The Daily Brief — Sunday, August 10, 2008

By Patrick Henry 

 

In today’s Daily Brief… John Edwards comes clean as the mainstream media plays dirty.

THE GOOD…

US stocks surge on ‘watershed’ dollar jump
Financial Times · Peter Garnham
US stocks soared on Friday as the dollar saw its biggest one-day jump against the euro in eight years and oil prices plunged. The moves marked a key reversal of a trend that many investors had followed profitably for months – betting that high commodity prices would keep the dollar weak. The dollar reached its highest in five months against a trade-weighted basket of currencies, while oil fell more than $5 to $114.87, 22 per cent below its record high of $147.27 last month. The S&P 500 closed 2.4 per cent higher in New York… more»

THE BAD…

Iran’s Time Bomb
Investor’s Business Daily · IBD Editorial
Geopolitics: Summer vacations, Olympic Games and even election campaigns must not distract us from the frightening reality that Iran is building a nuclear bomb and that it may soon be too late to do anything about it. The U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China offered Iran a generous package of incentives last week hoping to convince the mullahs that developing a nuclear weapon is not in their interest. Iran’s answer? A vague promise of a “final response” somewhere down the line… more»

The Edwards Scandal and the Agony of the MSM
National Review Online · Byron York
I spent part of Thursday corresponding with people at major news organizations that have not reported the John Edwards “love child” story. Why haven’t they mentioned the scandal? Are they doing their own investigating of the National Enquirer’s allegations? Are they under management directives not to report it? Most of the conversations — all of the revealing ones — were off the record; like anyone else, people in the press aren’t particularly eager to speak publicly about topics that make them uncomfortable. But from the exchanges, it’s possible to piece together some of the rationales journalists are using to continue not to report the Edwards story — and to see how the whole strange episode will end. So without quoting anyone or betraying any confidences, here is what appears to be going on… more»

Mr. Edwards’s Admission
The Wall Street Journal · WSJ Editorial Board
If one is going to run for the Presidency of the United States, as John Edwards did, high on the list of things one would be sure not to do in our time is have an extramarital affair at the same moment one is chasing the nation’s highest elected office. Should any such affair come to light under the brutal glare of our politics now, one’s candidacy is over… more»

Watch the Ego, O
RealClearPolitics · Rich Lowry
It’s almost as if they take pride in being ignorant,” Barack Obama mused the other day, blasting Republicans for ridiculing his exhortation to the nation to make sure its tires are properly inflated. Ah, behold the open-mindedness and cross-partisan understanding. Remember two years ago, when Obama was only a media darling and not yet The Anointed One?… more»

…AND THE UGLY!

Politics’ Fraility in Obama Blowback
RealClearPolitics · Jon Ralston
I was unaware until this week that I possess a lisp and am a “satanic hack” and a “racist punk.” And then the real calumny began. I was labeled — hold your breath, dear readers — a “conservative political analyst” and a “conservative tool.” Such is the intelligence of the commentary flowing in the aftermath of a brief (five minutes) but far-reaching interview I conducted Tuesday on television with presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama… more»