JAMES LILEKS on the joys of telling other people how to live.

TAKING DOWN THE FLAGS, in Massachusetts.

NO MORE MR. MAGOO? John Tierney looks at aging Boomers, declining eyesight, and the future of smart cars: “Smart cars will never be infallible, but they don’t have to be. They just have to be better than the drivers who now cause more than 90 percent of traffic accidents.”

A DOGGY CHRISTMAS, featuring Hillary Clinton and Mark Levin. More dogs here.

CLINTON VS. OBAMA: Dirty tricks?

THOUGHTS ON BARACK OBAMA, from Bruce Bawer, who’s the author of While Europe Slept.

THOUGHTS ON THE N.I.E., including this question: “If the 2005 estimate concluded that Iran had stopped its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the new one concluded that it was now close to fielding a weapon, would the administration’s critics be counseling caution or action?”

UPDATE: Reader Harry Eagar emails: “Shouldn’t the lede on the Iran N.I.E. stories have been: ‘Iran’s statement that its nuclear program was for peaceful energy production only is a lie’?”

BOEHNER WINS eavesdropping lawsuit:

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner yesterday achieved a definitive victory in his decadelong fight with a leading liberal Democrat who leaked an illegally taped 1996 telephone conversation among House Republican leaders.

The Supreme Court yesterday let stand a lower federal court’s ruling that Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington had wrongfully leaked the tape to two newspapers, contrary to House rules, and that Mr. Boehner could sue him for damages.

(Via Newsalert).

THE MAJESTIC MOOSE. A moose bit my sister once.

“BIG BUT” — BLOGGING FROM IRAQ, Greyhawk responds to Jim Webb.

JOHN MCCAIN AND JOE LIEBERMAN: It’s inexcusable for Congress not to fund troops in Iraq.

MICKEY KAUS notes that it’s tough to stay an “outsider” candidate for long.

WEAK DOLLAR UPDATE: “With the dollar as weak as ever, European companies are trying to avoid disaster. Factories in North American are becoming more attractive, and over the weekend, both Airbus and VW hinted they might take the plunge.” Hmm.

UPDATE: Reader Jim Dunn emails:

Greetings, Prof. Reynolds. I saw your post on the weak dollar possibly leading to foreign manufacturers building plants in the U.S., but I wanted to point out that the Spiegel Online article you linked to erred in one respect. (I write for Business Alabama magazine, so it’s my job to know about these things.) Airbus is hoping to land the Air Force tanker replacement contract, true, but that’s been known for a while. What’s new is that they’re now considering building passenger aircraft in Mobile, Alabama, as The Birmingham News reported. Here’s a link to that story.

Also, I have to point out that German steelmaking giant ThyssenKrupp is already building a massive new facility in the Mobile area that will cost around $4 billion.

A weaker dollar is not all bad.

A LOVELY FASCIST FABLE?

Plus, keep your Tom Smiths straight.

HEY, A SEX SCANDAL THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE A REPUBLICAN: But note that the “ex-aide” to Maria Cantwell didn’t become “ex” until after he was arrested. Does this mean the press will be running interference? (Via JWF).

GAWKER ON FRANKLIN FOER ON BEAUCHAMP: “Foer ought to have taken a page from the Chuck Lane School of Apologia. In 1998, when addressing TNR readers in the wake of the Stephen Glass scandal, the magazine’s 500-word piece concluded simply: ‘We offer no excuses for any of this. Only our deepest apologies to all concerned.'”

MORE ON CHAVEZ AND VENEZUELA. My prediction is that Chavez will take a cue from the European Union and just keep holding this referendum until he wins — at which point the time for voting will be over.

UPDATE: Stephen Green was ahead of me. Great minds think alike.

MORE: Further thoughts on Chavez at Gay Patriot.

STILL MORE: Fausta Wertz looks at the role played by Raul Baduel.

JOHN LEO: Diversity — there’s never enough.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN on Chavez, Putin, and their apologists.

ANDREW LUBIN: A social, not military mission in Africa.

HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET: Don’t get divorced.

ROBERT REICH: Why is HRC stooping So Low? I’d guess that her own polls show Obama surging, and she’s worried.

I agree with Dan Riehl that it’s a mistake.

SHOCKING NEWS: The sky isn’t falling.

IN BRITAIN, a big offshore wind farm. Nobody tell Ted Kennedy!

THE HILLARY NUTCRACKER: Ann Althouse notes that it seems to be popular with Hillary’s fans.