LIKE GREG PACKER. Well, sort of.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: “One thing is rather frightening: the political pendulum in Europe always swings much more widely and quickly than here. Unless these legitimate worries about radical Islam are addressed by EU politicians, a frustrated public—note the recent elections in Germany—will address them on their own in ways that are historically scary in their own right. When I go to Europe, I am always struck how at odds the average European’s talk is from what one reads in the newspaper or hears on the television. That degree of frustration and cynicism will only get worse unless there is some honest talk about the dangers Europe faces.”

IT’S JUSTIFIED: “The New York Times has a rule about presenting opinions in its news columns: Henceforth, they must all conform to the left.”

HEY, MAYBE ANDREW’S RIGHT AFTER ALL: I just saw Harold Ford, Jr. on Kudlow & Company, speaking in support of public displays of the Ten Commandments.

He also said he supports a ban on flag-burning, and that he’s closer to the President than to McCain on interrogations.

THOU SHALT NOT CRITICIZE LEFTY BLOGS if you want to work at The American Prospect.

UPDATE: Stephen Spruiell has more thoughts on the Nyhan defenestration.

DAVE WEIGEL SOUNDS TAPS for the “culture of corruption” campaign plan.

Though the culture of corruption is still there, alas, on both sides of the aisle. Which, as Weigel notes, is why the plan never had much of a chance.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS vs. the blogosphere.

In reading this, bear in mind Austin Bay’s point about terrorist/media co-dependence.

TOM MAGUIRE: “Personally, I am all in favor of seeing a wealthy economist like Paul Krugman appear in public and ranting to the middle class that their lot has not improved. These performances make him appear to be an out-of-touch Ivory Tower academic without actually changing any minds; we can only hope that John Kerry, to pick a name at random, will amplify the effect by joining in.”

MORE ON THE BUSH POLLS, from Mystery Pollster Mark Blumenthal.

EUGENE VOLOKH has thoughts on Michiko Kakutani’s review of Richard Posner’s book. And via the comments to Eugene’s post, I found this critical review from Daniel Solove, which in my opinion is much better than Kakutani’s. (And, unlike many critics of Kakutani’s review — and, for that matter, of Posner — I’ve actually read Posner’s book.)

UPDATE: In a somewhat-related item, Emily Bazelon argues that Congress shouldn’t write interrogation rules. I think I disagree with that. Her arguments are reasonable but I think that it’s important for Congress to take responsibility on this topic. In the short run, the executive can deal with things like this on an emergency basis, perhaps, but this is the long run now, and I think it’s a good idea, both practically and politically, to make Congress — and Congress members — take a position and live with it.

CORY MAYE UPDATE:

Defense lawyers argued today that Cory Maye should be taken off death row and given a new trial.

On Jan. 23, 2004, a Marion County jury sentenced Maye to die by lethal injection in the 2001 killing of Prentiss Police Officer Ron Jones during a drug raid.

Statements by a confidential informant, Randy Gentry, led authorities to raid the duplex where Maye lived. Authorities found only remnants from a marijuana cigarette in Maye’s duplex.

In a hearing today in Pearl River County Circuit Court, defense attorneys attacked Gentry’s credibility. Gentry took the stand and said he wasn’t prejudiced. But then he admitted on the stand that in a message left on defense attorney Bob Evans’ answering machine he used profanity and the “n” word, repeatedly saying “those f— — n——” and referred to Maye a “c— s—–.”

Gentry testified he bought, as a confidential informant for Jones, two rocks of cocaine from Jamie Smith, 21, who lived in the other side of the duplex from Maye. He said he saw Smith go into Maye’s house. Gentry said he saw a drug transaction between the two through a thin window curtain in Maye’s house. But he acknowledged it wasn’t “as plain as day.”

Smith was charged but never prosecuted, Evans said. He skipped bail and has never been found.

Maye, who had no prior criminal record, insists he killed Jones in self-defense and had no idea he was an officer. He had been watching his 18-month-old daughter when officers burst in his side of the duplex.

A classic example of why paramilitary drug raids, especially based on the tips of confidential informants, are a bad idea.

ANDREW SULLIVAN responds to my comment that Bush Administration policies haven’t exactly been theocratic by quoting (former) Republican House leader Tom Delay talking about religion. It’s a bit of a non sequitur.

At any rate, having now actually spent some time with Sullivan’s book, I think that Ryan Sager’s The Elephant in the Room does a much better job of addressing the split between evangelicals and non-evangelicals in the Republican Party. I’m clearly on the Sager / Libertarian side of that split (and I got the hatemail during the Terri Schiavo affair to prove it), but I don’t think the country is in danger of theocracy in the way Sullivan keeps proclaiming. I’m not sure what side of that split to put Sullivan on anyway, as he’s often claiming a religious basis for his own principles, and drawing up sides in a fashion every bit as apocalyptic as Tom Delay. But maybe “side” is the wrong term for Andrew, as I think he’s more of a one-man circular firing squad these days . . . .

UPDATE: Writing in the non-theocon American Prospect, Peter Steinfels is as skeptical as I about cries of impending theocracy.

ANOTHER UPDATE: On the other hand, here’s a potential theocon who I had as a guest in my own home!

And I still like him, no matter what Andrew might say.

KARL ROVE’S “BLOGPAPER” STRATEGY IS WORKING, as lefty activists obsess over blogwars instead of, you know, getting their candidates elected. That guy is a genius.

PLAME UPDATE: Now they tell us:

Far from being part of an orchestrated plot or a vast White House conspiracy, Plame’s unmasking was simply the handiwork of that Washington, D.C., staple, an insider with a big mouth. The culprit was gossip, not political gunslinging.

It should be noted that the left is not giving up on this one, continuing to point ominously at Bush aides’ behavior vis-à-vis Plame and Wilson. But there’s little doubt that Armitage’s role is a body blow to the conspiracy theorists.

It was, as they say, a “stunning reversal,” the kind of development Ben Bradlee loved to half-kiddingly call “a correction.” It stood the official narrative of Plamegate completely on its head.

Not only was it a fascinating development, it was the kind of story that cried out for attention for fairness reasons. But that wasn’t destined to happen.

No, it wasn’t. And the American Journalism Review offers an excessively charitable explanation: “Maybe it’s simply a matter of embarrassment. After so much breathless coverage of supposed White House character assassination, maybe the MSM just kind of hoped the whole thing would go away.”

They should be embarrassed, all right, but I think it’s more a case of losing interest in the story once it was clear that no one was going to be frog-marched from the White House.

UPDATE: Jim Treacher emails: “Thank you for gloating. About the Plame thing. They really slammed the brakes on that, didn’t they? And then blamed us for the whiplash.”

Indeed.

DAIRYBLOGGING: This is much, much better than the “Raging Cow” blog.

POPULAR MECHANICS LOOKS AT THE NEXT ATOMIC AGE, with an extended discussion of new technologies that promise safe, inexpensive, greenhouse-friendly nuclear power.

HUGO CHAVEZ FLIPS OUT AT THE U.N.: I can’t help but feel that the Chavez and Ahmadinejad speeches are likely to benefit the Republicans this election cycle, by reminding people of what’s out there.

FRIST ON A FENCE: “There’s no doubt that physical barriers can make a real difference.”

Somewhere, Mickey Kaus is saying “I told you so.” Okay, not just somewhere, but here. . . .

MORE POPE NEWS:

THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has issued his own challenge to “violent” Islam in a lecture in which he defends the Pope’s “extraordinarily effective and lucid” speech.

Lord Carey said that Muslims must address “with great urgency” their religion’s association with violence. He made it clear that he believed the “clash of civilisations” endangering the world was not between Islamist extremists and the West, but with Islam as a whole.

“We are living in dangerous and potentially cataclysmic times,” he said. “There will be no significant material and economic progress [in Muslim communities] until the Muslim mind is allowed to challenge the status quo of Muslim conventions and even their most cherished shibboleths.”

Lord Carey’s address came as the man who shot and wounded the last Pope wrote to Pope Benedict XVI to warn him that he was in danger. Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who tried to murder John Paul II in 1981 and is now in prison in Turkey, urged the Pope not to visit the country in November.

Benedict is also getting some Greek Orthodox support.

Jeff Jacoby writes:

If it weren’t so sickening, it would be farcical: A line in the pope’s speech suggests that Islam has a dark history of violence, and offended Muslims vent their displeasure by howling for his death, firebombing churches, and attacking innocent Christians. One of the points Benedict made in his speech at the University of Regensburg was that religious faith untethered by reason can lead to savagery. The mobs denouncing him could hardly have done a better job of proving him right. . . .

But the real insult to Islam is not a line from a papal speech or a cartoon about Mohammed. It is the violence, terror, and bloodshed that Islamist fanatics unleash in the name of their religion — and the unwillingness of most of the world’s Muslims to say or do anything to stop them.

Indeed.

AUSTIN BAY ON THE CBS AMBUSH — with further thoughts at his blog. His point on the mutually-supporting relationship between terrorists and the news media is well taken.

IN THE MAIL: Ron Rosenbaum’s The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups. Theatrical/academic politics at its, er, best.

SO IF GEORGE ALLEN’S MOTHER IS FROM TUNISIA, doesn’t that make him the African-American candidate in the Virginia Senate race?

UPDATE: “Macacawitz?”

A SCANDAL OVER ACADEMIC FREEDOM at the University of North Carolina. More here.

UPDATE: Various embarrassed faculty and alumni of U.N.C.-Chapel Hill stress that this is at U.N.C.-Wilmington.

ONE VIRTUE OF RICHARD POSNER’S NEW BOOK is that it is causing liberals to appreciate the dangers of a “living Constitution” approach to an extent never before achieved.

The latest such is Michiko Kakutani, who reviews the book in the New York Times. Lawprof Mike Rappaport thinks the review looks like a “hatchet job.” Me, I just love the irony.

Our podcast interview with Posner on his book can be found here.

MICHAEL STEELE BLENDS PUPPIES! Heh. Are Maryland Democrats going to start channeling Frank J.?