When I first read this extremely unsettling article about Dick Cheney, I was alarmed not only by the content,but by the number of anonymous sources quoted. I also noted that even when describing Mr. Cheney's more outrageous beliefs and actions, there was never a note of blame. I had forgotten that Mr. Gellman had written one of the definitive books on the Cheney Vice Presidency. My bad.

I find this article to be like many I read today; in an attempt to be even-handed, they need to make a case for hard to believe theories on what is going on today. Yes, it is extremely odd that Ted Olson would try to be the public legal face of gay rights. But there is no hard evidence offered. Ted Olson may have the wrong motives, but this article doesn't make the case for it. Still, an extremely interesting article.

I would not argue over Mr. Scheer's facts. They seem incontrovertible. His tone, however, is strident without being uplifting. Like a more mature Maureen Dowd.

This struck me as a thoughtful attempt to fix what's wrong with American education with out any of the usual jargon, except for the obligatory union bashing.

Nanette seems to be the first one to get the news out. That's always good. However, Ali's selection to this post tells us much about the new direction of the DOE. Unfortunately, the article doesn't address this. Also, why doesn't Nanette link to Ali's site, Education Trust-West?

This article was sent to me originally by a friend and global warming denier. I read it, and thought that it backed my belief: that global climate change is occuring, but at a variable rate. To my mind, it's a great article that leaves both of us convinced that we're correct.

`I'm not familiar with Mr. Woods work; but if this piece is any indication it 's not good. Back when General Petraeus had been nominated to head the U.S. Central Command, one of the important issues raised was how the war in Iraq was affecting the war in Afghanistan. I'm not going to go back to look for Petraeus' analysis at that time, but here's part of the answer: It's hurting us in what to many military analysts is the more important battle. That's important, and it's not ... More »

This is a great piece examining how a rumour spreads through the internet. Rather than point fingers, it shows how a false story, like topsy, "just growed" on the internet. I thought this was fair and well-balanced enough that even the right wing sources he interviewed would agree that Mr. Mosk has an even-handed approach. I was especially interested in his information on the "freepers". a group I have run across before that had me puzzled as to it's origin and purpose. This article ... More »

This story reveals something I did not know: that tomatoes from Mexico and California are commingled in packing sheds all over America. The FDA is quoted as saying "We are learning that this is a very common practice." As a one time food scientist who was taught in college that the food industry was well regulated, this came as a shock. I thought the

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba declares that Bush's team committed war crimes? That's an amazing accusation coming from a man who devoted his entire life to service to his country. This should be front page news. As I said before, McClatchy was doing the hard reporting on Iraq before it was it was popular to do so. I note again that not only is this report well-sourced, but as always, the reporter asks the Administration for their response. And as always, they deny that they ever ... More »

McClatchy has always been out in front with the whole story about what was wrong with our war in Iraq. Doubly impressive because editorially, they've always struck me as rather conservative(check out the columnists for the Sac Bee, their original hometown newspaper). This article uses all original sources.People reported doing immoral or illegal acts were given the chance to respond to the reporter.

This article by George Packer is remarkable for many things, but to me, the most remarkable was the amount of sourcing from the conservative movement-Pat Buchanan, David Brooks, Ed Rollins, and many more. And this sourcing was was from interviews given to Mr. Packer from these people,who, for the most part, are on the other side of the fence on many issues. This will be a "must " read for some time to come for people wishing to understand some of the important dynamics of the ... More »

This story is indicative of what's wrong with educational reporting these days:Bias is so ingrained it's no longer viewed as wrong. The positive spin is all reported in the first half of the article; only the diligent reader who finishes the article will read that there are significant concerns from important players in the field about the conclusions reached by this . The Teachers Union's concerns are not even addressed in this article. Although it says it is a bipartisan report, ... More »

This blog quotes only one anonymous source to back his claim that " Hezbollah is training the shiites". Other blogs have speculated that this "senior intelligence officer" is tied to Dick Cheney, and that the leak is aimed at cutting off the legs of that faction of the Bush Presidency that wants to start talks with Iran and Syria. I think it's worthwhile to point out that the latter group seems to include James Baker, not exactly your garden variety liberal....

Kevin has always seemed to be careful about sourcing his material and cautious about what conclusions to draw from it. You can argue about whether or not sudden withdrawal is anyone's best interest, given the blood bath that both Sunnis and Shias also said they expect in the poll that's quoted here. But on at least one important front, the continued presence of US troops has not helped improve the chance of the U.S. reaching its goals; the troops presence is actually less appreciated ... More »