Exclusive: Chief Fired by Palin Speaks Out (Wash Post)

the grudge report

McCain’s Baked Alaska (NYT)

tight butt and nice eyes

by Gail Collins
The idea that women are going to race off to vote for any candidate with the same internal plumbing is both offensive and historically wrong.

Champagne and Tears (NYT)

mayor of the united states

by Bob Herbert
For black residents in and around Detroit, Barack Obama’s nomination helped to redeem some of the grief of many years of racial humiliation and oppression.

Senator McCain’s Choice (NYT)

questions raised

Although John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is heartening, her lack of experience raises questions about how prepared she is to potentially succeed to the presidency.

Take That!, Merchants of Fear and Division

John Kerry fears and divides:

This election is a chance for America to tell the merchants of fear and division: You don't decide who loves this country; you don't decide who is a patriot; you don't decide whose service counts and whose doesn't.

Too Much of a Bad Thing (NYT)

card card flashed

John McCain’s campaign is cheapening his greatest strength by flashing the P.O.W. card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated.

Melting Pot Meets Great Wall (NYT)

lower the working age

by Thomas L. Friedman
China and America can look at their Olympic successes as reaffirmations of their distinctly different political systems. But they could also learn from each other.

Last Call for Change We Can Believe In (NYT)

more helium

As the presidential race finally gains the country’s full attention, Barack Obama’s strategy that vanquished Hillary Clinton must be rebooted to take out John McCain.

Going for the Gold (NYT)

no gold for you, reader

By EDUARDO PORTER
The Olympics have retained their spirit: it’s still the autocratic and rich who win gold.

That Troubled Terrorism List (NYT)

first priority determined

The administration’s first priority should be to to fix the terrorist watch list so that warning signs of an attack are not lost in the chaos again.

Measles Returns (NYT)

misguided fears deplored

Parents must overcome their misguided fears of vaccinations or the number of cases of measles and other diseases in the United States will continue to grow.

What the Voters Know (NYT)

imaginary dire persists

The economy’s dire circumstances will not abate soon. And voters believe that neither candidate is paying enough attention to their distress.

Beijing’s Bad Faith Olympics (NYT)

world leaders called on

With these repression-scarred Olympics now drawing to a close, world leaders must tell Beijing that its failure to live up to its commitments will not be forgotten.

Taking On the Traffickers (NYT)

puppy mills

Congress must strengthen the Federal Trafficking and Victims Protection Act of 2000 and extend protections and services to victims born in the United States.

Mr. Johnson Steps Up (NYT)

environmental correctness

The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should challenge the Army Corps of Engineers on the environmentally disastrous project in the Mississippi Delta.

For Judgeships in New York City (NYT)

luck strikes the left

New York City’s courts need the most dedicated and capable jurists. Luckily, there are a few good candidates.

McCain’s Drill Appeal (NYT)

empty suit hypothesis overlooked

by Charles M. Blow

Earth to Barack: to Main Street America, nuance equals confusion. You don’t have to dumb it down, but you do have to sum it up.

Voters Want More From Obama (NYT)

the moron vote

by Bob Herbert

Senator Barack Obama needs a first-rate, crackling-with-excitement populist message, which means a laser-like focus on the economy and jobs.

Risking the Galápagos (NYT)

blue booby lobby

When it comes to ecosystems, finding the balance between access and protection is always difficult.

No End in Sight (NYT)

steps urged

Before the economic crisis gets any worse, Congress must take several steps. The country cannot afford any more delay and posturing.

Less Than Golden Years (NYT)

demographic overhang not noticed.

it's not possible to save for retirement when there are no young people to buy services from.

Americans are saving too little for retirement. The sooner lawmakers and employers respond to this crisis — with legislation and education — the better the chances for limiting the damage.

Russia’s War of Ambition (NYT)

russian feelings hurt

There is no imaginable excuse for Russia’s invasion of Georgia.

Flush With Energy (NYT)

learn the discovered oil trick

by Thomas L. Friedman

America needs to learn from Denmark, which responded to the 1973 Arab oil embargo in such a way that today it is energy independent....

...(And it didn’t happen by Danish politicians making their people stupid by telling them the solution was simply more offshore drilling.)

What was the trick? To be sure, Denmark is much smaller than us and was lucky to discover some oil in the North Sea.

Energy Fictions (NYT)

rhythm of a maxim tried

A nation that uses one-quarter of the world’s oil while possessing less than 3 percent of its reserves cannot drill its way to happiness at the pump.

Behind the Aurora Borealis (NYT)

science opinion

Perhaps now is a good time to think about Earth’s magnetic field or the solar wind.

A lttle more serious in the case of the NYT, but

Hence, the tendency of all lists of “journalistic ethics” to trail off into farce and nonsense. Ethics are for people who have no morals -- no humility in the face of the good, the true, and the beautiful. To tell the truth, to capture the “ring of truth,” requires instead a form of hard-earned simplicity. Seeking the true means seeking the obvious.


David Warren.

On His 47th Birthday, Obama Is All Business (CBS)

for an audience that's eight and a half

(CHICAGO) - It's Barack Obama's 47th birthday, but from his campaign schedule you wouldn't know it.

Long Overdue Crane Safety (NYT)

yet another blot discovered

The Bush administration’s negligence in addressing accidents involving construction cranes is shameful.