Black Friday!

And it's 9:45 and I'm not out of the house yet! Oh right, I wouldn't go within 10,000 feet of a shopping mall today.

Actually, I'm hungering for more news about this Mumbai attack. The Chabad house exploded in what I imagine to be a botched siege, resulting in the death of the hostages (a New York rabbi and his wife) and the attackers. Reminders of Munich 1972 and the continued truth that religious differences and violence are not strangers.

Just for confirmation, if the Iraqi electorate rejected the withdrawal agreement in a July 2009 referendum, US forces would have to leave by July 2010. Which matches Barack Obama's withdrawal schedule pretty solidly, although it would wipe out any residual forces he sought. Good article by DHinMI on the subject, too.

What a difference between Tom Friedman's column, where he mentions articles he's read about the economic crisis, and quotes them beyond fair use and appropriates their conclusions, and Paul Krugman's column, where he helpfully explains how he, unlike Friedman, actually foresaw the crisis. It's the difference between a dilettante and an expert.

I don't know if it's legal under our trade agreements, but this call for an auto buyer's bailout is certainly interesting.

Good to see Nixonland on the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2008 list. It's a monster of a book but I'm finally working my way through it on this vacation, and Nixon is a great Thanksgiving partner - or rather, Rick Perlstein is.