Month: December 2007

Bring It On: The 2008 Democratic Primary

By MB

On December 10, 2007

Matthew Yglesias, in the process of contemplating the importance of branding, reminded me of one of my favorite movies in the world – Bring It On. I love this movie for so many reasons, no the least among of which is that it gives us this perfect cheer opener:

I’m sexy, I’m cute, I’m popular to boot!

I screwed up cracking a joke about that in his comments, which led me to take another look at the lyrics (go on, pretend that I don’t know them by heart). And in doing so, I realized that this cheer may well be the perfect prism through which to view the 2008 Democratic Primary. I think we can pretty easily assign the next three lines from that cheer, no?

Take it, John:

I’m bitchin’, great hair! The boys all love to stare!

Over to you, Barack:

I’m wanted, I’m hot! I’m everything you’re not!

Go, Hillary:

I’m pretty, I’m cool! I dominate this school!

The 2008 primary, explained in three easy lines from an 8 year old movie. I’m tempted to assign lines to the second tier (Joe Biden: “I’m major! I roar! I swear I’m not a whore!”), but I’ve probably embarrassed myself enough already.

Silent Acquiesence

By MB

On December 9, 2007

In Policy, Politics

All of the usual qualifiers in place, I suspect that this Washington Post story gets the core of the facts right:

[L]ong before “waterboarding” entered the public discourse, the CIA gave key legislative overseers about 30 private briefings, some of which included descriptions of that technique and other harsh interrogation methods, according to interviews with multiple U.S. officials with firsthand knowledge.

With one known exception, no formal objections were raised by the lawmakers briefed about the harsh methods during the two years in which waterboarding was employed, from 2002 to 2003, said Democrats and Republicans with direct knowledge of the matter. The lawmakers who held oversight roles during the period included Pelosi and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), as well as Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.) and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan).

This Administration may not have asked permission to turn this into a country that tortures, but it did take those steps with the knowledge of both Republicans *and* Democrats who were charged with preventing such a thing. Again, the following quote rings true:

“In fairness, the environment was different then because we were closer to Sept. 11 and people were still in a panic,” said one U.S. official present during the early briefings. “But there was no objecting, no hand-wringing. The attitude was, ‘We don’t care what you do to those guys as long as you get the information you need to protect the American people.’ ”

My particular focus here is on the Democratic lawmakers. They failed in their fundamental responsibility to the Constitution and the American people. They’ve shown their judgment to be lacking when we needed it most, and I think that’s something we should consider closely when supporting them in the future. “What did you know, and when did you know it?” is not just a question for the President.

Overnight Music: Quo Vadimus

By MB

On December 9, 2007

In Personal, Society, Travel

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEhDtePc1ow&feature=related[/youtube]

The Price of Being an Asshole

By MB

On December 9, 2007

In Travel

So, I’m working on putting together a trip (it’s been too long), and I keep coming across examples of new entrance requirements for many countries. Japan will now take your photo and set of prints every time you enter it. Bolivia is joining the ranks of countries that have now decided to charge US citizens as much as it charges their citizens to apply for a visa ($134 for 30 days!). You can thank US policy for leading the way on all of this.

I realize that, as a holder of US and EU passports, I have it easier than pretty much anyone else on the planet when it comes to travel without restrictions (and even emigration). So I’m not really complaining about, say, the $134 to go to Bolivia. But I am foursquare behind making international travel easier, more accessible, and more frequent for *everyone*. And the US’s actions are helping countries around the world implement programs that work directly against that goal.

Friday Notes: I kinda want . . .

By MB

On December 7, 2007

In DC, Personal, Politics, Society

. . . the Ron Paul Blimp to attempt to enter restricted DC airspace and get shot down. I can only imagine the sound of the heads of Ron Paul supporters popping across the country.

. . . the GOP primary to turn into an all out religious war. Really, let’s have a full examination of the actual religious beliefs of the candidates. Giuliani could ask Mitt just how gullible you have to be to believe that con artist, Joseph Smith. And then Mitt could hold up a glass of wine and say “Dude, are you telling me that you really think you’re drinking BLOOD?!” And it would be a grand old time.*

. . . someone to put together a Greatest Hits of the 90’s video so Democrats can be reminded that the GOP machine isn’t just willing to lie about issues of international importance, but about pretty much every little thing. Josh Marshall, in the context of Huckabee’s efforts at rewriting the story of how he encouraged the parole of a serial rapist, reminds us:

Most of our staff at TPM are in their twenties. And we had a moment today when it occurred to me that if you weren’t politically aware in the 1990s, it’s difficult to get a sense of how much a series of seriously deranged conspiracy theories became almost mainstream.

*Except not really. I don’t think that that would be the public conversation – it would inevitably narrowly focus on Mormonism. And while I’m perfectly happy to examine some of the more ridiculous bits of the story underlying Mormonism, I don’t want it to be just Mormonism. If we do that, we’re just doing more of the evangelical right’s dirty work for them. The necessary conversation is bigger than politics, but in this case, it would only serve politics. So I kinda want it, but not really.

A Black Hole of Meta

By MB

On December 4, 2007

In Distribution, Personal, Society

Aside from the underappreciated Gridskipper (and, okay, the occasional Gizmodo), I’ve long ago abandoned reading anything published by the Nick Denton House of Cards Media Empire. But this article at NYTimes.com (I know, I know, why am I still reading *them*?) caught my eye, and brought appreciation and satisfaction on a number of levels:

O.K., so people who follow this boring Manhattan media insider stuff know that the managing editor of Gawker, Choire Sicha, and his top writer-editor, Emily Gould, announced that they were quitting, in a blog post that was ostensibly about a five-year history of Gawker in n+1, the literary journal. [Gawker]

From the aforementioned five-year history by Carla Blumenkranz, now available in full: â€œThe Gawker editors have always been forthright about the fact that what they wanted was to leave Gawker â€” its low pay and marginal statusâ€”and work for the people they malignedâ€¦ Gawker retained the stance of a scrappy start-up and an attitude of populist resentment toward celebrities and insiders, even as it became the flagship publication of an online media empire.â€ [n+1]

[ . . . ]

Mr. Sicha told Womenâ€™s Wear Daily he wouldnâ€™t mind a job â€œreporting on fires.â€ Ms. Gouldâ€™s quote: â€œWhatever Gawker originally set out to do, it kind of did, and now it just feels over. I would love it if it just fell off the face of the Earthâ€¦ I donâ€™t want to say the meanest thing or the most shocking thing possible anymore, because it gets so old and so soul-killing.â€ [WWD.com]

So, if you’ve read this far, you probably know and have an interest in the backstory and context. Tell me, doesn’t this feel good? To be clear, I’d still love to see an upstart overcome and conquer the likes of Fox and CondÃ© Nast. But by these kids? Schadenfreude is the word, I think.

(Yes, I will probably regret this post tomorrow morning. It’s sort of like admitting that you’re following the Britney Spears custody saga.)

DC Tops “Walkable Cities” List

By MB

On December 4, 2007

In DC, Policy, Virginia

In a nice change from our frequent positioning near the bottom of a list, a Brookings Institution report ranks:

the Washington region first among the country’s major metropolitan areas in the number of “walkable places” per capita, thanks to changes in just the past 15 years.

Being able to walk for most of my daily activities is one of the things I love most about living here, and I wouldn’t trade it for four bedrooms and a three car garage in a million years (which is the approximate amount of time I’d have to spend in traffic, if I did). I managed to pull this same situation off near the end of my time in Atlanta, too, so it’s not something that’s reserved to old East Coast cities and San Francisco. Here’s the top 10:

Washington
Boston
San Francisco
Denver
Portland
Seattle
Chicago
Miami
Pittsburgh
New York

I should note that I think the methodology is a little suspect (I mean, Atlanta is #15 on the list . . .), so don’t go wild with the DC v. NYC bit. I’m pretty happy to see Arlington get a nod for the work its done, though:

Good planning also helped in the Washington region, particularly in Arlington, Leinberger said.

When the Metro was being built, county officials lobbied to put their portion underground along a central commercial road, rather than above ground and along the interstate. The county then loosened zoning regulations around each Metro stop, a policy that gave rise to “urban villages” such as Ballston.

[ . . . ]

Walking among Ballston’s tall buildings recently, Leinberger praised the mix of commercial and residential spaces, the picturesque courtyards, and the use of underground parking instead of surface lots.

Of course, Arlington’s not perfect:

The one big mistake is Ballston Commons Mall, a suburban-style mall that has failed to attract many national retailers, Leinberger said.

On the upside, the mall does include a fantastic ice-skating facility, where you can (sometimes) go watch the Capitols practice or take to the ice yourself. And really, Ballston is much much better than it used to be.

In any event, it’s an interesting assessment of the progress in planning and development that many American cities are making. Report here.

GOP: Stupid on Security

By MB

On December 3, 2007

In Policy, Politics

J., of the Armchair Generalist, highlights an excellent approach to knocking down the myth that the GOP has any real claim to the high ground on matters of security and defense.