Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2668

Jack's Ark

Naturalist Jack Rudloe has started a Noah's Ark for animals affected by the Gulf oil spill. It includes over 350 species:

We have to get as many animals in there as we can and then if the
conditions permit, be able to put some of them back and get some things
started. I don't believe that the oil is gone. It's still out there in
cold water, little tiny droplets that could come spilling up here in the
wrong conditions of one or two hurricanes.

Oil spill - Noah's Ark - Noah - W...

Mental Health Break

A curious finch trips berries (screwnicorns NSFW):

Hermanos Inglesos feat. MeMe - Wanderland from Kristof Luyckx on Vimeo.

Points for Inaction?

Dan Drezner gave Obama a failing grade on trade policy. Ryan Avent and Kevin Drum counter. Kevin:

Second, this isn't a classroom, where you get an F for not showing
up. In politics, you get an F for actively damaging things. Obama
hasn't done that. He's simply ignored trade as an issue. But he hasn't
done any harm, and under the circumstances that's quite possibly about
as much as a trade enthusiast could have hoped for.

Drezner defends his judgment:

The U.S. political system is arranged to...

Who Broke The Senate? Ctd.

Bainbridge jumps in. What about the House?
















United States - Government - Washington - Conservatism - Stephen Bainbridge

Ted Olson On Fox News Sunday

That should be interesting. Kudos to Fox for acknowledging that many principled conservatives support full civil equality for gay citizens. That may come as a shock to some of their viewers.
















Fox News Sunday - Fox News Channel - Gay Lesbian and Bisexual - Politics - Ted Olson

Perry v. Schwarzenegger: How Will The GOP Respond?

Ed Kilgore flags the above ad:

The very day after Judge Walker's decision, Georgia GOP gubernatorialcandidate Nathan Deal, locked in a nasty cage-match runoff fight withKaren Handel, launched a new ad blastinghis rival for alleged friendliness to gays and lesbians. Thoseunaccustomed to the current tone of Republican politics in the Southmay be shocked at the unabashed homophobia in the ad, which brings backmemories of the late Jesse Helms. In fact, it's a themeDeal has been hitting for some...

"Man Caves"

A guide to some famous ones, including, yes, Edison's.

History - Engineering and Technology - Biography - Edison Thomas Alva - United States

When A Nation Goes To War

Chait argues that Joe Klein has over-learned the lessons of the Iraq war:

Klein's argument that "we should never go to war unless we have beenattacked or are under direct, immediate threat of attack" is a prettyextreme position. It would rule out not just the intervention in Bosniaand Kosovo, but also the Gulf War, the Korean War, and going to waragainst Germany in World War II, not to mention obviously Vietnam andWorld War I. Probably the only wars such a standard would permit wouldbe...

How Legal Marijuana Hurts The Gangs

Scott Morgan spells it out:

We're going to legalize pot, not thuggery. The murderers in Mexicodon't possess a single skill that would give them an advantage in aregulated market. Their only asset is a willingness to break the law,and in the unlikely event that they elected to run a legal businessinstead, they wouldn't be criminals anymore. We will control theregulatory process and there's nothing about marijuana that invitesfraud or extortion to any greater extent than every other...

After November, Ctd

Bernstein uses the Kagan confirmation to speculate about future Senate gridlock:

I don't really expect a full-blown train wreck over the budget, or overany must-pass legislation next year, no matter how well the GOP does inNovember.  But if there's a Supreme Court opening, and if the Democratshold fewer than, say, 55 seats in the Senate, I think the odds of areal train wreck, a total stalemate, have to be well over 50/50.  And,again, if the Democrats fall below 55 Senators, I'll be surprised...