I Wish I was Shocked by This

Apparently, the US government worked with Bin Laden pretty closely right up to the September 11 attacks.

Good Point

Mankiw links to Krugman on why HMOs don't work particularly well. I think they're both right. Krugman is right to distrust HMOs, and Mankiw is right to distrust giving government that much direct power over his (and my) health. However, the whole weight of history supports the idea that we can't trust government, while only a few decades support the idea that HMOs are bad. Like a rational Russian in 1918, I'd be against the Czar and actively oppose the Lenin, and today I'm against HMOs and am actively against having even more government control over healthcare.

Hmm, I Guess He Is

I've semi-defended Buchanan in the past. Not pro certainly, but I always thought the evidence people gave of him being a racist was pretty weak. He criticizes Israel? Is more sensitive to slights against white men? Whatever. This video makes me think again. Of course, Maddow shows just how overrated she is. Like Pat, Rachel is quite articulate, but man does she bring the stupid.

Lies about Honesty

More Krugman. He calls out Feldstein for mistakes in a piece. I agree that Feldstein should admit his errors. However, Krugman ends by saying "if I misstated the facts like this in the Times, I’d be required to publish a correction". Really? How about if he claimed in a column that Herbert Hoover cut government spending during the Great Depression?
(added link to my original post on the column)

A Lack of Imagination

Yglesias wonders how someone can worry about inflation when the unemployment rate is so high. In particular how they can oppose "anti-unemployment policies [that] might generate inflation at some future point". Gee, Matt, maybe it's because they disagree with your economic model, and don't agree that the measures taken will help with unemployment. It's either that or they're assholes who hate the poor. Not sure which it is.
Also, note that high inflation hurts the unemployed particularly hard.

My god, he broke the code

Paul Krugman comes to the realization that some people oppose initiatives that give the government more power. His powers of analysis truly are limitless.

Obama Embraces his Inner Nixon

Ah, enemies lists. Suppression of speech. General dickishness (or Dickishness). Lovely.