Eugene Robinson:

This is a radical break from journalistic convention, I realize, but today I'd like to give credit where it's due -- specifically, to President Obama. Quiet as it's kept, he's on a genuine winning streak.

No, he is not joking. But let's examine his argument. What constitutes "Obama's winning streak" to Robinson:

(1) Last U.S. combat troops leave Iraq. Robinson argues that "Obama did as well as anyone could have with the situation he inherited." Note that argument. Cuz it's going to be the key to defending Obama on every issue in 2012. It's sort of true as far as it goes on this issue. But the inverse is also true - not many would have done anything different. The Iraq Debacle happened and we'll be reaping the consequences for some time to come. More . . .

Farhad Manjoo:

After watching several of these hashtags from start to finish and talking to a few researchers who've studied trends on Twitter, I've got some potential answers to these questions. Black people—specifically, young black people—do seem to use Twitter differently from everyone else on the service. They form tighter clusters on the network—they follow one another more readily, they retweet each other more often, and more of their posts are @-replies—posts directed at other users. It's this behavior, intentional or not, that gives black people—and in particular, black teenagers—the means to dominate the conversation on Twitter.

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Via Steven D. at Booman Tribune, is Glenn Beck giving a speech at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream Speech" "sensitive" to the concerns of African Americans? Will Abe Foxman of the ADL think that Beck should not do this? I mean, people are upset:

[Glenn] Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally, with former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin among the scheduled speakers, will take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, 47 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech there.

[. . .] Civil rights leaders have denounced Beck's plans, questioning his motives for choosing the date and place, which they said are historically symbolic of the country's civil rights movement.

Maybe Beck should move to a site a few blocks away. I mean, if he was interested in not offending people and creating unity. Will Foxman and the ADL be releasing a statement urging Beck to take into account the feelings of African Americans?

Speaking for me only

It seems like a lifetime ago that Weeds season five ended on Showtime. The last scenes were of Shane Botwin, age 15, killing Pilar, the rich and powerful controller of Esteban (Nancy's new husband and baby- daddy, who happens to be both a Mexican politician and a drug-running mafioso) with a croquet maillot, while Nancy stares at her lifeless body lying facedown in the pool in disbelief.

But, back it is, and it looks to be another great season. [More...]

Paul Krugman:

I think people are missing an important point: what’s good for Obama is not necessarily good for his aides.

Think about it: Complaints that the administration should have pursued a bigger stimulus, or fought harder for the public option, or taken a different position on Afghanistan aren’t going to matter in the midterms. But they might hurt White House aides who argued against a bigger stimulus (to the point of not even passing the option on to the president), or argued against a harder push on health reform (perhaps even calling for retreat after Scott Brown), or have argued that continuation of Bush foreign policy is a political winner. The point is that the president might actually take those criticisms to heart, and rethink who he listens to.

Things that make you go hmmmm . . . If only the Czar knew?!?

Speaking for me only

Gloria Allred, who represents the woman who made a sexual harassment complaint against HP's Mark Hurd, has released a statement on behalf of her client, 50 year old occasional actress Jodie Fisher, in which Fisher says she never intended for Hurd to leave the company and they never had an intimate relationship or an affair.

It's not clear whether Allred filed a complaint with HP or just wrote a letter to Mark Hurd with her client's complaints, which he then turned over to HP. Either way, since a settlement was involved, there was more than one communication. And however it was delivered, HP conducted an investigation, finding no violation of its sexual harrassment policy, just expense account discrepancies, which were associated with Fisher. So what was in the initial complaint/letter?

In her complaint to HP, however, the woman said she felt pressured to have sex, according to a source, who said Hurd also has denied that.

Was she just seeking money? Sounds like it, since Fisher says she has "privately settled" her issues with Hurd, "without litigation."

Were the allegations embellished? Would you be surprised if they were?

DougJ provides the list of winners of the ADL Hubert Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Award. The entire list is pretty remarkable. But this particular recipient caught my eye:

For more than two decades, Charles Krauthammer's brilliant and influential writings have helped frame the shape of American foreign policy," said Mr. Foxman, noting that Mr. Krauthammer coined and developed "The Reagan Doctrine," defined the structure of the post-Cold War in "The Unipolar Moment" (Foreign Affairs 1990/1991) and outlined principles of post 9/11 American foreign policy in his February 2004 Irving Kristol Lecture, "Democratic Realism."

You have to think Tom Shales is the frontrunner for the next award.

Speaking for me only

The LA Times has an interesting article today on coffee shops in high-tech areas like San Francisco that have stopped offering wi-fi and/or ban laptop computing. The shops say, aside from the drain on revenue, the internet has become too much of a distraction. Customers seem fine with the decision,

"People come here because we don't offer it. They know they can get their work done and not get distracted," [Downbeat Cafe owner Dan Drozdenko said.]

It's true. The internet has turned into as much of a time-waster as a productive tool. [More..]

I love this New York Times headline:

Man in the News | Vaughn R. Walker Conservative Jurist, With Independent Streak

What does that mean ? (Maybe this? "President Ronald Reagan nominated him to the federal bench in 1987, but the nomination languished for nearly two years and he was confirmed during the first Bush administration.") Your guess is as good as mine, but he should be David Broder's favorite judge. Good job by the NYTimes headline writer. The Wingnut head explosion must be immense on this one.

Speaking for me only

In a strange reply to Atrios's point that if liberal enthusiasm is important to Democratic political success then maybe Dems should put some effort in sparking liberal enthusiasm, Jon Cohn writes:

Of course, liberals shouldn't be enthusiastic about the Democrats, let alone support them, if they think Democrats aren't fighting for liberal causes and at least having some success. But that's a different argument.

(Emphasis supplied.) How is that a different argument exactly? Cohn was berating "liberals" for not clapping loud enough -- Cohn is happy so they should be too. Atrios' point is that if liberals not clapping loud enough is a political problem for Dems, then maybe, just maybe, Dems (and Cohn) should be thinking about why liberals are not clapping loud enough and start to think about things they could do that would make them clap louder. Here's a tip - berating them as stupid and foolish for not clapping loud enough is not a good strategy.

Speaking for me only

Update 8:30pm MT: Pictures via NYC Shopping Guide. They are for real, the LA Times and the NY Daily News have them too. Chelsea's dress is by Vera Wang, Hillary wore Oscar de la Renta.

Chelsea Clinton is married. Via the New York Times, [More...]

It's not easy finding a flattering picture of Hillary Clinton in the dress she wore last night to Chelsea Clinton's pre-wedding dinner. But she and Bill are definitely the proud parents today, and Congratulations, Chelsea and Marc. (Update: Found a better photo.)

As always, Bill Clinton draw a crowd:

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