Juan Cole Goes Heroic on Rove

Listen: I've read a lot of articles about Karl Rove and his tactics, and if any one gets it right it's this one by Juan Cole. It's not just that Cole is able to make an interesting historical connection between Rove's way of being and that of the infamous Joseph Goebbels (while also being quick to say, "Rove is no Nazi."). It's that, better than anything I've read in a while, this article gives a palpable sense of both the cruelty and deception that have become the hallmark of Rove's tenure. When even the folks at Fox News are asking you, a Republican leader, to revisit your sentiments, and the veracity of your statements, you know you've got some deep s**t going on.

Also, I just love the combination of the words "poisonous," "rhetorical" and "legacy" with Rove's name. Brings a shiver of gladness to my spine. Thus, for today, Juan Cole is my hero. Keep it coming, brother.

Rupe Hugs Trees, Too

From Grist, a revealing interview with News Corp's head honcho, the one and only--and apparently earth-loving--Rupert Murdoch. In case you were as busy (and as crippled) as I was last week, and thus missed the news, Rupe-dog has pledged to take News Corp and all of its holdings (Fox News Channel, the NY Post, 20th Century Fox, to name but a few) carbon neutral in the coming years--and he wants you to make the same promise to the earth.

I hate to say it, but the man has done a good thing. It may have taken some "arm-twisting" by his son James, but a good deed is a good deed--especially when it comes to safeguarding the earth's future.