Now that there’s a fairly broad consensus that The Phantom Menace was godawful, it’s often forgotten how well the movie was initially received not only by many fans but by much of the media as well. The likes of Roger Ebert gave the movie good reviews and taped fawning interviews with the hacktacular Mr. Lucas. The […]
Author: Scott Lemieux
To me, the question of nuclear power, as with conscription, becomes easier when removed from the abstract level to the context of American politics. Discussing the merits of nuclear power on its own m
When a baseball game is interrupted so that Fred Barnes can spout wingnut propaganda at interminable length, the terrorists have already won.
According to Prof. Reynolds: WHILE I WENT OUT TO GET FROZEN YOGURT, the InstaWife watched CBS news. She pronounced it “one long commercial for the Democrats.” Needless to say, no examples of this supposed egregious bias were proffered. And since the InstaWife feels that whether the InstaWealthy can afford new InstaGrills is a valid way of […]
Alessandra Stanley has an odd piece in the New York Times about the recent spate of “women behaving badly” shows, which she claims are demeaning to women. I haven’t seen the shows i
Among Katha Pollitt’s many enviable talents is the ability to cut to the heart of an issue by saying something that by all rights should be banal, but is often overlooked. Some people on the lef
Now that’s a game. Why this country prefers the dreary postseason of the NBA is beyond me. I’m also grateful to Sports Illustrated for confidently declaring that a Tampa Bay victory was inevitable, hence guaranteeing victory for the forces of justice and truth. To make things slightly more relevant, while watching my beloved Flames I saw […]
The ongoing Canadian election is fascinating from a political junkies standpoint, as it seems as if the reborn Conservative party could capture a plurality government, and it is unlikely that the Libe
Via the incomparable Bob Somerby, this gem from Boston Globe typist Nina Easton on The Tweety Matthews Show (“complacent millionaire pundit values on a cable-access budget!”): EASTON: T
The Democrats are +1 in the House, with Stephanie Herseth having won. Good news–if there’s anything better than a Democratic Congressperson, it’s a hot Democratic Congressperson. Picking up a seat in the relatively poor, rural, but culturally conservative state of South Dakota reminds me of a great post by Matthew Yglesias last week, arguing for the […]
In one of the least surprising developments in legal history, the recent federal act criminalizing D&E abortions was struck down in federal courts. This was inevitable, because the law directly c
Elton Beard effectively sums up Tom Friedman’s latest ad hoc theory. But what strikes me most about it is that he chooses an example that completely repudiates his thesis: Is Vladimir Putin