I’VE BEEN TARGETED BY THE RIGHT-WING SMEAR MACHINE! In a FoxNews article on blog advertising by C. Spencer Beggs, several readers noticed this paragraph:

For instance, when Paramount Pictures wanted to hype its recent Denzel Washington thriller “The Manchurian Candidate,” it spent some of its budget placing ads on political blogs like Instapundit.com — a bit apropos, considering the movie involved shadowy organizations brainwashing unwitting victims.

No doubt they’re after me for my unabashedly pro-choice position. . . .

UPDATE: A couple of readers don’t like the shirt. It’s actually a photoshop by Allah, in response to the Duncan Black Emily Litella t-shirt incident, and I think it’s pretty damn funny.

THERE WAS LOTS OF TALK a while back that the Kerry Campaign was buying up copies of his anti-war book The New Soldier — and there are currently 25 buyers on the waiting list at Amazon. But as Mickey Kaus and I have both noted, the Kerry campaign seems not to have figured on the Internet.

‘WERE YOU OR WERE YOU NOT IN CAMBODIA?” John Kerry didn’t answer.

UPDATE: Yeah, this is damning for Kerry — but it’s also damning for the professional press corps that the first time he got asked the question to his face was on The Daily Show. Part of that, of course, is because Kerry has been avoiding the press since the issue came up:

Kerry appears to have grown more wary of reporters due to this issue. “He did not come to the back of the plane,” Broder said about Tuesday’s flight from Boston to New York. “He had been much more accessible.” Glen Johnson of The Boston Globe, also in the press travel pool, concurred, saying “that limits the options of what we can write about.”

James also noticed a tightening of restrictions on Kerry, adding “they want to be as careful as possible, not having unscripted moments so mistakes don’t happen.”

But I thought these guys were supposed to be able to get the story, not just take what was handed out.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Nathan Lanier says it’s worse in context than it was in the news reports:

What’s even more damning about the question posed to Kerry on the daily show is the fact that it was asked in a jovial, clearly sarcastic manner as if to downplay it’s significance. Stewart gave Kerry a free pass, and he tried to ameliorate the fact that Kerry is a proven liar. Kerry’s throat must have dropped into his stomach when he heard that question; Stewart knew this, and he still laughed it off.

Of course, that just makes the press treatment worse. I wonder — will they use the Daily Show appearance as an excuse to call this “old news?”

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: More comments here, from someone who actually saw the broadcast. “It was like Rush Limbaugh interviewing John Ashcroft.”

I wonder how the campaign press feels about being upstaged here?

And here’s an interesting prediction on how the press will respond, from a commenter at The Belmont Club. “Given that the SwiftVets threaten not just John Kerry but the MSM itself, we must asssume that the MSM will do its best to crush the story. How will it do so? Probably with a ‘denial of service’ attack: that is, they’ll flood the information channels with another story that will drown out the SwiftVets.” I don’t think it’ll work, though. And even if it does, the campaign press corps will still be the losers.

MORE: Cambodia isn’t mentioned, but Slate’s Dana Stevens writes that Kerry tanked on The Daily Show:

Kerry’s charisma was less than zero: It was negative. He was a charm vacuum, forced to actually borrow mojo from audience members. He was a dessicated husk, a tin man who really didn’t have a heart. His lack of vibrancy, his utter dearth of sex appeal made Al Gore look like Charo. . . .

Watching Kerry strike out was especially heartbreaking given that Stewart was pitching not just softballs but marshmallows. Puffy interview marshmallows with rainbow sprinkles on them, and Kerry was letting them sail by as if he planned to get to first base on a walk. That may be how he hopes to win the presidency as well, but before he gets there, he’ll have to jump through hoops a lot tougher than this exchange.

Ouch. But give Stewart credit — at least he asked the questions, even if he wasn’t serious about doing it.

STILL MORE: Ann Althouse has extended commentary on Kerry’s appearance. And Wonkette has a transcript.

IN THE MAIL: All the President’s Spin, by the SpinSanity folks. Rather than “Bush Lied!” the thesis is that Bush tells the truth, but in such a way as to leave a false impression. (By the rather low standards of recent Presidential truth-telling, this might seem exemplary, but the Spinsanity folks don’t think so).

Being a SpinSanity production, the book is generally fair. What struck me, though, is how hard the publisher has worked to make it look much more like the large crop of Bush-bashing books already out there than the book’s content really justifies. I guess that’s marketing spin. . . .

LAWYERS, 527s, AND HYPOCRISY: An amusing catch.

PREPARING FOR THE WORST: My TechCentralStation column, which is about disaster-preparedness writ large, is now up. Steve Stirling’s new book, and the Society for Creative Anachronism, also play a role.

And TCS’s graphics-guru, Ray Patnaude, came up with this amusing graphic. It’s almost as good as the Kent Brockman one.

JOSH CLAYBOURN HAS LOST HIS MOTHER. He remembers her here. Please send him your sympathy.

AFTER A LENGTHY PERIOD OF IGNORING IT, a question: “Campaign Journalists: Has Swift Boat Story Gone on Too Long?”

Meanwhile John Cole is doing some comparative googling, regarding treatment of the Bush National Guard story. The press seems to tire at different rates depending on subject. . . .

UPDATE: Donald Sensing has expanded the comparison, with predictable results.

A SOBERING PREDICTION from Victor Davis Hanson:

Most see us in a pause, or that the war has gone cold. While we have had successes, I think the next wave will crash soon, and we will be at it again. One cannot read daily of gassers, bombers, and killers arrested hourly worldwide and not imagine that some will not get through. And when they do, there will be a few bold and honest folk who will say, “Who trained them? Who gave them sanctuary? Who wanted them to succeed? Who sent them money” And the answers to all that will inevitably be Iran, Syria, elements in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

I’m afraid he’s right. I don’t know if this is a sign that it’s starting: “Two passenger aircraft have crashed within minutes of each other in Russia and a bomb has exploded on a street in Moscow.” But it wouldn’t shock me if it were.

THE BELMONT CLUB has thoughts on the Internet and news:

Before the Gutenberg printing press men knew the contents of the Bible solely through the prism of the professional clergy, who could alone afford the expensively hand copied books and who exclusively interpreted it. But when technology made books widely available, men could read the sacred texts for themselves and form their own opinions. And the world was never the same again.

Indeed. Which is why, as I’ve said before, the Kerry/Vietnam story is (at least) as much about the professional media as it is about Kerry.

RAND SIMBERG SAYS IT’S STILL A QUAGMIRE:

Sixty years after Paris was seized by the “Allies,” and the beginning of the American occupation, France remains a failed nation, mired in political corruption and beset by vast pockets of Muslim extremism, into which the gendarmerie fear to tread. The economy continues to struggle under economic policies driven by failed ideologies, and many of its best and brightest continue to flow out of the country, with only ex-dictators and their families, and hysterical movie stars willing to move there.

Sadly, history has born out the predictions of those who warned against invading in the spring of 1944. Many had pointed out what a poor prospect the region was for any kind of democracy, with its long history of belligerence and arrogance, and failed republics.

It’s getting harder and harder to argue with that.

SUSPICIOUS JET CRASHES IN RUSSIA: Two in the same area at about the same time?

HERE’S A NOT-VERY-FLATTERING ACCOUNT of why Bush is bashing the 527s:

While there are prominent GOP-leaning 527s, the vast majority of 527 money is flowing to anti-Bush organizations. As detailed on OpenSecrets.org, most of the multi-million-dollar 527s are lined up against the President. Indeed, only one of the ten largest 527s, the Club for Growth, is anti-Kerry. . . .

The President was wrong to sign McCain-Feingold into law, and he is wrong again here. I would further argue that fewer donors would give to such independent groups — and we’d have fewer “shadowy” ads — if it were easier to give larger amounts directly to candidates or to provide traditional “soft money” contributions to political parties. President Bush’s position strikes me as rank opportunism — and it is so , in part, because 527 contributions have overwhelmingly benefitted his opposition.

That seems right to me.

UPDATE: Tom Perry comments:

Bush’s position is politics, pure and ugly. It disgusts thoughtful people who value forthright leadership (and freedom of speech), but that’s not much of a constituency these days. In political terms, it’s pretty smart.

Ugh.

I HAVEN’T DONE MUCH OLYMPIC-BLOGGING, but if you want some, here’s a link to the BlogCritics Olympic posting index, offering a cornucopia of Olympic-blogging delights.

JUST THOUGHT I’D LINK TO THIS PAGE SLAMMING BUSH’S NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE, FROM THE KERRY CAMPAIGN WEBSITE, just in case anybody wondered if Kerry had engaged in any attacks on people’s military service. (Via Drudge).

Then there’s this report:

Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, speaking moments ago on “Hannity and Colmes”: “George Bush betrayed his country by sending us to war on false pretenses, and George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.”

Yes. You read that right. “George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.”

(Havent’ seen a transcript yet, but several readers emailed about this independently, so I think it’s reliable.) I think the Kerry campaign’s bad month is continuing.

UPDATE: My colleague Tom Plank, who led a platoon of Marines in Vietnam, emails:

Attacking Bush’s service is a real dumb move. Most of my contemporaries (including many friends and Bill Clinton) did not fight in Vietnam. I do not consider that they betrayed their country, as long as they avoided Vietnam by legal means, and I do not know any Vietnam veterans who think that those who avoided Vietnam “betrayed their country”).

Yes, this seems like a serious error to me. Perhaps born of desperation? Or just ineptitude?

MORE KERRY COVERAGE CONFUSION, as SpinSanity notes:

The myth that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry volunteered for swift boat duty in Vietnam knowing it was particularly dangerous continues to spread despite clear evidence to the contrary.

As we have written before, Kerry actually volunteered at a time when swift boats were engaged in relatively safe coastal patrols. They were redeployed to the rivers of Vietnam — a far more risky mission — after Kerry’s decision. Kerry himself has admitted as much. . . . Yet Kerry’s campaign website, vice presidential nominee John Edwards and former president Bill Clinton have all suggested Kerry knew the risks. As Edwards put it, “He volunteered to go to Vietnam and to captain a swift boat, one of the most dangerous duties you could have.”

Kerry’s campaign continues to encourage this misperception.

And yet Spinsanity notes that a lot of media folks are falling for it. It’s like they want Kerry to win or something.

JOHN O’SULLIVAN EXPLAINS how to read the papers these days.

TOM HARKIN IS SLAMMED IN THE DES MOINES REGISTER by columnist David Yepsen, who notes that Harkin, among other things:

• Hurt Iowa. The remark will make it even more difficult for the senator to work with Republicans. Even if Bush and Cheney lose, he will still have GOP senators to deal with. And who in any Bush administration is going to help Harkin obtain grants or programs that benefit Iowa? He already has trouble doing that.

• Hurt himself. Harkin doesn’t have to seek re-election until 2008, so perhaps he figures everyone will have forgotten about this remark by then. Not so. The comment has moved the political seismograph more than anything else he’s ever said. Republicans won’t forget it, and Harkin has assured himself that his foes will come at him harder than ever. His military record – including whether he hyped his own service as a Navy pilot – will again be an issue.

• Is inconsistent. Did the senator ever call Bill Clinton a “coward” because he used deferments to avoid service in Vietnam? No. While Harkin had little time for Clinton in their 1992 presidential campaign, he never carried his words this far. Did Harkin ever call Howard Dean a “coward” for doing much the same thing as Cheney? No. Harkin endorsed him for the presidency. John Edwards didn’t enlist. Neither did Tom Vilsack.

Ouch.

PLAME UPDATE: Just got this press release from the folks at Time:

Contact: Diana Pearson, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tues., Aug. 24, 2004

I. Lewis Libby Waives Confidentiality

TIME Reporter Gives Deposition to Special Counsel

New York — TIME magazine announced today that its reporter, Matthew Cooper, has given a deposition to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald in connection with the leak investigation involving Valerie Plame.

Mr. Cooper, who has been held in contempt of court for refusing to disclose his confidential sources, agreed to give a deposition because the one source specifically asked about by the Special Counsel, I. Lewis Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff, gave a personal waiver of confidentiality for Mr. Cooper to testify. Mr. Libby also gave TIME permission to release this information to the public.

The deposition, which took place yesterday in the Washington, D.C. office of Mr. Cooper’s attorney, Floyd Abrams, focused entirely on conversations Mr. Cooper had with Mr. Libby, one of Mr. Cooper’s sources for the articles he helped author about the leak in July 2003. Following the deposition, the contempt orders against both Time Inc. and Mr. Cooper were vacated.

# # #

Waived confidentiality, eh? Interesting. I don’t pretend to understand what’s going on here, but I have a feeling we’re moving toward some sort of a conclusion.

UPDATE: Here’s a story from tomorrow’s Washington Post, with a lot more background but without much more clarity on what’s going on. Perhaps there’ll be a surprise ending. Interestingly, Josh Marshall, who used to be Plame Central, hasn’t posted on this yet, though he’s posted on some other items since the story broke.

HUGH HEWITT is back after a hiatus, and blogging up a storm.

OLYMPIC ATHLETES ARE FORBIDDEN TO BLOG — and this sounds particularly lame:

The IOC’s rationale for the restrictions is that athletes and their coaches should not serve as journalists – and that the interests of broadcast rights-holders and accredited media come first. . . .

To protect lucrative broadcast contracts, athletes and other participants are also prohibited from posting any video, audio or still photos they take themselves, even after the games, unless they get permission ahead of time.

So much for the spirit of amateurism, I guess.

DEGREES OF SEPARATION: RedState reports a “What liberal media? moment” for the New York Times. (“Next, the NYT will reveal that the VFW is mostly veterans.”)

Call me crazy, but I don’t think that the Kerry campaign is going to come out ahead when people start tracing connections to 527s. And if the folks at the Times think that they’re the only ones who’ll be doing the tracing, then they really haven’t been paying attention.

LEWIS LAPHAM, TIME TRAVELER! Next week’s Republican National Convention is already seared — seared — in his memory. (“Lapham must have written those words in July. Didn’t it occur to him that his readers might notice he was claiming to have witnessed an event that had not occurred when the magazine went to press?” Er, or when the magazine arrived in the mail . . .)

UPDATE: Eugene Volokh: “Good thing that people still read the reliable, credible Real Media instead of those nasty inaccurate, un-fact-checked blogs.”

A MALKIN/MULLER RADIO DEBATE! Eric Muller emails:

Michelle Malkin and I debate tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on Radio Times on WHYY in Philly (Link) and at 9:00 a.m. on WZTK in North Carolina, FM 101.1 in the Triangle and in the Triad (Link).

Tune in. It’s likely to be more edifying than Hardball.

UPDATE: Ooops. Muller emails that it’s Thursday, not tomorrow.

LOCUS HAS POSTED EXCERPTS from its interview with Neal Stephenson.