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1.) The New York Times’ useful idiocy liveth — A long tradition continues at the Grey Lady, reports TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein:
“The New York Times Cairo bureau chief David K. Kirkpatrick insists that the Muslim Brotherhood is a ‘moderate, regular old political force,’ despite Muslim Brotherhood-backed Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi’s recent power grab and the Islamist organization’s radical views. … ‘The Brotherhood, they’re politicians,’ he said. ‘They are not violent by nature, and they have over the last couple of decades evolved more and more into a moderate — conservative but religious, but moderate — regular old political force. … Eric Trager, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and an expert on Egypt, told The Daily Caller that Kirkpatrick’s assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood as moderate was simply a regurgitation of Muslim Brotherhood propaganda. ‘Calling the Muslim Brotherhood moderate is really an ingestion of a Muslim Brotherhood talking point. It’s not analysis,’ he said.”
Kirkpatrick is unfortunately not alone in trying to portray the Muslim Brotherhood as moderate. But despite having many solid foreign correspondents, the New York Times also has a uniquely humiliating record covering totalitarian movements. Covering the Soviet Union in the 1930s, Walter Duranty reported, “There is no famine or actual starvation nor is there likely to be” in the Ukraine. As many as 7.5 million people died in the Soviet-enforced Ukraine famine. For his work, Duranty of course won a Pulitzer Prize. Covering the Cuban Revolution, New York Times reporter Herbert Matthews declared that “Fidel Castro is not only not a Communist, he is decidedly anti-Communist.” The Castro brothers have now presided over a communist Cuba for over 50 years. Now, a New York Times reporter tells us that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “moderate, regular old political force.” Embarrassing.
2.) DeMint decamps — In a surprise move, one of the Senate’s most prominent conservatives announced he was quitting. But he isn’t leaving town, TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:
“Sen. Jim DeMint said Thursday, after announcing that he would resign to become President of the Heritage Foundation, that he felt he could do more to promote conservatism working outside the Senate than he could as a member. ‘This is a critical time for America and there’s no organization in the country, in fact the world, that’s better positioned to convince the American people that the conservative policies that the Heritage Foundation has delivered over the years are the solutions to the problems that we now face as a nation,’ DeMint told a small group of reporters gathered in the lobby of the Heritage Foundation, which was locked down as he made the rounds of his new employees.”
DeMint will go from being one of the poorest members of the Senate with a net worth slightly more than zero dollars to probably making $1 million dollars or more per year, reports TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein.
3.) Sen. Scott? Why not? — In the immediate aftermath DeMint’s resignation, Tim Scott emerged as the fan favorite to replace him. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:
“Tim Scott, an African-American Republican member of Congress from South Carolina, is already garnering buzz as a possible replacement for Jim DeMint, who announced his resignation from the U.S. Senate on Thursday. DeMint said Thursday that he is leaving the Senate in January to take over at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington D.C. Under state law, South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley will appoint a replacement until a special election is held in 2014.”
If appointed to replace DeMint, Scott would become the only African American in the Senate and just the seventh African American senator — yes, astoundingly, just the seventh — in U.S. history.
4.) Do unto mice as you would have mice do unto you — If only someone in New Mexico paid attention to that rule, he would still have a house. TheDC’s Patrick Howley reports:
“An 81-year old New Mexico man found himself in a fable-like situation this week, when his house was burned down by a mouse that he had previously thrown into a burning pile of leaves. Luciano Mares told the Associated Press that he found the mouse in his Fort Sumner, New Mexico home and immediately treated the creature with scorn. ‘I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire,’ Mares said. ‘The mouse was on fire and ran back at the house.'”
5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Conan O’Brien: In order to justify eating veal, I just pretend the calf was funnier than me.
6.) Today in North Korean News –BREAKING: “Italian Guests Arrive”
VIDEO: Al Gore criticizes Obama for inaction on global warming
