The Week

The Vatican has announced that it will be the first carbon neutral state. What, no puff of white smoke when the next pope is picked?

Prompted by a tempting rhyme, and their own anti-military reflexes (which require no temptation to activate), MoveOn.org bought a full-page ad in the New York Times blasting Gen. David Petraeus on the eve of his testimony to Congress: “GENERAL PETRAEUS OR GENERAL BETRAY US? / Cooking the books for the White House,” the headline and subhead cried. Rudy Giuliani’s presidential committee shot back with a tough counter-ad, not only defending Petraeus but linking MoveOn.org to the Democratic Party, and especially to Hillary Clinton: “Hillary Clinton continued the character attack on General Petraeus and refused to denounce MoveOn.org’s ad . . . . Who should America listen to . . . A decorated soldier’s commitment to defending America, or Hillary Clinton’s commitment to defending MoveOn.org?” A lively sideshow concerned whether the Times had given MoveOn.org a discounted rate. But the main points are these: Both the Democrats and the netroots believe the war is lost and the military are shills; Democrats want netroots to do the heavy lifting, so they can preserve deniability; Rudy Giuliani loves to mix it up. Conservatives have good reason to distrust many of his instincts, but one they and he share is a laser-lock on liberal weaseling and weakness.

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The Vatican has announced that it will be the first carbon neutral state. What, no puff of white smoke when the next pope is picked?

Prompted by a tempting rhyme, and their own anti-military reflexes (which require no temptation to activate), MoveOn.org bought a full-page ad in the New York Times blasting Gen. David Petraeus on the eve of his testimony to Congress: “GENERAL PETRAEUS OR GENERAL BETRAY US? / Cooking the books for the White House,” the headline and subhead cried. Rudy Giuliani’s presidential committee shot back with a tough counter-ad, not only defending Petraeus but linking MoveOn.org to the Democratic Party, and especially to Hillary Clinton: “Hillary Clinton continued the character attack on General Petraeus and refused to denounce MoveOn.org’s ad . . . . Who should America listen to . . . A decorated soldier’s commitment to defending America, or Hillary Clinton’s commitment to defending MoveOn.org?” A lively sideshow concerned whether the Times had given MoveOn.org a discounted rate. But the main points are these: Both the Democrats and the netroots believe the war is lost and the military are shills; Democrats want netroots to do the heavy lifting, so they can preserve deniability; Rudy Giuliani loves to mix it up. Conservatives have good reason to distrust many of his instincts, but one they and he share is a laser-lock on liberal weaseling and weakness.