May 27, 2005

5/27: Five Sides To Every Story

Yesterday, multiple reports that the FBI had received complaints of Koran abuse were discussed widely throughout the blogosphere, left and right. Today, it's a bit different. The Pentagon says the detainee who first made the Koran-flushing story has now retracted it. Conservative bloggers have seized on this report; liberal bloggers have all but ignored it. The Washington Post reports primarily on the substantiation of 5 cases of "mishandling" of the Koran, mentioning the retraction only in later paragraphs. The conservatives are quick to note this. A few liberals pick up on this Post story; they don't know what to believe from the Pentagon anymore -- in short, they don't.

The delay of John Bolton's vote is also a topic for discussion, as is the fate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a troubling development for House Maj. Leader Tom DeLay, and rumors of trouble in VA LG Tim Kaine's (D) GOV campaign.

TRACKBACKS: Reuters And The Right, Together At Last

Where the blog swarm is headed, who's taking part, and what they're saying:

• Conservatives, typically no fan of Reuters, nevertheless widely cite the Reuters report on the retraction. The Post story also drives plenty of debate. Linking to one or both: La Shawn Barber's Corner; USS Neverdock; The Anchoress; The Moderate Voice; Little Green Footballs; Obsidian Wings; Michelle Malkin; QandO; Power Line; Hugh Hewitt; Ranting Profs; Michelle Malkin; Think Progress; Corrente.
  
  

  >> Right-leaning Roger L. Simon: "Newsweek's last line of defense just went down the drain. Even Howard Kurtz may not be able to help them now." Conservative John Cole, who had been inclined to believe the Koran-abuse story: "Seems to me the military comes out of this looking better than they ever had. Again- transparency is bad why? All these rumors are now DEAD." Betsy Newmark: "The only reason this is a story is because of the Newsweek non-story. The military is being admirable open about what went on. And it sounds tremendously inconsequential. And the toilet does not seem to be involved, does it? What I would really like to see is that each story include information near the top about how Al Qaeda operatives are trained to lie about their treatment because they know that the media will get all outraged in all sorts of allegations that make the US look bad."
  
  

  >> Left-leaning UCLA prof Mark A.R. Kleiman: "Just because some detainee at Guantanamo says one of his guards put a Koran in a toilet doesn't mean it happened. That should be obvious. On the other hand, just because Lawrence Di Rita says that the detainee in question has recanted -- without providing his name or the text of what he is supposed to have said, and of course without providing any opportunity for any reporter to interview him -- doesn't mean that the detainee has actually recanted. ... Anyone who says he's confident that the Koran-flushing happened or didn't happen is either a liar or a fool. We just don't know, and there's no actual way to find out." Demagogue: "We're told that the incidents of desecration were "minor," but one questions whether the same people who dismissed any reports of desecration can be trusted to accurately characterize the nature of that desecration. But don't expect the conservative commentators who attacked Newsweek for failing to do its fact-checking to level a similar attack on the Pentagon."



• Those discussing the Bolton case pick up on reports from the AP and CNN.com. Those who do the linking: Corrente; Captain's Quarters; The Left Coaster; Angry Bear; David Sirota; PoliBlog. The Political Teen has relevant video.
  
  

  >> Conservative Scared Monkeys: "I would really remind Democrats not to get so smug and overplay your hand. Less than 72 hours after Democrats and the idiot 14 claims the Republic was saved, the Democrats have filibustered. Do you really think there is an appearance of doing the work of the American people?"
  
  

  >> Liberal Ezra Klein: "Looks like the opposition party has decided against going quietly into the sweet night. Good for them. Indeed, I think this may be more important than it appears on first glance. Aside from the obvious utility of holding up Bolton, the power balance in the post-compromise Senate was really up for grabs. ... Rejecting Bolton -- with a filibuster no less! -- proves that the Democrats don't see what happened in the judicial fight as binding them in future confrontations.

JUDGES: A Dime's Worth Of Difference

Conservative Ed Morrissey, on his "Not One Dime" campaign: "I have made clear from the beginning that I would continue to support Republican candidates that demonstrate a backbone and a commitment to the principles they so loudly espoused in the fall of 2004. People like me worked our hearts out to give the Republicans a solid majority in the Senate so that they could lead, especially on judicial nominations. Instead, we have leadership that has proven itself unable or unwilling to rise to the task they themselves set in the election. That's what the Not One Dime campaign targets. When we donate to the NRSC, that money gets distributed by established party leadership in the Senate to campaigns around the country, as the leadership sees fit. That power essentially ties incumbents to the current leadership, because in order to ensure that they get enough funds to have a shot at winning, they need to be seen as supportive of the people holding the purse strings. If the NRSC hasn't got any money of its own, the leadership loses that influence, and the candidates have to put their loyalty elsewhere. ... The GOP needs new leadership in the Senate. It doesn't need millions of dollars flowing into the NRSC that will only strengthen Frist's grip on that position over the next year."

Dem ex-Senate aide Mark Schmitt call the compromise an "optimal experience" for the Senate compromisers: "All the preening self-satisfaction that many noted in the Senators' presentation Monday night appeared to me just glee at being able to do this thing that they love. It's why they are there. Many of them -- the best of them -- slog through all the campaigns and the fundraising and the committee meetings and the rest, just to get to those moments. ... And they have really been denied the opportunity to engage in this basic Senatorial need for a long time."

BOLTON: Intercepted

The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto terms Bolton "Ambassador Phil Connors."

Liberal Steve Clemons, who has been pushing the NSA intercepts angle for weeks, writes in a post titled "I Am So Dizzy: We Won Another Battle": "This is a victory... another one. The media has been CONSTANTLY WRONG. Ok... I am going for a drink. There is still room for faith in American democracy, the rights of the minority, and standing by principle. John Bolton is NOT someone America can be proud of at the U.N. He is not someone of the sort of impeccable credentials, standing, and vision that we should be making our Ambassador in the convocation of nations in Turtle Bay on Manhattan."

Belgravia Dispatch: "Steve knows I respect his evident passion that Bolton isn't the right guy for USUN. But the problem that occurs when a blog becomes a monomaniacal crusade is that you can get a little (or a lot) carried away. Regular readers know my support of Bolton has been caveated. I won't rehash the reasons ... But the point here is that Steve has been darkly hinting that this NSA story was a huge horror for weeks now. But, at least as best I can tell, it really has no legs."

DELAY: Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Lefty Charles Kuffner gives a rundown on the TRMPAC civil suit, where a judge found the treas. of Tom DeLay's PAC violated election codes by not reporting funds raised. Kuffner: "The actual ruling strengthens the prosecution's case against them. Maybe this will increase the pressure on them to try to cut a deal."

Liberal Tapped: "There's been something of a lull in the press attention on DeLay and other congressmen's ethical woes recently, which has provoked some crowing from Republicans. ... But obviously a press feeding frenzy can't be sustained at fever pitch indefinitely. What's going to keep the heat on DeLay and his buddies is a succession of actual processes and events that will require press coverage and will be happening over the course of the next year or so."

REPUBLICANS: Look Out For The Neo-Gs

DLC's Marshall Wittman: "Since the Schiavo case, the Moose [i.e. Wittman] senses that there is increasing discomfort within Republican ranks about big government, religious right over-reach. The veto threat against the stem cell bill must increase the unease among many GOPers regarding the power of the Dobsonites. You don't have to be a pro-choice, Arlen Specter Republican to be uneasy with the rise of the theocrats. Indeed, prominent pro-life Republicans in Congress are bucking the social conservatives on stem cells. The 'neo-Goldwaterites' are Republican center-right voters who are fiscally conservative-libertarian, defense hawks who are repelled by the inordinate power of the religious right. They are not necessarily moderates -- in fact they have a deeper commitment to balanced budgets and limited government than the Bushies. Watch for the 'neo-g's' to play a significant role in the '08 Republican Presidential primaries as the conventional Bushie-cons divide the spoils of the religious right. And Barry's band has a natural leader who is truly the heir to his political legacy."

A few liberal blogs take note of Jim VandeHei's Washington Post story, titled "GOP Tilting Balance Of Power to the Right."

Ezra Klein: "Coming from a paragon of neutrality like VandeHei, this is a primal scream of an article -- the roar of a longtime government reporter sick to death of watching the beat he covers being burned to the ground. And beyond mere shock value, it's the most concise, clear, and wide-ranging explanation of what Republicans have done to the government I've seen." The Left Coaster: "It makes one wonder where WaPo was when the Ship of State hit the radical iceberg! Has it really gotten to be so bad that even the Washington Post has finally taken note and dared to publish this 'revelation' as if it were news to the rest of us?"

ABORTION: Can Dems Luntz The Abortion Issue?

MyDD's Jerome Armstrong, on how Dems should handle abortion: "Frank Luntz told the Republicans to say that they too were for the environment, that they too were environmentalists. The Democrats snickered, but it worked, and has served to neutralized that issue ever since. The Democrats said, no you are not. And the Republicans replied, yes I am, I just don't want the government to stifle economic growth through regulation. Boom. The debate was immediately re-framed over the issue of government intrusion, and Democrats were left holding the bag. ... So if a politician says I am pro-life and Democrat, lets hear them out. The Republicans will snicker and respond, no you aren't. And if the politician responds by saying yes I am, I do not like to see abortions, but will not legislate or have the government intruding into this private decision between a woman, her family, and her doctor. That's a politician that belongs in the Democratic Party. And boom, this is a politician that's going to put the Republicans on the defensive." DailyKos agrees.

Conservative Jon Last at Galley Slaves comments: "What a genius! Peter Beinart has a lot of work to do."

IRAQ: Zarqawi Death Watch

Righty Will Collier at VodkaPundit: "I'm hearing quite a bit of chatter through the USAF contractor grapevine that Zarqawi is dead. The only reason I mention it here is, the rumor is apparently rampant at Hurlburt Field, home of the Air Force Special Ops guys, some of whom would be in a position to know such things. Take it for what you paid for it, but I certainly hope the murderous son of a bitch is assuming room temperature in Hell."

Conservative Austin Bay: "Has Zarqawi been wounded or is he dead? Or is he being 'withdrawn from the combat zone?' I raise these questions because at this point in time Zarqawi may be more valuable to Al Qaeda as a 'mythic warrior' or 'ghost.' It's tough to kill a myth and darned hard to kill a ghost. Here's the argument: Zarqawi's damaged goods, physically and politically. From Al Qaeda's point of view, and possibly Saddam's henchmen, it's time to get Z-Man out of Iraq, and then have Al-Jazeera and Newsweek turn him into Robin Hood."

BLOGS VS. THE MSM: Maybe 'Blogs Vs. The NYT' Would Be More Accurate

Ace of Spades HQ, on the New York Times' falling share price: "Hot Tip: Sell the MSM Short."

On the eve of France's EU vote, Man Without Qualities writes that New York Times columnist/economist Paul Krugman's contributions to internat'l trade are being completely ignored: "It's a wild, uninhibited intellectual Gallic free-for-all on the nature and consequences of international trade! Almost everything is up for discussion! Except, of course, that nobody, absolutely nobody, cares to talk about anything Herr Doktorprofessor Paul Von Krugman ever wrote, thought or believed on the topic de jour! Some things just don't matter at all."

Washington Post's Howard Kurtz e-mails Instapundit to correct the impression that Kurtz thought the Post's 5/26 story on the FBI memos "vindicates" Newsweek.

Hugh Hewitt interviewed the Washington Post's Dana Milbank on his radio show last p.m. Hewitt's producer posts the transcript at Radioblogger. Quickly addressed is the matter of ABC News' Terry Moran saying the press has an anti-military bias. Says Milbank: "Karl Rove has put it this way, and Ari Fleischer's put it this way, both of them in the last few months, and have said there seems to be a left-wing bias in the media. I don't dispute that. What they say, though, is the overriding bias is one towards conflict, rather than ideology, and I think they're right about that, too. But the one area where I think people have an overwhelming sense of respect in this business, is the military. Now that doesn't neccessarily extende to the civilian leadership at the Pentagon, and for good reason. So, I think maybe it will be more useful to make a distinction between the troops in the field and the political figures in the Pentagon."

ELECTIONS: The Stamp Act

RedState's Mike Krempasky: "So I imagine that postal reform simply ain't the sexiest issue that you'll read about today. But just last week, the American Association of Political Consultants scored a win for the little guy - and on the side of competitive elections. In essence, the AAPC fought back an effort to increase political candididate's postage rate from the current 19 cents to the full 37 cent first class rate. Small, local, or underfunded (read: challengers) campaigns would be hit the hardest and as a rule, I'm for anything that reduces the amount of money an insurgent candidate needs to challenge the establishment. Kudos to the AAPC."

IN THE STATES: Is Kaine Able?

Commonwealth Conservative, on Kaine's "rudderless" GOV campaign: "The base is wondering what's going on in this campaign, especially with respect to failing to stick around at the NAACP event, and then failing to return the calls of the [Richmond Free Press] (which led to the unflattering front page story about Kaine). What's bizarre about the fact that Kaine's camp didn't return the RFP's calls is that the Free Press comes out every Thursday. The NAACP event was last Friday. Kaine's campaign had plenty of time to return calls. ... I'm hearing definite rumblings among Democrats -- plugged-in Democrats -- that the Kaine ship is rudderless and had better pick up the slack soon, or they'll still be trying to nail down their base in September. At some point, you have to wonder if heads aren't going to roll at Kaine headquarters."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Time Flies

Markos Moulitsas, yesterday: "I almost didn't notice. Today is the three year anniversary of Daily Kos. That's three years in regular time. 15 years in Internet time. 21 years in dog time. And 478 years in blog time."

LEST WE FORGET: Richard Johnson

The Phallic Logo Awards.

NOTES AND ERRATA: Correctamundo

Yesterday the Blogometer wrote about an ad/button/logo created by right-leaning bloggers to protest a liberal activist for outing gay conservatives. What the Blogometer did not notice at the time was that the story was ... how shall we put this? Two months old. The Blogometer pledges to look more closely at the date stamp from here on out. Hat tip: RedState's Krempasky.

Posted by at May 27, 2005 12:00 PM