It’s 1998 And The Sisterhood Is Back»

My dear friend Amanda “Mattos Locos” Mattos upended all my fashionable opinions about the Greek system by being both awesome and a proud former member of a sorority. Her reflections, sparked by a Moe Tkacik post and my goading, go from being interesting to actually moving.

I made my absolute closest friends in college through the sorority. We’re still close to this day. I’ve been in the weddings of two sorority sisters in the past year. We have dinners regularly. We have an email list for sharing news. We go on trips together. And when one of us was killed this past fall, the power of being part of an organization like that had never been more apparent. …

I think of that pledge sleepover we had at the house our first semester. I think of purple beach buckets full of jello shots. I think of playing pranks on older sisters’ with old composite photos. I think of practicing those rush songs for hours on end. I think of practicing our derby days dance.

This Summer I Hear The Drumming»

Have I mentioned today that Rick Perlstein’s Nixonland is one of the best books you’ll ever read about American politics? Well, it’s a masterpiece. Just how masterpiecey? Well, there’s a brief explication of the cultural significance of Bonnie and Clyde, which I’ve never seen. It so happened that this weekend I was at the new BestBuy that opened in Columbia Heights. I noticed they had the Bonnie and Clyde Blu-Ray. I actually considered buying it. I do not own a Blu-Ray player.

Anywhoo, Phoebe n’ Sam at TAP ran an excerpt from Rick’s book. Just one taste and you’re fiending. You should have to buy Nixonland in a little baggie that says BLUE MAGIC on it.

Don’t It Make Ya Feel Sick?»

Unbelievable. The Ramones played “53rd & 3rd” with Tim and Lars from Rancid! RIP Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee. (Marky, FYI, is from Flatbush!)

All The Beating Drums, The Celebration Guns»

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 364-08
April 30, 2008
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. William T. Dix, 32, of Culver City, Calif., died April 27 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, I Corps, Fort Lewis, Wash.

The incident is under investigation.

For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the Public Affairs Officer on call).

I Don’t Think You Realize, You Messin With People’s Lives»

Bob Gates, please call your conscience back. From his Mexico City presser yesterday:

Q Mr. Secretary, there was, as I’m sure you know, an attempt on President Karzai’s life. At least one police officer was arrested, and there has been a lot more talk about Taliban infiltration of the security forces there.

What is — is that a growing concern for you? Do you think that is getting worse and is that becoming a greater threat? And have you — considering the information that we’ve heard lately about increased Iranian activity in Iraq, are you seeing the same type of increase in Afghanistan?

SEC. GATES: Well, I don’t have the sense that the problem of infiltration is particularly worse than it has been in Afghanistan. This is a — this has been fairly — not common, but it has happened before, and I expect it’ll happen again.

Imagine being Hamid Karzai and reading that the U.S. defense secretary shrugged at attempts on your life. Might cause you to rethink a whole lot of things.

Drinking Is Our Way Of Life»

This blog’s official soda? Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry. It’s one of the things that, along with Entenmann’s and the Hot Bagels on Newkirk Avenue and my mom (and your mom), make me miss Brooklyn the most. But now it’s easily purchasable in D.C.!

We Don’t Respect You Or Take You Serious»

Jeffrey Goldberg has a bitchy post about how blogging sucks because people are mean to you. One would think a sensible answer would be not to blog, but that would require less self-regard than Goldberg possesses. Andrew Sullivan, he reports, tries to calm him down:

“Calling you an asshole is just the blogosphere’s way of saying hello,” he said.

Actually, sometimes it’s just the blogosphere’s way of calling you an asshole, you asshole! Here’s another way: How about you come clean about your bullshit reporting, in which you credulously peddled the self-serving claims of Kurdish intelligence officials that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda? Goldberg tries to slip in a reference to how that charge is “a discredited accusation,” which is yet another dishonesty from him. Hey Jeff! You have a blog now! You don’t want people to call you a fake reporter? Then explain yourself. Publicly.

Then he goes after bloggers for not reporting. And you know, he’s right! Except for, oh, I dunno, Paul Kiel, Ken Silverstein, Justin Rood, Bill Roggio, Michael Yon, Marcy Wheeler, Kriston Capps, Greg Sargent — *deep breath* — Marc Ambinder, Dana Goldstein, Moe Tkacik, Megan Carpentier, myself… But why should not knowing what he’s talking about stop Goldberg? He’s built an entire career on it.

I’m Not Like Them»

It’s not just me! Jacob “They Knew They Were Right” Heilbrunn catches Reagan national security adviser Robert McFarlane freaking out about the no-nothing warmongers that will staff a McCain administration.

Speaking Monday at a fascinating on-the-record session on U.S.-Russia relations at the Nixon Center, former Reagan administration official Robert McFarlane declared that McCain’s first year as president would be “neocon redux.” McFarlane, who was Reagan’s national security advisor and who supports McCain’s candidacy, emphasized that he wasn’t speaking as a member of McCain’s team, but as a practical realist and private citizen. His remarks were uttered in a calm tone, and all the more blistering for it. McFarlane pointed out that Ronald Reagan was dealing with a declining Soviet Union and from a position of strength, while McCain would be dealing with a resurgent Russia, one that it would be foolish to heedlessly antagonize. According to McFarlane, “the youngsters” would run foreign policy the first year and then likely be “fired” by the second after they mess up.

What does it say about a president who’d give the people who messed up everything for the last eight years — and so conclusively and definitively — another year?

I Guess I’m Lying To Myself»

Dear Bob Gates,

I know it’s been awhile. But I thought we should talk. I think you have a problem. First it was the whole Fallon quasi-firing. And I was just like, OK, that’s passive-aggressive and beneath you. I waited for you to call, and you didn’t. Fine, whatever. You’re busy. I get that.

But now, I need you to stop lying about Maliki and Sadr. Like, really. This is egregious. We need to talk. Busyness is an excuse that only goes so far. Come on, we used to be so close. I’m not ready to give up on what we had.

Sincerely,

Your Conscience

Father Of So Many Styles I Should Be Handing Out Cigars»

In the course of defending his friend Andrew McCarthy, the Weekly Standard’s Steve Hayes, who’s best known for misrepresenting Saddam’s non-existent ties to al-Qaeda, attacks Laurie Mylroie, who’s best known for misrepresenting Saddam’s non-existent ties to al-Qaeda slightly more crazily. Did Hannukah start today and people forget to tell me?

I’m happy to sit back and watch this unfold, but two points first. First, Hayes writes:

Although her emails may have occasionally made their way to Bush administration officials, no one I know took her arguments very seriously.

Except for that time that Paul Wolfowitz told Richard Clarke that Clarke needed to stop worrying so much about Usama bin Laden and focus on Mylorie’s argument that groups like al-Qaeda were just beards for Saddam Hussein. Or that time Wolfowitz sent Jim Woolsey abroad to check out Mylroie’s claims. But whatever!

Second, Stevie Wonder continues:

Mylroie has seen an Iraqi hand behind virtually every terrorist attack on American interests. Indeed, in our one brief conversation, she faulted me for failing to understand that al Qaeda is little more than an Iraqi “front group.” That’s crazy.

Pot, meet kettle! Steve, do you even know what you sound like here? You’re like an eighth less crackers than Myroie, and you’re criticizing her? She pioneered your style! This is like Ja Rule going after Tupac. You should be paying Mylroie royalties for your book sales!

With The Conviction Of God Almighty, Telling You: Your Crew Ain’t Sh**»

John McCain might be president, and his chief foreign policy aide is actually a c-list neocon like Randy Scheunemann? Wonk Room soldier Angel Duss has his lobbying background:

Interestingly, neither Scheunemann nor the interviewer mentioned that Randy Scheunemann used to be employed as a lobbyist for the Georgian government. That’s right, the person who’s giving John McCain advice on Russia and Georgia was “registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent working on behalf of the government of Georgia.”

It doesn’t stop there! Yglesias catches Scheunemann asserting that there’s never any need for tradeoffs in foreign policy because lalalalalala he can’t hear you:

That’s right, he thinks the entire process of bargaining for mutual advantage that lies at the core of diplomacy — and, indeed, of almost all constructive human interaction — is a relic of a bygone era of power politics. In the brave new future, either the Russians give way on all points, or else we raise up the national missile defense system and it’s bombs away.

And get an easier name to spell! I resent the constant checking.