Today on the Dish, Andrew responded to Glenn Greenwald on defending Awlaki's free speech. On Simpson-Bowles, Douthat defended its lukewarm reception on the right, but Andrew begged to differ. Andrew scoffed at the record of Republican presidents on debt, and Charlie Cook wrote the speech Obama should give endorsing it. Unemployment benefits soon to expire could expose the ultimate cynicism of the right, and Frum wanted to reform campaign finance law to empower moderates. DADT protestors were arrested at the White House, and Paul Suderman weighed the GOP advantages of a tweak versus a repeal of the healthcare reforms. A GOP freshman didn't understand Obamacare but still asked for it, and Limbaugh painted an unapologetically racist portrait of the president.
Bernstein discounted Palin and Romney, and the 2012 tea leaves kept coming. The old Palin was itching for glamour and culture, but the current one still can't fish. Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell's WaPo's article on a one-term Obama was demolished, and Andrew longed for a way to support Ezra Klein without the WaPo. Johann Hari mastered the art of handling Fox propaganda, and Rangel toppled on 11 of 13 charges. Balko raged against cops who arrest those who videotape cops, Yglesias skewered universities and their presidents, and New York needed innovators. Andrew gave mad props to Clinton on owning the peace process, Steinglass asked why we keep throwing money at Afghanistan, and Bill Gates approved of China's energy advances. Cantor committed his own treason and called it patriotism, readers rebutted the practice of eating dogs, and Goldblog advised America to freeball it for the TSA.
We plumbed the record of DEA director nominee Michele Leonhart, and readers regaled us with more stories of the bathtub gin of cannabis, including an all-natural alternative. Sophistication didn't make for good dinner party guests, President Obama could order flowers over the phone more easily than Lady Gaga, and Timothy Lee praised Apple's design method. Men fake orgasms, and our vintage transsexual could just be breeching. Chart of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #24 here.
--Z.P.