MICHAEL BENSON: Send the Space Station to the Moon: “The ISS, you see, is already an interplanetary spacecraft — at least potentially. It’s missing a drive system and a steerage module, but those are technicalities. Although it’s ungainly in appearance, it’s designed to be boosted periodically to a higher altitude by a shuttle, a Russian Soyuz or one of the upcoming new Constellation program Orion spacecraft. It could fairly easily be retrofitted for operations beyond low-Earth orbit. In principle, we could fly it almost anywhere within the inner solar system — to any place where it could still receive enough solar power to keep all its systems running.”

CHARLES SCHUMER responds to charges that he caused the IndyMac bank failure. “At a news conference Sunday, the New York Democrat deflected blame cast upon him by regulators for causing a run on the bank that saw depositors withdraw more than $1.3 billion during the 11 days after Schumer released a letter about the possible risks of IndyMac failing.”

ABC: Is The Recession All in Your Head?

UPDATE: Meanwhile, Ed Cone criticizes criticism of over-the-top recession reporting. I’m unpersuaded. A recession is not a synonym for “a time when some people are hurting and there are worries about the economy,” and dismissing efforts to keep the language straight as a reliance on technical mumbo-jumbo seems pretty weak to me. As I’ve noted in the past, there’s plenty to worry about regarding the economy, and it’s likely that — despite all the talk about the “recession” we’ve allegedly been in for the past year or so despite positive economic growth — the press is missing economic news that’s worse than what it’s been reporting. They certainly weren’t ahead of the curve on Fannie Mae. Nonetheless, saying that it’s a recession because you’re worried about the economy is like demanding antibiotics because your child feels bad, without waiting for a diagnosis. People do it, but it’s not smart.

Plus, it’s mostly political. In the 1990s people were hurting — farmers in particular, though only Willie Nelson and Joel Dyer cared much — but all we heard about was how great the economy was, even though it was in a big bubble. Now, with numbers that are actually not that bad, we’re hearing about how dreadful the economy is right now. Not about problems that ought to be addressed, not about potential issues for the future, but about how we’re in a depression of Steinbeckian proportions. As I’ve suggested before, this is partly excusable on the grounds that journalism really is facing such a depression — their numbers are horrible — but I suspect that if President-Designate Barack Obama were already in office we wouldn’t be getting this kind of reporting.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Regarding the ABC story, reader Thomas Prewitt writes:

These lines at the end of the piece struck me:

SNOW: Which is not to say it’s not painful to go to the gas pump and pay those prices. Well, thank you so much — go ahead.

YARROW: I was going to say, and you know, gas prices and food prices in particular are causing people to be very emotional a bout it because every single day, they’re aware of difficulties.

This reminded me of Ronald Reagan saying that the American People should be required to pay their income taxes in one big check at the end of the year as this would remind them how much of their money they were sending to the government.

Yes, and it should be the day before Election Day . . .

MORE: Reader Terrence McMahon emails:

I would say that there are some segments of the overall economy that are in really bad shape. Housing and transportation definitely, and where I live, manufacturers of heavy steel items like automotive lifts and steel shipping containers. Mostly due to the price of fuel. However, unemployment is still low. In the rural area where I live, unemployment is well under the national average and right now, many manufacturers can’t hire enough skilled workers.

But try and remember back to the last real recession, how many people were standing in line to buy a $200 + cellphone with a two-year $100 per month contract attached? How about running out and buying a new TV, PC or laptop? How about a $50 videogame? I’m not going to say it didn’t happen, but…

And you may remember the last time there was a “gas shortage”, gas stations actually ran out of gas. I drive all over the Mid-West and South for my job, I pay anywhere upwards of $4 for gas, but I haven’t seen one “No Gas” sign. Think this is a bubble? I’ll bet you the house I paid too much for.

I don’t know if it’s a bubble, but it’s not the Great Depression. It’s not even the Carter Malaise yet, though if folks in Washington have their way that might change . . . .

THE FEDS WILL STAND BY Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

IN LIGHT OF YESTERDAY’S POST ON THE WATER GUNS, here’s a middle-schooler water-gun abusive lab test. My family’s test results are here.

CANADIAN KANGAROO COURT UPDATE: Levant to Congress: put Canada on the watch list of human rights abusers. Seems fitting.

SO I JUST TURNED ON THE TV, and what was on but the evening gown competition for Miss Universe, opened by . . . Miss Kosovo! Maybe there is hope for the world after all.

SINCE MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOLKS OFTEN TAKE SHOTS AT BLOGGERS for what’s in their comment sections — example here — it’s only fair to point out what’s going on at the L.A. Times.

MEGAN MCARDLE: “I think it’s kind of hard to deny that there are a lot of women who do not like science fiction because it doesn’t fit into their conception of girly.”

SOME CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS:

Among other things, H. Res. 1331 includes provisions that would repeal D.C.’s ban on many semi-automatic firearms, and repeal the District’s firearm registration system, as in H.R. 1399. It would also reduce the District’s burdensome restrictions on ammunition, and repeal the District’s unique law that allows manufacturers of certain types of guns to “be held strictly liable in tort, without regard to fault or proof of defect,” for injuries caused with those guns. D.C. has used this law to bring suits against the firearms industry, but those suits have now been blocked by the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.”

(Via SayUncle).

IF OBAMA LOSES, THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM WILL BE that it was because sleazy rightwingers portrayed him as a Muslim terrorist sympathizer.

When that happens, show ’em this New Yorker cover and remind ’em that The New Yorker is not generally regarded as a right-wing publication. (But it’s satire! Actual article here.)

Plus, this: “The panelists agreed it would succeed in its goal of getting attention.” Gee, do you think?

Meanwhile, some people are actually talking about the story, instead of the cover. “Obama and Rezko’s friendship grew stronger. They dined together regularly and even, on at least one occasion, retreated to Rezko’s vacation home, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.” Plus, Obama’s response to 9/11.

UPDATE: Ann Althouse:

The artist is Barry Blitt, and I have to say that I think the cover is a hilarious spoof of the fears and lies about Obama. Michelle and Barack are in the Oval Office, doing a celebratory fist bump. There’s an Osama Bin Laden portrait on the wall and a burning flag in the fireplace. He’s a Muslim and she’s a revolutionary. Of course, Obama has to push it aside and can scarcely laugh about it.

Or, maybe, I don’t know… maybe it would work to laugh. He’s been awfully uptight about things lately. And laughing conveys the instant recognition that it’s absurd. Why be surly about it? McCain’s supposed to be the cranky guy…

Indeed.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Jake Tapper: “The sophisticates at The New Yorker have come up with a cover that is sure to get the magazine a lot of attention. Negative attention. From their friends.” As a famous editor once said: Good buzz, bad buzz, it’s all buzz.

MORE: Reader Brian Sament writes:

Obama is delighted with the New York magazine cover, because it plays right into his narrative and game plan for victory. Remember his declaration:

“We know what kind of campaign they’re to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. Did I mention he’s black?”

The strategy is to delegitimize all criticism of Obama, by blending the categories of legitimate and illegitimate criticism. Thus, mention of the fact that Obama has done little and knows little is somehow of a piece with a racist motive for not voting for Obama.

Obama / New Yorker are trying to implant in our collective consciousness the idea that any criticism of Obama necessarily comes from a dark and malignant place, a place of irrational fear and paranoia and racism.

I don’t think this will help.

MORE: Some reactions from around the Web.

And here’s more on, you know, the actual story about Obama. I suspect they’d rather talk about the cover. “Ryan Lizza continues on to tell the whole story of his rise in politics, and those he ran over to get there:”

STILL MORE: “The Reisistible Rise of Barack Obama.” “Lizza’s article coincidentally demonstrates that Obama’s grandiosity is a quality that can be traced through his years in Chicago. The entire article is worth reading. . . . In this very long article, Obama’s assessment of Bob Dole is one conspicuous item. In Obama’s view, Dole had already risen to become one of the most powerful men in the country as Senate Majority Leader when he chose to run for president against Bill Clinton. By Obama’s reckoning, Dole’s age and eminence told against him. For Obama, on the other hand, seeking the presidency of the United States is a career move that logically fulfills the destiny foretold by his election to the presidency of the Harvard Law Review.”

Hey, at least they’re talking about this instead of James Johnson, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.

Andrew Malcolm: “It’s got everything incendiary except a vest bomb. Which is what should telegraph to most people that it’s way over-the-top and, therefore, satire. But politicians don’t like satire because it’s subject to differing interpretations. . . . Little doubt the incendiary magazine cover accomplished its intent of attracting attention on an otherwise slow-news summer Sunday. It’ll probably sell more magazines too. And more Mylanta for the Obama offices.”

Seth Leibsohn:

The press release from The New Yorker says, “in ‘The Politics of Fear,’ artist Barry Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign.”

But whose scare tactics? While John McCain has denounced even the use of Barack Obama’s middle name (lest it be considered a “scare tactic”), the fright, it seems to me, has been from the Democratic party — or at least Hillary Clinton. If memory serves, the first time a depiction or picture of Barack Obama circulated that had him looking like a Muslim came from an old picture the Clinton campaign circulated during the primary, when Obama was dressed in native garb in Africa. And it was the Clinton campaign that aired an ad in PA that featured an image of Osama bin Laden reminding us of how dangerous the world is, saying Hillary had what it took—as opposed to Obama — to confront him.

As noted above, though, in the revisionist history this will all have been the work of evil racist Republicans.

WHY, INDEED? “French media loses big court case proving Palestinian propaganda false, New York Times ignores shocking story… Why?” Because it opens the door to suggestions that this wasn’t an aberration, but the norm in Mideast coverage?

CULTURE OF CORRUPTION UPDATE: “Democrats in the Pennsylvania state legislature face multiple counts of corruption as a probe by the state’s Attorney General continues. Representatives Mike Veon (formerly second in House leadership), Sean Ramaley, and 10 former aides allegedly used government offices for Democratic Party fundraising and activities. One aide had no other job but fundraising, and the rest got bonuses for the amounts of money they brought in — paid by Pennsylvania taxpayers.” Expect this to be widely ignored.

BETTER HIP IMPLANTS, with nanotechnology.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT SHALE OIL.

JONAH GOLDBERG: Ego-Bama, swallow some of that pride.

ANDY GROVE: Our electric future.

HOW I LEARNED to stop worrying and love HDMI.