Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, and "Ava"

Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, and "Ava"

Listen to these kids. They're wise beyond their years. I couldn't look Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, or "Ava" in the eye and tell them I think they're wrong. These kids already have more common sense and maturity in their fingertips than some MSM reporters have in the entirety of their hollow skulls.

In the age of the Internet, new journalists are maturing and they know there's no going back. Our leaders need to be consistent and they need to make sense. They need to tell the truth.

In their future, the Judith Millers will not get away with what this Judith Miller got away with. Presidents will not get away with lying a nation into war.

How did THIS generation of journalists and editors let them get away with it?

It boggles the mind.

I commend Third Estate Sunday and The Common Ills for their fine, consistent coverage of the fall of Daniel Okrent.

John Edwards to Co-Chair Council Task Force on Russian-American Relations

John Edwards to Co-Chair Council Task Force on Russian-American Relations

John Edwards and Jack Kemp will co-chair the Council on Foreign Relations' new Independent Task Force. They will review current U.S. policy toward Russia and make recommendations on future policy - from global security to Russia's evolution as a democratic state.

Issues which they will focus upon making recommendations are:

Co-operating against terrorism
Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Strategic energy partnerships
(De-)Democratization
Russia's relations with its neighbors
Cold War legacy issues
Chechnya

I'm glad Sen. Edwards is co-chairing this Task Force. To me, it's almost like an answer to a prayer.

If you read my thoughts after the Beslan tragedy, (and before the 2004 election), you will see that I asked a question:

"We can either proceed with our unilateral war on terror and push US/Russian relations toward a new cold war or we can start offering some genuine diplomacy....

Every one of our actions should be geared for the strength of America in pure harmony with a caring for liberty and justice for all throughout our world.


Ask yourself who will lead us to the strongest and truly safer America when you vote on November 2.
Is it the man who cuts down and mocks international alliances or the man who promises to restore and strengthen them?"

It's good to know Sen Edwards will be there. Honestly, I'll sleep better at night knowing he's there.

__

Other task force members are as follows:

Stephen E. Biegun (Ford Motor Company), Coit D. Blacker (Stanford University), Robert D. Blackwill (Barbour Griffith & Rogers, International), Antonina W. Bouis(Andrei Sakharov Foundation), Mark F. Brzezinski (McGuire Woods, LLP), Richard R. Burt (Dilligence, Inc.), Lorne W. Craner (International Republican Institute), Robert J. Einhorn (Center for Strategic & International Studies), John L. Gaddis(Yale University), John A. Gordon (General, USAF, Retired), James A. Harmon (Harmon & Co.), Steven E. Hellman (OILspace, Inc.), Fiona Hill (The Brookings Institution), George Joulwan (General, USA, Retired; One Team, Inc.), Clifford A. Kupchan (Eurasia Group), Jessica T. Mathews (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Michael A. McFaul (Hoover Institution), David R. Slade (Allen & Overy), Walter B. Slocombe (Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered), Strobe Talbott (The Brookings Institution), Judyth L. Twigg (Virginia Commonwealth University), Margaret D. Williams (World Wildlife Fund), Daniel H. Yergin (Cambridge Energy Research Associates), Dov S. Zakheim (Booz Allen Hamilton).

PressCon: Bush Serves Up A Crock of Malarkey

Bush Serves Up A Crock of Malarkey at Press Conference
Takes Americans for Fools

"I think the Iraqi people dealt the insurgents a serious blow when we had the elections."

- G.W.Bush at today's Press Conference

Hewitt on Brownstein

Hewitt on Brownstein

Hugh Hewitt has a very good point about L.A. Times columnist Ron Brownstein.

"...how in the world are we supposed to believe that employment by a significant Washington player and probable presidential candidate [John McCain] of a spouse of a reporter [Brownstein] who covers Washington players and probable presidential candidates won't affect Brownstein's judgments?"

New Media on the Rise

New Media on the Rise

In today's WSJ, Glenn Reynolds asks a very important question:

"...when you take content from correspondents around the world, organize it in an easy to navigate form, and deliver the eyeballs that it attracts to advertisers, you've created something that looks rather a lot like . . . a newspaper. But it's a very different kind of newspaper, one that takes advantage of the big-media capabilities that, thanks to technological progress, are now in the hands of individuals worldwide.

Will traditional newspapers be able to keep up?"

Honor Our Troops With the Truth

We Honored Them on Memorial Day, Now Let's Honor Our Troops with the Truth

TPM Cafe

TPM Cafe
TPM Cafe is up and running.

Instruction Manual HERE



TPM's First Guest Blogger

John Edwards has posted HERE - "Being Poor is Expensive."

UPDATE: John Edwards has a new entry titled "Things We Know We Can Do".

Matthew Yglesias is HERE.

My own first shot at blogging the TPM Cafe is HERE.

From Ivo Daalder's 'America Abroad' contribution "We Don't Do Treaties":

"..This division between the nuclear haves and nuclear have-nots is not new, and neither is the failure of an NPT review conference (which has happened once before)....What is new is the lack of concern shown by an American administration over the failure to strengthen the nonproliferation regime. While other countries sent foreign ministers to the conference, all we could do was send a mid-level state department official. Rice, so we were told, couldn't even find one hour to fly up to New York anytime this month.

What explains this lackadaisical attitude towards a treaty that is meant to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and help prevent weapons or materials from falling into the hands of terrorists (which Bush in his debate with Kerry last year agreed constituted the gravest threat to America's security)?"

Find out by reading the entire essay.

David Hackworth

David Hackworth

Today, the US military will lay to rest Colonel David H. Hackworth -- among its most decorated heroes of all time -- at Arlington National Cemetery. A recipient of two Distinguished Service Medals, 10 Silver Stars, eight Bronze Stars, and eight Purple Hearts, his bravery consisted not only of his service and heroism during WWII and the Korea and Viet Nam wars, but more predominantly of the fact that he questioned the Pentagon when his fellow soldiers wanted to, but didn't feel comfortable raising complaints with superiors. A father figure to thousands of grunts, he wouldn't have cared that Washington's top Brass is shunning him today. I'll bet a league of angel Vets are gathering in Heaven this morning to guide David to a shining place.

Bryan Bender has written a great tribute to Hackworth. [ Boston Globe ]