more than what has already been reported in the press, that is that he is the first generation in his family born in the United States. His father emigrated from Italy in 1914.

HH: How did he get to Princeton? That's what...he must have been just a knock your socks off high school student.

ML: Yeah, well, he's just an exceptionally bright person, and very serious about he does. He doesn't mess around. He doesn't waste time as a judge, and I'm sure he didn't waste time even as a kid in high school. He was very into his studies.

HH: Now, he obviously spent some time working for your dad, when your dad was the solicitor general to the United States. I was a special assistant to Bill Smith then. Did you have any recollection of your dad talking about him at all?

ML: You know, I wish I could answer that question in the affirmative, but I just don't, until years later. Shortly before my dad died, I heard him talk about Judge Alito, and the interesting thing is, I'm pretty sure I met him when I was a little kid, when I would frequently go in and visit the solicitor general's office. It was one of my favorite places to go.

HH: That's a great...the fifth floor of Justice. There are very few places like it.

ML: Yeah. It was a lot of fun. So, I am absolutely certain that we had met. And when I clerked for him, he confirmed the fact that we had met when I was a kid. But you remember different thing when you're a child than when you do when you're an adult. And so...

HH: Well, Mike, I appreciate you're taking the time to fill in the picture here a little bit. I look forward to checking back with you if you can spare more time from Governor Huntsman's office.

End of interview.

Posted at 9:20PM PST

Aaron Brown's "Thoughtful Perspective"

Here's my favorite quote from the Drudge Flash.

Aaron Brown out at CNN:

"Besides his stellar work as an anchor, Aaron stands as an absolutely brilliant writer, evident by the thoughtful perspective he injects into every story he touches."

"Thoughtful Perspective" = Bias in news reporting. Classic

LEGACY BRIEF: Legacy Defends Religious Liberty for Prospective LDS Missionary

Wanted to call your attention to this issue:

Legacy Network - Article - LEGACY BRIEF: Legacy Defends Religious Liberty for Prospective LDS Missionary:

Recently, Legacy received a plea for help from Josh Myler, a freshman at the City University of New York’s (CUNY’s) Honors College. Josh planned to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of nineteen, the age at which LDS men are expected to go. Before he enrolled, he carefully quizzed the CUNY administration to find out whether he would be allowed to leave college for two years to serve his mission, and then re-enroll. The administration assured him that this would be fine. Josh enrolled and duly sought the necessary leave of absence to serve his mission, but his request was denied, despite the fact that other students had been granted similar leaves. CUNY’s excuse was in part that (in their judgment) serving a mission at the age of 19 is not a religious requirement. Josh could go when he turned twenty-two instead."

Mysterious Faith?

Lots of talk today about the Today Show segment on Mormonism. See on The Corner todayhere, here, and here.

I thought I would put the whole segment up to give it a fair hearing. Enjoy.

Deficit Reduction Website

The GOP has created a website with a boat load of information about how they plan to reduce the deficit and address the Katrina hurricane issues. Take a look

www.GOP.gov/reconciliation