Retirees’ Health Costs Loom Over U.A.W. Talks - New York Times

the other issue not discussed in this article is what if one or all of them goes out of business? Or goes into bankruptcy and sheds its pensions to the U.S. taxpayer? It's a real possibility given what Big Steel and the Legacy Airlines have done. It may not happen next year, but it could happen in 5-10 years. Who's on the hook then? We, the taxpayer, will have to pay it somehow.

The pain of losing benefits for retirees is a real heart breaker. There may not be a good solution without a Federal bailout, but does that make sense? What about a National Health Care plan? Would that solve many of their problems? If it were setup right, we could have a pretty good system that would remove much of the risks to large corporations and still deliver good service. Is it better to bailout pensions of the few in order to keep health care the way it is now?

Chicken of the Sea - New York Times

These are my favorite types of articles. I always thought that the avoiding alcohol and sushi while pregnant is silly. Everything in moderation and its OK. The logic behind the sushi thing is ridiculous though. The risks for parasites and or any other food borne illness through sushi is a joke. Logically, sushi restaurants are fanatically clean, its easy to detect any problems, and its good for the baby. Why would you not eat sushi again?

Michael Gerson - Partisanship vs. the Children - washingtonpost.com

Gerson's makes some good points, especially on the overreaching on both sides. The thing that's missing out of his column is why the budget hardliners don't want to insure the kids. Iraq is costing untold billions of dollars with no end in sight. With this drain on the Treasury, where are you going to be able to find money for insuring kids?

I wonder what DiIulio thinks of Bush's ex-Flak invoking his name.

After the staff cuts, will the newspapers of the future look like the newspapers from the past? - By Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine

Maybe things aren't as bad for newspapers as people think?

Chrysler Signs Export Venture With a Chinese Automaker - New York Times

This is also interesting in that this is may be the beginning of the Big Three getting out of the manufacturing business and moving to the next level of design. By totally outsourcing manufacturing, they can get by with smaller staffs and worry about making better cars instead of unions contracts and health care. However, by becoming like Nike, does the country lose out? I'm not sure, but the current model of auto manufacturing in the U.S. is not doing so hot. The unions should worry too, that they can't keep their workforce employed.

Ugly Airline Math: Planes Late, Fliers Even Later - New York Times

Those late planes aren't bad, they're worse than you think. If you count missed connections, overbooked flights, weather, etc, air travel is worse than reported. I'm not sure why the results of travel aren't more closely studied. There's a good data set and it's sexy. Calculating lateness, by when passenger reach their final booked destination seems like such good sense. Maybe in the next life.

Ugly Airline Math: Planes Late, Fliers Even Later - New York Times

Those late planes aren't bad, they're worse than you think. If you count missed connections, overbooked flights, weather, etc, air travel is worse than reported. I'm not sure why the results of travel aren't more closely studied. There's a good data set and it's sexy. Calculating lateness, by when passenger reach their final booked destination seems like such good sense. Maybe in the next life.

How McCain's campaign can recover. - By John Dickerson - Slate Magazine

I don't think Dickerson gave a recipe on how to get back in the race. Anyways, the McCain campaign is turning out to be a disaster. He's pissed off too many people and there's just fatigue about this guy. He's been hanging around the entire Bush Presidency hoping that something would happen. He's made decisions that are right for him, but have pissed everyone else off. Fine with campaign finance reform and the Iraq surge, but his pandering to Falwell at Liberty University killed him in the media.

The primaries are problematic too. Iowa has never been happy with McCain (something about subsidies for ethanol); He's got to compete with Hillary, Obama, plus the GOP candidates in New Hampshire (he had NH to himself in 2000); He did so well in South Carolina last time that it ended his Presidential ambitions last go around (for a guy that loses his temper, he sure was serene after that loss). He's got issues.

The good thing going for him,is that the other GOP guys are not ideal (or even close). This Libby Commutation will end up hurting Thompson. As soon as the media pick up that chestnut, his numbers will fall. The other two have their own special issues. Long story short, America hates the GOP right now; McCain's best chance is if he's seen as the savior (Go Hillary!) of America.

A Decision Made Largely Alone - washingtonpost.com:

"A spokeswoman for the vice president said she did not know what he advised."

Of course not. The Veep had nothing to do with this. Just because he's super duper secret with those tomb sized safes in his office, somehow, someone would tell the press (who the Veep has the utmost respect for) what Dick Cheney said to the President. Sure ....

On some more realistic points, the fact that some conservatives are embracing this commutation as OK, shows that modern conservatism is dead. Personal relationships has taken precedent over the law. Plus with his legal defense fund paying the fine, it looks like his appointment with the parole officer doesn't sound so bad. I wonder if Bush thought about the criminals family that he put to death in Texas as he did with Mrs. Libby.

President Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence - washingtonpost.com

I'm glad that the Veep can be decisive when he wants to. the problem, this again shows the endemic weakness in the Oval Office. It's almost as if the parodies of him from 2000 were correct. Too bad (for us) Bush picked the wrong father figure.

A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease - washingtonpost.com

Maybe he is weak? I don't know how accurate this profile can be when nobody who spends more than a day or two with him won't talk. The bike riding on the weekend is so much BS. He rides all the time. I remember there was some sort of single engined plane in DC airspace that had to be forced down by the Air Force. no threat to the President though, he was in Maryland riding his bike.

Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency | washingtonpost.com

Probably the best look at Cheney since 9/11. Fascinating and scary portrait of how he has changed the government and policy by using all the levers of Washington. This illustrates the weakness of Bush. It would have been better if he took advice from his Dad, who at least would have been slightly more benign.