johnxavier

"My guess is that President Obama held so many meetings with his national-security advisers on this..."

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:39:00 -0500

“My guess is that President Obama held so many meetings with his national-security advisers on this topic—nine, plus a 10th on Sunday night to get their orders and talking points straight—because he wanted to break through his own ambivalences; because he needed to come up with a reason (not just a rationalization) for doing whatever it is that he’s decided to do, some assurance that it really does make sense, that it has a chance of working, so he can defend it to Congress, the nation, and the world with conviction. Let’s hope he found something. A columnist can be ambivalent; a president can’t be.”

- Fred Kaplan - My mixed feelings about the war in Afghanistan

In the end, the dichotomy he draws between the acceptability of his ambivalence and the unacceptability of a president’s in such a situation sounds to me like he’s saying “it sucks to be you” - which given the complexity and seeming lose-lose outcome of each potential avenue, I kind of agree with. Yet, I’m entirely comfortable with a President and his administration taking their time (or dithering, depending on who you ask) to hammer out a strategy to achieve the nation’s objectives (which, in and of themselves, have not been entirely crystal clear), even going so far as to reconsider campaign rhetoric (which admittedly was rather cheap and crass - but then again, when isn’t it) and previous actions of his administration.

Should a president be ambivalent after initiating a significant war strategy? No. Should a president be ambivalent (at least as I read it) to a point where he questions and considers the intricacies of an issue before initiating said strategy? I think yes.

new spoon album coming in january! and new spoon single out now!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:51:15 -0500

new spoon album coming in january! and new spoon single out now!

thedailywhat: Life-Altering Revision To An Existing Device of...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:40:04 -0500

thedailywhat:

Life-Altering Revision To An Existing Device of the Day: Damjan Stanković’s Eko Stoplight has a built-in timer that tells you exactly how long you have until the light turns green.

Yet another one of those specks of brilliance that make you go, What possible reason could there be for this to have taken so long to come into existence.

[via.]

living in dc, i already can tell how long i have to wait by looking at the crossing signal’s timer for the intersecting road. still, this is pretty awesome.

"We drill into these guys that we want to play. I don’t want to watch a tennis match, smacking..."

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:58:51 -0500

“We drill into these guys that we want to play. I don’t want to watch a tennis match, smacking balls here and there. We are trying to get these guys ready for the next level. … I want us to be remembered for playing soccer, not just kickball. They are better than that, they deserve better than that.”

- Portland’s Bill Irwin, after the Pilots played attractive soccer for much of their 1-0 loss at Virginia… via soccer insider.

that’s awesome.

Joe Biden - Second-Most Powerful Vice President in...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:56:18 -0500

Joe Biden - Second-Most Powerful Vice President in History?

great read from ny times magazine.

"One such measure would be another round of aid to beleaguered state and local governments, which..."

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:46:53 -0500

“One such measure would be another round of aid to beleaguered state and local governments, which have seen their tax receipts plunge and which, unlike the federal government, can’t borrow to cover a temporary shortfall. More aid would help avoid both a drastic worsening of public services (especially education) and the elimination of hundreds of thousands of jobs.”

- paul krugman on the jobs imperative

i, like just about everyone else, had some qualms with the stimulus package - the biggest of which was the stripping of funding to states in favor for the tax cuts the GOP deemed necessary. as we all remember, this netted zero republican votes. in response to the worst economic conditions in a century, inadequate support from the federal government, and an inability to deficit spend, states have been forced to strip critical public services and drastically cut payrolls.

i really hope mr. krugman’s words on this point are heeded at this week’s jobs summit.

sufjan stevens - come thou fount of every blessing i am not a...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:09:00 -0500

sufjan stevens - come thou fount of every blessing

i am not a christmas person. never have been. it’s really not my cup of tea. but i stumbled across this gorgeous track on some unmarked cd (yes, i still prefer this 80-minute music format when i drive) in my car this afternoon and it made me want to at least try to embrace the holiday season. the song’s beauty speaks for itself - sufjan’s delivery is angelic - and this is something everyone should hear, know, and love.

here’s to hoping for a more festive holiday season.

jimmy bullard’s goal celebration against...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:01:21 -0500

jimmy bullard’s goal celebration against citeh…

brilliant.

just picked this up at kramers, looks like it has potential.

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:43:00 -0500

just picked this up at kramers, looks like it has potential.

thedailywhat: This Is Funny, You Should Watch It of the Day:...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:19:30 -0500

thedailywhat:

This Is Funny, You Should Watch It of the Day: Can’t be bothered to spend two hours in a hot box full of moist preteens perpetually screaming at the top of their lungs, but still want to know what all the sparkling fuss is about? Jack Douglass has got your back with a minute-long abbreviation of New Moon that covers all major plot points (or lack thereof).

Spoiler Alert: Twilight blows.

[via.]

not only is this pretty hilarious, it’s a spot on synopsis of the movie.

to be fair, this movie was better than the first one (which i fell asleep during) and it was fun looking forward to hearing songs from the soundtrack interspersed throughout the film. and thom yorke’s “hearing damage” played for like two full minutes during that intense werewolf vampire chase sequence, can’t complain about that.

grizzly bear - cheerleader (live on late night with jimmy...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:20:51 -0500

grizzly bear - cheerleader (live on late night with jimmy fallon)

i don’t think i could get tired of watching these guys harmonize.

Tottenham Hotspur 1, Aston Villa 1 wow that was an exciting...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:16:09 -0500

Tottenham Hotspur 1, Aston Villa 1

wow that was an exciting game. we deserved the win, but i’ll take a point at villa park any day of the week.

some things i’m thankful of…

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:14:00 -0500

living in dc...

having friends like these...

good music from people like these guys..

and these guys...

tottenham's new found form...

and scorelines like these...

having two jobs in times like these...

having this guy in the white house...

and tumblr and people like you.

some things i’m thankful of…

"i can’t get out of what i’m into with you."

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:50:00 -0500

“i can’t get out of what i’m into with you.”

- grizzly bear.

gpoyw: with the family circa 2001

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:44:35 -0500

gpoyw: with the family circa 2001

Jordan Raynor: Transcript of Twinterview with @PatrickRuffini

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:36:58 -0500

Jordan Raynor: Transcript of Twinterview with @PatrickRuffini:

worthwhile interview with mr. ruffini (bob mcdonnell’s senior online strategist) for any politicos out there.

fuckyeahdc: couch: Sim City DC WAT WAT WAT!?!?! love this.

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:56:53 -0500

fuckyeahdc:

couch:

Sim City DC

WAT WAT WAT!?!?!

love this.

New Frightened Rabbit - "Living In Colour" & "Nothing Like You" (Live On BBC6)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:17:19 -0500

New Frightened Rabbit - "Living In Colour" & "Nothing Like You" (Live On BBC6):

the winter of mixed drinks is out march 2010… can’t wait.

bon iver - for emma, forever ago [a take away show] not sure how...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:54:25 -0500

bon iver - for emma, forever ago [a take away show]

not sure how i missed this two months ago, but wow - both the acapella and acoustic versions of this song are stunning.

real estate - beach comber really liking the opener on their...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:29:25 -0500

real estate - beach comber

really liking the opener on their self titled debut.