Andrew Sullivan:

It is quite something for a writer to accuse a presidential candidate of essentially supporting America's enemies, and of being full of venom and hatred for the United States, when he has served this country as a congressman for decades. [. . . N]otice the baldly McCarthyite language by Dorothy Rabinowitz.

If Christopher Hitchens were alive, he'd never stand for this Decadent Coastal Enclave-based Fifth Columnism.

Speaking for me only

Dorothy Rabinowitz of the WSJ Editorial Board writes of Ron Paul:

Some in Iowa are reportedly now taking a look at Dr. Paul, now risen high in the polls there. [. . .] It seemed improbable that the best-known of American propagandists for our enemies could be near the top of the pack in the Iowa contest, but there it is. An interesting status for a candidate of Dr. Paul's persuasion to have achieved, and he'll achieve even more if Iowans choose to give him a victory.

(Emphasis supplied.) Of course, this "Fifth Column" is not confined to Iowa. From his coastal enclave in Washington, DC, Andrew Sullivan writes:

[Paul] is the "Change You Can Believe In" on the right[.]

Ahhh, the Decadent in their coastal enclaves, mounting a "Fifth Column."

Speaking for me only

At Cameron Douglas' sentencing yesterday for using drugs while in prison, the judge hammered him with a 54 month sentence, consecutive to the 5 year sentence he is already serving for a drug conviction.

“I don’t believe that I have had another case ever...of a defendant who has so recklessly, and flagrantly, and wantonly and criminally acted in as destructive and manipulative a fashion,”

After reading all the recent pleadings on PACER, the judge's 54 month sentence is not all that surprising. It's not just about a judge sentencing a relapsing drug-addicted inmate to a lot of time. The full story, as told by the pleadings of both sides and two other involved defendants, is below. Read it and decide whether you think the sentence was appropriate: [More...]

Krugman notes an important development out of the EPA on mercury and restates this important point:

The point that strikes me most, however, is that this shows that it matters who holds the White House. You can complain about Obama’s lack of a strong progressive agenda, which I sometimes do, or wonder what good it is to hold the White House when the other side blocks every attempt to do good through legislation. But mercury regulation would not have happened if John McCain were president.

Elections have consequences, and this is one delayed consequence of 2008 that will make a big difference.

This is not a plea to give Obama a free pass, quite the opposite (I think the larger problem is defenders of the President not seeing that criticism of specific policy need not imply lack of support for reelection). Criticism is necessary but the full picture must be kept in mind.

Speaking for me only

From the NY Times comments:

"As I never bought the argument that Saddam had nukes that had to be taken out, the decision to go to war stemmed, for me, from a different choice." -Tom Friedman, December 11, 2011

"The way you get that compliance out of a thug like Saddam is not by tripling the inspectors, but by tripling the threat that if he does not comply he will be faced with a U.N.-approved war." Tom Friedman, February 9, 2003

Link

Was Tom Friedman lying then or is he lying now?

Suck on this.

Speaking for me only

Tom Friedman now:

Iraq was always a war of choice. [. . .] seemed to me to be a legitimate strategic choice. But was it a wise choice? My answer is twofold: “No” and “Maybe, sort of, we’ll see.” I say “no” because whatever happens in Iraq, even if it becomes Switzerland, we overpaid for it.

Tom Friedman then:

Friedman writes "I have nothing but respect for the Americans, Brits and Iraqis who paid the price to make it possible." Speaking for me only, eff you Tom Friedman.

Seems like a dumb question I know, but remarkably, Jon Chait says no:

It would be nearly impossible to imagine the Republican Party nominating a candidate who spent years and years publishing a racist newsletter and has deep associations with the fringe far right. (Here he is speaking to the John Birch Society on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.)

I think that Chait has it backwards. It is impossible to imagine the GOP nominating a candidate who does NOT make race based appeals.

Consider Ronald Reagan - welfare queens in Cadillacs and "states rights" in Philadelphia,Mississippi, just for starters.

And today, the GOP's universal war on immigrants is racism uncovered. What in Gawd's name is Chait talking about? The more plausible argument from Chait? This:

It would be even more impossible to imagine the Party nominating a candidate who favors total withdrawal from world affairs and takes a Chomsky-ite line on American power.

It is true that Ron Paul is not eager to use American military power and speaks of restraining Executive power. And those views are anathema to the GOP. Of course, they are also anathema to Jon Chait, who would be, in many ways, a more plausible GOP candidate than Ron Paul. It's an interesting story.

Speaking for me only

Menorahs around the globe are lit tonight-- There were major ceremonies in New York and Washington .

Whatever day you begin celebrating, we wish you all a joyous holiday season.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I've got lots of work today, so here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

BTD - A belated "me too."

The Department of Justice has released its findings into the investigation of East Haven, CT police practices. A fuller version of the findings is here.

Based on our investigation, we find that the East Haven Police Department engages in discriminatory policing against Latinos including: targeting Latinos for discriminatory traffic enforcement; treating Latino drivers more harshly than non-Latino drivers after traffic stops; and intentionally and woefully failing to design and implement internal systems of control that would identify, track, and prevent such misconduct.

The pattern or practice of discriminatory policing that we observed is deeply rooted in the Police Department’s culture and substantially interferes with the ability of the Department to deliver services to the entire East Haven community.

Background is here and here.

After three days of bureaucratic wrangling, including being prevented at the airport from boarding a flight, Lori Berenson arrived in Newark, NJ this morning on a flight from Peru.

It is Lori's first time home since her arrest in 1995. She must return to Peru to finish her parole on January 11. Here's a timeline of events in her case.

It's snowing and icy here.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.