Kevin Kusinitz is a writer and humorist who contributed frequently to The Weekly Standard during 2007–2008, producing dozens of pieces offering sharp, often satirical commentary on politics, pop culture, and media. His work covered topics ranging from the 2008 presidential campaign to celebrity culture and entertainment industry trends.
Earlier in the week, Russ Feingold said he wouldn't filibuster the FISA bill--but that was apparently before he got his marching orders from the netroots. His attempt to kill the bill last night failed on a vote to begin debate, 80 to 15. The Huffington/Kos crowd might not approve of the majority…
Jimmy Carter--who definitely knows a thing or two about alienating Americans--isn't keen on the idea of an Obama/Clinton administration, as he told the London Guardian: "I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made," said Carter. "That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both…
If this guy were American, he'd be President Obama's Secretary of State: Britain should negotiate with leaders of al-Qaida as part of a new strategy to end its violent campaign, one of the country's most senior police officers has said. Speaking to the Guardian, Sir Hugh Orde, head of the Police…
While Americans remembered the servicemen and women who gave their lives for their country, a couple of people who wear make-up and costumes for a living marked Memorial Day weekend a little differently. Benicio del Toro won the best actor prize at Cannes as the star of Steven Soderbergh's…
Break out your love beads, dust off your Moby Grape albums -- it's 1968 again! Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin is catching grief for suggesting John McCain's family history of military service makes the presumptive Republican presidential nominee unfit to be commander-in-chief. Harkin, who has a history of…
EVERY FOUR YEARS, when I deliberate over who should get my vote for president, I ask myself one vital question: who cares about celebrity endorsements?
I'm starting to see a pattern here: While Senator Barack Obama gingerly commended his rival's "perseverance," the shrinking candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has all but vanished from the television set, sidelined by bigger news. For several weeks, editorial cartoonists and others have…
I wish I could be as choosy as Hillary Clinton about paying debts: According to a campaign release put out Tuesday evening as election returns revealed her big win in Kentucky and loss in Oregon, Clinton raised "approximately $22 million" from other people in April. The release also touted that $10…
W.C. Fields had a joke about the closing of bars on Election Day: "That's taking democracy too far!" Sen. Joe Lieberman rightfully feels the same way about al Qaeda and its newest recruiting tool, now available as close as your child's bedroom: Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded…
Variety reports: Producer Robert Moresco ("Million Dollar Baby," "Crash") has partnered with Artist Relations Group to produce a biopic about Fidel Castro's exiled daughter, Alina Fernandez. Castro recently ceded power to his brother Raul after almost 50 years in power. Story, set in 1958, begins…
It's been plenty fun watching what Dean Barrett refers to as the Fall of the House of Clinton (although, as a fan of old horror movies, I lean toward the House of Clintonstein). Still, I urge my fellow righties not to succumb to our own version of Nixon Hatred Syndrome--a disease afflicting many on…
Gee, and I thought it was just because we were, you know, correct on the issues: Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than liberal-leaners, and new research pinpoints the reason: Conservatives rationalize social and economic inequalities. Regardless of marital status, income or…
Remember how women wanted to smash those glass ceilings? Well, it looks like they're the ones getting smashed: Men set the bar, but women are catching up - there's been a big increase in drinking and alcohol dependence as American gals have become freer to do what guys have always done, a new study…
Raise your hand if this shocks you: Rock star Sting's celebrity-studded Carnegie Hall charity concert in 2006 to save the world's rainforests raked in millions, but less than half the riches actually funded tree-saving programs, according to charity watchdogs and a Post review of tax records. It's…
For several weeks, Barack Obama has decried the many "distractions" that have hounded him. This week, Hillary Clinton must be thankful for the distraction of Rev. Wright, since nobody paid much attention to Tom Hayden's scorned-lover piece in the Nation. Clearly drunk on the Obama-spiked Kool Aid,…
CBS News reporter Richard Butler was rescued by Iraqi troops in Basra on April 10 after being held captive for two months. Throughout his ordeal, his hands were kept in restraints and a sack kept over his head, although he was able to hear plenty of Hezbollah propaganda and ringtones. His sparse…
He's good enough, he's rich enough - but, doggone it, he isn't smart enough: Senate candidate Al Franken says he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states going back to 2003. The Minnesota Democrat has been under attack by Republicans for failing to file tax returns in California for…
There's not much I can add to the remarks regarding Rev. Wright's "Take Down Obama ‘08" tour, currently playing to packed houses everywhere. However, one of his comments seems to have slipped by without analysis. In speaking of one of his dearest friends, Rev. Wright said, "Louis Farrakhan is not…
Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd, wrapped up the Coachella music festival with his classic prop, an oversized inflatable pig -- this time, with a trendy twist: The pig, which was led above the crowd from lines held on the ground, displayed the words "Don't be led to the slaughter" and a cartoon…
An inconvenient truth: On Friday, it was revealed by ABC News that one of the famous shots of supposed Antarctic ice shelves in the film [An Inconvenient Truth] was actually a computer-generated image from the 2004 science fiction blockbuster "The Day After Tomorrow." Adding delicious insult to…
Other than the sacking of museums during the early days of the liberation, Iraq's culture hasn't gotten much press. Melik Kaylan of the Wall Street Journal tried to set things right on that score. Among the several people he interviewed, all connected to the Iraqi art world, was Nazar Rawy, the…
Get ready to laugh, America! The 9/11 comedies are on their way: Over the next few weeks, theaters will be screening far-out fare such as an Osama bin Laden documentary by the maker of "Super Size Me"; an absurdist slam against merchants of war featuring John Cusack; a zombie soldier flick with XXX…
I'm reconsidering sending my kid to college when she comes of age. From the Yale Daily News: Art major Aliza Shvarts ‘08 wants to make a statement. Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially…
Over the weekend John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei had an interesting piece at the Politico pondering why the Clinton crew won't come out and say what they really think about Obama. In fact, the Democratic race has not been especially rough by historical standards. What's more, our conversations with…
Earlier this week, the Today show ran a remarkable story about a Marine serving in Iraq: If you've ever wondered what the Marines have in mind when they advertise for "a few good men," look no further than Gunnery Sgt. William "Spanky" Gibson. Two years ago, he lost a leg to a sniper's bullet in…
There's no better way to prove a woman is ready to be President than to make her out to be a scolding nag: Former US president Bill Clinton said Friday he has been ordered to hold his tongue by his wife Hillary for reviving an embarrassing story about her trip to Bosnia in 1996 while out…
The laugh is back! And CNN was lucky enough to witness it: Hillary Clinton used her trademark laugh Thursday to deflect a question about the $800,000 her husband earned in 2005 giving speeches for a Bogota-based group that supports the Colombia free trade agreement--the same trade deal she…
Moviemaker Spike Lee received Chrylser's Behind the Lens award the other night. His thank-you speech turned into an angry denunciation of the current studio system. From the Hollywood Reporter: "I [had to take] my ass on a plane to Europe and got the financing for this film," Lee said of his latest…
Barack Obama is in the midst of his "I Love America, Honest, No Kidding" tour, peppering his speeches with patriotic bon mots, according to the AP: But Obama is smart to go even further now, said Rogers Smith, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He called it crucial for…
Maybe Democrats are too distracted by the state of their candidate's campaigns. Or maybe they, like everyone else, were counting on Romney or Giuliani to be the Republican candidate. Whatever it is, their current strategy isn't working out. Politico's Ben Smith reports: Democratic talk of an early,…
Charles Hurt in today's New York Post has some downbeat news for the GOP. Not only is John McCain a retread of the 1996-style Bob Dole, but: Even before settling on their own nominee, Democrats have begun ridiculing the Republican challenger as a kooky old man. A recent Democratic campaign video…
Apparently there's more to a certain candidate than meets the eye. The teaser for an upcoming episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: As Senator Barack Obama continues his campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, his every move is scrutinized in detail. To truly understand this…
Bill Richardson refuses to be a human punching bag. CNN reports: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday sharply disputed Bill Clinton's reported claim that Richardson promised to endorse Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House. "I never did," Richardson said. "I never saw [President…
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, a black supporter of Hillary Clinton, told Fox News he's concerned about what a Barack Obama win would mean in November: "I think whites would say, ‘How could anybody say we were racist, that we have any racist residue when you look what we just did (potentially electing…
Is it me, or are others tired of Democrats speaking about their holy trinity of revulsion - Nixon, Vietnam and Watergate - as if they never went away? John Kerry made the first two the entire basis of his presidential campaign, playing on the memories of my fellow baby boomers who are at their…
Oliver Stone, the moviemaker that everybody but ticket-buyers loves, is in the midst of shooting his latest project, W, the story of President George W. Bush. According to Marcus Baram of ABC News, it's--and stop me if you've heard this before--a "warts and all portrayal" of the man. If Stone is…
Politico reports: Among the debts reported this month by Hillary Clinton's struggling presidential campaign, the $292,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums for her campaign staff stands out. Al Franken was reported to have the same problem a few weeks back. No wonder Democrats want the government…
Theatre critic-turned-pundit Frank Rich of the New York Times recounts the story of Hillary Clinton's lie regarding Bosnia, asking the question that's been on the lips of all of her fans in the press: Why would so smart a candidate play political Russian roulette with virtually all the bullet…
Jim Gerghaty of the National Review Online found an interesting tidbit in the magazine's archives: On January 5, [2003] Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's former personal pilot dropped a bombshell that has been ignored by just about every major U.S. news organization: The Venezuelan president,…
A photo in today's New York Post features two men in Basra. Both wear masks that completely cover their faces. One stands with an assault rifle in his hand and what appears to be electrical cord in the other. His comrade-in-arms is hunched over a bucket and what appears to be a rock. The caption:…
The headline on "Political Ticker" grabbed me: Clinton tells Democrats: Don't vote for McCain My first thought was: How much worse can it get for Hillary when her own husband is begging voters not jump ship because they can't stand her? Then I read the story. It was Hillary doing the begging. Oh.…
Just to prove that one of us in the right-wing attack machine is jiggy with the kids, let's examine the recent article in the Los Angeles Times regarding the 1994 murder of rapper/drug dealer/sexual abuser/humanitarian Tupac Shakur. In trying to implicate fellow rapper Sean "Puffy" "P. Diddy" Combs…
In travel news today, AP reports: Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The three anti-war Democrats made the trip in October 2002, while the Bush administration…
A few years ago, tobacco executives testifying before Congress said they didn't believe cigarettes caused cancer or heart disease. That's how you get around lying under oath--by not believing. Now we have Hillary Clinton saying, "I remember landing under sniper fire." Note that she didn't say, "We…
Jake Tapper is reporting that Hillary Clinton is ready to pull the "Tonya Harding Option": It implies that Clinton is so set on ensuring that Obama doesn't get the nomination, not only is she willing to take extra-ruthless steps, but in the end neither she nor Obama win the gold. Sure sounds…
LONG BEFORE American Idol proved big ratings could be gotten with people whose only talent lay in egregious self-delusion, I was keenly aware of the entertainment value of reality TV. I mean real reality: the evening news. How well I remember running into the kitchen--I couldn't have been more than…
I'm coming late to the Ferraro/Obama dust-up, but a few thoughts... If it's true that, in her words, "In 1984, if my name were Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been chosen as the vice president," isn't that a tacit admission that she was unqualified for the job? And…
Barack Obama and his advisers once again happily step into the tar pit that Bill Clinton laid out for them. Consider the former president's latest remarks given to a group of military veterans in North Carolina: "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people…
IF THE AMERICANS WHO lived through the Depression and won the Second World War were the Greatest Generation, then the Baby Boomers would have to be the Greatest Ego Generation. Pampered like no others before them, free to explore their own interests while their parents worked hard to put food on…
Anyone remember a few years back when "Free Tibet!" was all the rage among the kids? They must've gotten lost on a side-trip to the nearest "Recreate ‘68" rally or something. That's the only thing I can think of, what with not a peep of protest from the usual suspects (i.e., people who memorize…
IT WAS A BOLD move. The movie industry, long condemned as purveyors of every conceivable offense for the sake of a buck, was taking a stand. We will not abide by this rot anymore, it said, pounding a fist into its hand; the time has come to take the high ground, no matter the financial consequence.…
FIDEL CASTRO HAS BEEN known as a man of many of many faces--dictator, autocrat, tyrant, despot--but long forgotten is his brief position as artistic muse. And considering that Castro's admirers consider him a modern-day Robin Hood, it's quite appropriate that the artist he inspired was none other…
HERE'S A LITTLE GAME to occupy your time when you're stuck in traffic. It's called "TV Writers Or . . . ?" Think of a profession whose work stoppage would have a more direct effect on your life. TV writers or . . . garbage men? TV writers or . . . cops? TV writers or . . . firemen? TV writers or .…
BETWEEN GROWING UP IN Rhode Island and later moving to New York, I've witnessed a lifetime of political corruption. It's part of the landscape, like barren trees in the winter and obese tourists in the summer. When an elected official vows to "clean up the capitol," I calmly wait for the headline…
THER WAS A BIT of contention recently over a "quiz" given to some sixth-graders in New York. In conjunction with their study of the 2008 election, the kids were asked if they agreed with the Iraq war, abortion, gay marriage, gun rights, and the death penalty. Many conservatives smelled a liberal…