Comics and illustration portfolio of Kevin Moore
Driving the kids home from kung fu, I heard this on the car radio. The financial industry poured $500 million into lobbying lawmakers on the new financial reform bill. And it was money well spent. Mike Konczal is being ironic, of course. After counting the ways financial lobbyists have weakened reform legislation, Konczal concludes, “This … Read More “Money Well Spent” »
Two suicide bombings in Dagestan kill twelve people. As BBCNews reports, the bombings are likely linked to the same group responsible for the Lubyanka bombings two days ago — that is, militants from the North Caucasus region that includes Ingushetia and Chechnya, where Russia, as the Soviet Union and in its post-Soviet mode has waged … Read More “No Daylight Between Them” »
Over at Salon, Alfred McCoy gets to the heart of Afghanistan’s success: To understand the Afghan War, one basic point must be grasped: In poor nations with weak state services, agriculture is the foundation for all politics, binding villagers to the government or warlords or rebels. The ultimate aim of counterinsurgency strategy is always to … Read More “Poppies! Poppies! Poppies!” »
There are typos. And then there are intelligence failures in more ways that one. A Defense Intelligence Agency publication available as recently as yesterday on its Web site noted “an Israeli F-16 raid to destroy an Iranian nuclear reactor” in 1981. Just one problem: publicly-known history includes no Israeli raid on an Iranian nuclear reactor … Read More “This Seems Indicative of a Larger Problem” »
One thing Jesus wouldn’t do is try to kill a cop. Among other things. Like, sure, he brought a sword and meant to set father against son, etc., but, see, those were metaphors from a guy who spoke often in parables. Tends to complicate the whole taking things literally thing. FireDogLake rounds up the driveling … Read More “Today Was Terrorist Day, Sadly” »
If you watched Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show last night, you probably caught this segment, Richard Engel’s sunny assessment of Iraqi election results. In Maddow’s words, the Allawi victory could be a “recipe for more stability” as it draws in a diverse coalition of Sunni, Shiite, Kurd and secular interests. Engel adds that “it is much … Read More “Happy Days for Iraq? Um…” »
This Bloomberg poll report is making the liberal rounds, but it is irresistible: At the same time, 70 percent of those who sympathize with the Tea Party, which organized protests this week against President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, want a federal government that fosters job creation. They also look to the government to rein in … Read More “Don’t Tell the GOP: Teabaggers are Bluedoggers” »
Of the various ONOZ!1 raised by lay (non-)economists, Charles Krauthammer booga-boogaz the VAT threat. Let me shorter: The high cost of Obamacare (sic) will force the U.S. government to levy a Value-Added Tax regime, turning us into German Diaper Babies or Vichy French Mimes or something. Well, I am certainly a lay (non-)economist, so naturally … Read More “VAT-wide Conspiracy Fearz” »
As ever, the promised reduction in nuclear stockpiles is a good thing: The treaty would require each side to reduce deployed strategic nuclear warheads to roughly 1,600, down from 2,200 now, officials have said. It would also oblige each side to reduce its arsenal of strategic bombers and land- and sea-based missiles to 800, half … Read More “Nuke Arms Reductions Will Always Be Modest” »
Hey, remember when President Obama got Chief Justice Roberts all chuffed with this State of the Union rebuke? With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests –- including foreign corporations –- to spend without limit … Read More “The Public Option Never Had a Chance” »