By Steve Clemons

“THEY HAVE NO CASE,” SAID MICHAEL LEDEEN, a conservative scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a friend of Mr. Franklin.

HENRY FARRELL AND DANIEL DREZNER have posted their paper, “The Power and Politics of Blogs,” online. This was one of the two papers that I mentioned in my post yesterday about the excellent forum on politics and blogs at the American Political Science Association.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON ARGUED PASSIONATELY about the importance of public credit but always partnered with fiscal responsibility. Today, Daniel Gross, a former colleague of mine at the New America Foundation, writes in the New York Times: From the beginning of 2001 to the end of 2003, the economy added $1.

DANIEL DREZNER ORGANIZED A TERRIFIC FORUM, THE POWER AND POLITICS OF BLOGS, at the American Political Science Association meeting yesterday. The Wonkette herself, Ana Marie Cox, stole the show by being the anti-blogger’s blogger.

THIS USA TODAY PIECE, “THE EBERT AND MCCAIN SHOW,” BY MICHAEL MOORE IS WORTH A READ. As those who read every detail of my often long entries on this blog will find, I admire John McCain and have been perplexed by what drove him from principled, lukewarm support of Bush to such effusive enthusiasm.

THREE DAYS AGO, CHRIS NELSON OF THE NELSON REPORT gave early warning of South Korea’s now formally admitted nuclear activities. He wrote: South Korean authorities have informed a visiting IAEA inspections team of a previously undisclosed nuclear fuel enrichment program using lasers.

SINCE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MANAGED TO HIDE at is convention the civil war in its ranks over the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, the next best place to glimpse the competing schools of grand strategy is in Chicago this weekend at the American Political Science Association.

I AM ON MY WAY TO CHICAGO TO ATTEND THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION MEETING TOMORROW, and Alan Keyes just moved to town to run for the U.S. Senate here. I would love to run into him.

PERHAPS I SHOULD REFER INSTEAD TO THE ENRON-IZED BUSH ADMINISTRATION. I was impressed today with the “Progress Report” of the American Progress Action Fund that offers a roster of truth and fraud items about Bush economic policy claims.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER THOUGHT HE HIT A FUN CHORD WHEN HE CALLED the Democratic National Convention, “True Lies.” Clearly though, the convention we have been watching this week is piling a mound of duplicity on a foundation of mistruths.