Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2694

Where Are You Eating Tonight?

Former NYT food critic Frank Bruni indulges in thoughtless eating:

Too often, those of us who swim deeply in the food culture of the
moment give the impression that every dining choice made is a deeply
considered one, that life is a series of carefully researched,
freighted judgment calls about the content, and destination, of every
single meal. But is life really lived that way? Can it ever be? Do any
of us really have the time or energy (or budget) for that?

I know I don't. And as often as...

What He Did To His Girlfriend, Ctd

A reader writes:

Your reader writes:

I've been smashed in the face to the point of having my front teeth chipped.  Along with that kind of trauma comes cut and severely swollen lips, gum damage, and the inability to smile like she is in the photo

A blow directly to the mouth that breaks teeth is indeed likely to significantly injure the lips.  However, that is certainly not the only type of blow that may result in chipped or broken teeth.  A blow to the lower jaw, for instance, may cause the...

De-Branded Republicans - And The Future

Jonathan Rauch tracks the Republican-leaning Independents, who are currently tilting to the GOP - but also demanding much more ideological purity:

In a span of only two years
went from leaning solidly Democratic on most issues to being
toward the middle and often leaning Republican. That was a
rightward swerve.

But not on all issues ... What appears to be happening is that debranded Republicans are moreeconomically than socially conservative. True, many of...

"The White Republican Oprah"

Pareene rounds up clips from Huckabee's first week as a network TV talk show host:

Because Mike Huckabee could very well be a GOP nominee for president
(if Mitt Romney fails to properly restart after an operating system
upgrade, or something), it is worthwhile to take a look at how he is
building his name recognition, and making himself acceptable to Regular
Daytime TV-Watching Americans.

Mitt Romney - Mike Huckabee - Republican - United States - Government

Mental Health Break

A reader writes:

Your "Mental Health Break" posts are always a welcome diversion during my day.  Here's a video that you might find amusing: a montage of scenes from "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." that highlights the unspoken attraction between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum.

Man From U.N.C.L.E - Robert Vaughn - David McCallum - Television - United States

The Politics Of Smashing Faces, Ctd

Bernstein applauds Friedersdorf:

People like to believe that agency matters -- that is, they constantlyunderemphasize structural factors such as the effect of the economy onelections or the difficulty in winning Congressional votes beyond aparty's strength in Congress.  When one's side doesn't win, it's easyto believe that either they didn't really want to win, or in the sportscliche, they didn't want to win badly enough.  Yelling and screaming isa good way to avoid that particular...

Time's Cover

Here's the magazine's defense of the picture. And here's an excerpt from Aryn Baker's cover story on the woman depicted (it appears that the full story isn't online). Allahpundit:

The image is as stark an argument as you're likely to see for continuing the war, which is why lefties naturally have been all day. Some offer legit complaints — instead of putting a mutilatedgirl on the cover to make the case for staying put, why not put a deadsoldier on there to make the case for pulling out? —...

What Drones?

Ackerman flags a new Pew study (pdf) on Pakistan. A surprise:

"Just over one-in-three Pakistanis (35%) haveheard about the drone strikes." Apparently, Pakistanis barely know thisprogram even exists. Forty-three percent say they've heard "nothing atall" about the drones. You can hear the champagne corks popping atLangley. But it's not exactly time for bottle service. Amongst those Pakistanis who haveheard of the drones, opinion skews predictably negative. Ninety-threepercent say they're a bad...

Suffer The Little Children; Let Them Come To Sarah

Ruth Graham reviews Speaking Up: The Sarah Palin Story, an upcoming children's book by Christian publisher Zondervan:

At one point, within the space of three paragraphs, Palin iscompared favorably to Taylor Swift, the apostle Paul, Larry Bird, MagicJohnson, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver—in that order. (It's a rare passagethat can make evangelicals, music fans, sports nuts, and policy wonksall cry "blasphemy.") ... Palin's 2002 loss in the race for Alaska lieutenant governor is chalkedup to the...

"Snollygoster; A Noun"

Taegan wants to bring it back. I'll do my best to help.
















People - Republican - Arts - United States - Democratic