The RoT Editorial Board herby throws its combined negative net worth and influence behind Sen John Kerry (D - MA). This decision is largely based on a conclusion that we can say bad things about Kerry without concerns of a potentional libel suit and the threat of litigiation from here until our grandchildren grow old. We are very concerned about being sued and spent many hours worrying about this. Additionally, we want a president a little less sensitive to crticism. Also one who can pronounce "nu-clear."


To you undecideds (none of which read this website): we're hearing a lot of people who dislike both candidates and are in that "stick with the devil you know, instead of the devil you don't know" mode. Riddle us this: what would the president have to do to lose your vote? Seriously. That question blows the RoT Editorial Boards's mind. What hasn't he already done to lose it?

The Irony.


The Crap. For those who do not know who Seymour Hersh is, he was the journalist who broke the story of the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. (via atrios and kb)

The last in a series of Nathaniel's communications from Afghanistan. This one is a bit more dry, so I've put a few paragraphs in here, with a link to read the rest. He just got back the other day, and perhaps he'll send me some less sanitaized thoughts (that won't be published on the Oxfam website). Now I'm back to this whole "original content" thing, which isn't as easy as I want it to be.

"Afghanistan, as I have said in previous entries, is in the midst of momentous rejuvenation, in terms of both morale and economic growth. This is not Iraq. In the American media and political discourse, Afghanistan and Iraq are too often lumped together into the magical country of "Iraqistan," as if the people, the cultures, the contexts, and the challenges facing each country are somehow identical. Wrong. Wrong. And wrong...."



"As someone who enjoys nothing more than interacting with people on their terms in the places where they live, I get frustrated by these types of restrictions. My usual habit of walking out on the street to see what is being sold in shops, eaten at restaurants or even listened to on the radio has had to be seriously curtailed. Needless to say, leg cramps and claustrophobia are inevitable outcomes of living in such an environment. Though it is true, as Otis Reading famously said, Security, baby, it's what I need."


"Kenny told me the story of being in Ghazni Province a while back in a rural village where he was offered green tea, the Afghan equivalent of saying, "Can I get you a cup of coffee or something?" Being ever so gracious and culturally sensitive, Kenny humbly accepted. So the man whose house they were visiting sent a relative outside to slaughter a sheep, a huge sacrifice for such a poor community. Do you want sugar with that?"


"To see the diversity of grapes and other fruits, flowers and vegetables that are grown in this country, the image of Afghanistan as only a dusty and barren place producing war more than produce doesn't tell the whole story. It was easy sitting at my desk in the United States, deluged by e-mail after e-mail of bad news about Afghanistan, to hold fast to pessimism about its prospects for stability and reconstruction. Now, I have a surprising degree of hope about this country and its people. Do I have statistics to back this bold assertion up? No. But I know that Afghans want what Americans want: peace."

ALL OTHER ENTRIES ARE HERE