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Me: Frank Lynch

These are my mundane daily ramblings.
For something less spontaneous, I maintain The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page (over 1,800 Johnson quotes).

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Text Archives:

2008:

Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | July | June | May | April | Mar | Feb | Jan

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002

December, 2008

29	Most relaxed President ever, and events in Afghansitan.
28	Blagojovich's subpoena diversion blocked; Christmas; not completely silent.
23	Advertisement on a "Page Not Found"; why can't local papers follow the "price leader" model in their markets? Plus, flip-flops on conservative financial policies hurt Wachoovia.
22	More on Caroline Kennedy.
21	Cheney's weird ideas of the VP role distort his view of Biden.
20	Wall Street trader snooped on his wife for insider information? And Califone.
17	New idea for classical music DVDs? Pus, prefering Liz Holtzman to Caroline Kennedy for Senate; Beethoven's birthday.
15	Michael Isikoff makes a false-sounding note of neutrality while writing about a government leaker.
14	The McCain campaign failed to wipe private data off hardware they were selling after the election.
13	The passing of William Stevens, who compared the evolution of common law to the Infield Fly Rule.
12	Fox's Gretchen Carlson is willing to give the Bill of Rights a day off.
10	The Pentagon knew about the risk of IED's before we invaded Iraq.
9	eBay auctions for the Illinois senate seat; Governor Blagojovich's unfathomable behavior.
8	Amazon is ending its "tip box" service.
7	Conservatives aim their sights on the New York Times again.
6	"Captured by the Norwegians;" Charlie Crist warned against tapping a fund named after predecessor Lawton Chiles.
5	"Downing Street Memo" debunked? Kind of.
4	Complaints that Obama's cabinet Republicans aren't fire-breathing enough?
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November, 2008

30	Does Clinton face a Constitutional hurdle if she's nominated for Secretary of State?
29	Should the government fund alternative fuel cars when the business plan is really, really bad?
28	The first of hopefully many Native American Heritage Days.
26	Young Americans react to Dutch licorice.
25	Rather than alert Congress to the implications of a rule change, the Pentagon robotically restricts injured vets' benefits; how do we benefit from government bail-outs and buy-outs?
24	Developing nations are working to limit the forces of Big Tobacco.
22	Powerline thinks American Jews should think about Israel more when voting.
20	Badfinger, "No Matter What;" Bush on a stage with world leaders, no warm hugs; the polling problems behind an effort to research how Obama got elected.
19	The House GOP's reaction to the elections is to make the leadership swing even further to the right.
17	Iraq's guards against corruption need to be guarded - - not against being corrupt, but against being replaced for being too good; now that Democrats are the newsmakers, why aren't there more of them on the Sunday talk shows?
16	CBS courted the finest conservatives when trying to vet Dan Rather, and even did polling to see which of them would be acceptable.
15	I won't miss John Dingell, who has too many conflicts of interests with his constituency (Detroit) to be in charge of an energy committee.
13	Time for a collective yawn over Sarah Palin; can't Obama waive Bush's executive privilege fig leaf?
11	Sorry, but I don't get Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks."
10	Prudence is in greater supply, as the IAEA expresses suspicions that evidence of Iran's nuclear weapons program is fraudulent.
8	We dodged a bullet in John McCain.
7	Using Palin as an excuse for McCain's failure only goes so far.
6	Giuliani already prepping for 2012; conservatives want the still-yet-to-be-inaugurated Obama to act like he's in charge?
5	Conservative pundits try to persuade that America is a "Center-Right" nation, but polling on attitudes suggests otherwise.
4	Chris Matthews' weak sense of Civil War history; The Times They Are A Changin'; Cyndi Lauper's "Feels Like Christmas."
3	Suggested reading for the giddy among you; pre-election giddiness.
1	Off-message advertising is probably the GOP's own falt; Eddie Harris and John Scofield.
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October, 2008

31	Governor Sarah Palin's limited understanding of free speech and the 1st amendment; host problems may have made it difficult for you to access the site today.
30	Did Joe Biden invoke Samuel Johnson somehow?
29	John McCain's flip-flops should undermine the confidence of anyone considering voting for him; Joe the Plumber is no basis for McCain's talking points, and McCain's talkign points about Obama's tax plans amount to lies even at that.
28	Ed Whelan can't take a correction gracefully.
26	Joe Biden gets interviewed by a local newscaster in Orlando, and asks who's writing her questions.
25	The GOP starts to lose its dignity over the McCain campaign. And what would Sarah Palin do next?
23	Why isn't the Obama site doing more to verify the identity of credit card donors?
22	Now we know why Sarah Palin "looked like a million bucks" at a hockey game.
21	The GOP thinks it controls the memory hole; Sarah Palin thinks Obama's not a feminist because he didn't choose Clinton for veep, ignoring other criteria.
19	If John McCain can't properly vet the validity of Joe the Plumber, how can we be sure he won't be tricked into war? Plus, the "real Virginia," says a McCain supporter, supports McCain.
16	Obama should have been better prepared to deal with McCain's "Joe the Plumber" card in the third debate.
15	Will McCain's next grandstanding effort be Tasmanian Devil Face Cancer?
14	McCain tries to extend the 'surge' concept in places where it just doesn't fit.
11	Jason Spooner; consider the stock market's performance before you bank on an inheritance; John Prine; Bush is glad we had HIM as president during these crisis-filled years.
10	Chorus of hate at McCain rallies.
9	McCain's current "efforts to win" seem geared to supporting down-slate candidates and poisoning the waters for the next administration.
8	Tom Brokaw's debate performance displeased both conservatives and liberals; iPod playlists.
7	Palin billed Alaska inappropriately, and didn't pay her taxes either; AIG didn't think to cancel an upcoming congratulatory off-site conference scheduled for after their government bail out.
5	Palin goes on the offensive, using Obama's past affiliation with William Ayers.
3	A playlist for your iPod that will search out wider variety for you; video through Brooklyn Heights; reactions to the Palin-Biden debate.
1	Couric's Supreme Court question might actually have been difficult for Governor Palin to answer.
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September, 2008

30	Media reactions to Bloomberg's efforts to extend term limits, vs. Giuliani's efforts to extend his actual term, can't be made. It's unfair to claim bias for two different situations.
29	Governor Palin draws a blank on a Supreme Court question from Katie Couric. Is there more to the story?
27	Alert: "Open House New York" is coming; reactions to the first McCain-Obama debate.
26	Bill Monroe on You Tube.
24	John McCain grandstands by trying to postpone the debate; McCain advisor Rick Davis still reaping the rewards of lobbying.
22	John McCain thinks that the world is waiting for him and Obama to solve the financial problems; Europe and Japan decline our offer to allow them to help us out.
20	Governor Palin charged an official with insubordination over a trip, but her office had approved the trip; Sean Hannity's weak, and coddling, interview with Palin.
19	Sarah Palin, whiner.
18	America reaches out, again, to foreign bank systems for financial relief; how it all grew out of our arrogance and consumption mentality.
14	Rochester's mass transit system actually runs at a profit; why isn't John McCain making the mature decisions?
13	The endangered species of the local butcher; a brief inventory of John McCain's lies.
10	NBC Nightly News gets it right over the overblown "lipstick on a pig" controversy; John McCain has decided to run on lies.
8	Matt Lauer seems to believe that merely exercising constitutional authority is an example of Bush demonstrating leadership.
7	Governor Sarah Palin seems to believe that getting right with God is a precursor to Alaska getting a new pipeline.
6	Georgia politician claims he had no idea "uppity" was a racially charged offensive term; GOP told Alaskan convention delegates to cite a technicality in defense of their Senator who has been charged with corruption.
5	Drew Emmitt live; McCain-Palin isn't change when all they do is lie to us.
4	Governor Palin is a lying snake; Georgia politician calls Obama "uppity;" fact checking Governor Palin.
3	Conservative blogger expects Palin will impress most of those who watch her speech; CNN's Campbell Brown seems to think a spotlight on Palin's daughter is obligatory.
2	McCain throws a tantrum, and takes himself off Larry King; Governor Palin was not, repeat, not, a member of an Alaskan political party that wanted to secede.
1	John McCain's vetting team never read the local newspaper archives when vetting Governor Palin: shades of Bernie Kerik!
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August, 2008

31	In HBO's "John Adams," frame composition fails to relate to emotional and political distance between characters; if Governor Palin is really qualified to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency, you'd have thought the Republican Presidential field would have been stronger; an odd retraction from a Right Wing blogger.
27	Bush lawyers now want to withhold information on interrogation procedures because if revealed it will harm our international relationships.
26	Highway fatalities are down, but it's attributable to increased gas prices, not to any Bush policies.
23	With Obama's choice of Joe Biden for VP, McCain may as well write the VP debate off.
22	A Right Wing blogger excuses John McCain's inability to remember how many houses he has with his own inability to remember how many neckties he has.
21	A Swiss institute analyzes Obama and McCain for sincerity.
8	Our good fortune that John Edwards is not the nominee for President.
7	Bob Dylan covers.
5	The Governor of Kentucky signs an order to allow limited use of electric cars, but only those that go less than 45 MPH. It's an effort to get a factory.
4	How solid was the case against Bruce Ivins?
2	Is the Anthrax case really closed?
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July, 2008

29	The Department of Justice issues its report on the meddling of Monica Goodling on the hiring of DOJ staff; she'll face little or no punishment.
28	Daily reports of the drop in the Dow need to discuss the longer term trend.
27	Detroit is suffering, in a variety of ways, from its failure to market the electric car in California.
25	If the surge was so successful, why is it so 'fragile'?
23	Bush's assertion that "Wall Street got drunk" ignores the role of the Federal Reserve, as well as how much he benefited from its loose credit policies.
21	McCain confused over what countries border which in the Mid East; does it matter that Obama hasn't taken a direct briefing from Petraeus yet?
20	Radio host Mark Levin takes an anti-Semitic approach to Jon Stewart.
19	Conservative Bob Barr approved for the Ohio presidential ballot, on the Libertarian ticket.
15	No wildlife in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge? Huh? That's what a leaidn Republican said.
13	Salmonella outbreak argues against claims we're safer after 9/11; President Clinton calls on governors to experiment more with what states are capable of.
12	The White House refused to listen to early word from the CIA that many Guantanamo detainees didn't belong there; revisiting the 55 MPH speed limit; fake speed bumps.
11	McCain advisor Phil Gramm calls America a nation of whiners, but there are many reasons to complain about the economy; McCain holds Obama to standards which he, himself, doesn't meet.
10	Iranian photo-doctoring to make their rocket tests more impressive.
8	Scott McClellan describes life with Dick Cheney.
3	More Bush cronyism on a Kurdish oil deal?
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June, 2008

30	Being a war hero doesn't qualify you for the presidency - not Ulysses Grant and not John McCain.
28	Iraqi benchmarks not going to be achieved while Bush is in office?
23	A distillery in Scotland gets a request to turn the webcam back on... from the Pentagon.
22	The "lie of silence" is being deployed over Iraq; a female suicide bomber's success is taken as a sign of insurgents' desperation; Zimbabwe turmoil demonstrates the limited effects of the Iraqi invasion; T. Boone Pickens qualifies his "debunk the Swift Boaters" challenge; James Wolcott chastises a conservative commentator for his yardstick of Tim Russert's even-handedness.
19	Proponents of off-shore oil drilling are propping up their arguments with a lie, that there was no significant spillage after Katrina.
18	"I Don't Need No Doctor"
17	Early guidance for interrogating detainees said you shouldn't kill them; McCain falls for the shallow promise of off-shore oil drilling.
16	Miscellany: Bloomsday, Hemingway, Father's Day, and Shawshank Redemption.
15	Evangelicals lukewarm to McCain?
14	Celebrations of Father's Day changing in greater economic difficulties?
10	Bush fired Rove while they were in church?
9	Iraqi lawmakers cite US demands for 58 bases, and fear being drawn into a war with Iraq; Jack Abramoff's firm complains about a state department negotiator, who proceeds to lose his job; Guantanamo interrogators destroyed notes for fear they'd come out.
8	John McCain gets $58,000 a year in disability payments from the government.
7	Energy saving tip: vacuum your refrigerator coils.
5	Verdict: Bush and Cheney lied about Iraq; an early opponent of the war dies.
4	Increased usage of mass transit is putting a squeeze on some agencies.
3	In making a dumb joke about people from West Virginia, Cheney reveals who the real elitists are.
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May, 2008

31	Even if Scott McClellan doesn't deserve lionization, the attention he's getting isn't a bad thing.
29	The press can't manage to ask the right questions about Scott McClellan in a White House press briefing.
27	Americans are driving less, and adopting different strategies to cope with high gas prices.
24	Hillary Clinton touches a third rail when mentioning RFK's assassination and political uncertainty; will John McCain's interest in more efficient government extend to cutting out the waste in Iraq?
22	Who overturned the American Idol decision? And do producers have tin ears?
20	The White House bristles over a harsh look from NBC News.
19	Republican Senator Bob Corker takes the high road over the legitimate bounds of political campaigning.
15	The years of "Bush malaise," and how his response to them varies from Jimmy Carter's.
14	Americans are facing growing money worries, and it's fair to blame some of it on Bush.
12	Conservative Bob Barr may pose a potential threat to John McCain's candidacy, now that he's announced plans to run as a Libertarian.
10	Gas tax holidays: a bad idea in their own right, and worse now that more people are experimenting with mass transit.
8	Did a regulator let Condoleezza Rice off the hook too easily? And HB, THomas Pynchon.
7	Mitt Romney foresees experience as a way to whittle Obama down.
6	Further Dmocratic primaries, with Obama and Clinton looking for a selling pitch that truly wins.
3	Breda Smyth; John McCain's gaffe on warring for oil.
1	Enthusiasm about attacking Iraq is scary, given how well we accomplished the mission in Iraq.
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April, 2008

30	Bush trains his sites on ANWR, as if that will make up for the forgone conservation opportunities; LA home prices down 19% from last year.
25	Eric Alterman's "Why We're Liberals."
23	Obama's supposed "failure" to knock Clinton out of the ring isn't a sign of weakness.
22	Deficits increasing, and 2008's already surpass 2007's.
21	Vacant foreclosed homes are being infested by bees.
19	The GAO rules that Bush is wrong to block states from doing more to feed poor kids.
17	When people care about whether or not John McCain's wife has genuinely personal recipes, and ABC's debate anchors ask all the wrong questions, we have to ask ourselves who is being served by the current discourse.
16	Iraqi forces flee when push comes to shove.
15	AG Mukasey's staff tries to clarify issues surrounding whether or not they could wiretap before 9/11, but in doing so show they still don't understand the law.
13	Lenders are exercising their contractual rights to cut off lines of credit, but aren't refunding fees based on the size of the credit line. And those who planned on those credit lines have to make other plans.
12	Bill Richardson says, among other things, that the Clinton camp and its supporters were too aggressive in pursuing his endorsement.
10	Finally, Bush cuts back on the length of troops' tours in Iraq. But only once Democrats aren't pushing for it to happen.
7	Democrats in the New York State Assembly won't even let Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan come up for a vote.
5	What's the relative value of a letter from Abraham Lincoln and an Internet domain name?
3	John Conyers wants AG Mukasey to cut through his claims that FISA stopped us from gathering intelligence from Afghanisan telephones prior to 9/11.
1	Iraqi failures in Basra show how unprepared they are to take over for themselves; Leningrad Cowboys sing "Sweet Home Alabama."
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March, 2008

31	NYC's city councl approves Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan.
29	James Carville defends comparing Bill Richardson to Judas, but shows how little he understands about righteousness.
28	Loudon Wainwright III.
27	Joke.
26	Farmed salmon issues; McCain's baseless reputation for credibility.
24	The Clinton camp argues that superdelegates need to decide between Clinton and Obama on the basis of the electorla college map.
22	James Carville compares Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama to Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus; 3,996 US troop deaths in Iraq; do owners of Internet networking sites owe royalties to the community when the big sale is made?
20	Bush heightens anxiety over Iran and nuclear weapons with a slip of the tongue, intentional or not.
17	An editorial cartoon compares Pelosi to a whore, selling out American security as a freebie; the US study of over 600,000 documents showing Saddam Hussein had no relationship with Al Qaeda is out on CD; Josh Marshall questions press treatment of John McCain.
15	John McCain plays Iraq so that, no matter what happens, he looks good.
13	Media frenzy over the details of Spitzer's dealings with prostitutes.
12	The iPod porffered Elvis' "One Night of Sin" after a discussion of Governor Spitzer, but does the history of GOP cheaters argue against Fitzgerald's narrator's claim that there are no second acts in American lives?
11	A review of over 600,000 documents shows no Iraqi - Al Qaeda partnership.
9	McClatchy seeks clues to the "tough" Obama through his writings.
8	Bush vetoes a bill outlawing torture.
4	What will Obama be like when the Republicans dig in their heels and it's time to take the gloves off?
1	Iraq's Prime Minister declares that reconciliation has been accomplished.
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February, 2008

29	A White House employee who writes a column for his hometown paper is caught plagiarizing.
27	The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is $3 billion, according to a leading economist.
25	How the US intelligence community continues to play up threats fro political gain.
23	John McCain's lobbyist scandal.
21	In Philip Shenon's book on the 9/11 Commission, the extent to which the White House tried to stonewall on the PDB's is clear. But Zelikow doesn't like the book for its scrutiny of him.
20	Powerline complains about another monster under the bed; a self-deprecating blog title.
19	I strongly recommend this recipe for a bean stew.
18	McClatchy analysis now shows that it takes more time for the unemployed to find new jobs.
17	Huge beef recall.
15	Telecom immunity, and high praises for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
14	Lurch, the primary voice at the blog "Main and Central," has died.
12	One more reason to complain about Verizon is that they don't get very fresh web content.
11	The Army buries a report from the Rand Corporation, ostensibly because its scope was broader than desired. But Rand found a lot of blame to place for the way we blew Iraq.
10	Republican Congressmen not running for re-election approaches a record, because it's no fun to be a statesman while in the minority; Tom Friedman was indispensible?
8	Once Bush gets a temporary bill passed, he wants it forever.
7	Looking out for "The McCain Suck Up Watch."
5	Movie musings while we wait for Super Tuesday results which we all know won't decide anything; I voted for John Edwards even though he no longer contends.
2	More security for the NYC subways, but is it only election year fear mongering? Plus, the NFL cracks down on church prayer greetings surrounding big screen showings of the Super Bowl.
1	Edinburgh's "Royal Mile" endangered by modern construction; an Australian attorney is forgiven for leaking details of how the police were railroading his client as a "terrorist."
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January, 2008

30	John Edwards, and his exit from the Presidential campaign.
29	The continuing claim that once a practice is abandoned, having once practiced it isn't newsworthy; the word "progressional."
28	Paul Weyrich joins the list of conservatives who can't tolerate John McCain.
26	Rick Santorum hates John McCain so much, he was overheard to say he'd sooner vote for Obama or Clinton.
24	In endorsing Clinton over Obama, the New York Times brusquely shunts John Edwards aside without any serious consideration.
23	A tally of 935 pre-war falsehoods on Iraq and al Qaeda from the Bush Administration gets the brush-off from spokesperson Dana Perino; a former Bush official comes down with a tummy ache when she learns a speech she will give be on the public record.
21	The EPA refuses to share its deliberations over a waiver for California's requests for stricter standards, citing "executive privelege."
20	The Green Bay Packers and "Starry Starry Night;" New York Times ombudsman defends a reporter's Supreme Court coverage.
17	Someone who intercepted Cheney a bit aggressively got arrested, and Secret Service starts pointing fingers over the bad collar.
15	Visiting Saudia Arabia, Bush talks about energy prices and consumption, but it sounds like a late conversion.
14	Further attempts to quantify the denominator for a New York Times article on the behavior of our troops after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
13	A New York Times article on the post service crime behavior of veterans is indecipherable, thanks to a very muddy denominator.
12	Arianna Huffington foolishly says that the answer to bad polling is to stop answering pollers' telephone calls; a US appeals court says that Guantanamo detainees should have expected they'd be tortured; further thoughts on racism regarding polling surveys and voter behaviors.
11	Recounts in the New Hampshire primary have been requested.
10	On the anniversary of last year's "New Way Forward" in Iraq, the US effort gets repositioned to "Iraqi Solutions," with even lower expectations.
9	More on the turnout.
8	I think the overlooked story in Iowa and New Hampshire is the huge turnout.
6	The Twelve Days of Christmas, a la Fox News; Bhutto's assassination has caught our government unprepared.
5	Jonah Goldberg predicts race riots if Obama doesn't win the nomination; Bill O'Reilly thinks Obama avoids "tough" interviews.
4	Time warp from watching a 1991 baseball game; Senator Christopher Dodd exits the Presidential race.
3	Representative Jane Harman's letter protesting torture has been partially declassified; Iowa caucuses, and we wonder if Obama has been elected President yet.
1	Mitt Romney takes on Reagan's mantle, ignoring the huge deficit spending; Trashcan Sinatras.
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