Now you can’t. I read this out of CNN:
During the committee hearings, Boxer said the Bush administration had changed its rationale for the Iraq war from eradicating weapons of mass destruction after no such weapons were found.
In response, Rice asked Boxer to “refrain from impugning my integrity.”
That sounds pretty damning for Rice. It also seems very clear cut that she was avoiding a question. However, it doesn’t seem so when we examine the actual question posed (or at least what appears to be what Rice was responding to).
When Senator Voinovich mentioned the issue of tsunami relief, you said — your first words were The tsunami was a wonderful opportunity for us. Now, the tsunami was one of the worst tragedies of our lifetime, one of the worst, and it’s going to have a 10-year impact on rebuilding that area. I was very disappointed in your statement. I think you blew the opportunity. You mentioned it as part of one sentence. And I would hope to work with you on this, because children are suffering; we’re worried they’re going to get in the sex trade. This thing is a disaster — a true natural disaster and a human disaster of great proportions.
Note, according to the transcript, Rice said no such thing. Also worthy of note is that Boxer didn’t so much as interview Rice as lecture her for untold minutes. According to Word, the speech leading up to Rice’s initial response was 2,109 words long. My application essay to U-Mass was capped at a fourth of that. Rice’s response wasn’t limited to that simple phrase either. It was 626 words long.
If CNN’s misleading, oversimplified version of Boxer and Rice’s extended exchange isn’t bias, I don’t know what is. Before you make any decisions about Rice’s answers, read the transcript. It paints quite a different picture than the one that Boxer has been trotting in front of the media.
I’ve been thinking about replacing my Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer for some time now. It’s a great mouse and has always served me well. However, considering it was a gift from my ex, it carries some emotional discomfort with it. Besides, it only has five buttons and is wired. Wired peripherals are soo 2003.
I’ve done so well with Microsoft mice thus I thought I’d continue to throw business their way. I looked at the Wireless Intellimouse Explorer 2.0 in the “Night Vision” color. I found it listed at Buy.com for less than $20. Kick in a mail-in rebate and a store coupon and the price was $12. I couldn’t afford to not get this mouse. Sadly, it seems that the mouse has been discontinued by Microsoft, catching nearly every retailer carrying the mouse off guard. Nearly every retailer I visited showed the mouse as in stock, but in the several days following my order, all of them marked the mouse as discontinued.
So much for that.
I expanded my search. I included Microsoft’s main competition in the mouse market, Logitech. The unfortunate lack of Mac support of their Bluetooth MX 900 mouse immediately ruled it out. This isn’t a problem localized to Logitech. Microsoft also doesn’t support their Bluetooth Intellimouse Explorer on Macs either. The laser using MX 1000 mouse really caught my eye. Marketed (and verified through several review sites) as the most accurately tracking mouse ever, I was drawn in. It featured a laser instead of an LED for tracking and a tilt-wheel (one of the features on the Microsoft mouse that seemed really enticing).
I had to have it. Dana heard me go on and on about it in my typical geeky awe. However, at a suggested retail price of $80, it’s not only considered the best mice out there, it’s also the most expensive. The price started dipping down to $70 at many retailers. Just recently it’s hovered a little above $60. When Staples offered it for $60, I pounced. I combined that price with a $15 off $75 purchase and $15 worth of DVD-Rs and cases to get the mouse plus $15 of stuff for $60. I pulled the trigger on the sale.
So now I wait for the mouse to arrive. Staples is telling me that it should arrive today via UPS. You can expect a review shortly thereafter if it does.
