It would be much easier to tolerate the concept of "multiculturalism" if we didn't have to deal with people whose values are, well... "different" from ours.

Thankfully, it seems that many American opinion-shapers are coming to the same conclusion

I missed the morning session of the hearing, but saw most of the afternoon one.  Not completely disheartening, and certainly not wildly hopeful.  At least the majority of the Committee members eventually made the point that the importance of the program to defending against attacks is completely beside the point; it's the need for oversight to keep the program from getting turned inward on the admin's political enemies that's crucial.

If anyone else caught the hearings, I'd be interested in their impression.

Now I watched the C-SPAN coverage of Alberto Gonzalez's speech at Georgetown a while back, and stayed alert for the panel discussion that followed it.  Which is to say, I actually saw the four panelists take a shot at either excoriating Bush and his NSA spying program or praising Bush for his NSA spying program.

Bill O'Reilly it seems did not bother to watch this, though it certainly did not stop him from devoting a segment of his show to how unfair the whole thing was to David Rivkin who, of course, was O'Reilly's guest.

The President and the White House have turned "tax cuts = jobs" into a soothing mantra for the masses.  In fact, up until a few days ago, the White House's official page on Economy and Budget had a bullet point item headlined "Tax Cuts Have Helped Create More Jobs."  It explained that "As rates decreased, incentives were created for small businesses to invest in new equipment and facilities so that they could expand and create jobs."

Hello.  This is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking to you from an undisclosed location over an NSA connection that must, by its very nature, be kept secret.  

"In order to sell a product or a service, a company must establish a relationship with the consumer. It must build trust and rapport. It must understand the customer's needs, and it must provide a product that delivers the promised benefits."
Jay Levinson, author and advertising expert.

America has never really been that fond of foreigners.  Every wave of immigration brought dire warnings of disastrous effects for the country, and today there is such antipathy to the United Nations that John Bolton can be made UN Ambassador without riots in the streets.

Yet Americans always seem surprised when some other nation views us--foreigners to them--in the same suspicious light.

Which is all a way of saying that, if the quote at the beginning of this piece is true, we have a hell of a long uphill battle to sell Iraqis on our intentions, which probably means we have a long haul on selling them on our idea of democracy.

Certain news stories tend to go far beyond explanation, some tend to slide past The Twilight Zone....

Always got to hand it our friends over at Raw Story. Seems certain worried politicos are thinking, "Golly, maybe we need an amendment to the Constitution, making sure that it's pretty darned clear as to......"

America's favorite cheerleader for the rich and truth-challenged, our Mister David Brooks hath spoken again, and the NY Times still gives him the platform to do so:

"America's problem over the next 50 years will not be wrestling with decline.  It will be helping the frustrated individuals and nations left so far behind."
David Brooks, "The Nation of the Future" 2-2-06 NY Times.

It isn't like the contrary info is hard to find.

The President and his representatives continually scoff at those of us who think that Iraq is, if not in the toilet, at least close enough to wish it had some air freshener.

The administration has, if anything, renewed the vigor of its public relations campaign to make Americans associate the word "Iraq" with proud, smiling Iraqis holding up a purple thumb, and American troops and civilians standing amidst a group of happy Iraqis as the Iraqis survey a newly constructed ____(fill in the blank).

Compare and contrast.

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