I had dinner last night at the Watergate Hotel of President Nixon scandal fame. With its sharks-teeth brutalist architecture, it is hardly an awe inspiring building, but somehow it manages to retain its aura of elite status. Watergate has come to mean a series of political scandals, synonymous enough, that scandal of any kind, is promptly given the "gate" suffix. Nixon faced two years of impropriety and bad news - he left government with the claim of not being a crook. If he was in government today, he would give himself an award, if not a promotion. (more)

Beazley's statement on the cabinet reshuffle included the question;

What sort of reshuffle worked on for four months would leave Amanda Vanstone still in immigration?

That is an excellent question that should be answered and not side-stepped. (more)

Well not exactly. Beazley got a run in an E.J. Dionne WaPo op-ed article titled, "First Step? Admit There's a Problem" [reg req]. Neither American Republicans or Democrats have any plan for what to do in Iraq. Clarkes op-ed on the same page, on the same subject, basically says Bush has no plan . Clark then manages to not offer one in return. (more)