The Daily Brief — Monday, August 11, 2008

By Patrick Henry 

 

In today’s Daily Brief… Al Franken draws a crowd… of one! And the mainstream media finally covers the Edwards’ affair–better late than never.

THE GOOD…

Why Are We Whispering?
Washington Post · Andrew Klavan
At a recent writers conference in Southern California, one of my colleagues on a screenwriters panel told the crowd of about 50 people that she hoped Barack Obama would win the presidency. A number of people applauded. When it was my turn to speak, I politely said that I disagreed with her politics and moved on to other topics. There was no applause for me, but several writers approached me afterward. Each dropped his voice to a whisper and, looking around to make sure no one would overhear, said, “Thank you for saying that.” Which raises a question for all conservatives in the arts: Why are we whispering?… more»

Veteran gets one-on-one chat with Franken
St. Cloud Times · Lawrence Schumacher
There’s an old saying in politics that elections are won or lost one vote at a time. On Friday, DFL-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken demonstrated how true that saying can be, when a roundtable on veterans issues at Brigitte’s Cafe his campaign scheduled drew only one participant… more»

THE BAD…

War in the Caucasus
The Wall Street Journal · WSJ Editorial Board
“War has started,” Vladimir Putin said yesterday as Georgian and Russian forces fought over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia. War is certainly what the two countries have seemed to want for some time, and the chances of avoiding a drawn-out conflict now are slim… more»

Raping Georgia: Russia Invades an American Ally
New York Post · Ralph Peters
As I write, Russian tanks grind into a brave and isolated democratic state.
Assuming that the world’s attention would focus on Beijing, Moscow stage-managed an elaborate act of aggression against Georgia… more»

Relative of US Olympic coach killed in Beijing
Associated Press · Rohan Sullivan
A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said… more»

…AND THE UGLY

Keeping It Rielle
The New York Times · Maureen Dowd
John Edwards’s confession was a little bit breathtaking. Not the sex stuff. That happens here all the time. And certainly not covering up the sex stuff. That happens here all the time, too. First people uncover; then they cover up. Nobody’s ever had sex with that woman until, suddenly, they have… more»

John Edwards, Sleaze
New York Post Editorial Board
John Edwards yesterday admitted he’d had an extramarital affair even as his wife battled cancer - and that he’d lied about it. Yet Americans didn’t have to hear that to know the man is a despicable sleaze. His entire presidential campaign was based on hypocrisy and deception. Indeed, nearly every word out of the former trial lawyer’s mouth dripped with insincerity and falsehood… more»

He Was Always a Fake
New York Post · Kirsten Powers
John Edwards “shocked” the political world yesterday by admitting he’d cheated on his wife of 30 years with a campaign aide, Rielle Hunter. If it looks like a phony, walks like a phony, quacks like a phony, it’s a phony… more»

Old media dethroned
Los Angeles Times · Tim Rutten
When John Edwards admitted Friday that he lied about his affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, a former employee of his campaign, he may have ended his public life but he certainly ratified an end to the era in which traditional media set the agenda for national political journalism. From the start, the Edwards scandal has belonged entirely to the alternative and new media. The tabloid National Enquirer has done all the significant reporting on it — reporting that turns out to be largely correct — and bloggers and online commentators have refused to let the story sputter into oblivion… more»

Edwards ex-mistress rules out paternity test
Associated Press
The ex-mistress of former presidential candidate John Edwards says she will not participate in DNA testing to establish the paternity of her daughter… more»