"Neo" = "Jew". Funny, I didn't get that memo. David Brooks argues his usual nonsense, claiming that the idea that there is really no such thing as a group of like-minded neoconservatives influencing white house strategy. It's all just a conspiracy theory. Trouble is, guys like Richard Perle freely use the term, and have been crowing about the very influence the neocons have had in influencing white house policy. Oh, and by the way, Dave, I don't think anyone thought you were all that influential.

Josh Marshall deconstructs this more eloquently than I can.

The Department of Labor offers up "100 Ways to Screw Your Workers."

"'We're not saying anybody should do any of this,' Labor Department spokesman Ed Frank said."

The GOP is shocked, shocked, that moveon.org posted two commercials out of 1,500 entries in the site's "Bush in 30 Seconds" contest, comparing dear leader to Hitler. Now, I think that's stupid, and the anti-definition league is right to excoriate them for lessening the Holocaust. But how come the Right gets to do it?

Brad DeLong has Krugman's back covered.

The left and the right have something to agree on, what was Arthur Miller thinking in going to Cuba? Naive and clueless.

Speaking of Andrew "Keep My Personal Life Out of This (But That Doesn't Apply To Me)" Sullivan," he wants to know why Brittany can, but he can't.

*****

Ah, baseball. What a winter. Gorden Edes of the Globe did a great bit of reporting on how the A-Rod for Manny trade went awry.

Thanks to Alex Belth for the link.

Congratulations to Paul Moliter and Dennis Eckersley. Finally, the DH and the closer roles (Rollie Fingers notwithstanding) get some respect from the baseball writers.

It figures that this jerk would time his so-called apology to try to overshadow the Hall's announcement.

"'It's an embarrassment for me to have believed the lies of a semi-literate,' [Roger] Kahn [author of Rose's first "autobiography"] said yesterday. 'I thought it was my job to present his case. I felt a little like a criminal lawyer. I didn't ask: Did you do it? I asked: How do you want to plead?'"

Quite a bit of redemption for the baseball blogosphere. Baseball-Prospectus called this one over the summer. In fact, by blowing the whistle, they may have forced Selig to at least demand some contrition. MLB owes Derek Zumsteg and Will Carroll an apology.

Adieu, Tug.