Liberal Talk Radio

Ah, that wacky Hezbollah. Handing out wads of (Iranian) cash to buy the affection of the Lebanese people. Sounds like a CIA-inspired coup d’etat, or like a page out of NYC politics c. 1870.
Despite the apparent adolescence* of their society, I’m actually sort of starting to respect these people for their unrivaled ability [...]

I have to say I’m kinda disappointed I missed the opening night showing of Snakes on a Plane. Sounds like it was way more fun than the opening night of Star Wars.
The theater itself (doors opened at 9) was raucous. Previews were welcomed with enthusiasm–it helped that they were for the new Borat movie [...]

Well, it’s good to see that some people in this world are being welcomed as liberators:
In southern Lebanon, few people spoke out against the deployment. Many seemed to feel it was a welcome gesture by a state that has often neglected the poorer south. In Marjayoun, one woman threw rose petals and rice at the [...]

Ads for The Other Iraq, a.k.a. Kurdistan, have been running on the cable news nets. They’re soliciting foreign investment in Kurdistan, and the imagery — arab farmers, scientists, businessmen — is like a Tom Friedman wet dream.
Peter Galbraith’s idea for partitioning Iraq and having the U.S. retreat — er, redeploy — to Kurdistan seems [...]

A new study commissioned by the Downtown Seattle Association claims a tunnel will pay for itself in 10 to 20 years:
The city could charge landowners $200 million toward the project, based on increased property value, would get $14 million to $28 million in sales taxes on new construction and would reap $32 million to $60 [...]

Matt Drudge and the GOP media with a late summer “lookoverthere!”

Er, wasn’t there just a war or something?
Maybe it shouldn’t surprise me. According to Reuters,
a whole lot more Americans can identify two of Snow White’s seven dwarfs than can name two Supreme Court Justices
And alcoholism is a bad thing ’cause why?

Günter Grass, the voice of Germany’s conscience for its Nazi past, has blood on his hands:
In novels, plays, essays and newspaper interviews, Günter Grass has often told Germans what they did not want to hear: about their history, about their politics, even about themselves. For many on the left, since the 1960’s he has come [...]

Ned Lamont speaks his mind:
For the most part, the Lamont campaign and its allies see Mr. Lamont’s relative lack of polish as an asset and not a weakness, and see little need to sand the edges of his image or deportment. Mr. Lamont has developed a reputation for speaking his mind and admitting mistakes, like [...]

Dude, you totally win:
Fanatical terror suspect Abdula Ahmed Ali, 25, and his wife, Cossor, 23, are among those being interrogated by police as suspects in the massive plot to attack trans-Atlantic flights in midair.
What the outwardly normal couple had secretly plotted is almost too horrifying to consider, cops said.
The Alis planned to use [...]

Tom Friedman just got his next op-ed idea:
The carpeted room is full of children in skullcaps crouched on prayer mats, reciting verses from a holy text. Some mumble the words under their breath; others sing them out. They rock back and forth as they chant, their disparate voices blending into an ethereal melody.
The children, ages [...]