Liberal Talk Radio

Professor, regarding your last post, I think it’s starting. Sunday, Bush met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Today, Rice makes a sudden surprise visit to Lebanon. And some of the hardliners are upset about the prospect of engaging Syria (note requisite Tony Snow bluster for good measure). Stay tuned.

While the Democrats spend millions and millions trying to come up with a message, Charles Barkley comes in and does their job for them: I was a Republican–until they lost their minds.” Need we say more? (via (TNR)

This week on the show: stem cells, An Inconvenient Truth, chaos in Iraq, and the fate of the Seattle Sonics.

From today’s SeattlePI.com:

Despite my grudging support for the current Israeli military action in Lebanon and Gaza, it seems increasingly clear that they have no exit strategy. The IDF seems completely befuddled by the fact that the Lebanese goverment isn’t playing ball. I’d be befuddled, too, after all, it’s logical to me that Israel has given Elias Murr [...]

There was a rumor floating around a while back that President Bush had started watching early episodes of The West Wing on DVD. Perhaps that explains why, this week, President Bush took some time during his first speech to the NAACP to talk about the estate tax, noting “the death tax will prevent future African [...]

Thanks to President Bush — who, to be fair, probably didn’t intend to do it — the word “shit” has been de-asterisked. See for example, this Times article from the 18th — I believe the first Times article ever to use the four-letter word in its undeleted entirety: Hezbollah is supported by Iran and Syria, [...]

While the rest of the country was embroiled in a heat wave this week, we were enjoying mild 75-degree days with no humidity. And though we’ve little need for air-conditioning, we could afford a lot more of it now, since the Bonneville Power Authority, the federal agency that runs the hydro dams, announced a rate [...]

The P-I is reporting that Bellevue uber-developer Kemper Freeman is still optimistic about getting the team, just sold to Oklahoma owners, to move across the lake to Bellevue. Why? The new owners’ lead negotiator, G. Edward Evans, told Freeman in a phone conversation Wednesday that the Puget Sound market offered better profit potential than Oklahoma [...]

The President vetoed a stem-cell bill today, saying it “crossed a clear moral line.” Just to recap, then: Congress passes an anti-torture bill, the President signs it, but issues a signing statement saying he reserves the right to ignore it. Congress passes a stem-cell bill, the President vetoes it, saying it crossed a moral line. [...]