American democracy is in the hands of hired guns:
"President George W. Bush famously brags that he does not need a poll to tell him how to think. And he does not. He has Karl Rove, a political savant who runs nightly surveys and deconstructs the results to find helpful issues and opinions. And then the president knows how to think."
10.31.2005
Foreign Policy: Dangerously Unique :
"You are not normal. If you are reading these pages, you probably belong to the minority of the world's population that has a steady job, adequate access to social security, and enjoys substantial political freedoms. Moreover, you live on more than $2 a day, and, unlike 860 million others, you can read. The percentage of humanity that combines all of these attributes is minuscule."
"You are not normal. If you are reading these pages, you probably belong to the minority of the world's population that has a steady job, adequate access to social security, and enjoys substantial political freedoms. Moreover, you live on more than $2 a day, and, unlike 860 million others, you can read. The percentage of humanity that combines all of these attributes is minuscule."
10.27.2005
And now for something completely different...
Information Society: The Next Steps - Special Report - Development Gateway:
"The Information Society has produced a tantalizing array of new information and communication technologies (ICT) that today have transformed the approach to global development. Access to these technologies is spreading rapidly. In 2005, the number of Internet users in developing countries will cross the 500 million mark, surpassing industrial nations for the first time. By some estimates, more than 75 percent of the world%u2019s population now lives within range of a mobile network. Yet the long-heralded promise of ICT remains out of reach for most of the developing world. For the information poor, economic and social gaps are in fact widening both within and between countries. "
Information Society: The Next Steps - Special Report - Development Gateway:
"The Information Society has produced a tantalizing array of new information and communication technologies (ICT) that today have transformed the approach to global development. Access to these technologies is spreading rapidly. In 2005, the number of Internet users in developing countries will cross the 500 million mark, surpassing industrial nations for the first time. By some estimates, more than 75 percent of the world%u2019s population now lives within range of a mobile network. Yet the long-heralded promise of ICT remains out of reach for most of the developing world. For the information poor, economic and social gaps are in fact widening both within and between countries. "
10.24.2005
"WorldChanging.com: works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together."
10.23.2005
west wing wisdom
it's kinda eery how the recent episode of the west wing mirrors the developments at the white house. what will mr. president do if one of his staff is endicted? mr. bush appears to have changed his position on the matter quite a bit.
10.21.2005
10.17.2005
CommonCensus Map Project:
"The CommonCensus Map Project is redrawing the map of the United States based on your voting, to show how the country is organized culturally, as opposed to traditional political boundaries. It shows how the country is divided into 'spheres of influence' between different cities at the national, regional, and local levels."
"The CommonCensus Map Project is redrawing the map of the United States based on your voting, to show how the country is organized culturally, as opposed to traditional political boundaries. It shows how the country is divided into 'spheres of influence' between different cities at the national, regional, and local levels."
10.10.2005
10.07.2005
from joe trippi's blog (referring to an article on cnn.com)
JoeTrippi.com:
"At a press conference yesterday, Bush was asked about how the government is preparing for the avian flu. He thinks that this will be serious enough to possibly warrant military control of the situation:
“I’m concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world,” he told reporters during a Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday.
“One option is the use of a military that’s able to plan and move,” he said. “So that’s why I put it on the table. I think it’s an important debate for Congress to have.”
While the press is focusing on the controversy of whether or not this could mean martial law, it’s important to realize that this by itself demonstrates the absolute seriousness of the consequences of an avian flu outbreak."
JoeTrippi.com:
"At a press conference yesterday, Bush was asked about how the government is preparing for the avian flu. He thinks that this will be serious enough to possibly warrant military control of the situation:
“I’m concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world,” he told reporters during a Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday.
“One option is the use of a military that’s able to plan and move,” he said. “So that’s why I put it on the table. I think it’s an important debate for Congress to have.”
While the press is focusing on the controversy of whether or not this could mean martial law, it’s important to realize that this by itself demonstrates the absolute seriousness of the consequences of an avian flu outbreak."
10.06.2005
10.03.2005
Disappointed, Depressed and Demoralized:
Relieved, Renewed, Rejuvenated
Reading the Weekly Standard has never been so uplifting...
"Disappointed, Depressed and Demoralized
A reaction to the Harriet Miers nomination.
by William Kristol
10/03/2005 10:25:00 AM
I'M DISAPPOINTED, depressed and demoralized.
I'm disappointed because I expected President Bush to nominate someone with a visible and distinguished constitutionalist track record--someone like Maura Corrigan, Alice Batchelder, Edith Jones, Priscilla Owen, or Janice Rogers Brown--to say nothing of Michael Luttig, Michael McConnell, or Samuel Alito. Harriet Miers has an impressive record as a corporate attorney and Bush administration official. She has no constitutionalist credentials that I know of.
I'm depressed. Roberts for O'Connor was an unambiguous improvement. Roberts for Rehnquist was an appropriate replacement. But moving Roberts over to the Rehnquist seat meant everything rode on this nomination--and that the president had to be ready to fight on constitutional grounds for a strong nominee. Apparently, he wasn't. It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy. Miers is undoubtedly a decent and competent person. But her selection will unavoidably be judged as reflecting a combination of cronyism and capitulation on the part of the president.
I'm demoralized. What does this say about the next three years of the Bush administration--leaving aside for a moment the future of the Court? Surely this is a pick from weakness. Is the administration more broadly so weak? What are the prospects for a strong Bush second term? What are the prospects for holding solid GOP majorities in Congress in 2006 if conservatives are demoralized? And what elected officials will step forward to begin to lay the groundwork for conservative leadership after Bush?
William Kristol is editor of The
Weekly Standard."
Relieved, Renewed, Rejuvenated
Reading the Weekly Standard has never been so uplifting...
"Disappointed, Depressed and Demoralized
A reaction to the Harriet Miers nomination.
by William Kristol
10/03/2005 10:25:00 AM
I'M DISAPPOINTED, depressed and demoralized.
I'm disappointed because I expected President Bush to nominate someone with a visible and distinguished constitutionalist track record--someone like Maura Corrigan, Alice Batchelder, Edith Jones, Priscilla Owen, or Janice Rogers Brown--to say nothing of Michael Luttig, Michael McConnell, or Samuel Alito. Harriet Miers has an impressive record as a corporate attorney and Bush administration official. She has no constitutionalist credentials that I know of.
I'm depressed. Roberts for O'Connor was an unambiguous improvement. Roberts for Rehnquist was an appropriate replacement. But moving Roberts over to the Rehnquist seat meant everything rode on this nomination--and that the president had to be ready to fight on constitutional grounds for a strong nominee. Apparently, he wasn't. It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy. Miers is undoubtedly a decent and competent person. But her selection will unavoidably be judged as reflecting a combination of cronyism and capitulation on the part of the president.
I'm demoralized. What does this say about the next three years of the Bush administration--leaving aside for a moment the future of the Court? Surely this is a pick from weakness. Is the administration more broadly so weak? What are the prospects for a strong Bush second term? What are the prospects for holding solid GOP majorities in Congress in 2006 if conservatives are demoralized? And what elected officials will step forward to begin to lay the groundwork for conservative leadership after Bush?
William Kristol is editor of The
Weekly Standard."
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