Sierra Faith

And an independent press.

Wow:

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post is offering lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfrontational access to “those powerful few” — Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and the paper’s own reporters and editors. . . .

The offer — which essentially turns a news organization into a facilitator for private lobbyist-official encounters — is a new sign of the lengths to which news organizations will go to find revenue at a time when most newspapers are struggling for survival.

Also known as IOUs.

The Golden State is not even worth copper today.

Now the judges are running the economy.

Bank of America says Yes to funny money!

Joins the Senate.

How appropriate.

Jonathan Karl reviews Alistair Horne’s Kissinger: 1973, The Crucial Year:

Beyond the defense of Israel, Kissinger’s objective was to keep the Soviets out of the fighting and prevent the Yom Kippur War from turning into World War III. On Saturday, Oct. 20, he flew to Moscow to meet directly with Brezhnev. While Mr. Kissinger was mid-flight, Nixon, suddenly engaged in diplomacy, sent a letter to Brezhnev declaring that Mr. Kissinger, now secretary of state, had “full authority” to conduct negotiations. When Mr. Kissinger arrived in Moscow, he called Al Haig, the president’s chief of staff, to complain that Nixon’s letter made it impossible for him to use the ploy of saying he needed to consult with Washington before making an agreement.

“Will you get off my back?” Mr. Haig pleaded. “I have troubles of my own.”

“What troubles can you possibly have in Washington on a Saturday night?” Mr. Kissinger asked.

What troubles indeed. With the Middle East in flames and the Russians threatening to send in troops, news in Washington was dominated by the Saturday Night Massacre, Nixon’s firing of the attorney general, the deputy attorney general and the special prosecutor. As Mr. Haig told Mr. Kissinger: “All hell has broken loose.”

Alan Dershowitz:

The differences that would matter are those — if they exist — that directly impact Israel’s security. And in terms of Israel’s security, nothing presents a greater threat than Iran.

The Obama administration consistently says that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. But prior to the current unrest in the Islamic Republic, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel frightened many supporters of Israel in May by appearing to link American efforts to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons to Israeli actions with regard to the settlements.

This is a disturbing linkage that should be disavowed by the Obama administration. Opposition to a nuclear Iran — which would endanger the entire world — should not be dependent in any way on the issue of settlement expansion.

Good to see people thinking.

“Men invent new ideals because they dare not attempt old ideals. They look forward with enthusiasm, because they are afraid to look back.”

G.K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong With The World, 1910

Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read.

And don’t miss the interview here.

“Standing on air.”

Even a liberal like Michael Kinsley gets it:

Here is a handy-dandy way to determine whether the failure to order some exam or treatment constitutes rationing: If the patient were the president, would he get it? If he’d get it and you wouldn’t, it’s rationing.

Amity Shlaes:

Stop Moralizing

– Junk the social conservatism. There’s always been an inherent contradiction in aggressive moralizing by Republicans. On the one hand, the party stands for federalism — asking Washington to do less. On the other hand the party can’t resist moralizing, even when it means expansion of the federal government. Witness the federal foray into schooling that was No Child Left Behind.

On top of this policy split comes the personal hypocrisy. There are some who argue that voters like a sinning politician who reforms in prime time better than a politician who never betrays his family at all. After all, the former makes for better television. Still, every hour of public tears is an hour of new policy lost.

What next? The energy that used to go into moralizing can go into fighting for policies and laws to sustain that relative competitiveness. One such policy is a commitment to a stable dollar. . . .

As a conservative first and Republican second, I agree that the GOP has become an easy target for hypocrisy (Bill Clinton is revered for having an affair and biting his lower lip for penance).

However, we do need a party that defends the sanctity of life and marriage. Are such defenses “moralizing”?

I would argue they need not be.

Lastly, Governor Sanford should resign.