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Isn’t it funny how news stories only reach critical mass when they are bestowed with catchy neologisms? In this case, coverage of the overlapping series of conspiracy theories relating to Barack Obama’s birth certificate, and therefore his citizenship and eligibility for the Presidency, was diffuse and fringy until the blogosphere could settle on calling proponents of theories “Birthers”.

Thankfully, I’ve mostly (mostly!) managed to steer clear of Cable News’ 25/8 “coverage” of Sarah Palin’s impending resignation. But the parade of punditry aside, there have been some interesting things said on this score.

Exhibits A and B are columns from the NYT’s Ross Douthat and the WSJ’s Peggy Noonan.

In his column “Palin and her Enemies”, Douthat makes the case that Palin’s appeal was as much about her class–her role as an antidote withdrawl to the East Coast Ivy League elitism of the Obama circle–as her ideology, and that her retreat from politics marks a defeat to a particular vision possibility of success in American life:
“…she really is the perfect foil for Barack Obama. Our president represents the meritocratic ideal — that anyone, from any background, can grow up to attend Columbia and Harvard Law School and become a …

Two great bits of political burnage today from the GOP–one aimed at the President, and another at themselves.

First, President Obama. After calling candidate John McCain’s proposal to tax employer-based health benefits “so radical, so out of touch with what you’re facing, and so out of line with our basic values”, is increasingly looking like he will need some version of McCain’s proposal to finance health care reform.

The folks over at NRO’s The Corner did a good job scouring YouTube for the relevant campaign ads Obama ran against the McCain plan. Here’s my favorite:

The largest middle class tax hike in history? Sounds pretty bad.

Here’s Axelrod explaining it away:

But these days, …

Interesting piece from Slate.com on the fate of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an conservative-libertarian think tank that emerged 25 years ago as a big skeptical voice in climate change and pollution debates.

Turns out the policy conversation has left them behind:
“Myron Ebell, CEI’s director of energy and global-warming policy, still heads the Cooler Heads Coalition, a clearinghouse for ammunition in the fight against global warming “alarmists.” “Ebell and his ilk were basically successful in delaying action by 10 years,” says Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State.

But more recently, the ground has shifted beneath CEI’s feet. Starting in 2006 and continuing through a presidential race in which both candidates were light years away from CEI’s position on global warming, the group’s salvos frequently missed their mark. A …

Yet another fact about Chuck Norris: He can run for President of countries that don’t even exist.

I mean, that’s impressive.

Turns out “Texas” “Governor” “Rick Perry” wasn’t the first prominent Lonestar-Stater to flirt with secession. Chuck Norris considered the return of the Texas Republic over a month ago, and selflessly volunteered his services as its new President.

But here are some things the future First Ranger should know about what an independent Texas might look like, from Annie Lowrey over at FoPo’s blog:
“It would be the world’s thirteenth largest economy — bigger than South Korea, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia. But its worth would crater precipitously, after NAFTA rejected it and the United States slapped it with an embargo that would make Cuba look like a free-trade zone. Indeed, Texas would quick become the next North Korea, relying on foreign aid …

If you’ve been pinned to the edge of your seat, covered in your own filth, your significant other long-gone, as you waited for news of who the New York Times would pick to replace columnist Bill Kristol, then go clean yourself up.

It’s Ross Douthat, (pronounced, I just learned, DOW-thut. I always thought it was DOO-that) an articulate conservative lately of the Atlantic.

There’s no doubt in my mind Douthat will be an abler columnist than the man he’s replacing, not that that’s saying much. Otherwise, I’m of two minds. Even though Douthat will continue to write online at nytimes.com, this moves represents a loss for the blogosphere of one of its biggest political voices, showing the continued gravitational pull of big, old media outlets like the Times. On the other hand, its a big win for the under-30 crowd, since Douthat …

Barack Obama joined a cadre of conservative commentators for a meal of lamb chops at the Chevy Chase, MD home of George F. Will. Also in attendance were David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer, Peggy Noonan and William Kristol.

I’m sure that some other industrious little blogger out there came up with the above headline to describe Barack Obama’s dinner last night with conservative pundits, but surprisingly none of the big boys did. Here’s what they were talking about:

Chicago Sun-Times Washington Columnist Lynn Sweet offered an early blow-by-blow stakeout of the event, having done everything but wiretap George Will’s house: 
“The PEOTUS departed Hay-Adams at 6:17 p.m. and at arrived at 6:34 p.m. at No. 9 
Grafton St., Chevy Chase (right off the circle). Thanks to the good work of Hans 
Nichols (of Bloomberg and “Daily Show” fame), Montgomery County property tax 
records showed this is …

From the “The Kicker”:
“Katie Couric, guesting on Letterman last night, talked about those awkward-if-not-disastrous Sarah Palin interviews. Including: Palin’s refusal to reveal which newspapers she reads. (Remember “um, all of ‘em” and “any of ‘em that have, uh, been in front of me over all these years”?)

“I’m not sure whether she was afraid to offend certain people, by, she would offend conservatives by saying she read The New York Times,” Couric said.

“Or people who don’t read,” Letterman responded. “She was afraid of offending people who don’t read. Maybe that was it.”
Ba-rum-bum-bump.

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