I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with this Cliven Bundy story, mostly because it broke while I was deliberately avoiding the news on vacation, but I must say that I'm simply shocked to find out that a right-winger who denies the authority of the federal government is also racist. After all, … Continue reading The real racists, etc.

There seems to have been a breakthrough in the Iran talks, at least according to Iranian media (which, grain of salt and all), around the issue of the heavy-water IR-40 reactor at Arak, which was one of the disputes at the heart of the talks. The upshot is that Iran is willing to run the … Continue reading Potential agreement on Arak clears one obstacle to an Iran nuclear deal, up at Lobe Log

This went up while I was away, and so great was my desire to actually be on vacation that I didn't even think to link to it here. It's a piece on the ongoing slap fight between the CIA and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence over whether and how to release the committee's report … Continue reading Reflecting on America’s sins, my (now week-old, sorry!) piece at Lobe Log

Hey out there. Since I was gone for a week I thought the best thing to do a thing that I could try on my first post back would be to collect a few random things I missed while I was away. Since there's nobody here to stop me, here goes: In a move that's … Continue reading Random wonderments while I was away

One of Sullivan's readers tries to find some common ground with him on the subjects of Mozilla's decision to promote and promptly fire accept the resignation of would-be CEO Brendan Eich (because he donated to support the awful Prop 8 campaign in California) and Brandeis University's decision to extend and promptly revoke an offer to … Continue reading So, they’re just like pundits, then?

Reihan Salam has a very Hot Take in Slate, "Why I Am Still a Neocon," in which he says he is still a neoconservative because, well, here's what he wrote: Given all of this, why am I still a neocon? Why do I still believe that the U.S. should maintain an overwhelming military edge over … Continue reading The inconvenient fact that words mean things

If you're trying to get up to speed on the Iran nuclear talks, which entered their third round today in Vienna, I've tried to hit all the main points in this new piece at Lobe Log. I think the final section is the most important: Why are the talks important? A negotiated settlement that allows … Continue reading A Primer on the Iranian nuclear talks, by yours truly

For religious folks of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic persuasion, lying is generally treated as a sin. The most succinct and famous religious law in the Abrahamic tradition is the Ten Commandments, and one of them reads (NASB): "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." If the Ten Commandments version isn't your bag (the phrasing leaves … Continue reading Bearing false witness

Married male congressman gets caught on security camera kissing a lady staffer of his, who is not his wife. Congressman says "I’ve asked them [his wife and kids] for forgiveness, and I’m asking forgiveness from my constituents who elected me to serve them.” This is fine, whatever, your marital problems don't have anything to do … Continue reading No double standard here

I'm home with a feverish kid, but I notice things are reaching kind of a fevered pitch in eastern Ukraine today: The seizure of government buildings in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists is being orchestrated by Moscow to create an excuse for a military invasion like in Crimea, Ukraine's prime minister said Monday. "Russia's scenario … Continue reading This can’t be good