Former Delay Aides Thrive in GOP
In Book, Pawlenty Touts Achievements, Humility
Conroy & McPike, RCP
Unlike the recent works published by his potential competitors for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Tim Pawlenty's “Courage to Stand” is notable for its overt humility and avoidance of sweeping statements that might be perceived as hyperbolic.The former Minnesota governor's attempt at a pre-presidential campaign tome is similar to those penned by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in that it is part biography, part vindication of his own political record, and part policy prescription for America's future. But he spills…
The Perils of Letting Lunatics Drive Public Policy
Jacob Sullum, Reason
Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of shooting 20 people outside a Tucson grocery store on Saturday, probably will never get a chance to create the “new money system” he discusses in one of his rambling YouTube videos. But he can still have an important effect on public policy"”if we let him.After the shocking attack"”which killed six people, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Green, and wounded 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)"”there was no shortage of knee-jerk proposals for…
How Do Brain Injuries Heal?
Michelle Bryner, Lifeâs Little Mysteries
It could take weeks to months to determine the extent of permanent damage from a brain injury like the one sustained by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in the tragic shooting that occurred Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz. So far, her doctors are optimistic — she can breathe on her own, and responds to verbal commands by wiggling her fingers and giving a thumbs up, and has shown movement on one side of her body, all of which are huge achievements this early in recovery. Peter Rhee, the head of the University of Arizona Medical Center's trauma unit where Giffords is being…
Postings of a Troubled Mind
Berzon, Emshwiller & Guth, Wall Street Journal
Last May 9, at two in the morning, Jared Lee Loughner typed a question to a group of about 50 online gamers located around the world: “Does anyone have aggression 24/7?”He was back at his keyboard the following night. “If you went to prison right now…What would you be thinking?” he asked.A trove of 131 online-forum postings written between April and June 2010, which were viewed by The Wall Street Journal, provides insight into Mr. Loughner's mind-set in the year leading up to Saturday's shootings in Tucson, Ariz.