Free Republic

You know, folks like Noonan and Mort Zuckerman whining about Obama, after they praised him, pushed him, and voted for him in the face of all the evidence that led less besotted observers to see him for the empty suit he was, and is, leave me stone cold. Especially because these are the same snotty jackasses who arrogate to themselves superiority over those of us less “perceptive” folks. Listen up, you punked, chumped boobs: We looked at Obama not through your rose colored hallucinations, but through the cold, clear spectacles of reality.

It's become more and more obvious that Republican apologists are going to be able to get away with blaming the upcoming "stunning" defeat on the Foley "scandal," rather than the fact that large chunks of its base and other normally dependable voters are going to stay home in disgust over the several years of: Wild-eyed pork, earmarks, and increasing government size and power. intentions to put Gonzales and Miers on the Supreme Court. Failure to engage the strongest enemies of the US, in particular Iran. Horrible mismanagement of the Iraq occupation. Passing and signing the Campaign Finance Reform act. The...

The news business is in trouble. Readership and viewership are declining, public trust is plummeting, and advertisers are beginning to wonder whether they're getting their money's worth. This has led people to think about what blogger and tech journalist Doc Searls calls business models for "news without newspapers," an approach to reporting and disseminating news that doesn't depend on layers of editors for publication, and big ads from carmakers for funding. Nobody's sure just how to do that yet. That's likely to change, though. Already we're seeing a lot of reporting from non-journalists, where the "reporter" is just whoever happens...