Who didn’t know? - Time magazine has an article titled “When they knew” that tries to lay down a timeline for when Bush administration officials, including Karl Rove, might have discovered the connection between Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame. John Podhoretz writing on the Corner believes that Time is spinning and the evidence clears Rove (and Scooter). The Minuteman isn’t so sure but quips: “Maybe the TIME piece should be re-headlined - "Lots of People Kept A Secret For A Surprisingly Long Time".

The cyber-war on terror

Via Bizblogger, here’s an article from the UK Times about Al-Qaeda web sites blinking out of existence:

Over the past fortnight Israeli intelligence agents have noticed something distinctly odd happening on the internet. One by one, Al-Qaeda’s affiliated websites have vanished until only a handful remain, write Uzi Mahnaimi and Alex Pell.
Someone has cut the line of communication between the spiritual leaders of international terrorism and their supporters. Since 9/11 the websites have been the main links to disseminate propaganda and information.

Although normally I’m a free speech nut, I applaud this tactic. Why give the Islamofascists access to wicked Western technology to spread their hatred, or worse, coordinate actions among terror cells? Let’em use smoke signals or something.

Air America agrees to pay back the money they insist they didn’t take – The “sweaty” Brian Maloney has all the latest on the twisting Air America story.

Just as a side-note, I listened to the Air America show "Morning Sedition" late last week hoping against hope that they would address the faux loan issue in some peripheral way. No dice. Air America is all Rove all the time. Even the staff at MoveOn must be getting tired of it.

Suicide bombing: one way to get off the dole in England

Mark Steyn writes that the “Terrorists are way too cozy in United Kingdom”:

''Omar, who was last seen vaulting a barrier at Warren Street station, has been the registered occupant of the flat since 1999. Ibrahim, who was last seen in Hackney Road, East London, after his failed attempt to blow up a No. 26 bus, shared it with him for the past two years. Omar, received £88 a week in housing benefit to pay for the council property and also received income support, immigration officials say.''

''Council property'' is Britspeak for public housing. So here's how things stand four years after 9/11: United Kingdom taxpayers are subsidizing the jihad.

(Hat tip: Betsy)

Artifacts from the future – This month’s Wired magazine has a crossword puzzle from the year 2019 and the clue for 1 across is: “46th U.S. President or GM staple food.” The answer, of course, is “Rice.”

Spoilers ahead! - Just for the record, I finished "Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince" today. I still can't believe that Harry got biz-zay with Hermione while using the Invisibility Cloak and the Muffliato spell.

Am I that predictable? - Here’s Mark Kilmer: “Those of you visiting from Viking Pundit or Political Teen, who often link to these previews….” Nice. Aaaaaanyway, it looks like the Discovery astronauts are orbiting around the Sunday news shows tomorrow, which is cool.

(P.S. – Mark says they’re having problems over at Red State in case anybody’s trying to get on.)

Question: How can you tell there’s an “election” coming up in Egypt?

Answer: “Riot police and government supporters beat dozens of pro-reform activists with clubs, sometimes kicking them as they lay on the ground Saturday during a protest in the Egyptian capital against President Hosni Mubarak”

Anything is better than Drudge – Here’s another one of those news roundup sites with all the latest links and thinks. One nice feature: the front-page images of the major U.S. newspapers.

Republicans advance agenda in Washington

From the WashPost: “On Capitol Hill, A Flurry of GOP Victories - Key Measures Advance After Long Delays”

After years of partisan impasses and legislative failures, Congress in a matter of hours yesterday passed or advanced three far-reaching bills that will allocate billions of dollars and set new policies for guns, roads and energy.
The measures sent to President Bush for his signature will grant $14.5 billion in tax breaks for energy-related matters and devote $286 billion to transportation programs, including 6,000 local projects, often called "pork barrel" spending. The Senate also passed a bill to protect firearms manufacturers and dealers from various lawsuits. The House is poised to pass it this fall.

Not to throw cold water on this state of affairs, but it’s easy to spend money. It seems infinitely more difficult to stop or even slightly slow down the pace of spending in Congress. Social Security reform may still pass, but when Congress can’t even slow the rate of growth of Medicaid, it’s not a promising proposition.

Extra – McQ on Q&O had the same reaction: “Porking up the so-called budget.”

Note the Gore/Kerry/Hillary pattern – From Slate’s “Hillary’s electability problem”: “Yet Hillary does face a genuine electability issue, one that has little to do with ideology, woman-hating, or her choice of life partner. Plainly put, it's her personality. …she still lacks a key quality that a politician can't achieve through hard work: likability. As hard as she tries, Hillary has little facility for connecting with ordinary folk, for making them feel that she understands, identifies, and is at some level one of them. You may admire and respect her. But it's hard not to find Hillary a bit inhuman. Whatever she may be like in private, her public persona is calculating, clenched, relentless—and a little robotic.”

Four words I never thought I’d type – Chelsea Clinton is hot

And then there’s First Twins Jenna and Barbara:

Oh yes.

Is my CD collection too large? Never!

Today I was driving home and heard the excellent "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet over my XM radio receiver. Then I was wondering to myself: do I have that CD? Yes, yes I do.

If I remember correctly, Nick Hornby wrote in "High Fidelity" that you're not really a true music fan until you have 500 albums. I would also submit that once you start forgetting CDs you own because of your vast collection, that'll work as well.

(That reminds me: I need to pick up the new Belle & Sebastian and Jason Mraz.)

That’s that - Bush to appoint Bolton next week

Like Winston Churchill’s pudding, the Democrats have no theme

From CBS News: “Democrats’ solidarity fades”

But it is the lack of message more than the fighting that is really creating stress inside party circles. Democrats know they need one but can't figure out what it is. … Many were hoping that a good fight over a Supreme Court judge might unify the unhappy campers, but so far Judge Roberts is not giving them the fodder they were hoping for. Attacking Bush, Karl Rove, John Bolton and Social Security makes them happy, but deep down they long to be positive. If only they could figure out what to be positive about.

They’re pretty enthusiastic about keeping Americans chained to the Ponzi scheme known as Social Security. That’s something, right?

Fat man of the people

So-called filmmaker Michael Moore makes the Bitter Waitress database on both coasts. First in New York:

This fat bastard first bitched about not being able to get a table by the window then ordered enough food for himself to feed me for a week. After busting my ass trying to bring him the next plate before he finished the first he only leaves a dollar and some change for a tip... Dude wheres my tip?

Then in Los Angeles:

OK i ran my ass off for this guy and his friends. Funny I didnt know this guy had friends, maybe they were kissups. 2.5 hours they spent shoveling food down their fat faces. Numerous refills. By the way MM is a pompous ass judging from his treatment of the staff.

(Hat tip: Raging Rightwing Republican)

Another skeptical view of AmeriSave – “Though it is laudable that Democratic House Leadership acknowledge that no retirement plan is complete without outside investments, AmeriSave accounts fail to achieve their objective: you can’t save money that doesn’t exist.”

Update – Will Franklin, with supporting graphs and data, calls AmeriSave “hilariously dumb.”

Too low to measure in Philly – Via Brainster: “Both [Air America affiliate] WHAT and [Al Franken’s] show have fallen off the charts, according to radio-rating service Arbitron, meaning there were too few listeners to measure during the second quarter of this year - the so-called spring book.” Boy, if Air America can't pull listeners in heavily-Democratic Philadelphia, there's really no hope.

Bloggers review the new series “Over There” – Ace (ahem) didn’t care for it.

And then there’s that other runaway entitlement – From Parapundit: “Medicare Rewards Hospitals For Poor Care And Excessive Treatment” Unintended consequences again.