Some interesting items from our friends and one from the NY Sun:
It was Black who proposed expanding the Sun from the six-page broadsheet that Ira and I originally proposed. He urged a paper with at least 16 pages, including sports and business, that could be what he called a “stand alone” paper and a “primary read.” He wanted us to capture not only the serious news but the culture, the fun, and the fizz of New York. He was not the only one of our financial backers who made brilliant editorial suggestions. But he was early in articulating our vision, and as we steered for it, our prospects turned for the better.
When the controversy that would bring him down was first surfacing in the news, a number of people, including some total strangers, approached me and said, “What are we going to do about the Jerusalem Post?” It is an important paper, but I always asked: “What about the Telegraph?” Under Black’s proprietorship, the greatest of the London broadsheets stood off the coast of Europe like a vast fleet defending freedom and security for Britain, America, and Israel, against a gathering list of enemies. In my view, the right move was a fight to keep Black’s empire intact and him at the helm.
Did we miss anything? Let us know.
Btw, if you are a regular reader here, perhaps you might have an interest in placing items on the actual blog via posting and editing. Some of the most creative insightful material comes through those who join in the comments section but Google and the search engines don’t always capture the comments. This new engine makes participation easier than the old one (at least to our non-technical eyes). We would welcome any opportunity to showcase and enjoy the talents of those who make this place what it is or any other suggestions you may have.
Comment says
Imagine this scenario – Tweety and Hitchens meet for happy hour at the Habor, then they hed over to the Hawk and Dove and finish up either at that Tortilla place or Old Ebbit Grill. All the while, they discuss who they hate and who they like.
re Stephen Cohen and Naomi Wolf – we will make an exception to our general rules and just state for the record that Cohen, though he did not know us, told us that he couldn’t stand Hillary – He may have said he hated her, but it’s been seven years. This was at a post proxy debate (Gore V. Bradley) reception in 2000. What does this have to do with Wolf? Dunno.
Comment says
Tweety said something to the effect : (from memory) ‘Did you know that Nuremburg wasn’t about genocide, it was actually abouy waging a war of aggresssion. Did you know that?’
It was an odd way to phrase a settled historical record. In context, he may have been pivoting off of Moore’s caling Bush and Cheney war criminals. Perhaps he read what Pat Lang wrote about Wolfowitz waging a war of aggression.
re Drinking w/ Tweety – It would have been very easy to provoke him over drinks – Perhaps, by making a pompous win order and speaking in perfect French to the waiter – Or being a stickler about insisting on single malt scotch, etc. LOL – In all honest, Comment is very good at these stunts.
Comment says
We’re hoping to slowly extricate ourselves from references to the Conrad Black trial – Cold turkey is impossible – Maybe later. But we do think it is fascinating and amusing to see how various media, pro-Conrad and anti-Conrad, comtinue to shift between casting Fitzgerald as the main prosecutor or focusing on the actual prosecutors as Macleans does above. Sometimes it’s the anti Conrad people who put Fitz in star billing roll – to paint their picture. Other times its the Steyn or Frum set, but for different reasons. Does Conrad regret that Nazi remark?
Comment says
If Conrad has any ancestors or relatives who fought the Nazis and he wins on appea, then he might be able to sue that off the record quote for libel. But until he wins, he’ll just have to follow Trump’s advice and “stay tough!”
Meanwhile – CNN is conducting an extremely infantile debate for Dems tonight.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Not allowed to witness Tuckerist atrocities. Doctor’s orders for blood pressure. Saw only 30 seconds of Tweety and clicked off when he compared himself to Oprah. Moore seemed to hold his own.
re Tweety and weird/half-assed historical burping — last nite on one of the “Hitler Channels” there was a fetishistic docu drama qua ‘historical re-enactments’ of Goering at Nuremberg. The old b&w newreel clips no longer ‘arouse’ viewer interest through over use.
So now they are having ‘actors’ pretend to be Goering, or Heydrich, etc. (So far, they have only shown the Corporal’s hands or back of the head in one of the shows. Perhaps saving that one for a ‘money shot’ event special). Usually when Tweety airballs a historical reference it is the day after the Hitler Channel has something on it or a book review mentioned in the WaPo or NYTimes.
One is struck how needy Tweety is for approval, validation and confirmation. He’s one of the ‘swells’ (while pumping the shuck and jive blue collar routine). A diabetic, too, now. But it would have been both metaphysically revolting and fascinating at the same time to get drunk with him. What Mankind could have learned about the subconscious and Id from the volcanic releases, mood swings, and most likely mawkish teariness. The Tempest via Tweety. Shudder.
A Random Quote says
“[Conrad] Black couldn’t resist the temptation to publicly denounce his opponents, despite his lawyers’ repeated admonitions against it. At one point, he was quoted comparing the prosecutors to Nazis and saying the case hung “around their necks like a toilet seat.”
Black didn’t know it, but he was digging himself deeper again. The crack about the Nazis cut members of the prosecution team to the very bone. All four of the young lawyers who argued against Black are Jewish, and all paid a high personal price for the case — all-night stretches at the office; weeks on the road, living out of a suitcase, missing recitals, ball games, birthday dinners; life’s most precious relationships frayed, some beyond repair. And now to have this swaggering son of wealth and privilege comparing them to jackbooted Gestapo officers — it was too much to swallow. “Let’s just ask this — whose ancestors were more likely to be turning on the gas, and whose ancestors were more likely to have breathed it in?” one person close to the prosecution team growled, still fuming from the attack weeks later. Black would get not an ounce of compassion or leniency from them. They would nail him as hard as they possibly could, and years from now the memory of it will make them smile.”
~Steve Maich
Maclean’s 7-30-07
Comment says
Doc – did you happen to catch Tweety’s odd quote about genocide and Nuremburg today. We’ll have to check out the transcripts, but maybe they will be cleaned up.
Comment says
re Cohen teaching Wolf over Pelligrino — LOL – But isn’t Wolf a Rhode Scholar and a Yale grad? Anyway – we could not help but think of that while seeing Tucker try to mock Katrina for being a chardonnay liberal. Tucker lacks self-awareness if he think, for one second, that ordinary Americans would differentiate him from the chardonnay sipping set of media liberals.
Maybe he is still in shock from the pummeling he received from Stewart.
Comment says
Also – while Steyn is impressed that Lord Black “very quietly” stole from the Telegraph shareholders to pay for Frank Johnson’s health care, he does not wonder why Lord Black didn’t just pay for it out of his own pocket.
The truth is that Mark Steyn thinks very much like Lord Black was accused of thinking – that the Telegraph can be treated like Conrad’s own wallet. Steyn deludes himself into thinking that Black owned the Telegraph, even though he was merely a minority shareholder.
Had Black “very quietly” paid for Johnson’s healtcare out of his own pocket (allegedly ill-lined) than it would have been arguably a charitable act. It would have been profligate because the UK was gonna pay anyway, but it would have been in charitable spirit.
But Steyn errs in portraying Black as theif instead – looting the Telegraph heath insurance in a lordly way.
This is a far cry from Seth Lipsky’s classier defense of Conrad.
Anon says
It’s interesting that Mark Steyn thinks it is commendable for Lord Black to “very quietly” rob the Telegraph shareholders to pay for cancer care for freelance writers.
Steyn is first in line to denounce American politicians for trying to take credit for helping voters with taxpayer money – which is what they are legally entitled to do.
But this same Steyn – who would seek to prevent voters from getting publicly paid insurance, thinks it’s okay for a British Lord to steal from the Telegraph shareholders to pay for such care, even though that care is already covered by UK’s national insurance.
Doctor – as we have noted, we think Lord Black is an entitled to a good defense, but this type of stuff from Steyn (with his Broadway show biz/Monopoly Board Game view of top hat capitalism) only helps portray Black in a bad light.
Steyn lacks self-awareness – It never occurs to him that the reason Black “quietly” shifted monies from Telegraph health insurance to those who were not entitled to it was because it is illegal an unethical.
But in keeping with his Broadway show biz worldview – Steyn likes the picture of the lordly Lord helping out the cancer ridden Fleet St. urchins with his Telegraph kitty. This is in keeping wit Steyn’s denunciation of Richard Breeden (a real capitalist and normal Republican) for his own pursuit of legitimate business ventures after he shut Black’s bad venture down.
Anon says
Doctor – Conrad Black should put this latest Steyn inversion in his “with friends like these” file folder:
http://forums.macleans.ca/advansis/?mod=for&act=dip&pid=63732&tid=63732&ref=publish&eid=52
Steyn seems to be impressed that Black “very quietly” stold Telegraph shareholder owner money to pay for cancer care for employees that was already paid for by British taxpayers.
Maybe it would have been different if Conrad had paid for their supplementary care out his own wallet or if he got Barbara to sell one of her diamond encrusted objects to help pay. But note how Steyn – the self-styled conservative capitalist – thinks Black is entitled, in a Lorldly way, to steal from the Telegraph owners, to pay for others health care.
Aldershot says
Doc, congratulations on the new format; I really appreciate the crisp look. Also the Friday round-up is a great idea. I second josephdietrich’s request for 800 pixels, if possible. Also, if you could make the print in the comment section as dark as the print in the body of the main text.
Re, 4GW, I guess soon enough all the kids will be saying 4th gen or 4G. I read somewhere that there wasn’t such a thing as the generations of warfare. I can’t remember if it was at SST, or where. Maybe here. But the American propensity to label is overwhelming, I think.
I think we need Lil’ Nasrallah and Lil’ Hezbollah. They could go to the White House for a sleepover and Lil’ Nasrallah could walk around complacent, inscrutable, and unimpressed while Lil’ Hezbollah sabotages the Lincoln Bedroom and Bar’s beauty supplies.
Dr Leo Strauss says
re Press the Meat, it was so awful in advance we couldn’t watch it. Later in the car we caught it on WTOP radio. That part with Brooks and Hayes rebuked by the passive courtier Woodward is Timmy in a nutshell. We almost careened into a yellow ribbon-festooned Escalade due to road rage.
Speaking of the End and the NYT, this New Yorker piece reveals what it was like to scavange among the ruins from the vacated Olde Shoppe.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/07/30/070730ta_talk_paumgarten
Dr Leo Strauss says
Pity Cher Condi:
She can’t even get her AgitProp eds placed anymore. She at least has more time to learn her short game and putting.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/22/INGDFR1UV512.DTL
Dr Leo Strauss says
re Lind, yes there are marketing issues there in meme propogation. Perhaps Rand could extend another $400k in federal grant money for additional Karen Hughes-style makeover of the American “force brand”. Otoh, the type of intellectual conversation Lind is interested in and his narrowcast audience is reachable without the typical broadband undifferentied meme dissemination.
re Wolcott, another masterful column. What a wonderful combination of Ailes and Frum. A Black prison column would be hilarious. As would be Barbara’s conjugal visits. Even now we suspect should could pull it all over with a certain panache worthy of wry applause.
Anon says
Contra Lipsky:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott/2007/07/as-memory-serve.html
Comment says
re 4GW – Maybe its our mild (still officially denied) dyslexis, but we think the 4GW acronym fails on stickability.
It does not fall trippingly from the tongue – rather, one must always struggle to not say 4WG by accident. Other than that – Lind’s anti-ideology ideology is too fixed. We think he uses the term “cultural marxism” too broadly. But he makes some good points. But in keeping with the 4Gw spirit, we will keep those too ourselves.
Comment says
Lipsky’s tribute to Conrad is very eloquent – even touching. He strikes the right note of loyalty and gratitude without going off the deep end in dismissing the law as Steyn has done in th past (we have not read him since C-Day). He even managed to squeeze Taki in there.
All those model ships will miss Conrad if he goes away for a long time
Anon says
Non Seq – Sure George Galloway is probably guilty, on some level, of all sorts of stuff. But the authorities really got nuthin’ on him and it’s amusing to see them continue to try to get him after failing so many times – esp that foolish Coleman (who may have to run againt the sort of annoying/not that funny comedian Franken). Anyway – check out this great Alice in Wonderland phrase via the Telegraph:
“recklessly or negligently, and probably knowingly” From this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/22/ngallo122.xml
Anon says
How about Lil’s Russ today on MTP – w/ Stephen Hayes! Acting as if Hayes & Brooks were “reporters” and told them to describe what the saw.
Brooks was so awful that even Bob Woodward had to object to his hush puppy war mongering. Brooks talked about our tough decision to trade 115 American lives a month, so as to save 10000 Iraqis. What a disgusting way to argue for war –
DrLeoStrauss says
n.b., the anti-Coalition/Karzai narco elements in Afghanistan might be solidly pro-Conrad re architectural acquisition and embellishment:
http://www.monocle.com/sections/affairs/59/Narcotecture-in-Afghanistan/
DrLeoStrauss says
re WaPo, classic stuff. The movie closing suggestion also feels right.
Anon says
Dok — Scan down just over half way and get a load of the unintentional irony the Edmonton Journal committed:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/20/AR2007072001349.html
A Random Quote says
“The Canadian ethic is ‘The best thing you can do is a good day’s work well done’. That’s our Scottish heritage and it’s very strong. – And here’s this guy [Conrad Black] with four mansions – it’s very much against Canadian mentality. It’s not criminal but its rubs us the wrong way.”
~Peter Newman
Conrad Black Biographer
(Speaking on behalf
of all Canadians)
Comment says
Isn’t experience overrated? After all Dubya had no real experience – just a few biz ventures that he was bailed out of and then a job as a showman as do little Governor of Texas. Or maybe that’s the point …
Comment says
NB – Doc – when the Conrad Black movie is made, it must include that scene of someone in NY approaching Seth Lipsky post indictment to ask about the fate of the Jpost – to which Seth replies (after slowly removing his hat):
“What are we going to do about the Telegraph?” Then a bang (anachronistically a cab backfires) and it then fades to Amy St. Eve banging the gavel.
DrLeoStrauss says
Romney and Edwards are perhaps coeval with Barry Bonds and Paris Hilton – figments and fragments of a denaturalizing protean reality. Not that we are Spenglarians or even close. But a society that throws up all these artifacts coincident with each other deserves objective appraisal.
2 yeas in the Senate was never enough for Edwards and isn’t enough for Obama, no matter how much one projects ones hopes, wishes and roll of the dice.
If either Edwards or Obama served as a substantive VP for 4 or 8 years, or had other sustained live fire training — as you have noted before — that combination of potential gravitas, vision and intelligence? Could be compelling.
Didn’t get a chance to post on Sat due to other commitments. Will have something up Sunday later in the evening.
Comment says
The bitching of John Edwards is unfortunate and unfair – Afterall, compared to Mitt Romney, Edwards is like a cross between Chesty Puller and Teddy Roosevelt. But it’s too late – Brits and his buddies over at Rupe’s place smell blood.
Check this out:
http://www.latestpolitics.com/blog/2007/07/mrs-edwards-vindicates-sun-on.html
How a poor guy from the south “son of a mill worker” who made well for himself let this happen to him is a sad mystery,
Can you imagine a campaign between Mittens Romney and John Edwards? Instead of a debate, they could have a shopping contests in Bloomingdales. Joan Roveres can moderate.
Comment says
re Jon Edwards = There is no chance he can win. His caving to the blowhard was illustrative – But the whole situation was discrediting to him in many ways beside that. Amanda has warned the campaign about her strong views beforehand and the campaign staffers were so clueless they did not seem to care. Indeed another woman blogger with similar views as Amanda declined to work for the Edwards campaign precisely to save them from the inevitable embarassment during the inevitable ambushes that would happen.
HRC has learned how to navigate this area – partly because she is more experience and better educated that Edwards and she attracts a more carefull staff. Obama cooler than Edwards and he has a cooler staff. That blowhard is very good a staging these ambushes, one wonders about his own spiritual health LOL.
Comment says
re Ira – Before he started that paper he just had this excellent blog called smartertimes. Sure it reflected his neocon/real=con bias, but it often just corrected glaring Times errors and pointed out annoying things in the Times.
Ira is really bright – even smarter than Gail Collins! — but one thing that he does that is somewhat annoyiing is his annoying habit of pretending his editorials are opinions or views that come naturally. The NY Times does write their obtuse/smug/condecending editorials (occasionally a good one -but rare) naturally. It never occurs them to contrive to be that way. They just think that way and write that way. But with Ira & Co, it’s a bit more contrived – though they pretend otherwise.
How much does the NY Times pay David Brooks?
Comment says
With some re-working the “Colleen Smile” Beschloss/Mitchell scene could be re-worked into a good scene on an improved version of Lil’ Bush – with a party scene in Kalorama for Lil’ Fareed LOL – Maybe we’ll send it over – They have a great concept going and great drawings, but often poor execution.
DrLeoStrauss says
Andrew, this particular design is still in DemVal mode. We may look for another that is more friendly to all across the board. A project for this weekend, perhaps.
re NYT, the new building fiasco is a meta commentary. Who cares how the new cafeteria works out socially? Their smugness (and yes, the ads are horrible) is shared by the WaPo. Together they fail to be the engines of pop culture anyway. The so-called “liberal” elite long ago committed seppuku intellectually. Today’s descendants and heirs lack any coherent philosphy at all. Other than the netroots, what did liberals believe in (other than no Dubya) except coaltion management. A sure sign of exhaustion and fin de siecle.
E.g., the WaPo morphed into a Neocon paper and no one noticed. The Tweetysphere(tm) called them a “liberal” paper for years. It was an easy coup for the Movment. Now, of course, Tweety bleats he was one of us all along. Mark the date: September 2006 is when Tweety himself took off his knee pads and wiped his mouth and woke up to realize Neocons existed, blah blah and the drive to reinvent his past began. (I.e, a Dem Congress was coming). His ridiculous fawning before Judy Miller (“our hero”) shows his true colors, still. (Tweety by his own admission was a Goldwater conservative like Hillary — it was an interesting confession — his instinctive reverence for authority and manly direction is deep seated).
Naomi Wolff of all people actually showed the liberals may be forced to re-educate themsevles to deal with the Warlord. Her recent appearance on Tweety’s show indicated a fairly robust knowledge of constitutional philosophy and she even was able to make an intelligible reference to Bukharin’s fate at the Moscow show trials (told to her over a pellagrino by Stephen Cohen, no doubt). Still, baby steps.
People ala Ira who believe what they are writing and use their writing to express ideas for the advancement of a cause are almost always more compelling than Dowdian fluff. “Her Colleen smile”. A great line.
Comment says
re Mitt Romney – His weirdest moment yet was admitting that his favorite novel was “Battlefield Earth.” That was troubling on at least three levels.
Comment says
re Seth Lipsky – We give Lipsky credit — As much as we cannot stand the Sun’s ridiculous politics and it’s bizzare editorials (which always pretend to be thoughts that come naturally to Ira & Co. but are actually intensely crafted talking point suggestions that end up in GOP talking points withing 4-6 months), we always read the Sun and enjoy it much. The NYT is annoying in its smugness – (have you seen their annoying TV ads?) and their psuedo intellectual pretensions/Dowdian pop culture mavenry.
Lipsky w/ his Homburg hat naturally admired Conrad Black and all that he stood for aesthetically and editorially.
AndrewBW says
I like the layout, but I wouldn’t mind a larger point size. My eyes are getting old.