R.I.P., Irving Kristol
Irving Kristol, called the "godfather of neo-conservatism" by some, died today of complications from lung cancer. He was 89. John Podhoretz has written a moving and comprehensive account of Kristol's life and immense influence: Irving, who died today at the age of 89, was the rarest of creatures—a thoroughgoing intellectual who was also a man of action. He was a maker ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 18, 2009 18:55
What’s the Difference, Jed?
Steve Benen and DougJ give NewsBusters' Tim Graham a hard time for noting that the Washington Post obituary for Patrick Swayze, who died overnight from pancreatic cancer, fails to give "Red Dawn" its due, quipping, "There are clearly no fortysomething Reaganites working in the Washington Post newsroom." I was prepared to chide Benen and DJ for failing to get a self-deprecating joke, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 15, 2009 14:33
Christopher Hitchens on Edward Kennedy
Christopher Hitchens is an iconoclast's iconoclast, famously willing to piss on anyone's grave, whether it be Mother Tereasa, Bob Hope, or Teddy Kennedy. Interestingly, this time he smacks down with one hand whilst patting on the back with the other: Sure, the "tragedy" of Chappaquiddick had its necessary moment, but even in those days Barbara Walters was doing her damage control, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 31, 2009 15:09
Teddy Kennedy Dead at 77
Senator Edward M. Kennedy died last night, aged 77, succumbing to brain cancer. Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies (John Broder, NYT) [caption id="attachment_41192" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Doug Mills/The New York Times"][/caption] Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a son of one of the most storied families in American politics, a man who knew triumph and tragedy in near-equal measure and who will be remembered ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 26, 2009 06:53
Jon & Kate Plus Don Hewitt Equals News?
This morning, Jeff Jarvis passed along Peter Daou's tweet "CBS Early Show Prioritizes Jon & Kate Over Don Hewitt’s Death," which linked this Consider This News video, itself prefaced "This speaks volumes about the state of TV news" My tweeted retort: "Old man dying yesterday not news?" Steven Taylor has some more detailed thoughts, notably that morning news shows have never been ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 20, 2009 14:33
Bob Novak Dead at 78
Conservative columnist and former CNN "Crossfire" host Robert Novak has died at age 78 of cancer, his family says. - CNN Breaking News Chicago Sun Times ("Robert Novak: Innovator's life marked by passion") Most people know the late Sun-Times columnist Robert D. Novak, who died this morning [Tuesday] from complications of a brain tumor, as a journalist. And indeed he was among ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 18, 2009 12:06
Ken Bacon Dead at 64
Former Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon has died. He was only 64. Kenneth H. Bacon, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who became chief Pentagon spokesman under President Bill Clinton, died Saturday at age 64. Bacon had been battling melanoama, and was on leave was his job as president of Refugees International, a Washington-based group he joined in early 2001. [...] "Prior to working at ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 16, 2009 06:07
Honest Obituaries
Apparently, whoever wrote this obituary for The Telegraph has never heard the maxims "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" or "Don't speak ill of the dead." Joseph Msika, who died on August 4 aged 85, was vice-president of Zimbabwe and a central figure in his country's headlong rush to ruin. A foul-mouthed, embittered man, much given to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 6, 2009 12:24
Scott Speicher Remains Found
Captain Scott Speicher's remains have been found more than eighteen years after he was shot down during Desert Storm. The remains of the first American lost in the Persian Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, after struggling for nearly two decades with the question of whether he was dead or alive. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 2, 2009 08:18
Walter Cronkite Dead at 92
Walter Cronkite has passed: Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the most trusted man in America," died Friday. He was 92. Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, said Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. at his Manhattan home surrounded by family. She said ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 17, 2009 22:02
‘World’s Oldest Mother’ Dead at 69
Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, who made news three years ago when she gave birth to twins at the age of 66, has died. [S]he had been diagnosed with cancer shortly after giving birth. In 2007, Ms Bousada de Lara said she had lied about her age to doctors at a fertility clinic in California to get IVF treatment, telling them ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 15, 2009 15:28
Robert McNamara Dead at 93
Breaking news from CNN: "Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, architect of U.S. war in Vietnam, has died at 93, according to his family." I click the link and get: Seriously? AP has a more fitting obituary: [caption id="attachment_39010" align="alignright" width="318" caption="In a Nov. 17, 1961 file photo, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara holds a news conference at the Pentagon. Former Defense Secretary Robert S. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 6, 2009 09:20
Abe Vigoda Still Alive
The list of major celebrities who have died in recent days is staggering. Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. Billy Mays. Karl Malden. Steve McNair. Ironically, however, Abe Vigoda -- who was famously erroneously declared dead by People magazine way back in 1982 -- is still alive and kicking at 88.Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 5, 2009 12:11
Failure of Breaking News Reporting?
Aaron Brazell argues that, with the advent of instant-reporting of rumor via Twitter and other social media, the mainstream press has fallen behind. He cites yesterday's Steve McNair murder, the false rumors that Jeff Goldblum had died, and Michael Jackson's death. He laments that, while the McNair news broke on two Nashville stations but "It was a long time (30 minutes ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 5, 2009 09:03
Steve McNair Killed in Tennessee
Steve McNair is dead: Former NFL MVP Steve McNair has been shot and killed. Titans owner Bud Adams confirmed the quarterback's death in a brief statement released Saturday. Adams called him "one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans. He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 4, 2009 17:31
