Wonkette

It seems New York Times health care columnist Paul Krugman has taken a President’s Day vacation from predictable Hillary-coddling; in today’s column, he criticizes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for not caring about poverty as much as John Edwards fake-cared. Krugman’s so-so fare today allows “lightning rod conservative” columnist Bill Kristol to dazzle in his stead, like in the good old days. MORE »

Mondays sure are exciting in the New York Times op-ed pages these days. Whose column makes a better argument for the destruction of the NYT in toto: Bill Kristol’s or Paul Krugman’s? While last week’s prize went to Krugman, Kristol retakes his rightful throne this week as the worst columnist on the planet, Earth. MORE »

The New York Times published this fun Bill Clinton story today that’s kind of like Syriana, or Blood Diamond or various other movies. In 2005, Bill Clinton accompanied friend and Canadian “mining financier” Frank Giustra to Kazakhstan, on a little publicized “philanthropy” visit aboard a very private jet plane. BUT MAYBE THEY HAD, HMM, ULTERIOR MOTIVES? MORE »

Yes, it’s boring having to write about the poverty or the economies twice a week for the New York Times and make big money and win Pulitzer prizes and all, but is it so much to ask that this week’s Bob Herbert column not plagiarize last week’s Bob Herbert column? MORE »

Why did the New York Times even bother writing a Republican primary endorsement? And since they did, couldn’t they have found a single editorial board lackey who gave a shit? Look at this first sentence: “We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president.” Jesus, why don’t you wave your vanity flag a little higher?

Meh, who cares. The Rudy part is really funny. MORE »

Former torture victim John McCain, following his latest win in New Hampshire, has SURGED to a big lead in recent national polls. Hooray! How does that Beach Boys song go again? Bomb bomb bomb… MORE »

Just so Bill Kristol knows what he’s up against, check out the heartfelt feelings the New York Times editorial board had for George W. Bush in this morning’s year-ender:

Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer…. There is much more — so much that the next president will have a full agenda simply discovering all the wrongs that have been done and then righting them.

Ahem, wrong. 2007 was the year when Freedom continued to be on the march, when brown terrorists continued to hate Love. [NYT]

Bill Kristol, the new conservative crown jewel of the New York Times‘ opinion squad, responded over the weekend to the criticism surrounding his hire. He said it was “amusing” to watch liberal bloggers — hey, we’re more or less that! — have their “heads explode.” Indeed, nothing casually amuses Bill Kristol more than heads exploding, particularly brown ones. Slightly more surprising, however, was the holier-than-thou defense by NYT opinion editor Andrew Rosenthal. My stars, what a self-righteous, harmless-but-slappy little man! He’s just like Frank Rich, but with a few extra tablespoons of Wrong. MORE »

HuffPo reported late yesterday afternoon that William Kristol — the glib neocon editor of the Weekly Standard and founder of the Project for the New American Century, in addition to his active work the last seven years helping the Bush Administration work out the particulars of destroying the world — will be a columnist for the New York Times in 2008. It’s not that the current op-ed columnists are any great shakes, but if you’re looking for a litany of reasons to cancel that print subscription you’re still stubbornly holding onto, I recommend this, this and this, for starters. Just wanted to pass the news along in case you haven’t banged your head against the wall today. [HuffPo]

After the White House released a statement lambasting the New York Times for a freaking sub-headline, the NYT has decided to play the bigger man by changing it online and issuing a correction. The controversial headline — “White House Role Was Wider Than It Said” — has been replaced with “Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of Tapes.” As the Times‘ DC editor told Politico, however, “If they want to quibble with the deck, they have a legitimate point. But nobody is raising any questions with what the story is about, and what the story said.” Indeed, and now probably twice as many people have read the damning story. So Dana Perino continues to be a dumbshit, and the world is as it was. [Politico]

Dana Perino, you icy chamberpot of talky talky death! Only one day after your pals Blackwater shot the New York Times‘ fucking dog, and you’re releasing a statement condemning its headline this morning? For being misleading? You, the White motherfucking House is calling someone else misleading? If you weren’t so damn pretty, I’d curse you out several more times. MORE »