Talking heads

By Libby

A bunch of items worth a view this afternoon that I don't have much commentary on.

There's this long read about Kanan Makiya, an Iraqi intellectual turned US academian that shows the road to hell really is paved with good intentions and is policed by over-inflated egos who believe they can beat insurmountable odds.

Friedman continues to pay his penance. His awakening still feels contrived, nonetheless it's a somewhat refreshing change from his six years of just six more months.

This NYT editorial expounds on this week's popular theme - torture is simply un-American.

Broder is still a clueless putz, but you knew that. You can skip his tired tautology and get the illustrated version from Tom Tomorrow. [via]

And Jim Henley sends us to Scott Horton who has the latest on the consenual incest between Bush and Blackwater.