The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach

Tag: politics

  • Why We’re In the Mess We’re In

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    mongreldogs
    in

    Matthew Dowd, an adviser to President Bush, today said in an interview that he was disappointed by the President’s stand on the war, on the will of the public, and, well, just about everything. It’s clear that Mr. Dowd is conflicted in taking this public stance. Said Mr. Dowd: I really like him, which is…

  • Firing US Attorneys: Why This Matters

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    mongreldogs
    in

    I don’t have a lot of time to write, but luckily Josh Marshall has written a nice summary over at Talking Points Memo. I’d suggest taking a look if you’ve been wondering why the dismissal of 8 U.S. attorneys is such a big deal.

  • Framing the furor

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    mongreldogs
    in

    Just a quick break from my Lunacon doodlings to note an excellent post “The 5 Words Bush Wants Americans to Repeat” from a blog called Frameshop. Apparently, Frameshop focuses on how people frame the debate in political circles. This particular post parses the President’s performance (ahh, alliteration!) for the key concepts he wants to use…

  • Health of the Republic down, 4% to 25%

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    mongreldogs
    in ,

    The Health of the Republic bar has dropped another 4% in recent weeks. This is largely due to the unfolding three scandals at the Department of Justice: The blatantly-political firing of eight US prosecutors The new revelations about presidential interference in the internal DOJ audit of the warrantless wiretapping program The rampant abuse of National…

  • Review: Echelon

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    mongreldogs
    in ,

    Echelon a novel by Josh Conviser InstaRating: 2 out of 5 This book\’s title caught my interest because I keep up with surveillance tech and its social implications, and ECHELON — the alleged US NSA electronic sifting program — is the monster of all surveillance programs. Although I knew this was a spy thriller, I…

  • Health of the Republic down, 1% to 29%

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    mongreldogs
    in ,

    The Health of the Republic bar has shifted downward another percentage point. This follows the promulgation of a presidential decree that gives the White House a greater say over the issuance of policy guidelines by agencies. Previously most such documents were crafted by civil servants but now, they must pass through a politically-appointed gatekeeper (a…

  • Saddan is Dead: Can We Go Home Now?

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    mongreldogs
    in

    Today, Iraqui President and dictator Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging after a conviction for atrocities committed in his name. Before going any further, let me clarify something so willfully obscured by some commentators on the right: Saddam Hussein was a Very Bad Man. He did terrible things and — while I am myself still…

  • Signature Abuse

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    mongreldogs
    in

    A lot of attention lately has been focused on “presidential signing statements” — declarations by the President as to how he intends to interpret the statutues he signs into law. Though the signing statement has existed for the history of the Republic, the current President has grotesquely expanded its use. In a report by the…

  • … If You Can Keep It

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    mongreldogs
    in ,

    It’s a truism that’s become so trite it hardly rises to the level of a bumper sticker: Freedom isn’t free. You see it slapped across the back of SUVs, taped to the windows in Circle-K’s. Some days, it seems everyone can mouth the words but nobody understands them. Freedom isn’t free. It has always carried…