Jon Chait: The purpose of winning elections is to solve problems like health care. There’s something strange about advice that presumes it’s appropriate to value the preservation of popularity above all else. I’ll be the first to point to institutional difficulties as the source of a lot our political parties, and that’s often at the [...]

Michael Gerson warns President Obama against using reconciliation to pass health care reform: Fourth, a reconciliation strategy would both insult House and Senate Republicans and motivate them for future fights. The minority would not only be defeated on health reform but its rights would be permanently diminished — a development that would certainly be turned [...]

(Spencer is a little busy this morning, so he’s letting me take over for a bit. Hello again!) Rush Limbaugh criticizes health care reform as “a civil rights bill” and “reparations.” I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating: more so than most issues, health care is something that makes the racist heart especially anxious. [...]

I’m, uh, going to be covering them for the Windy, so be so kind as to check out my bloggery there starting nowish. Speaking of kindness, Jamelle Bouie has graciously agreed to pitch in with some posts today so this place doesn’t shut down. Have fun; I’ll want to go over Tom Ricks’ Iraq op-ed [...]

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs leaked a study to the Washington Post finding that “uncompromising Western secularism” is a net negative to U.S. foreign policy, counterproductively feeding religious extremism.” Its task force wants to make religion “an integral part of our foreign policy.” I have no idea how that’s constitutional. Still: “It’s a hot [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 146-10 February 23, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Feb. 21 in Qayyarah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter had a hard landing. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st [...]

Sometimes I think to myself, Blackwater is not real. No actual corporation could really operate like the caricatures offered by the punk rock songs of my youth. Dave Dictor, I’m a grown-ass man who doesn’t believe in you anymore, much as I continue to love your music. I know better than to believe that any [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 145-10 February 23, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Pfc. JR Salvacion, 27, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died Feb. 21 at Senjaray, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. [...]

The interrogation methods in the Army Field Manual 2-22.3 are valid approaches and sometimes applicable for interrogating members of al-Qaida, but even more effective are the techniques that I learned as a criminal investigator. I used these techniques, permitted by the Army Manual under the terms “…psychological ploys, verbal trickery, or other nonviolent or non-coercive [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 142-10 February 23, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd [...]