the superiority of conspiracy theory over 'political analysis'

* susiemadrak was more polite than me. she simply says: "NYT ‘Better Late Than Never’ Series" - perhaps i should have gone for the understated...

* rudepundit on saddam:

"Sure, the timing is beyond suspicious, now, less than three days before the beginning of the post-election lawsuits. You know, c'mon, how do we get from spider hole to noose at this most politically expedient moment without some Rovean goosing? But is there a single person in this country whose reaction doesn't fall into the range between a bemused "Yeah, didn't see that coming" to a confused "He's still alive?" It's too late for this to have any impact, a waste of a perfectly good promise of execution.

Republicans and the right in general have had more surprises come from within over the last few weeks (Foley, Haggard, nuke secrets posted to the internet, and on and on) that they've made the populace numb to anything that might even be spun as good news for them.

They've fucked the goat. And once you know someone's fucked a goat, you can never look at that person the same way."

* Elizabeth Dole is a talking-point-bot. what a performance on MTP.

* c&l:

"Dick Cheney told George Stephanopoulos that he would "probably not" appear before Congress if subpoenaed."

* michael rubin:

" Unfortunately, our public diplomacy is failing. MEMRI had just issued a report showing how many Turks perceive the US Ambassador, Ross Wilson, to support the Islamists. It’s been almost a year since Wilson arrived in Ankara."

* wolcott:

"Once you're arranging drug buys and massages with male prostitutes, I think we've moved beyond the curiosity stage. Today one of the cable news outfits ran an interview with one of Haggard's closest friends and associates, and if it's possible to be so gay you don't even know you're gay, he would have been people's exhibit #1. He said Jesus's name as if it were the most delicious lozenge imaginable."

* laura:

"Now that Santorum and Weldon are likely to be looking for new jobs soon, maybe their benefactors could pony up a little money to help endow a think tank chair for them. I see Weldon as the Bratya Karic/Itera/Oto Melara distinguished senior resident fellow in homeland security and missile defense at the Heritage foundation."

* billmon:

"Likewise, historians and legal experts alike said they were mystified by the court's determination to prevent Saddam and the other Baath Party defendents from testifying or introducing evidence about the support they received from the U.S. government during Iran-Iraq War.

"The genocidal crimes that Saddam was convicted of occurred during that very same time period," noted one puzzled historian, who asked not to be identified by name because he hates getting e-mails from angry conservatives. "This trial could have shed much light on those tragic events, and on the roles of the Reagan and first Bush administrations in propping up Saddam's regime," the historian added. "But for some reason the Iraqi authorities seemed determined to keep the focus as narrow as possible. I just don't understand it.""

* xymphora:

"I have to add that blatant electoral fraud is one of the best ways to convince people of the superiority of conspiracy theory to the tired traditional forms of political analysis."