GOOD NEWS

Don Rumsfeld and Richard Myers announced at a Tuesday press briefing that the First Cavalry Division — which had been given deployment orders and was slated to follow the Fourth Infantry Division — will not be going to Iraq after all. What this means for the Oregon Commentator is that the Another Perspective columnist for ’99-’00, Bryan Roberts, apparently will not be going to the Middle East. While this does unfortunately preclude him from drawing little OC Dingbat symbols on the bathroom walls of Saddam‘s old palaces, it does mean that Bryan will be safe from random Iraqi violence. But as for random Texan violence…

(Via Intel Dump.)

A Lengthy Discourse on Invocation

I’m curious: when the ODE runs a wire story, as they seem to be doing rather a lot, do they come up with their own headline? Because today’s specimen (Attacks Invoke Concern in Iran, apparently not posted online) seems to imply that some level of concern in Iran is being or has been used as a justification for (presumably) the attacks in Iraq. It’s certainly weird usage, and given the standard meaning of the word “invoke” (to appeal to as justification) it seems incorrect. (Attacks Cause Concern? OK. Attacks Fuel Concern? Fine. But where’s the invokement? Where’s the invokosity?)

A slightly bizarre headline is, obviously, no big deal. But it got me wondering who makes these decisions.

So riddle me this, journalism students. Is the Emerald smoking crack? Is somebody at Knight-Ridder smoking crack? Or am I smoking crack, and this is a completely justifiable use of the word “invoke”? Are we attacking Iran on the grounds that they’re concerned about something?

Seriously, I’d like to know.

Rummy Watches The Big Lebowski

Just a moment ago, Rumsfeld to Joint Chiefs Chmn Richard Myers: “Don’t give me that royal ‘we’.” I knew that guy was cool!

I WON!

The Dane Dot Net?

Yep, it’s for real. And even The Dane hates the RAVE act.

Note: Contributors to The Dane include: Farrah Bostic, Jonathan Collegio, Mark Hemingway, Tamir Kriegel, Ed Madrid, Andrew Oberriter, Owen Brennan Rounds and R.S.D. Wederquist. If these names sound familiar to you, it’s because they were all in the original Yes line-up. We’re talking pre-“Fragile” here. Prog Rock Forever!

Curious to see how much Matt Drudge makes a year? Check this out…

If Vince McMahon ran the NBA, the Shaq-Kobe alliance would have ended abruptly last June, in the locker room, as they celebrated their third championship together. Imagine the stunning, WWE-style turn of events: Kobe inexplicably cracks a steel chair over Shaq’s bald noggin; teammates react in horror, Kobe dances over Shaq’s motionless body. Through it all, Bob Costas screams, “Nooooo!!! What is Kobe doing? My god, Kobe Bryant has lost his mind!”

Since Bill Simmons moved to LA and started writing for the god awful Jimmy Kimmel show, his columns have been recycled crap. But this one is pretty funny.

And I hope to God that none of you are rooting for the Blazers. Go for Sacramento. They’ve got Adelman after all. Or pick Dallas, if you like watching Don Nelson self-destruct. Go for Minnesota, KG is always fun to watch. Or join me in rooting for Philly. But don’t root for the Blazers. I’ll take LA over Portland. I mean it. I’d rather see Kobe punch in for 40 than see Randolph punch out Patterson.

I WON!

On Wason Mest

I like Mason West, I really do. Anybody who knows him knows that he’s a good guy and fun to be around … in person. But no matter how much I like him, I still don’t like his writing.

More on CNN

Peter Collins reports that he was told to read Saddam’s propaganda on the air, without any preface or context.

Okay, I Lied (if I were female, I’d have “changed my mind”)

So I said, a few weeks ago, that I was never reading Newsweek again. Well, this article about US strategy and planning in the Iraq war is really quite superb. Go read it.

Why The Media Needs to Retake Military History 101

Instapundit and Winds of Change have a lot to say about the journalistic failures at CNN. Victor David Hanson also has a great piece on the disappointing media coverage of the liberation of Iraq.

Rummy With An Assist … To Michael Jordan

Joe Biden is a terrorist

Biden was an apologist for Janet Reno during the Waco hearings, in spite of a mountain of evidence that implicated her office of repeated incompetence, not to mention the blood of seventy-some innocent people. But if that weren’t bad enough, Biden is also one of the major backers of the R.A.V.E. act. Instapundit (you know the URL) has been following this one pretty closely…

Lars vs. O’Reilly

A former Portland media personality goes up against a current one in a cage match… er… the no-spin zone. And Ringo Starr… er… (D) Charles Ringo tries to mediate.