i-sako.com

In my view, Bush is not and has never been smart enough for the job he now holds. Some would say that the 2000 election results put this contention to rest, but Matthew Yglesias has revived it—and brought it back with a vengeance.

Here’s an excerpt, but the article itself is well worth reading in full.

“The Brains Thing”

That the country should be secured against terrorist attacks, that deadly weapons should be kept out of the hands of our enemies, or that it would be good for a wide slice of the world to enjoy the blessings of freedom and democracy are hardly controversial propositions. But these things are easier said than done. Even a person of goodwill is by no means guaranteed to succeed. Yet succeed we must. And if we are to do so, the question of intelligence must be put back on the table.

(Via Political Animal)

Although wholly unrelated to the topic of my previous post, I thought this parody of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” from JibJab Media was pretty funny. In any case, it should be good for a laugh no matter which candidate you support.

Update
Apparently the owners of the song don’t think it’s very funny, though:

JibJab Asks for Court’s Help

Ludlow Music has been threatening to sue JibJab for infringing its copyright, saying JibJab never asked for permission to use the song. JibJab’s creators have said they believe they have a right to use the song since it was used in a parody and as such is protected speech.

This kind of news bugs me. It’s like when Ray Bradbury complained about how Michael Moore “stole” the title of his book, Fahrenheit 451. If you create something that is noteworthy enough for others to imitate, you should feel pleased, not litigious. 

Krugman, right as usual, on the topic of media obsession with trivialities and neglect of substance:

Triumph of the Trivial

Somewhere along the line, TV news stopped reporting on candidates’ policies, and turned instead to trivia that supposedly reveal their personalities. We hear about Mr. Kerry’s haircuts, not his health care proposals. We hear about George Bush’s brush-cutting, not his environmental policies.

…the triumph of the trivial is not a trivial matter. The failure of TV news to inform the public about the policy proposals of this year’s presidential candidates is, in its own way, as serious a journalistic betrayal as the failure to raise questions about the rush to invade Iraq.

There’s a reason I chose not to work in journalism: With a few notable exceptions, it’s ultimately a pretty feckless occupation.

Or so my friend Ruth tells me--I haven’t had much time to catch up on the news recently, but I am exceedingly grateful for this:

Supreme Rebuke

SINCE THE OUTSET of the war on terrorism, the Bush administration, across a wide range of issues, has had a simple message for the federal judiciary: Trust us and don’t interfere. Yesterday, in a pair of much-awaited rulings, the court delivered its response. First, the justices declared that U.S. citizens designated as enemy fighters are entitled to a “fair opportunity” to challenge their detentions and “unquestionably [have] the right to access to counsel” in doing so. Then the justices held that federal courts have jurisdiction to hear challenges to the detentions of noncitizens held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Trust, even during wartime, has limits.

And if any administration has ever abused trust, it’s this one. I’m glad to see that the Supreme Court is finally asserting some authority in this area, because we know this Congress won’t--at least not before the election, Newt tells us:

Republican Congress Tightens Purse Strings

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said the restiveness is real and probably inevitable. “As a practical matter it can’t take full form until after the election, but I would be very surprised if by January—even with Bush reelected—that you don’t see substantially more assertion of oversight.”

By January, huh? How convenient.

I may not be George Soros, but I feel very strongly that I’ve got to do my part to make sure that George Bush is not elected to a second term, so I’ve been making what financial contributions I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Campaigning is expensive, certainly, but we’ve been lucky in the sense that Bush has been squandering most of his campaign funds--and so far has very little to show for it. (As an aside, is there anything Bush doesn’t squander? Just curious.)

Still, this doesn’t mean that a U.S. regime change is a sure thing in November, so Kerry needs help--right now--to ensure that things keep moving in that direction. Why now? Because Kerry has only a little more than a month left for fund-raising before he officially becomes the nominee and must rely on public financing for the general election phase of the race (the Democratic convention will be held July 26 ~ July 29). Bush, who already has a significant (albeit diminishing) financial lead, also has more time to raise money (the Republican convention will be held August 30 ~ September 2).

Please, if you have any political inclinations at all, take a moment to give some money to John Kerry. I’m not exaggerating much when I say that the whole world will thank you for it.