Stuff

Guardian Unlimited has a column by Naomi Wolf that notes that from “Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms. And…George Bush and his administration seem to be taking them all.”

Slate Magazine has a column by Jack Shafer that takes a less worshipful view of David Halberstam. NewMexiKen tends to agree that Halberstam desperately needed a good editor. I began many of his books over the decades and believe I only finished one of them. Halberstam was the James Michener of non-fiction.

Which is not to detract from Halberstam’s willingness to dig deep and tell truth to power, something few if any journalists do today. See Glenn Greenwald’s tribute.

At Swampland Joe Klein translates Darth Cheney.