Plus--Why does prosperity require democracy again?

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Expenditures Aren't Like Contributions: Another independent effort working at cross-purposes from a candidate's real, official campaign. ... [Tks to alert reader O.C.] 10:47 P.M.

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Let's hope Vice President Cheney and David Addington let their subscriptions to the New York Times expire and didn't see the following kicker paragraphs, in a piece on how Americans are paying too much attention to Ahmadinejad  as opposed to his clerical patrons

But whether Mr. Ahmadinejad wins or loses, there is no sense here in Iran that the outcome will have any impact on the fundamentals of Iran's relations with the world or the government's relation to its own society.

"The situation will get worse and worse," said Saeed Leylaz, an economist and former government official. "We are moving to a point where no internal force can change things." [E.A.]

I can think of an external force. ... 10:35 P.M.

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The We-Don't-Trust-Toobin Caucus is growing so rapidly I can't keep up with it from the road. But Walter Olson has the burgeoning list  at PointOfLaw.com. ... Note that not all of Toobin's critics are Republicans or conservatives. ... 10:16 P.M.

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I didn't realize that anti-gerrymandering reform had died once more in California. The state's Democratic leaders again failed to deliver on the reform promise they made when urging voters to reject a Schwarzenegger-backed anti-gerrymandering ballot measure in 2005. ... The big hang-up was fear that Nancy Pelosi would oppose any measure that ended gerrymandering of Congressional districts as well as state legislative districts. But Schwarzenegger deserves some blame for not knocking heads and getting a gettable deal, according to the LAT's George Skelton. The LAT's George Skelton also deserves some blame--he fell for the Democrats' promises and columnized against the ballot initiative in 2005. The reform he righteously opposed sure looks good now. ... 12:46 A.M.

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