New Year’s Eve (NYT)

Get out before midnight because that's when the guns go off and it scares the horses.

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

There is something deeply gratifying about joining the horses in their pasture a few minutes before the clock strikes 12 at the turn of a new year.

About That Peace Process (NYT)

army suggested

Next week President Bush will make his first trip since taking office to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He should use this visit to get real work started.

Looking at America (NYT)

favorite candidate hard to guess

We hope that American voters will have the wisdom to grant the powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity and principle to use them honorably.

Priests brawl at Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus (AFP)

Southern Baptists

Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Student wins lottery, leaves school (Reuters)

Happy news for a change

Zoo Officials Probe Killing by Tiger (AP)

offensive remarks made

The police chief would not comment on whether the animal was taunted.

Time May Be Running Down (Telegraph)

not just an entropy gradient anymore

Prof Senovilla says: "One thing that is definitely not included in our models is the possibility of having more than one time dimension."

Blindly Into the Bubble (NYT)

former enron advisor speaks

by Paul Krugman
So where were the regulators as one of the greatest financial disasters since the Great Depression unfolded? They were blinded by ideology.

Slavery’s Place in the Capitol (NYT)

blacks not americans

The House and Senate have set an encouraging standard by naming the main welcoming chamber of the Capitol’s mammoth new visitors’ center Emancipation Hall.

Decongesting the Skies (NYT)

union involved

As helpful as is the Bush administration’s short-term remedy for the nation’s congested skies, Washington needs to aggressively consider longer-term solutions.

Arrogance and Warming (NYT)

only explanation found

President Bush’s decision to deny California permission to regulate global warming emissions from cars can only be explained as the product of ideological blindness.

An Idea Whose Time Should Be Past (NYT)

lefty voters incarcerated

Nowhere is repeal of mandatory-sentencing policies more urgently needed than in New York, which passed its draconian drug laws in the 1970s.

Qaddafi Plays Paris and Madrid (NYT)

not dictatorial enough

Libya’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, has been trying to rehabilitate his international image. Despite his efforts, he still has a long way to go.

A Pause From Death (NYT)

The death penalty is neither deterrant nor retribution.

The death penalty marks the place society accords to the voice of the victim, a voice which is missing.

There's no place for that in the modern left.

The U.N. General Assembly’s vote for a global moratorium on the death penalty was a milestone, yet its symbolic weight made barely a ripple in the U.S.

Slowing the Rise in Health Costs (NYT)

reform suggested

The good news is that many of the reforms analyzed by the Commonwealth Fund might improve the quality of health care delivered to Americans.

Converting Women

I wonder what it would take to convert women over to an estrus cycle. My dog seems pretty stable emotionally.

Reefer Madness in Iowa (NYT)

60s referenced

by Maureen Dowd
We owe it to the people of Iowa to stick to critical issues like the economy, and how to get a fiscally responsible budget like we had in the ’90s, the ’90s, the ’90s ...

It’s Too Late for Later (NYT)

columnist warming

by Thomas L. Friedman
If there is one change in global consciousness on climate change that seems to have settled in the past couple of years, it is the notion that later is over.

Latter-Day Republicans vs. the Church of Oprah (NYT)

good left bad right theater

by Frank Rich
Instead of handing down tablets of what constitutes faith in America, Romney-style, the Oprah-Obama movement practices an American form of ecumenicalism.

The Candidates’ Veiled Histories (NYT)

history is written by the editorialists

All of the presidential candidates should have figured out that privacy rights are checked at the door for anyone who aspires to the Oval Office.

Why the Fed Can’t Fix It Now (NYT)

investigation called for

Whichever way the economy breaks, the vulnerability of the moment should prompt a thorough investigation of how things got to this dangerous tipping point.

Plenty of Blame for Afghanistan (NYT)

hawkish on better strategy

irretrievable badness warned

Unless the United States and Europe come up with a better strategy — and invest more money and troops — the “good war” in Afghanistan will go irretrievably bad.

Mitt’s No J.F.K. (NYT)

the projection card

by Maureen Dowd
Mitt Romney was right when he said that “Americans do not respect believers of convenience.” Now if he would only admit he’s describing himself.

Making Peace With Pieces (NYT)

the hard-to-see plonk

by Thomas Friedman

Unless there is more reconciliation within the countries in the Middle East, it is hard to see how there will be more reconciliation between them.

The Republicans Find Their Obama (NYT)

the wetback card

by Frank Rich
The real reason for Mike Huckabee’s ascendance may be that his message is more uplifting than that of rivals whose main calling cards are fear and nativism.

Auctioning Off Nevada (NYT)

Federal ownership urged

Nevadans have every right to have boccie and tennis courts. But it’s not clear why the federal government should sell off chunks of the nation to pay for them.

Show Us the Mortgage Relief (NYT)

too voluntary

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr.’s new relief plan to stanch the foreclosure crisis is too voluntary as it relies on the private sector to protect the public interest.

In Arrogant Defense of Torture (NYT)

the demand-explain-scoff-be aspect

Lawmakers should demand that the White House explain why intelligence operatives should scoff at a ban on torture that is unquestionably the law of the land.

No Child Left Behind

I wonder if ``No child left behind'' refers to the Rapture.

Utopia is not far out of the picture, in the leftist hallucination.

The Geography of Hate (NYT)

the noose menace

The graphic, above, shows some of the reported sightings of nooses in the past two years.

The High Cost of Health Care (NYT)

It would be easy, if you'd realize that it's caused by so-called insurance.

No doctor can stay in business charging more than people are willing to pay.

The relentlessly rising cost of health care is the worst long-term fiscal crisis facing the nation, and it demands a solution, but finding one will not be easy or palatable.

Banks Gone Wild (NYT)

replace novel ways of losing money by sure way of losing money

by Paul Krugman

The subprime crisis and the credit crunch are the result of our failure to effectively reform corporate governance after the last set of scandals.

New Numbers on AIDS (NYT)

important to gay readership

Even with revised estimates, the AIDS epidemic remains one of the world’s greatest scourges, requiring a strong campaign to bring it under control.

Digging In Deeper in Pakistan (NYT)

sometimes politics follows cleaning out thugs

Before plunging American forces deep into Pakistan’s borderlands, Washington needs to deal with the political crisis threatening that country’s very core.

The Immigration Wilderness (NYT)

press 1 for spanish

America is waiting for a leader to show a little backbone and courage, and risk saying that the best answer on immigration is not the simplest one.

Note, rope trigger probes (Baltimore Sun)

Nationwide noose epidemic!

It's only a question of time until an airliner returns to the airport because a noose was found in the lavatory.

This year's shark attack.

A note with racial overtones and a knotted rope found in an East Baltimore firehouse early yesterday triggered a probe by the city's fire and police departments, and the FBI has begun its own preliminary investigation into possible civil rights violations.

Newspaper Question

Were newspapers better when they put the women's pages in the second section?

Turkey Tune-Out Time (NYT)

abusive email received


by Roger Cohen

It’s time to reintroduce Americans to each other. E-mailitis is soul-ravaging — and perilous.

Ms. Paulose Departs (NYT)

conservative sacked is always a good sign

The removal of Rachel Paulose is a hopeful sign that the new attorney general, Michael Mukasey, may be serious about fixing the Justice Department.

Trying to Save Lebanon, Again (NYT)

war on islamofascism has been disappeared by the left

Lebanon is President Bush’s last viable project for expanding democracy in the Middle East. We fear if something isn’t done quickly, that too will unravel.

Congestion Relief (NYT)

Sounds good. But what is the leftist angle?

The most important promise President Bush could make to travelers is to accelerate the replacement of the antiquated radar-based traffic control system.


Aha. Command and control.

Accommodating everyone who wishes to fly is not necessarily the right idea. If Washington stopped short-changing the rail system and followed the European model, traveling a few hundred miles could take about the same time as flying when you account for waiting time.

A Modest Victory for Transit Riders (NYT)

command and control first

The formula for financing mass transportation in New York City should be changed before any fares are raised by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Court and the Second Amendment (NYT)

fog created

We hope that the Supreme Court will render a decision respectful of the Constitution and the consequences of denying government broad room to regulate guns.

Limiting Power’s ‘Natural Tendency’ (NYT)

encroaching encroached

Lawmakers in Congress will have to stand firm to enact more needed fixes to President Bush’s deeply flawed measure that encroaches on civil liberties.

Pay Me for My Content (NYT)

whine for money


By JARON LANIER

How long must creative people wait for the Web’s new wealth to find a path to their doors?

A Swarm of Swindlers (NYT)

don't lend money to swindlers!

by Bob Herbert
Like vultures, the mortgage lenders began circling the single-family house with the tiny front lawn on Merrill Avenue.

Raising Children Behind Bars (NYT)

rush to infantalize children

The rush to criminalize children has set the country on a dangerous path.

Another Very Scary Germ (NYT)

new ``needs-to'' discovered

The development of bacterial strains that are resistant to many antibiotics is a problem that needs to be tackled broadly.

The Scientists Speak (NYT)

I'm a scientist and I say it's bullshit.

The world’s scientists have done their job on global warming. Now it’s time for world leaders, starting with President Bush, to do theirs.

What ‘That Regan Woman’ Knows (NYT)

theater review

by Frank Rich

With the filing of a lawsuit by a vengeful eyewitness who was fired from her job, the Rudy Giuliani story may just have gained its own reincarnation of Linda Tripp.

Affordable Family Planning (NYT)

money ejaculation recommended

Lawmakers should pass a bill that would make college health centers and safety-net clinics eligible for a discount on prescription contraceptives.

A Loud Legal Voice on Warming (NYT)

scientific court

A California decision on fuel-economy standards for vehicles should help persuade Congress that the time for denial on global warming is long past.

Two Sides of Mr. Sarkozy (NYT)

conflict resolvers

Nicolas Sarkozy will have to resolve the conflict between his enlightened trans-Atlantic overtures and his narrow protectionist vision for Europe.

Sifting for Facts Amid the Promises (NYT)

didn't inhale

In health as in wealth, politicians must understand they waive much of their privacy when they decide to seek the highest public office.

When Doctors Inject a Disease (NYT)

higher prices urged

New York State officials’ plan to push for the elimination of multidose vials would help provide protection for patients against contamination.

The Bluefin Slaughter (NYT)

fish hiroshima

A huge slab of raw guilt should be placed on Japan, whose voracious appetite for the bluefin has done the most to make it disappear.

Democrats Find Their Voice (NYT)

voters voting not considered

Democrats must continue to push President Bush and his Republican allies to concede their failed war policy and change course.

Transistor history (BBC)

knowledge imparted to women

Early computers, such as the ENIAC, used vacuum tubes - similar to light bulbs - to do calculations and took several people to operate.

Played for a Sucker (NYT)

continuous mistakes expected

by Paul Krugman

Barack Obama’s Social Security mistake was exactly what you’d expect from a candidate who promises to transcend partisanship in an age when that’s neither possible nor desirable.

Gorbachev’s Baggage (NYT)

Gorbasm cheapened

We see little wrong when famous people endorse products for pay. But a statesman peddling a product is seen to cheapen his historic achievement.

A Stem Cell Achievement (NYT)

Democrat cloned

The scientific success in Oregon ought to galvanize Congress to expand the array of embryonic stem cell research that can receive federal financing.

Prosecuting Blackwater (NYT)

shamefulness deplored

Contractors have been involved in some of the most shameful incidents in the Iraq war. But not one contractor has been prosecuted for crimes.

In Contempt (NYT)

checks and balances deplored

Joshua Bolten and Harriet Miers are dangerously challenging Congress’s power — and the system of checks and balances established by the founders.

Don’t Turn on Ethiopia (NYT)

strongly worded letters needed

By VICKI HUDDLESTON and TIBOR NAGY

Congress should use creative diplomacy to deal with the combined threat of insurgency and war in Ethiopia.

Obama in Orbit (NYT)

Bush not connected

by Roger Cohen
Barack Obama, in many ways, is where the world is going. He embodies interconnectedness where the Bush administration has projected separateness.

Don’t Shut Up and Play (NYT)

gossip banned

The United States Bridge Federation’s censorship on members of the American women’s bridge team is un-American.

100-to-1 Rule (NYT)

Nobody's recognizing anything but expediency.

The war on drugs is the single most destructive doctrine ever invented, except possibly price controls.

Nothing expedient about that, however. So the war on drugs continues.

Fortunately, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are finally recognizing that the crack laws are both grossly unfair and counterproductive.

Congress and the Mortgage Mess (NYT)

curb to lenders' natural urge to lose money needed.

the day of novel theory arrives.

If Congress wants to protect consumers, lawmakers must resist further efforts to cripple a bill that is designed to curtail abusive mortgage lending.

The Governor in His Labyrinth (NYT)

Clintonian roguishness suggested

The test of Gov. Eliot Spitzer is not how deep a hole he has dug for himself in his first year in office - it is whether he can figure out how to climb out of it.

Why Americans Delay Action on Climate Change (NYT)

disbelief in hokum noted

By KURT CAMPBELL

Probably the most important reason is the profound lack of public knowledge on issues related to climate matters.

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (NYT)

opportunity to do the wrong thing squandered

a liberal tragedy

by Thomas L. Friedman

President Bush squandered a historic opportunity to put America on a radically different energy course after 9/11.

The Prince and the Plane (NYT)

evil spotted

Somehow, what we’re left with is the image of a plane that is meant to take off — into its own ever-warming atmosphere of unreality.

Job Insecurities (NYT)

The standard of living depends not only on people stopping doing the wrong things, but also on their starting doing the right things.

Any incentive not to start doing right things right away screws up the incentives.

Any system that doesn't work in line with natural human incentives fails.

Any leftist never considers side effects, which are usually the chief ones, to their policy proposals.

Which is why no leftist idea ever works.

Which is why there are conservatives.

As the saying goes : if you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative at 30, you have no brain.

Preparing for layoffs, whether brought on by a downturn or by the continuing shift to a globalized economy, is the least that lawmakers can do.

Digging a Hole (NYT)

leftist candidate needed

Although he proved his tough-guy bona fides by staging a bloodless coup in 1999, Gen. Pervez Musharraf looks increasingly weak.

Where’s That Energy Bill? (NYT)

danger warned against

With Congress feeling the pressure to do something, there’s a danger that vital provisions could be dropped just for the sake of producing a bill.

The Insanity of Bush Hatred (WSJ)

If it isn't clear, it isn't French.


BY PETER BERKOWITZ
I had been invited to appear on a panel to debate the ideas in Princeton professor and American Prospect editor Paul Starr's excellent new book, "Freedom's Power: The True Force of Liberalism." To put in context Prof. Starr's grounding of contemporary progressivism in the larger liberal tradition, I recounted to the Princeton audience an exchange at a dinner I hosted in Washington in June 2004 for several distinguished progressive scholars, journalists, and policy analysts.

The Character Factor (NYT)

Captain Queeg on the ship of state

by David Brooks
There is nobody in politics remotely like Senator John McCain.

Righting Reagan’s Wrongs? (NYT)

race baited

by Bob Herbert

Ronald Reagan may have been blessed with a Hollywood smile, but he was elbow deep in the same old race-baiting Southern strategy of Goldwater and Nixon.

Public Works: When ‘Big Government’ Plays Its Role (NYT)

Keynes Lives!

By ADAM COHEN

The story of the 1930s public works programs is timely again, because much of America is falling apart.

Some Help in a New Life (NYT)

Charity for Aquinas meant thinking the best of people rather than the worst.

That's why it was redemptive for the believer.

Some time after that it came to mean money.

Charities are organizations. Organizations love money above everything.

Every penny you donate to The Times’s Neediest Cases Fund goes to seven local charities.

Don’t Rush to a Fare Hike (NYT)

public-sector effect not detected

in the private sector, nobody bears burdens they don't want to bear.

voluntary transactions happen because both sides come out ahead.

involuntary transactions happen through bearing burdens.

The M.T.A. is wrong to try to solve its problems primarily on the backs of financially burdened riders.

Structural Failures (NYT)

no tough choices involving the welfare state, for the NYT

The recent crash of an Air Force F-15 fighter jet is the latest reminder of the tough military budget choices this country will face for the foreseeable future.

All They Are Saying Is Give Happiness a Chance (NYT)

subscriptions down

By EDUARDO PORTER

Despite all the wealth we have accumulated, true happiness has lagged our prosperity.

Again and Again in the Balkans (NYT)

strongly worded letter time

The Balkans have a dismal way of living up to their stereotype as a region of ancient, intertwined and irreconcilable feuds.

Dollar Policy: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (NYT)

clueless economic theory exports rise

The stated desire for a strong dollar is on a collision course with the stated belief in market-determined exchange rates.

The Plight of American Veterans (NYT)

bleakness proposed

As an unpopular, ill-planned war in Iraq grinds on inconclusively, it can be a bleak time to be a veteran.

A Bite of the Bagel (NYT)

Bushies' fault

by Maureen Dowd
Knowing I was going to miss my Weekend Update from “Saturday Night Live,” I asked the show’s head writer to give me an update on the writers’ strike.

Democracy’s Root: Diversity (NYT)

8th century personages in the news


by Thomas Friedman
King Abdullah’s path-breaking meeting with Pope Benedict XVI surely gave many Saudi clerics heartburn. But as historic as it was, it left no trace.

The Coup at Home (NYT)

sunday theater review

by Frank Rich
Even if President Bush had the guts to condemn Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, there is no longer any moral high ground left for him to stand on.

Taint by Association (NYT)

because times readers like being lied to.

it's a shrinking market but it's all they've got.

By CLARK HOYT
The Public Editor

Why would The Times give a former analyst who lied to investors a platform to write about financial markets?

A Big Box of Eagles (NYT)

helmets with horns

The music industry is undergoing tectonic shifts, something that is beautifully illustrated by the marketing of “Long Road Out of Eden.”

Grading the Grades (NYT)

U is for union

In Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new system for rating New York City’s public schools, the counterproductive A through F rating system should be ditched.

Abdicate and Capitulate (NYT)

insufficient politicization mocked

Democrats have done precious little to avoid giving the job of attorney general to a man who does not even have the integrity to take a stand against torture.

Recession? What Recession? (NYT)

nothing to lose but your chairs

by Bob Herbert

The elite honchos in Washington and their courtiers in the news media are all but completely out of touch with the daily struggle of working families.

Rudy and Bernie: B.F.F.’s (NYT)

resemblance terrification

by Gail Collins

The Rudy Giuliani version of loyalty, which bears a terrifying resemblance to the George W. Bush brand of loyalty, is entirely about self-protection.

New Jersey’s Verdict on Stem Cells (NYT)

new taxes proposed

The task of moving stem cell research to the next level cannot be left to the states — it needs to be underwritten by federal financing.

Roses and Reality in Georgia (NYT)

the Carter legacy

The Bush administration has a clear responsibility for insisting on a restoration of Georgia’s freedoms and a fair presidential election in January.

Hope for the Everglades (NYT)

alligator waterways and navigation bill

It’s good news that Congress overrode a veto by President Bush and approved a water resources bill that has been around for seven years.

Indicting Mr. Kerik (NYT)

troubling question alluded to

Bernard Kerik’s case raises the troubling question of why Rudolph Giuliani, a leading candidate for president, has been close to him for so long.

This Blog's Reading Level : Application Error

Application Error! The type initializer for 'Subtext.Framework.HostInfo' threw an exception.

Weblog Awards

Once again Best Individual Blogger passes us by.

McCain Says Kerik Reflects on Giuliani (AP)

Keating-five McCain, they call him.

McCain cited Kerik's relationship with his Republican presidential foe as a reason to doubt Giuliani's judgment.

Health Care Excuses (NYT)

no kidding

by Paul Krugman

The reality is that the best foreign health care systems do as well or better than the U.S. system, while costing far less money.

Beware Reality (NYT)

TV in the editorial offices

Regardless of the outcome of the Hollywood writers’ strike, we implore the networks not to let reality TV intrude further upon our free time.

Toward Greater Import Safety (NYT)

stuck in Chinese finger trap

Congress will need to flesh out the Bush administration’s vague plans with sufficient resources to protect the public from unsafe foods and products.

Veterans Without Health Care (NYT)

another solution is universal execution for leftists

One solution would be some form of universal health coverage for all Americans. Then uninsured veterans could get the care they need.

An Overdue Step for Equal Justice (NYT)

drama club

The Senate should pass a bill to outlaw discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation, and President Bush should sign it into law.

Pat Loves Rudy (NYT)

faked sincerity deplored


by Gail Collins

Maybe Rudy Giuliani’s leadership is so powerful that people exposed to it find it impossible to doubt the sincerity of his every word.

Big Tobacco Defeats Sick Kids (NYT)

shameless voters drop the NYT

The defeat of an Oregon referendum in Tuesday’s election is a testament to the shamelessness of the nation’s big tobacco companies.

Ingenuity in Space (NYT)

next week, Tommy, we'll make battery acid

Under difficult conditions on an unusually busy and lengthy mission, NASA’s astronauts accomplished their tasks impressively.

Gathering Storm (NYT)

friendly dictator syndrome

Washington must make it clear to Pakistan’s dictator, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, that a blood bath against protesters would be intolerable.

Alternative Tax Showdown (NYT)

test suggested

The House and Senate are poised to vote on a vitally important tax bill that will test whether Democrats have courage and convictions.

The Not-Google Phone (NYT)

Lucent Inferno resurrected

too late for Lucent

Google’s plan to develop a new open software standard for mobile phones could result in a more richly and fully integrated universe of mobile devices.

A Second Chance for Ex-Offenders (NYT)

must live within a half mile of chemical plants

Congress can help reduce recidivism by passing the Second Chance Act, which would aid former prisoners to find a place in society.

Pass the Peruvian F.T.A. (NYT)

fought by domestic anchovy producers

Congressional Democrats should vote for the Peruvian deal, which would give American businesses greater access to Peru’s markets.

Chemical Industry 1, Public Safety 0 (NYT)

higher prices urged

Congress needs to pass a strong new chemical plant law — one that puts more weight on the safety of the public and less on industry’s bottom line.

A Pointless Slap at Transit Workers (NYT)

when a strongly worded letter would do

The city should try to help usher in more peaceful labor-management relations with the transit workers union.

Yazoo Pumps: They’re Back! (NYT)

probably a good idea, whatever it is

The Yazoo Pumps may well be the most daft in a long line of environmentally destructive schemes undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers at Congress’s request.

Watered-Down Mortgage Reform (NYT)

more needs to be done. forget that it's contradictory!

A proposed amendment to the Mortgage Reform and Antipredatory Lending Act of 2007 will make the weakest part of the bill even weaker.

The Pakistan Mess (NYT)

everything being Bush failure noted

Gen. Pervez Musharraf has pushed nuclear-armed Pakistan further along a perilous course and underscored the failure of President Bush’s policy toward a key ally in the war on terrorism.

A Roosevelt for Roosevelt Island (NYT)

a better place would be Penn Station

There’s a magic to the project to build a memorial to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Roosevelt Island.

Legal Loopholes in Iraq (NYT)

Unless american justice itself depends on basic order

But that's the point, isn't it.

Anything to cripple Iraq is highest priority.

The Bush administration should withdraw private armies from Iraq, and Congress must act swiftly to ensure that American justice applies to all those who remain.

In Defense of Voting Rights (NYT)

voter fraud supported

The Justice Department’s voting rights section has been taken over by ideologues most interested in denying the ballot to minorities, poor people and other groups likely to vote Democratic.

Putting an End to Abusive Lending (NYT)

lender protection act needed

When members of the House Financial Services committee meet to put the finishing touches on a bill to curb abusive mortgage lending, they need focus only on how to make a good bill better.

Childhood for Dummies (NYT)

book reviews for the inept

The books “The Daring Book for Girls” and “The Dangerous Book for Boys” are so clearly not about daredeviltry. They are about ineptitude.

Selling America (NYT)

God, flag, country and rugged individualism proposed

The best hope of defusing anti-Americanism and restoring our country’s international standing lies in a commitment to the values that make it great.

Republican Tricks on Children’s Health (NYT)

uninsured unborn overlooked

The Senate’s Republican leaders clearly would prefer to have no bill enacted than do anything meaningful to help millions of uninsured children.

Playing Games With Toy Safety (NYT)

no more .22's for boys

Given the Bush administration’s record in appointing consumer safety commissioners, another vacancy might mean that even less would get done.

My Favorite Menace (NYT)

mockers denigrated

by Gail Collins

What do you think of when you hear “defining issues of our time?” Global warming? Did it ever occur to you there are Americans who’d say: “Law of the Sea Treaty?”

Worsening the Odds (NYT)

gap in M1 money supply noted

by Bob Herbert

Lonnie Lynam died at age 45. The cause of death was cancer, aided and abetted by an absurd, unnecessary and utterly unconscionable absence of health insurance.

Farm Belt Follies (NYT)

convenience store aid

With debate on the farm bill to begin next week, the Senate has one last chance to produce a farm program of which the country can be proud.

Children and Cold Medicines (NYT)

third world opportunity

It is emphatically clear that medicines used in children need to be tested in children, since a child’s response to a drug often differs from that of an adult.

End to a Shabby Prosecution (NYT)

lesson noted

We fear that there is little hope that President Bush will learn any lesson from a shockingly mishandled prosecution that finally terminated this week.

That Promised Peace Conference (NYT)

al qaeda defeated

The Bush administration cannot just stage a Mideast peace conference and hope that something will materialize in a region drowning in despair.

Federal Reserve says super SIV requiress less capital (Reuters)

japanese banking emulated

"The credit conversion factor that would apply to the notional amount of the M-LEC liquidity facility would be 10 percent," wrote Norah Barger, the associate director of the Fed's Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation.

Marijuana and College Aid (NYT)

command and control attractions conflict

Federal college aid was never intended to be used as a weapon of enforcement. Any attempt to employ it that way can produce unintended results.

A Station Worthy of New York (NYT)

public spending to match delusion urged

A new Pennsylvania Station should be a grand public space, as magnificent, in its way, as the glorious old Grand Central Terminal.

Starting Over in Texas (NYT)

kill all the republicans

The only real way to remedy allegations of brutality and neglect is to raze the state’s deeply flawed juvenile justice system and build a new one.

Africa’s Chance (NYT)

not the NYT's century

Nobody knows whether Africa south of the Sahara might be on the cusp of starting up the ladder of development, but it has its best chance in decades.

Pilot of Plane That Dropped A-Bomb Dies (AP)

Good for him, alone in a modern world full of wimps.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Paul Tibbets, who etched his mother's name — Enola Gay — into history on the nose of the B-29 bomber he flew to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, died Thursday after six decades of steadfastly defending the mission. He was 92.

A Little Hope for Amtrak (NYT)

increased sugar subsidy proposed

In the costly world of mass transportation, adequately funding Amtrak - the nation’s only passenger railroad - is an easy bargain.

America’s Lagging Health Care System (NYT)

insured parts are broken, as economics predicts

A new survey of patients in seven industrialized nations underscores just how badly sick Americans fare compared with patients in other nations.

Playing Sudan’s Game (NYT)

editors not fooled

Sudan merely wants more time to let the janjaweed militias it backs in Darfur finish off what remains of the region’s non-Arab population.

Torture and the Attorneys General (NYT)

leftism as litmus test

Senators with a conscience that can be shocked should insist that President Bush meets a higher standard than the current nomination.

If I.T. Merged With E.T. (NYT)

burning water at the NYT

by THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

A breakthrough in an energy technology revolution could drive the I.T. revolution into every corner of the world to create jobs.

Belated Frost (NYT)

rural life imagined as extremely dull

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

I think the first frost has finally come. Two mornings in a row the pasture has turned white, and the thick stands of goldenrod have turned silver.

Twenty-Five Years and Counting (NYT)

international bureaucracy of thugs and criminals favored

There are many reasons to ratify the Law of the Sea, not least the fact that it would allow the U.S. to play a role on a range of global ocean issues.

Help Wanted (NYT)

need discovered

Congress needs to add more visa slots and approve resettlement benefits to Iraqis and Afghans who have served America at great risk.

Exile on Wall Street (NYT)

hallucinated generalization supports lefty

A new chief executive who bears no responsibility for a firm’s previous losses is likely to be more nimble in confronting mistakes of the past.

No Emergency Room (NYT)

squeegee guys wanted


by Bob Herbert

Homeless advocates in New York are facing off against the Bloomberg administration in a fight that threatens to bring back the protracted court battles of a couple of decades ago.

Honey, They Shrunk the Congress (NYT)

subpoena the supreme court

By ADAM COHEN

The Bush administration has usurped a frightening number of Congress’s powers. The question is whether members of Congress of both parties will do anything about it.

Holding Up History (NYT)

billing records forgotten

There is ample support in the House and Senate for repealing President Bush’s 2001 executive order unilaterally repealing the presumption of public access to presidential papers.

Sugar’s Sweetheart Deal (NYT)

corrupt payoffs to wrong people

Rather than taking the opportunity to untangle the sugar program in this year’s farm bill, Congress has decided to bolster the old system.

Governor Spitzer Retreats (NYT)

no non-voting class b stock funding New York State government.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s pivot from his difficult stand on driver’s licenses is a disappointment.

The Information Highway Patrol (NYT)

let many terrorists bloom if it will help democrats

The Department of Homeland Security should respond fully to Congressional inquiries about its plan to monitor communications in the name of protecting the information infrastructure from terrorists.

Counting Americans (NYT)

trifling uncovered

For the founding fathers, the census was not to be trifled with. We wish we could say the same for the Bush administration and Congress.

F.T.C. Goes AWOL (NYT)

one-newspaper town

The abuse of market power to protect a monopoly hurts consumers and hinders innovation.

Trash Talking World War III (NYT)

nappy headed ho'

Four years after his pointless invasion of Iraq, President Bush still confuses bullying with grand strategy.

Did We Do That? (NYT)

so-bad-that-evidence-doesn't-matter approach to science

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

We may have introduced enough CO2 emissions into Mother Nature’s operating system that we cannot determine anymore where she stopped and we started.

Rudy, the Values Slayer (NYT)

cross dressing skit remembered

by Frank Rich

When Rudy Giuliani’s candidacy started to show legs, pundits and family values activists assumed that voters knew only his 9/11 video reel and not his personal history.

What Part of ‘Illegal’ Don’t You Understand? (NYT)

press 1 for spanish

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

America has a big problem with illegal immigration, but a big part of it stems from the word “illegal.” As a code word for racial and ethnic hatred, it is detestable.

Microsoft’s Slice of Facebook (NYT)

interest group petri dish

Just how valuable is commercial access to a rapidly expanding community of people whose favorite hobby seems to be identifying themselves and their desires?

The Right Model for Juvenile Justice (NYT)

death penalty endorsed

The state of Missouri, which has a nationally recognized model of how to deal effectively with troubled children, shows a way out of the juvenile justice crisis.

Moving Ahead on Mortgages (NYT)

arguments cut through

The Treasury Department’s leadership is needed to cut through the arguments that have impeded efforts to address the housing bust.

Poland, Untwinned (NYT)

mysterious editorial lede.

the command economy must be in the body of it.

All Americans should be pleased that Poland has voted to embrace Europe, modern capitalism and its own best political traditions.

Bringing Calories Out of Hiding (NYT)

fair not to expect, as well

It is perfectly fair to expect chain restaurants to know and share information about what they serve, especially for the sake of good health.

Listen to the States (NYT)

some states run by women

The states can take some satisfaction from the fact that President Bush now concedes, at least rhetorically, that global warming is a problem.

That Old Time Religion (NYT)

cross burnings

President Bush and his cadre may be stuck in the past. But Congress doesn’t have to be. It should restrain the president’s missile defense spending.

Wonkette

I take it back.

The new Wonkette editor sucks.

Dollar Sinks to New Low (AP)

news for AP : if an investor sells, another investor buys.

The data exacerbated concern about the health of the U.S. economy and has caused investors to sell their dollars in a climate of market nervousness ahead of next week's U.S. Federal Reserve Bank meeting on interest rates.

Putin Takes on the Election Observers (NYT)

ploys deprecated

What Vladimir Putin’s K.G.B.-heavy government and its allies clearly do not want is anyone paying too much attention to their antidemocratic ploys.

Denying Children (NYT)

confusion of process and result in service of power

The health of millions of children who lack insurance cannot be held hostage to the president’s visceral distaste for government and its essential role to protect the weak.

Two Pigs (NYT)

like democrats and blacks

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

The questions people ask make it sound as though I should be morally outraged at myself, as if it’s impossible to scratch the pigs behind the ears and still intend to kill them.

Rational Sentencing (NYT)

voters childlike

Voters deserve a thorough airing on the issue of the Rockefeller laws and options for reforming the most draconian drug laws the country has yet seen.

NASA’s Hidden Air Safety Survey (NYT)

Bush coverup discovered

Michael Griffin should ensure that his agency analyzes its survey and then releases the analysis and all the data so that other experts can look at it as well.

Another $200 Billion (NYT)

not clear on concept of war

Despite a pretense of fiscal prudence, President Bush keeps throwing money at his war, regardless of the cost in blood, treasure or children’s health care.

Madness as Method (NYT)

hawks on warpath

by Maureen Dowd

The hawks are pounding the drums on Iran as they once did on Iraq,

The Fires This Time (NYT)

housing starts are up

While the fire cycle in Southern California is natural — an inevitable and necessary part of local wildland ecology — its economic impact is not.

A Chance to Dream (NYT)

immigration sleeper act

The Senate has a chance today to pluck a small gem from the ashes of the immigration debate by voting for the passage of the Dream Act.

To Be a Journalist in Iraq (NYT)

the women's page

Sahar Issa had a powerful message that we wanted to share with our readers about Iraqi women who risk their lives covering the news.

Tilting the Scales of Justice (NYT)

justice department truthers

The American people have a right to know what happened at the Justice Department. Any wrongful prosecutions should be rectified.

Nobel Winner Issues Apology for Comments About Blacks (NYT)

the offended gene

By CORNELIA DEAN
James D. Watson, who shared the 1962 Nobel prize for deciphering the double-helix of DNA, apologized “unreservedly” yesterday for comments reported this week suggesting that black people, over all, are not as intelligent as whites.

Rewarding Good Teaching (NYT)

stick not tried

New York City’s new incentives strategies represent a good first step toward the goal of attracting teachers to the most challenging schools.

Gains Against Cancer (NYT)

early detection gets you paying longer

The turnaround in the drop of cancer death rates appears to be mainly a triumph in prevention and early detection rather than dazzling medical cures.

Last Chance for Farm Reform (NYT)

serious thought urged

President Bush, who has generally been on the right side of the farm issue, should think seriously about vetoing a deeply disappointing farm bill.

With Democrats Like These ... (NYT)

pelosi characterized

Democratic leaders were cowed, once again, by propaganda from the White House and failed, once again, to modernize the law on electronic spying.

Catching Up to a Sad Parade (NYT)

love of process

President Bush must back up his call for swift action by quickly filling the vacancy of secretary of veterans affairs.

Honoring the Dalai Lama (NYT)

llama power

We would like to think that the spiritual leader’s dedication to tolerance might rub off on the people he meets in Washington.

The Attorney General Nominee (NYT)

editor troubled

There were some troubling statements and gaps in Michael Mukasey’s testimony at his confirmation hearing.

Putting Poor Children Second (NYT)

women's right to vote noticed

House members should vote to override President Bush’s veto on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

On Bonuses and Leaving Iraq (NYT)

desperate reminder found

Big cash bonuses are another desperate reminder of how little planning was done for the Iraq war, and how much damage it has done to America’s forces.

Gore Derangement Syndrome (NYT)

syndrome discovered

by Paul Krugman

What is it about Al Gore that drives right-wingers insane? The worst thing about him, from the conservative point of view, is that he keeps being right.

AIM Leader Vernon Bellecourt Dies at 75 (AP)

gone to happy hunting ground

Vernon Bellecourt, who fought against the use of Indian nicknames for sports teams as a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, has died at age 75.

Spies, Lies and FISA (NYT)

shred and uphold are the two usual choices in editorials

easier than reading the thing.

We have watched Republican lawmakers help President Bush shred the Constitution in the name of fighting terrorism. It is time for that to stop.

The Trivial Pursuit (NYT)

no controlling legal or scientific authority

by Bob Herbert

Al Gore may be remarkably well-equipped to lead the nation, but it’s George W. who is president.

Russian Reservations (NYT)

New authoritarian Russia is a friend to the NYT.

Central control for everybody, an editorial position agreeable to them.

Vladimir Putin could do good for Russia if he told the Iranians that they must halt nuclear enrichment and accept diplomatic payoffs if they do.

Homeland Bunkers and Alien Litterbugs (NYT)

Buzzwords protected from rust by galvanization.

Galvanizing the Homeland Security Department with effective leadership should be high on the national agenda for the presidential candidates.

Campaigning on Pension Gold (NYT)

pools of money attract flies, a general rule.

The sole trustee system of New York’s pension fund is good for the politicians who control it, but it is terrible for the workers whose pensions are at stake.

A Prize for Mr. Gore and Science (NYT)

Actually, science comes from curiosity, not courage.

Courage can in fact give you a jump-the-tuna effect when the media line up one too many times.

Al Gore and the United Nations panel of scientists have shown how much citizens with courage can do to raise awareness about the danger of global warming.

Wonkette

I don't understand the slamming of Wonkette these days, on the political right.

I'm as political right as anybody and find it entertaining. Prose in the style of Mencken or early R. Emmett Tyrrell, but on the political left and with scandalous language.

I disagreed with Imus about everything too, but still he was entertaining.

Nobody likes words anymore.

Decoding Coulter (Wonkette)

perfecting would mean get over the holding a grudge part.

All day long the news channels have been running this clip of Ann Coulter telling Donny Deutsch she wishes Jews would convert to Christianity to "become perfected," which amused me vaguely now that I'm pretty sure what she does qualifies as "performance art," until I saw the nine thousandth pundit come on and decry her "anti-Semitism" and finally felt compelled to point out what is really very obvious to anyone with experience as a self-hating Gentile: Ann Coulter seriously has a massive hard-on for the Jews.

She is so totally pro-Semitic she is dating a Jew, probably the latest in a long string of Jews, at least one of whom, down the line, had a mom who objected to her not on the basis of her batshit brand of batshitism but her supposed "Christianity," and when Ann looked into the whole conversion thing and realized how insanely complicated the Jews make it versus the whole "splash of water" method she thought, "Well for fuck's sake, we managed to eliminate the red tape here, and we're the biggest religion in the world. What's their excuse for making this like Soviet Russia??" Also, so you know: "We know we're all sinners" is basically tantamount to saying, "I, too, have had my share of abortions." Don't worry though, none of the unborn were potential Jews, because you can't be Jewish without a Jewish mother! Which, praise Jesus, Ann Coulter will never be. The "mother" part, especially.

The United States Attorneys Scandal Comes to Mississippi (NYT)

scandal reimagined

By ADAM COHEN

Many key players in the U.S. attorneys scandal are gone, but Congress has a lot of work to do in uncovering the damage they have done to the justice system.

Too Timid for Tax Increases (NYT)

no boding in economics at the NYT

It does not bode well that America’s leaders can’t even see their way to raising the obviously too low taxes on private equity partners.

Supreme Disgrace (NYT)

baffled by separation of powers and wartime, the NYT brings in what it supposes is the big guns

In refusing to consider Khaled el-Masri’s appeal, the Supreme Court has left an innocent person without any remedy for his wrongful imprisonment.

Criminalization of the War

``Criminalization of the war'' misses the point a little.

It's making the legal system responsible for what makes the legal itself system possible.

That doesn't work. The topology is wrong.

The legal system is made possible by a basic access to overwhelming violence.

The legal system only seems to be possible a priori. That's intellectuals arguing about how they're better than those who preceded them.

The Angriest Justice (NYT)

plantation abandoned

The rage that Justice Clarence Thomas harbors raises questions about whether he can sit as an impartial judge in many of the cases the Supreme Court hears.

Misleading Spin on Children’s Health (NYT)

mysterious question answered

Like so many things that President Bush has gotten wrong, he’d already made up his mind and had no interest in listening to others’ arguments.

The Administrative Imperative: Always Lower the Stakes (Stanley Fish)

Defensive gender inclusiveness doubled.

Grammatical swerve to not split infinitive.

John Kerryish doubled direct object.

This is known as a ``plonking sentence,'' one used to end a conversation in your favor at parites.

The obligation of a senior administrator is to conduct himself or herself in such a way as always to bring honor and credit to the institution he or she serves.

Pet Lost and Found

Not like any cat I know.

male nutered cat. Answers to Cole.

ABC News : Justice Thomas

white racists worse than liberals

For Thomas, the menacing racists who donned white sheets in the segregated South of his childhood are as bad or worse as the northern liberal zealots in suits and ties.

"These people who claim to be progressive … have been far more vicious to me than any southerner," Thomas says, "and it is purely ideological."

Woman Gives Birth to Own Grandchildren

Brazilian rednecks

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - A 51-year-old surrogate mother for her daughter has given birth to her own twin grandchildren in northeastern Brazil, the delivery hospital said.

Wash DC

If you type Wash DC into Google Earth it takes you to Washington DC and marks all the laundries.

Chicago Video Surveillance Gets Smarter (AP)

studies make news

BM says this approach might be more effective than relying on a bleary-eyed employee to monitor video screens. "Studies have shown people fall asleep," Docknevich said.

Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’ (Sunday Times)

The Axle of Evil

This weekend President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran sent Ali Akbar Mehrabian, his nephew, to Syria to assess the damage. The new “axis of evil” may have lost one of its spokes.

The Strange Case of an Imprisoned Alabama Governor (NYT)

democrat voter disenfranchised

By ADAM COHEN

There is still a lot of questionable Justice Department activity for Congress to sort through. The imprisonment of Don Siegelman, a former Democratic governor of Alabama, should be at the top of the list.

Lagging on Homeland Security (NYT)

investigation called for

A new assessment by nonpartisan Congressional investigators says that the Department of Homeland Security has failed thus far to meet even half the performance goals it set for itself when it was created.

A Watershed Agreement (NYT)

snail darter saved

The settlement over a huge commercial development that threatened New York City’s water supply will mark a milestone for conservation.

B Is for Bailout, C Is for ... (NYT)

A is for anecdote

When President Bush announced a plan to help beleaguered homeowners avoid foreclosure, one of his aides said, “We are not using the b-word” — bailout. But a bailout it is.

Limits proposed on fast-food restaurants (LAT)

g m1 m2 / d^2

"The people don't want them, but when they don't have any other options, they may gravitate to what's there," said Councilwoman Jan Perry,

Russia and the Usual Suspects (NYT)

putin is a former editorial writer

Suddenly, the three most notorious assassinations in Russia are solved, and the masterminds are the very ones President Vladimir Putin suspected all along. Forgive us if we remain skeptical.

Report Card on Medicare’s Drug Plan (NYT)

job not done until taxes are 100%

The Medicare drug program is off to a reasonably good start, but any tendency to consider the job done is to be avoided.

September Pause (NYT)

fog

For a brief moment, the summer past looks like a surprisingly personal season until you remember that nothing really changes on Labor Day, and that for all the vigor and industry of fall, it has a way of becoming a personal season, too.

Testing Time on Energy (NYT)

same method is used to produce hybrid corn that has low yield and can't take drought

A rising awareness in Congress of the risks of climate change and oil dependency has brought forth two respectable, if incomplete, energy bills that could be merged into one truly outstanding bill.

What They Did on Summer Vacation (NYT)

people who disparage the NYT

In Iraq, more than two dozen U.S. lawmakers got a couple of days’ worth of meetings with people the Bush administration wanted them to meet.

Help for the $82,000 Family (NYT)

uncurious about cause

The sad fact is that health care costs have soared far above levels that existed when the State Children’s Health Insurance Program was created.

The Primary Problem (NYT)

soap opera too important

The presidential nominating process is too important to American democracy to be allowed to descend into gamesmanship and chaos.

Democracy in Turkey (NYT)

islamontuballism not mentioned

Abdullah Gul and his party have pledged to maintain a secular government, and their five-year record in power so far suggests that they will keep their word.

Democracy in Turkey (NYT)

islamonutballism not mentioned

Abdullah Gul and his party have pledged to maintain a secular government, and their five-year record in power so far suggests that they will keep their word.

The Slow Pursuit of Political Wiseguys (NYT)

chinese connection not noticed

Federal regulators are getting around late to one of the worst abuses in the last presidential election — the channeling of unregulated “soft money.”

Living in Fear for Helping America (NYT)

all is lost, flee at one

too bad it's looking good

The Bush administration must find safer and faster ways to get more of the targeted Iraqis who worked for the American war effort to sanctuary.

A Non-Political Memorial (NYT)

9/11 is bad news for the left

The memorial planned for Sept. 11, the sixth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, should not be a backdrop for a campaign commercial.

Most Powerful Woman in the World

I can't believe that Laura Bush is only number 60.

In the Decade Since (NYT)

great news copy for soap opera audience, who control everything

The fact is that Diana, Princess of Wales, was an imperfect human being, like all of us, who married into a family of imperfect beings.

Disowning Senator Craig (NYT)

wide net

The rush to cast out Senator Larry Craig betrays the Republican Party’s intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness.

The Tide Is Still Going Out (NYT)

unfair to democrats

Today’s homeowners took undue risks in dicey mortgages, as Wall Street did. But unlike Wall Street, they’ve yet to get a real helping hand from the government.

More Realism, Less Spin (NYT)

spin deplored

In Vietnam, as in Iraq, American presidents and military leaders went to great lengths to pretend that victory was at hand when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Jeepers! Peepers in New York (NYT)

the Craig men's room effect

For better or sometimes worse, New York is a city of exhibitionists. One of the many reasons people come to New York is to show off.

Locked, Loaded and Looney (NYT)

victim rhetoric emerges

Except for Senator Tom Coburn, practically everyone in Congress wants to deal with the emerging crisis of depressed veterans tempted to take their own lives.

No Time for Threats (NYT)

strongly worded letter needed

assumes change is wrought top-down even when the top is dysfunctional

The United States and its allies need to be stepping up their efforts to resolve the serious dangers posed by Iran through comprehensive negotiations.

Abu Ghraib Swept Under the Carpet (NYT)

galvanic response indistinguishable from life hoped for

The need to be honest about Abu Ghraib and correct the abuses at military and C.I.A. prisons is not only about upholding the law and American values.

In Search of Good Teachers (NYT)

stop teaching crap then

America must adopt measures that increase the supply of high-quality teachers while cutting down on the large number of teachers who bail out of the profession early.

Hard Lessons for New York (NYT)

nobody suspects this is a sign of regulation.

The evidence of sloppiness and negligence offers guidance about how to continue deconstruction of the remaining floors of the former Deutsche Bank tower.

A Sobering Census Report: Bleak Findings on Health Insurance (NYT)

make health insurance taxable income, is and has been the only solution.

because that's the cause.

the left will do the opposite.

A large increase in the number of Americans who lack health insurance ought to send a strong message to Washington: action is needed to reverse this trend.

A Sobering Census Report: Americans’ Meager Income Gains (NYT)

``mathematics is incomprehensible, and economics is almost certainly wrong''

New data on incomes and poverty indicates that the spoils of the nation’s economic growth have flowed almost exclusively to the wealthy and the extremely wealthy.

Digital ‘South Park’ (NYT)

contemporary analogy used

“South Park” is no longer merely the crudely animated, rudely scripted tales of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny. It is now a creative powerhouse in its infancy.

What Looks and Sounds Like a Bailout? (NYT)

questions raised

Even if the Federal Reserve succeeds in managing the credit crisis, its actions stir questions about the sustainability of the debt-fueled state of the American economy.

The House Lawyer Departs (NYT)

that our opponents are scum, noted

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has finally done something important to advance the cause of justice. He has resigned.

Mexico’s Plutocracy Thrives on Robber-Baron Concessions (NYT)

not favored unless a dictator

By EDUARDO PORTER

Who is the richest man in the world? It’s not Bill Gates anymore.

Dread of Flying (NYT)

more regulation fixes overregulation

Something needs to be done now to alleviate the stress on oversubscribed air space.

The College Credit Scam (NYT)

future newspaper editors threatened

Colleges need to do more to protect their students from taking on credit card debt that can severely damage their economic prospects once they join the world of work.

Ravaging Appalachia (NYT)

drilling in alaska revisited

A proposal to legalize mountaintop mining cries out for Congressional intervention to define once and for all what mining companies can and cannot do.

Jack Kirby, a Comic Book Genius, Is Finally Remembered (NYT)

next frame please

By BRENT STAPLES

Working as principal artist and in-house genius for Marvel, Jack Kirby created a voice and an aesthetic unmatched by any other company.

The Spy Chief Speaks (NYT)

investigation called for

Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, finally unburdened himself in an interview. It would have been nice if he had really enlightened the public.

Stiff-Arming Children’s Health (NYT)

perverse side effects do not exist for the left

The political debate over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program sometimes leaves the impression that it is a free handout to middle-income Americans.

Who Will Pay for the Next Hurricane? (NYT)

paid for by disaster story ads

By HOWARD KUNREUTHER

Because of increasing development in hazard-prone areas and the effects of climate change, we are in a new era of catastrophic losses from natural disasters.

Squelching the Citizenry’s Back Talk (NYT)

media plans defeated

It turns out that President Bush’s encounters with ordinary Americans have been micromanaged and laboriously controlled.

Dollars for Sale (NYT)

money-as-wealth believed

In the absence of policies to boost domestic savings, a steady decline of the dollar implies a steady decline in American living standards.

New York’s Toxic Tower (NYT)

abstractions proposed

The old Deutsche Bank building at the World Trade Center site has stood as concrete evidence of all the ways rebuilding downtown could be delayed.

A Treaty Whose Time Has Come (NYT)

bait and switch

Unless the United States ratifies the Law of the Sea Convention, it will have a hard time laying claim to the immense resources under the Arctic ice.

White House Shell Game (NYT)

investigation called for

The Bush administration’s refusal to comply with open-government laws is ultimately more important than any single scandal.

Foreclosure and Taxes (NYT)

democrat social engineered tax code

For foreclosed borrowers hit with unexpected tax bills, figuring out if they have been wrongly charged can be an insurmountable burden.

The Problem Isn’t Mr. Maliki (NYT)

McGovern forgotten

If President Bush took the time to study the real lessons of Vietnam, he would not be so eager to lead America deeper into the quagmire he has created in Iraq.

Departed Asset Deployer (NYT)

straight talk express

Every White House administration uses incumbency for politicking, but the Karl Rove operation goes well beyond the normal exploitation of high office.

Unsafe Mining (NYT)

blackness of coal noticed

Congress should investigate whether safety standards in the nation’s mines are slipping as energy companies embark on a massive hunt for coal.

Curiouser and Curiouser (NYT)

investigation called for

Senator Joseph Bruno, New York State’s lead Republican politician, made a good move by severing his party’s relationship with Roger Stone.

The C.I.A. Report (NYT)

childhood regression

Americans still don’t have the full story of how President Bush hustled them into a war in which United States soldiers are trapped without hope of victory.

The Space Shuttle Hobbles Onward (NYT)

banned freon needed

It has become clear that the shuttle’s design, which puts a large fuel tank insulated with foam above a fragile spacecraft, is fundamentally flawed.

Mr. Chávez’s Power Grab (NYT)

undermining detected

Behind the Orwellian rhetorical tactics, President Hugo Chávez’s efforts to amass and retain power are undermining Venezuela’s democracy.

Virginia’s Gun Market (NYT)

guns stop nutballs

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting mayhem, there is evidence that some of the most far-reaching shady gun marts continue to operate in Virginia.

Stacking the Electoral Deck (NYT)

parliament of presidents recommended

The Electoral College should be done away with, but in the meantime, any reforms should improve the system, not make it worse.

Hey, I Wrote That! But the President Said It — Out Loud! (NYT)

some editors need speechwriters

By CAROLYN CURIEL

There’s never been a speechwriter tell-all quite like the one in the current issue of The Atlantic.

Losing Patience (NYT)

patience lost

Some of the Bush administration’s allies on public lands policies have finally had enough.

Another Deadly Tower Downtown (NYT)

phallic danger

The deaths of two New York firefighters magnified the dangers of deconstructing a skyscraper in the middle of a city.

Not Paying for Medical Errors (NYT)

Anything with ``care'' in the name, isn't. It's like ``science.''

Medicare’s plan to stop paying hospitals for the extra costs of treating patients whose illnesses are compounded by preventable errors should promote better care.

Child’s Play (NYT)

eternal question posed

Could it be that something as abstract and elemental as fun has been so commodified and consumerized that cutthroat manufacturers in China could cast doubt on whether our children will have any?

One Politician’s $155 Billion (NYT)

clarity increased

It is becoming increasingly clear that New York needs a state pension board whose members are chosen very publicly and for their financial expertise, not their political connections.

Unchanged (for the Worse) Since 1872 (NYT)

cave-in on the left

Useful in its day, the General Mining Law of 1872 is a disaster now.

The Good War, Still to Be Won (NYT)

Or how much worse if managed less competently! That's how `if' works.

We will never know just how much better the fight in Afghanistan might be going if it had been managed more competently over the past six years.

The War as We Saw It (NYT)

left hunkers down

By BUDDHIKA JAYAMAHA, WESLEY D. SMITH, JEREMY ROEBUCK, OMAR MORA, EDWARD SANDMEIER, YANCE T. GRAY and JEREMY A. MURPHY

The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework.

The Founders Had an Idea for Handling Alberto Gonzales (NYT)

effect at next election overlooked

By ADAM COHEN

Members of Congress should keep in mind that the founders gave them the impeachment power for a reason.

Deck the Halls With Politicos’ Folly (NYT)

NYT editorial positions not flying with voters

America’s primary process is melting into a free-for-all because state politicians want an earlier piece of the profitable traveling circus of candidates and media.

New Orleans Still at Risk (NYT)

deck chair concern

As the sense of urgency flags, New Orleans is frighteningly far from being prepared to withstand a storm with even a fraction of Katrina’s power.

Watershed (NYT)

wise control needed by pro-market liberals

America needs progressive, pro-market leaders who will advance a legal and regulatory framework to reduce excesses in lending and derivatives.

On the Spot (NYT)

NYT not read

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

The city has come to seem to me a place of nearly perfect sincerity. The country, it turns out, is a place of pervasive irony.

A Better Way to Feed the Hungry (NYT)

feed the hungry obese

A cash-based food aid system could save as much as $33 million that is now lost to shipping and transaction costs. That money could be far better spent fighting hunger.

Herndon, Va.’s Labors (NYT)

democrat voters

Having hit upon a humane and effective solution to the unruliness of day labor, Herndon is moving to abandon it, so great is its desire to rid itself of illegal immigrants.

Keeping Cool, Clear Tap Water (NYT)

government spending preferred

If too many people convert to bottled water, there would be less political support for spending on our aging water distribution systems.

The City Life: A Most Bookish Borough (NYT)

drugs sold in hollowed-out VHS tapes

By FRANCIS X. CLINES

Queens, America’s most ethnically diverse county, has just been awarded the top prize as the nation’s busiest library system.

More Fears About China (NYT)

policy of whining suggested

Beijing urgently needs to grasp that when it comes to public safety, secrecy is never the right policy and there is no benefit in trying to go it alone.

Mr. Bernanke’s Moment (NYT)

fox makes henhouse management suggestion

What’s most important now is for markets and businesses to have confidence that the Federal Reserve chief will make the right calls at the right time.

The Padilla Conviction (NYT)

loss explained

It would be a mistake to see the guilty verdict against Jose Padilla as a vindication for the Bush administration’s serial abuse of the American legal system.

Wiring the Frog, or Personal Tales From the Electronic Present (NYT)

new resources for assholes

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

I was totally not prepared for instant messaging - the idea that two people on opposite sides of the planet can type messages back and forth in nearly real time.

The Less-Than-Generous State (NYT)

welfare state proposed

If the United States is to reap the rewards of globalization, the government must provide a more robust safety net to protect vulnerable workers.

Searching for the Miners (NYT)

lowering speed limit to 10mph also needed, to prevent highway deaths.

For too long, the Republican-controlled Congress allowed mine operators to put off making needed investments to ensure their workers’ safety.

Amateur Hour on Iran (NYT)

long faces and tut-tutting needed

America needs to respond to real and alleged facets of Iran’s many dangerous behaviors with serious policies, not more theatrics.

Reading Lincoln’s Face (NYT)

that's why all chinese look alike

Every face is asymmetrical to a certain degree, and humans — all primates — are extremely good at recognizing faces.

Mr. Bush’s Chance to Help Congress (NYT)

petitioning government deplored

The pending lobbying reform bill will gauge whether the White House rates the clout of the lobbying industry above Congress’s legitimate attempt to clean its own house.

A Bonus for Congestion Pricing (NYT)

lefty loves money

Federal money could help make New York the next big city to improve its traffic flow. Now it’s up to city and state politicians to work with the public to make it happen.

China, Unregulated (NYT)

wild west deplored

American businesses and the Bush administration must send a clear message to Beijing that it has to clean up its act or its export-led boom will falter.

Elizabeth Murray (NYT)

boilerplate sentence overcomposed

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

For those of us who celebrated the life and work of Elizabeth Murray, who died of cancer on Sunday, we mourn our separation from both.

Firing an AIDS Fighter (NYT)

journalists badly treated

What is it about South Africa’s devastating AIDS epidemic that President Thabo Mbeki just doesn’t want to understand?

Failure to Communicate (NYT)

gyration deprecated

As credit markets seized up and stocks gyrated last week, the White House appeared weirdly disconnected if not in outright denial.

Mr. Rove Gets Out of Town (NYT)

strings pulled

The American public needs to understand the full story of how this White House — with Karl Rove pulling many of the strings — has been improperly and dangerously politicizing the federal government.

The 17 Percent Problem and the Perils of Domestication (NYT)

apple card played

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

What does it mean to go from a humanly ancient world in which only 17 percent of nature had been “tainted” to a world in which only 17 percent remains untainted?

Irresponsible Threats (NYT)

free money offered

It is stupefying that some Chinese officials have been talking of using China’s enormous cache of American Treasury bonds as an economic weapon.

The No-Match Non-Solution (NYT)

deportation not tried

Without more visas to clear backlogs and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, illegality will remain chronic.

Wrong Way Out of Iraq (NYT)

surge working

If anyone outside the White House truly believes that the U.S. can stay in Iraq in reduced numbers, while ignoring the civil war and expecting Iraqi forces to impose order, the British experience demonstrates otherwise.

The Great Arctic Oil Rush (NYT)

african tyrants favored

To the extent that ownership of potentially huge deposits of natural resources can be determined, it will not be decided by planting flags in the seabed.

World’s Best Medical Care? (NYT)

waiting line for editorials

The disturbing truth is that America lags well behind other advanced nations in delivering timely and effective health care for its people.

Deaths in Newark (NYT)

newark quagmire

One can only hope that the savagery of the latest crime will at last bring the city together in a new determination to end violence.

Harassing Germany’s Media (NYT)

journalists defended

Germany’s prosecutors should drop their attempts to intimidate their nation’s journalists.

The Farmer’s Nightmare? (NYT)

comfortable retirement disparaged

What we may be witnessing is the beginning of the tragic moment in which the ownership of America’s farmland passes from the farmer to the industrial giants.

Getting the Rescue Right (NYT)

deadbeat lobby

Lawmakers must complete legislation to help states and localities provide the ever-increasing numbers of at-risk borrowers with assistance in modifying their loans.

The Return of Foot-and-Mouth (NYT)

castle early when playing white

The best strategy for dealing with a highly contagious disease is to enclose it within a moat of vaccinated animals — or dead ones.

Giving Bottles a Second Life (NYT)

good news noticed

Of the mountain of individual plastic water bottles created by Americans each year, less than one-fourth are sent to the recycling industry for a second round.

Secrets of the Police (NYT)

investigation called for

The city of New York is waging a losing and ill-conceived battle for overzealous secrecy surrounding nearly 2,000 arrests during the 2004 Republican National Convention.

A Weak Dollar and the Fed (NYT)

Bush blamed for economic boom

How did the Fed lose room to maneuver? The answer is rooted in the Bush administration’s misguided economic policies.

Those Missing Guns in Iraq (NYT)

background check and waiting period advised

Because of the Pentagon’s scandalous mismanagement, American taxpayers may have been paying to arm Iraqi insurgents who are shooting at American soldiers.

Pensions and the Mortgage Mess (NYT)

investments too complicated for newspaper editors

Even as the plunge continues in investments tied to dicey mortgages, government regulators remain skeptical of the need for new rules to cover these newfangled derivative products or the hedge funds that tend to buy them.

The Fear of Fear Itself (NYT)

if Bush gets it from Congress, it's not executive power. It's legislative power.

It was appalling to watch over the last few days as Congress — now led by Democrats — caved in to yet another unnecessary and dangerous expansion of President Bush’s powers.

We Never Really Talk Anymore (NYT)

theories at risk

Experts on language are having an intense debate about which species can talk.

A Half-Win for Cellphone Users (NYT)

AM band still available

In setting rules for the sale of the last slice of beachfront property available in the radio spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission went a little ways toward a free wireless market.

The Executioner’s Hood (NYT)

obese prisoner crisis

A recent spate of botched executions has led some courts and states in the encouraging direction of halting the procedures and reviewing lethal-injection protocols.

Selective Prosecution (NYT)

selective editorials

One part of the Justice Department mess that requires more scrutiny is the growing evidence that the department may have singled out people for criminal prosecution to help Republicans win elections.

The Owl and the Forest (NYT)

Big Owl influence

The timber industry and the Bush administration are trying to use the spotted owl’s new troubles to reverse more than a decade of sound environmental policy.

A Bad Deal Gets Worse (NYT)

fairness urged

When it comes to nuclear proliferation, Washington’s only real policy is to reward its friends and punish its enemies.

A Bridge Collapses (NYT)

more money for teachers' unions recommended

At a time of ballooning deficits, and in the midst of a hugely expensive war, most politicians will be tempted by the quick and inexpensive fix of our aging infrastructure problem.

In the Hayloft (NYT)

rural prose attempted

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

Some days I feel like a grave-rubbing — as if the terrain had been traced onto me. The tractor is the same, only dustier.

Waiting for the Truth on Corporal Tillman (NYT)

investigation called for

Congress needs to clarify whether the messy affair surrounding Cpl. Pat Tillman’s death reflects astonishing incompetence or a conspiracy to exploit a famous soldier.

So Many Investigations (NYT)

investigation of leftys deprecated

Several investigations facing New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his staff can readily sidetrack everything else important going on in Albany.

A Surer Way to Feed the Hungry (NYT)

obesity program recommended

The present food aid system is a favorite of American farmers. But it is also cumbersome, slow, expensive and leaves people hungry who could easily be fed.

Comforting Words for a Nerve-Wracked Nation: ‘McGarrett. Five-0.’ (NYT)

mysterious cultural reference applied

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

A marathon of “Five-0” viewing may provoke an ache of nostalgia, or whatever that feeling is when the present looks bleaker than the troubled past.

A First Step to Save Darfur (NYT)

Dafur quagmire recommended

World pressure, begun by grass-roots campaigners, but joined early on by President Bush and more recently by China and the Arab League, is finally being felt in Sudan’s capital.

Stampeding Congress, Again (NYT)

executive branch unneeded

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not feel bound by the law or the Constitution when it comes to the war on terror.

The China Connection: Globalization and the Narcotics Trade (NYT)

drug policy explained

By EDUARDO PORTER

Stopping large-scale traffickers who can source raw materials anywhere around the globe will make interdiction much more difficult for law enforcement.

America’s Most Coddled (NYT)

``no-nothing'' economics extended

if everybody stands on their toes, everybody can see better.

if you take wealth from those who create it and give it to the poor, the poor will get wealthy.

Tweaking the tax bills of the richest 1 percent of Americans, an idea Charles Schumer has spoken of approvingly, simply won’t be enough.

Notes About Competition (NYT)

NYT suspicious

All of us who care about journalism will be watching for any sign that news coverage at The Wall Street Journal is being slanted to curry political or economic favor.

An Incomplete Energy Bill (NYT)

``no-nothing'' energy science

If the House version of an energy bill truly hopes to tackle the problems of global warming and energy independence, a few vital issues need to be addressed.

It Will Take More Than Charm (NYT)

the white police officer menace

The New York Police Department needs to pay more attention to the public’s worries over racial profiling and the fact that it often takes a long time to address serious complaints of officer misconduct.

Mr. Abe on the Ropes (NYT)

Bush supporter savaged

The political message in Japan is clear: If Shinzo Abe is determined to stay as prime minister, he must change course.

In Praise of Tap Water (NYT)

big bottle opposed

consumers advised for their own good

Almost all municipal water in America is so good that nobody needs to import a single bottle from Italy or France or the Fiji Islands.

Coming Clean in the Capitol (NYT)

NYT influence increased

We suspect it will take more than one new law to break the binding and corrupting ties of lobbyist cash and politics, but the ethics reform bill approved in the House is a good start.

YouDebate: If Only the Candidates Were as Interesting as the Questioners (NYT)

TV world

By ADAM COHEN

In a modest but real way, the YouTube Democratic presidential debate on Monday night managed to inject real people into arid public policy debates.

The Anti-Reform Farm Bill (NYT)

ethanol based

Incredibly, the House is poised to approve a subsidy-laden farm bill more nearly suited to the Great Depression.

Taxes in the Global Economy (NYT)

economics sadly unopposed

Where is the politician who will take an over-my-dead-body approach to future tax holidays and who will broach the need for new corporate taxes?

No Exit Strategy (NYT)

the nobody-believes-you effect

With a veto-proof majority, Congress will have to tell President Bush that prolonging the Iraq war for another two years will not bring victory.

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War (NYT)

FDR not recalled

By ADAM COHEN

Given how intent President Bush is on expanding his authority, it is startling to recall how the Constitution’s framers viewed presidential power.

Phantom Voters in New York (NYT)

upstate rube menace

New York districts with prisons are wielding undeserved influence in county affairs.

How the Energy Dice Were Loaded (NYT)

fewer tall buildings

There is a new reminder of how the Bush administration has squandered six years that should have been devoted to finding innovative answers to the big questions of oil dependency and global warming.

What Would a Diplomat Do? (NYT)

suicide belts recommended

There is still a perplexing refusal by the Bush administration to do tedious but absolutely essential diplomatic prep work.

FEMA Runs for Cover (NYT)

city of losers

How many times can the federal government let down the victims of the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast two years ago?

Power Without Limits (NYT)

investigation called for

The Bush administration, which has been pushing presidential power to new extremes, is reportedly developing an even more dangerous new theory of executive privilege.

Vetoing Children’s Health (NYT)

medical costs are soaring because of third party payments

third party payments are needed because of soaring medical costs

you can actually figure this out if you're not liberal. side effects never trump good intentions, if you're a liberal.

rely instead on what used to work, namely charitable work by doctors, in the form of fees that are tailored to the ability to pay.

it used to be the standard economic example of variable pricing. all that's needed is that the product be nontransferrable, which is certainly true of medical services.

President Bush’s shortsighted ideological opposition to a highly successful children’s health program would leave millions of children without health insurance at a time when medical costs are soaring.

Overhaul in Albany (NYT)

less input from upstate rubes needed

The campaign finance reforms agreed to on Thursday by legislative leaders and Gov. Eliot Spitzer should be the beginning, and not the end, of reform.

Long-Delayed Security (NYT)

money recommended

As new warnings stoke the public’s fear of terrorist attacks, Congress is finally moving on some of the most important recommendations of the independent 9/11 commission.

The Iraq War Debate: A Reality Check on Military Spending (NYT)

peace process suggested

Defending Americans from today’s terrorists and other threats will require larger investments in diplomacy, peacemaking and eliminating dangerous nuclear materials.

The Iraq War Debate: The Great Denier (NYT)

Americans spoken for

Americans want President Bush to explain how he will extract the troops and contain the bloodletting and chaos the war has unleashed.

Trying Times Ahead: The Prospect of 60 Million Californians (NYT)

spay and neuter mexicans

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

There’s a chance that a mid-21st-century Californian will look back in horror at the enormous consumption footprint of someone living in the state right now.

Fighting AIDS Behind Bars (NYT)

needles shared

Public health officials now recognize that condom-distribution programs are integral to any meaningful AIDS prevention program.

Where to Discuss the Nation’s Ills (NYT)

democrat rule showplace suggested

For next year’s final presidential debates, New Orleans should emerge hands down as the site for the debate that will be dedicated to the nation’s domestic problems.

The Politics of Fear (NYT)

when Iraq can suppress organized groups large enough to work serious damage, then we'll exit.

if large groups can work unmolested with state aquiescence, one day US cities will disappear, and then we'll settle the matter directly in a few minutes.

avoiding having to make that choice is what the fight in Iraq is about.

Not doing the Iraqis a favor, but preventing a nuclear settlement in the future.

The Iraqis are fighting for us, as well as themselves.

By now, Congress surely can see through the president’s fear-mongering and show him the exit from Iraq that he refuses to find for himself.

The Road Home (NYT)

moonbat left doctrine repeated is still moonbat left doctrine

It's a war on terror, not a war on Iraq.

We aren't going to allow organized crime jihadists to take over a state. Instead the state has to harass and pursue them so as to keep their organizational capability below what it takes to inflict serious damage anywhere in the world.

Once the Iraqis are stable enough to do it alone, as they'd prefer by the way, we can leave.

Then it's on to the next failed state, for both Al Qaeda and the US, to repeat it again.

Bush's confidence is the confidence of determination, not some sort of prophecy. It's a commitment of whatever it takes.

Unlike the NYT, which is the faint-heartedness of surrender which becomes self-fulfilling by making it seem that terror works.

The audience for the terrorist stuff you see is the NYT and their womenish readers. No audience, no terrorist strategy.

But soap opera pays in the news biz. It's the target audience. They tune in, news or no news, for the same simple-to-write crap, and their eyes are sold to advertisers. That's the news business model.

Part of the media hype is the serious-thinker posture that this soap is presented with. You are serious readers because you like soap opera, is the message. The women love it.

It's not adults we need so much as men. Unfortunately men won't tune in unless there's actual news, so they don't get any vote in the what's deemed worthy of print.

Every national debate is thus mediated by the tastes of soap opera.

As you see on the pages of the NYT.

Why fight jihadists? Because now modern weapons are too dangerous to fall into the hands of a group large enough to acquire and deploy them, and that size is falling.

The fight consists of keeping the odd organization below that size, not in eliminating every moonbat fanatic.

That requires infiltration, monitoring, encouraging the odd betrayal, and everything that the NYT is against.

The moonbat jihadist fanatic aims at eliminating the war, via media photo ops, and the NYT jumps to their bidding. As here today.

Assholes.

They want to eliminate the war because it's working.


It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit.

Appreciations: Beverly Sills (NYT)

nice things to say thought up

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

Ms. Sills represented her art as though she had been elected to the task, and she took the job of representing it seriously.

In Politics, Money Is Trump Card (NYT)

unwashed opinions still rampant

If there is to be any hope of reining in the money blitz, the nation must press Congress to resuscitate the matching funds alternative in time for 2012.

Looking Outward on the Fourth (NYT)

God overlooked

Even in these very difficult times, the universal freedom described in the Declaration of Independence remains a fundamental truth.

Origins of Our Food (NYT)

moral discovery

There should be no compromise of the basic principle that consumers have a right to know where their food comes from before popping it into their mouths.

Cats Among Us (NYT)

Maureen Dowd overlooked

No creature exemplifies the idea that domesticated animals chose domestication better than cats.

The N.R.A.’s Senate (NYT)

unseemly pressure from rural hicks

Given a choice between helping local police combat illegal gun trafficking and helping the National Rifle Association protect rogue gun dealers, the Senate Appropriations Committee made the wrong choice.

Is Your Doctor Tied to Drug Makers? (NYT)

cynicism as politics

It’s no surprise that the pharmaceutical industry is appalled at proposals to set up a national registry of its gifts and payments to doctors.

A Much-Needed Second Chance (NYT)

voters

Congress needs to pass the Second Chance Act, which would provide grants, guidance and assistance to states and localities that are developing programs to reintegrate former inmates into their communities.

The City Life: Predatory Newcomers Flit About (NYT)

nature

By FRANCIS X. CLINES

It is a big deal on the West Side of Manhattan to spot a fledgling hawk with a tiny, already pernicious looking beak.

Let Blair Be Blair (NYT)

peace process continues

The job of peace envoy is extremely challenging, requiring a leader of Tony Blair’s prominence and skills.

Abuse of Executive Privilege (NYT)

congressional power grab approved

Congress is finally challenging President Bush’s campaign to trample all legal and constitutional restraints on his power.

The City Life: The Subway Beat (NYT)

penis envy

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

It’s nearly always a mistake to think of the subway as a public conveyance.

A New Job for Tony Blair (NYT)

worrisome virtues

Tony Blair, who steps down as British prime minister this week, has many of the right qualities and some worrisome flaws as a possible Middle East peace envoy.

Congestion Pricing Deadline (NYT)

transit strike

New Yorkers and anyone else who rides public transportation in and around the city should mark July 16 on their calendars.

Raising Taxes on Private Equity (NYT)

Bush recession proposed

Congress will achieve a significant victory if it ends the breaks that are skewing the tax code in favor of the most advantaged Americans.

Editorial Observer: Woody Allen’s Universe, Still Expanding, Is as Absurd as Ever (NYT)

absurdism is the NYT genre

By ADAM COHEN

Woody Allen’s absurdism is a welcome respite in this age of bitterly held ideologies.

Autism in the Vaccine Court (NYT)

global warming

Virtually every major scientific study and organization has seen no link between early childhood vaccinations and development of autism in children.

White House of Mirrors (NYT)

disturbance noticed

Recent weeks have produced disturbing disclosures about just how far President Bush’s team is willing to go to keep lawmakers and the public in the dark.

Where Are Our Passports? (NYT)

state department tied up in NYT's peace process proposals

There are nearly three million passport applications pending in the State Department for Americans flying home from neighboring countries.

The Fall of Mr. Small’s Empire (NYT)

crisis implies government ; otherwise there's no point.

A stinging new report concludes that the Smithsonian Institution is in a “governance crisis” largely caused by Lawrence Small’s self-isolating and “secretive” management style.

Mr. Spitzer’s First Round (NYT)

backwoods rubes defeated

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer may not have won the toughest battles he fought, but he has charted a clear path for where he wants to take the state.

Signs of Energy (NYT)

meddling is always good

The energy bill passed by the Senate on Thursday includes an important breakthrough: the first substantial improvement in the nation’s automobile fuel-efficiency standards since 1975.

The China Puzzle (NYT)

east mysterious

Governments and companies tend to become so seduced or intimidated by China that they won’t hold it to high standards of human rights and business ethics.

Fixing the College Loan Mess (NYT)

corruption ending

Congress has reacted to the college loan scandal with several strong proposals that would go a long way toward ending corruption.

Home Depot Amendment (NYT)

morally repulsed

Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia wants to add a squalid little amendment to the immigration bill so as to benefit a corporate constituent.

Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey (NYT)

elections overlooked

The Bush administration’s theory of the “unitary executive,” which has no support in American history or the Constitution, is a formula for autocracy.

A Deal Worth Cheering (NYT)

tree ethanol

The purchase of the last big piece of privately owned timberland in the Adirondacks by the Nature Conservancy is cause for cheers.

New Rules for Undercover Cops (NYT)

fair play urged

Commissioner Ray Kelly has wisely agreed to heed the recommendations of a panel of law enforcement experts to make changes to New York’s undercover police procedures.

Well, We Found 140,000 (NYT)

sinisterness uncovered

Congressional investigators have discovered that while 88 White House staffers had accounts over at the G.O.P. computer banks, there are no e-mail archives to be found for 51 of them.

China and the Chest Thumpers (NYT)

full employment, rising income crisis

It would be better if Congress focused on the problems from globalization that it could actually solve rather than blaming China for America’s economic ills.

The Best Judges Business Can Buy (NYT)

control freak carnival

States must either adopt public financing and strict fund-raising rules for judicial elections or switch to a nonelective merit selection system.

Muddy Waters (NYT)

omnibus swamp bill

Congress needs to move quickly to approve clarifying legislation about which streams and wetlands are subject to federal jurisdiction.

Two Cheers on Global AIDS (NYT)

looming

Congress and other national legislatures ought to look hard for additional AIDS funds to close a looming gap between the funds committed and the needs of desperate patients.

When Demagogues Play the Leprosy Card, Watch Out (NYT)

bad people

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

People who want to reform immigration by putting America in lockdown have not been shy about using fear and revulsion to get their point across.

Don’t Listen to What the Man Says (NYT)

forces of good defeated by mere laws

If the Supreme Court, with its new conservative majority, wanted to announce that it was getting out of the fairness business, it could hardly have done better than its decision last week in the case of Keith Bowles.

Presidential Stone Walls (NYT)

Bush derangement ranges

Hiding secrets and embarrassments may be a predictable part of a politician’s instinct for survival. But attempting to enshrine this instinct timelessly is a stain on the Constitution and an insult to history.

Why Protect Shady Gun Dealers? (NYT)

how long must muggers die before the insane second amendment is overturned?

It should not require the shedding of innocent blood to shame Congress into showing the spine to take on the gun lobby, but that seems like a good description of the sorry state of affairs on Capitol Hill.

When Good Weeds Go Bad (NYT)

poison ivy colorful in fall

It takes vigilance and a commitment to protecting the balance of native ecosystems to root out invasive species.

Good News on Math (NYT)

rattling along at the bottom

New York City students showed gains in every grade tested and outpaced students in most other of the state’s big cities.

Congress and the Caregivers (NYT)

higher wage, lower demand, fewer workers

some news for the newspaper

Congress has to reform the law to include home health employees so that they are compensated fairly for the work they do.

Palestinians at War (NYT)

the peace process

For Washington and Jerusalem to exert constructive influence, doing more to help the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is the only currency that really counts.

Keeping a Watch on Winter (NYT)

frightens the vacationing liberals

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne should help put an end to snowmobiles in Yellowstone.

Expletive Policy Deleted (NYT)

editorial content

In a very welcome decision, a federal appeals court overturned the F.C.C.’s indecency policy for live broadcasts.

Jail Time for Scooter Libby (NYT)

news deranged by snappy editorial department

The jail sentence and fine imposed on Scooter Libby are an appropriate and necessary punishment for his obstruction of justice.

Gitmo: A National Disgrace (NYT)

editorial by the liberty fairy

The detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was created on a myth, built on a lie and organized around a fiction. It is time to get rid of it.

Why So Little Posting?

Blogger no longer works with my desktop machine, a Windows 95 system with Netscape 4.0

So I have to unplug it and plug in my laptop/camera accessory to post anything.

Cleaning Up the Clean Water Act (NYT)

laws say whatever the most active activists say they do

A series of murky Supreme Court decisions have left the agencies responsible for enforcing the Clean Water Act in a state of confused paralysis.

Good News for Middle Schoolers (NYT)

standard lowered

The jump in New York’s reading scores suggests that with attention and creativity, even middle schoolers can flourish as readers.

War Without End (NYT)

war ends with victory

As disjointed as the Democrats have been, their approach makes far more sense than President Bush’s denial of Iraq’s civil war and his war-without-end against terror.

The Scent of Lilacs (NYT)

rural hicks imagined

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

When I smell lilacs, I see a nearly bare yard in a small town and children playing in the weight of their scent, not knowing what it will come to mean to them in time.

A Dangerously Depleted Guard (NYT)

readiness concern on the left

Nearly 90 percent of stateside National Guard units are rated less than fully ready because of equipment and training shortfalls.

The Immigration Deal (NYT)

doesn't go far enough, in other words.

The Senate last week seized a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul a broken system and emerged with a deeply flawed compromise.

Appointed Hobblers of Government (NYT)

no lefties in manufacturing

The nomination of Michael Baroody, lobbyist for the powerful National Association of Manufacturers, to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission must surely take the fox-in-the-henhouse statuette.

Private Equity Goes Prime Time (NYT)

break it up and sell it off

The announcement earlier this week that Cerberus Capital Management was taking control of Chrysler has made the clubby, backroom industry the center of attention like never before.

Rudeness, Realism and Russia (NYT)

responsibly engaging the world is code for central planning.

The greatest challenge is for Russians to get over their debilitating rancor and responsibly engage the world they are so keen to join.

Rose Garden Charade (NYT)

content-filled editorial

Confronted with the growing urgency of the climate change issue, President Bush stepped before the cameras in the Rose Garden the other day and said, essentially, nothing.

Bringing Lobbyists to Heel (NYT)

money not going to NYT

It’s crunch time for House Democrats to deliver on their vow to rein in power lobbyists who sully Congress by purchasing privileged access with outsized campaign donations.

End of the Affair (NYT)

unions

How does an American manufacturing icon like Chrysler get so cheap so fast?

The Unkept Promise on Voting (NYT)

like not using electronic voting machines

Congress should move quickly to pass a bill introduced by Representative Rush Holt, Democrat of New Jersey, that would finally impose a paper trail requirement on electronic voting machines.

The New French President’s Roots Are Worth Remembering (NYT)

pants not worn in southern France

By SERGE SCHMEMANN

Reflections on a visit to the ancestral estate of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president-elect.

Cameras in the Courts (NYT)

soap opera = serious

Televising trials in New York would put legal battles in a more serious, more informative context.

Mammograms in Decline (NYT)

gravity prevails

The decline in American women who get annual mammograms is disturbing because it means that more women will fail to get the early detection that increases their chances of survival.

In Divided New Orleans (NYT)

liberal rathole guilt dispersed

We — the federal, state and city governments; elected officials and the citizens who hire them — have failed spectacularly to rebuild New Orleans.

In Los Angeles, Where the Police Were Unable to Contain Themselves (NYT)

reporters attacked, always deplored by the NYT

viewers loved it

By CAROLYN CURIEL

On May 1, members of a Police Department riot control unit violently and unnecessarily dispersed participants in a pro-immigrant march. It was the biggest fiasco since the last time the L.A.P.D. clashed with a minority group.

The Mayor Strikes a Nerve (NYT)

pose as citizens arming themselves against the left

The Virginia Legislature has tailored a new law to try to stop New York City’s use of private investigators who pose as shoppers and videotape illegal gun purchases.

Iran’s American Prisoner (NYT)

nutballism unacknowledged in the incentive structure

The world and the citizens of Iran are watching to see how its leaders treat Haleh Esfandiari, an advocate of improved relations between Washington and Tehran who was arrested this week.

A Feeble Performance (NYT)

through the moral looking-glass

The purge of nine United States attorneys is part of a long chain of evidence that Alberto Gonzales does not have the ability or the moral compass to do his vitally important job.

In Forgotten New Orleans, Life and Hope Stir at the Bottom (NYT)

life on the dole recommended

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

Civil society is still torn up in New Orleans, but older, more primal arrangements are asserting themselves: predator and prey, friends and family, supply and demand.

Still Best in Show (NYT)

gold has fluctuated in real value over a factor of ten since 1980

If America gave up its position as the regulatory gold standard, foreign companies might have far less incentive to list their shares on American exchanges.

After the Pet Food Contamination (NYT)

weakness in marxist country not noticed

The purchase of toxic pet food ingredients from China is a chilling warning about the weakness of the nation’s defenses against tainted imported foods.

The Soft Bigotry of Iraq (NYT)

series of tests invented to produce failure

called destructive denial

Each time Baghdad fails a test, President Bush engages in the kind of destructive denial he called, in another context, the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Unwanted Folk (NYT)

old guys remember her

Why was Joan Baez considered too objectionable to participate in a concert for injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center?

Toward a Federal Shield Law (NYT)

moral calculation by our betters leaves them better off than us. coincidence!

The real benefit for society of a journalists’ shield law is that it protects sources, allowing whistle-blowers or other insiders to expose wrongdoing in government and the private sector.

An Exit Strategy for Guantanamo (NYT)

open a tent city in Queens for prisoners of war

Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced legislation aimed at closing the five-year-old military prison. It deserves passage by a bipartisan, veto-proof majority.

Dirty Tricks by Phone (NYT)

simpler : turn the ringer off.

Lawmakers should protect the positive aspects of campaign calls, while getting tough on their use as an election-season dirty trick.

The Other Boot (NYT)

logic and good sense means leftist meddling in this case

no tariffs at all, is actual logic and good sense

The capricious system of tariffs that raise the price of goods are all too often based on outdated political considerations that defy logic and good sense.

Family Values, Betrayed (NYT)

hispanics vote democrat

Closing the door to family-based immigration would be unjust and unworkable, and a mockery of the values that conservatives profess.

The Gipper as Diarist (NYT)

ralph waldo emerson similar

Anyone hungering for historical disclosure and nuance in Ronald Reagan’s presidential diaries will have to settle for a prosaic and amiably unrevealing drone.

My Warming Garden (NYT)

rising seas blamed

Growing seasons are changing, and more quickly than anyone could imagine.

Denial and Democracy in Egypt (NYT)

fervor measurement

With so many other things to worry about in the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush also seem to have lost their earlier fervor for Egyptian democracy.

A Scandal That Keeps Growing (NYT)

scandal hyped

At best, the firing of eight United States attorneys is an example of such profound incompetence that it should cost Attorney General Alberto Gonzales his job. At worst, it was a political purge followed by a cover-up.

Still Waiting for Answers (NYT)

dark noticed

Why, after all this time, are Americans still in the dark about many of the Bush administration’s most important decisions?

Strengthening Abortion Rights (NYT)

right to bear coat hangers

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has produced a sound proposal aimed at shoring up women’s reproductive rights in New York State.

Unlocking Gridlock (NYT)

upstate rubes deprecated

Some legislators in Albany are balking at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s visionary agenda for sustaining New York.

Better to Be the Best (NYT)

beyond the reach of Democrat tax collectors

As global competition heats up, Americans will have to get used to having more of their companies fall from the top spot.

The Cure for Rich Candidates (NYT)

how about fewer sound bites and less financing

The only way to inject substantially more competition into elections is through public financing.

A Glacial Pace on Warming (NYT)

alarm industry meets Bush derangement industry

The walls continue to close in on the Bush administration, with the scientists’ warnings, the Supreme Court decision, the escalating pressure from the states and the general public.

The Abstinence-Only Delusion (NYT)

panty raid suggested

Recent studies suggest that the current policy of emphasizing abstinence in sex education and minimizing contraceptive use should be turned around.

Far Past Time to Go (NYT)

shark jumped

The best thing Paul Wolfowitz can do for the World Bank, the country and himself is to step down.

Cutting Shrek Down to Size (NYT)

fun deprecated

Now appearing in public service ads urging youngsters to exercise, Shrek is also the star of a soon-to-open sequel whose image is being used to promote all sorts of “junk foods.”

Reflections on the New Abortion Ruling and the Roberts Court (NYT)

STD menace

By DOROTHY SAMUELS

When justices play doctor, watch out for women’s health.

Corporal Tillman Haunts the Pentagon (NYT)

the tillman crisis

The nation, like the family of Cpl. Pat Tillman, deserves nothing less than the full truth of war.

Crippling Government From Within (NYT)

leftist love of chicken shit

The Bush administration has proved indefatigable at finding industry foxes to upend the regulatory chicken coops.

After the Lawyers (NYT)

treason not unnoticed

It can be hard to tell whom the Bush administration considers more of an enemy at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp: the prisoners or the lawyers.

Guns and More Guns (NYT)

dynamics not appreciated

It seems that for the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby, the only solution to a gun in the wrong hands is a gun in the hands of everyone.

Medicare’s Troubling Prospects (NYT)

more taxes is the solution to everything

dumping the system never considered

In order to put the system on a sounder financial footing, the administration and Congress will have to propose solutions under rules that are perversely skewed to rule out the most progressive financing.

Ranting at Reality on Iraq (NYT)

loser left

The sooner President Bush and his allies drop the pretense that military victory is still possible in Iraq, the closer the nation will be to rescuing what can still be rescued from the debacle.

Another Dubious Firing (NYT)

the only accountability of federal prosecutors to voters is that they're political appointments

otherwise it would be all Ken Starrs and Patrick Fitzgeralds

The case of Paul Charlton, a United States attorney in Arizona and one of the eight prosecutors purged by the White House and the Justice Department, adds a disturbing new chapter to the scandal.

Off to Work She Should Go (NYT)

if only women didn't have different interests!

By LINDA HIRSHMAN

Should we care if women leave the work force? Yes, because participation in public life allows women to use their talents and to powerfully affect society.

Betraying a Democratic Legacy (NYT)

Democrat litigation threatened

Sadly, Saturday’s presidential election in Nigeria completely lacked in basic democratic plausibility.