Everyone else has been linking to this piece, but (contrarian that I am) I’ve been bucking the trend. But after actually reading it, I could understand why they have, so I am as well.

Jimmy Carter, of all people, calls Dick Cheney a “disaster.” I suspect that the vice president will have too much class to respond, but the response would surely be entertaining.

I’ve long believed that once she became the nominee (as seems increasingly likely), Hillary!™’s past would come back to haunt her. One of the means by which this would happen would be the “Slick Grope Vets For Truth.” Well, it looks like Kathleen Willey has fired the first salvo. And interestingly, I hadn’t read about this in the news:

…as evidence that the Clintons haven t changed, the terror and harassment continue. Over 2007’s Labor Day weekend, Kathleen’s home was burglarized. Instead of taking jewelry or computers, the thief took the manuscript for Target, with its explosive revelations that could damage Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Sounds par for the course to me. Hopefully (and apparently) it wasn’t the only copy.

From John Hood, on free trade.

Is anybody else troubled that someone can give a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court $1.5 million for a book deal, but I can’t give him a $100 gift?

Here’s a spot where FEC monitoring of money flows would be useful. I want to hear what the Justices have to say, so banning book deals seems wrong. But this appears to be an easy way for a single entity to influence a Justice’s decisions. I think everyone should have a chance to give Thomas money to influence his decisions just like we do by donating to elected officials’ campaigns.

I wonder how Thomas will dispel the appearance of impropriety. If he waits until 2009, he may get impeached.

—Update 2:30 PM CDT—

My commenters seem to think there is no appearance of impropriety. So I guess if you want to buy influence with a non-elected official, offer them a $1.5 million book deal.

Matt Welch’s new book on John McCain looks interesting, though fortunately for the country, I don’t think he’s going to be either nominated or elected, so it won’t matter.

Mark Steyn, on the Democrats’ stealth nationalization of “health care” and their cynical use and abuse of children:

The Democrats chose to outsource their airtime to a Seventh Grader. If a political party is desperate enough to send a boy to do a man’s job, then the boy is fair game. As it is, the Dems do enough cynical and opportunist hiding behind biography and identity, and it’s incredibly tedious. And anytime I send my seven-year-old out to argue policy you’re welcome to clobber him, too. The alternative is a world in which genuine debate is ended and, as happened with Master Frost, politics dwindles down to professional staffers writing scripts to be mouthed by Equity moppets.

…So executive vice-presidents’ families are now the new new poor? I support lower taxes for the Frosts, increased child credits for the Frosts, an end to the “death tax” and other encroachments on transgenerational wealth transfer, and even severe catastrophic medical-emergency aid of one form or other. But there is no reason to put more and more middle-class families on the government teat, and doing so is deeply corrosive of liberty.

And, if the Democrats don’t like me saying that, next time put up someone in long pants to make your case.

Lileks:

I agree with Mr. Jones; Human nature is immutable, damn the luck

With the release of Clarence Thomas’ memoirs, a lot of history is being relived. I had forgotten what a vile heap of offal Howard Metzenbaum was in the confirmation hearings, but Ed Morrissey remembers.

I’ve been as enthusiastic about Thompson as I can be about any Republican, but this is disappointing, if true:

He voted against them in the Senate. But after touring an ethanol plant in Iowa today, he considers them “a matter now of national security.”

It’s not just the policy that’s a problem but the apparent flip-flop for blatant political reasons. I’d hoped for better from him.

Not a deal killer, but disappointing.