Monday Links
A great, relaxing weekend. Finally.
* So, the fun political news was the most expected unexpected shift in the Obama campaign yet, as Obama is now quibbling over his Iraq withdrawal plan. What his plan was (and still is on his website as I write this) involved “immediately” withdrawing troops from Iraq over the course of 16 months. This plan was re-specified at the ABC News/USA Today debate, described by Charlie Gibson as a “rock-hard pledge.” Now, today - well, he’ll be meeting with some commanders and the policy might change. Now, a lot of people have been trying to say there is no difference, but the difference is clear. McCain isn’t helping matters in this case, but, using Josh Marshall as an example, neither are the Obama apologists: Obama’s position on rapid withdrawal has been clear to this point, and he’s slowly abandoning it, more than likely because the situation on the ground there is simply too good to hold the ridiculous position he held. Even now, in his “clarity” statement, he’s trying to stop the bleeding by somewhat re-affriming his old, ridiculous position. Given the not-so-tiny pile of switches (some more important than others, some of which are completely unimportant), what can we expect next? Does he even have a real plan for Iraq? Is he going to stick with a pre-surge plan when the post-surge Iraq landscape looks so positive? When even the New York Times editorial page is getting fed up, doesn’t that say something?
* Gotta love arresting someone for a DUI when they didn’t drink.
* Gas prices in context. May explain why driving habits aren’t being affected quite as much as many may expect.
* On one hand, it’s nice to see someone debunking the whole “Obama’s birth certificate was a forgery” thing. I think there are segments on the right on the web who are too emboldened by the National Guard Memos bullseye that they fail to see things clearly anymore. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reading the theories from time to time. Either way, not complaining that I can safely ignore the birth certificate story.
* Here’s a shocker: wind power not all its cracked up to be.
* I found this sadly amusing out of Texas: Fireworks are illegal in Houston, but legal in bordering counties. People build stands outside the border to sell fireworks. How does Houston respond? By quietly annexing the roads the stands are on, allowing people to buy the fireworks legally, and then fining them when they turn on those roads. Such slimy crap.
* A follow-up from last week: Justice Kennedy: The Worst Justice. Lowry makes a good point here.
* I fear for my kids, and hope they don’t worry like this.
* Finally, some fun: Either Historical events as they may be depicted by 5 year olds using MS Paint, or the beginning of “Pork Week” at Salon.com. I have to say this much - bacon is trendy now, but I registered this domain sometime in 2002 because a friend didn’t want bacon on her cheese fries. I consider myself a bacon trendsetter, let the record show.