Well, let us know what you think! On the extras, Oldman talks about how he admires Guinness' performance, but thinks he made him slightly more likable than in the book, where he has a dark side. I do agree with one of Lance's commenters that the Esterhase confrontation stands out as better in the miniseries (because it can take the time). But we'll see how you feel about it all...

Ron, I noticed that about Smiley's People. It's really unfortunate. Smiley's People is not as good the first, but worth seeing. That said, I'm a fan of both versions of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the film is worth a look. (I wrote about both versions as the fourth entry in this post, and Lance Mannion also has a good post.) Le Carré was involved with the new film, and it's the equivalent of a new production of a classic play. It doesn't play out scenes at length, which is the great strength of the miniseries, but the performances are splendid and the command of the medium (particularly the cinematography) is markedly stronger. Like I said, I like both.

Has John Bolton jumped on this, too? If not, he'll surely get around to it. For Bolton, rvery time is a good time to a foreign country.

Occasionally, Scalia is sensible and follows legal precedent. He's become more crackpot and "activist" in terms of ignoring precedent over the years. There's the 2000 Florida decision of course, and his opinion on Hamadan, but he's gotten more bullying since Roberts and Alito came aboard.

Thanks for the post, Gary.

Thanks for participating and spreading the word, Tom. Have a Happy New Year!

Thanks for participating and spreading the word, Steve. Have a Happy New Year!

Condolences; that's a lovely piece. I lost my dad four years ago now, and it's just a tough blow. Your stories about your dad working three jobs and "time" really resonate. In our case, it was a bit surprising to hear about small (and large) acts of kindness my dad had done for others that he never bothered to mention to us kids, and certainly didn't brag about. In another sense, it wasn't surprising at all. There's something special about that sort of energy, that generosity, that does endure. While I have warmer memories than those Hayden describes below, he really does capture some of that spirit, if not as well as The Lamplighter: Those Winter Sundays By Robert Hayden Sundays too my father got up early And put his clothes on in the blueback cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?

I saw the Coens' version a couple of weeks ago, and caught the Wayne version on TCM last week, which I only dimly remembered. I haven't read the book yet. Overall, I preferred the Coens' version, particularly Hailee Steinfeld. I enjoyed the haggling scenes, but casting Buscemi is a really intriguing idea, as is your idea of casting actors from old westerns at the end. I found the epilogue a bit jarring for many of the reasons you describe, but I'm a sucker for 'the cost of revenge' in stories, so I sorta liked it. I agree on The Searchers front (Roy Edroso linked the final scene of it in his review of True Grit). I'd rate the Coens' version as very good, not great, but well worth a look, as is almost everything they do. They've got a good feel for (at least one approach to) the aesthetic of the western, and Roger Deakins' cinematography was wonderful, as always. Regardless, I'll have to read the book and give the film another viewing. It's always fun to see a film through Mannion's eyes. I'll confess I'm not generally a fan of Fish's political analysis (or writings on faith versus atheism or empiricism), but I thought that was one of his better pieces. Meanwhile, what a remarkable passage from Hepburn! The John Wayne films I remember the most fondly are The Searchers, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, which I think is one of his best performances.

Very well put, Lance, thanks. I may have to steal your intro for next year.

Good roundup, Steve, thanks. What's going on right now is unconscionable – but it was also unconscionable the past thirty-some years. Earlier this year, I wrote a long post on wealth inequity and plutocracy, mainly so I could refer to it in subsequent posts, but I've found it's been relevant to most stories.

I still prefer the name "Armistice Day," myself. But thanks - I'll include this one in my 11/11 roundup.

Nice! Thanks for spreading the word on Banned Books Week. I just finished this year's post, and am linking folks who write posts celebrating it.

Well, it's about time, Gary! Good luck with the upcoming move, by the way. Oh, and Banned Books Week started yesterday. (I'm encouraging bloggers to post on it.)

Good thing we're a democracy, huh?

Thanks, as always - this is a valuable compilation.

Um, interesting comment thread ya got going here... "The majority of non-tea partiers actually agree with the economic opinions of the tea party movement"...? I had seen the Cole piece already, but this is a valuable roundup. I know Friedman needs to fill copy, but it's pretty sad that the bleeding obvious escapes him and so many highly-paid columnists.

I still call it Armistice Day. I wrote a series of posts for the day, one of them on Wilfred Owen, actually. I had seen Quiggin's piece, but thanks for the other links.

Thanks. Powerful.

Come on, Steve, we're there fighting for their freedom to do what we choose for them. The imperialist always knows best. And it worked so splendidly in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Chile...

Congratulations!

I read this item at Greenwald earlier in the week and it stopped me cold. What doctor or psychologist could do this without thinking of Mengele? And no one else involved said, "Wait a minute..."? If Holder follows the law, Purham's investigation will necessarily lead upwards and outwards. If.

I ponder this one quite a bit, Lance. I don't know. I think there are different and overlapping causes, and that your take might be true for some of them. Josh Marshall thinks they're wired for Republican rule. I think many of them are more conservative than they realize, and define "liberal" by the confines of their youth and have never updated it. They might have supported civil rights in the 60s, but many were Reagan Democrats. Many of them feel the need to go hippie-punching, like Joe Klein. I think in some cases, it's less that they think they're liberals - they're sell-outs, and don't want to be reminded of it. Because they're cynical, they assume everyone else is insincere. (Remember those pieces about McCain and why they loved him?) Whatever else one thinks of John Edwards, the Beltway media mostly hated him, and hate most talk about poverty, which they assume must be fake. FDR was derided in his day as a "traitor to his class," and it's a funny Village attitude that one shouldn't trust the rich guy working to help the poor, but instead the rich bastard voting to make himself even richer. It doesn't help that most media types - certainly on TV - are quite wealthy. And you're right, they're definitely establishmentarians - and suck-ups.

Welcome! It's a good fit. I am glad, though, that you clarified at Majikthise: I won't be giving up Majikthise. Some of my posts will appear on ObWi and Majikthise, but there will continue to be Majikthise-only content.