DCDL

On Thursday, February 15, 6:30–9pm, the DC Chapter of Drinking Liberally is proud to host a book signing for Marcy Wheeler’s Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy at Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW (Dupont Circle Metro), (202) 483-2266.

Happy Hour starts at 6:30 with $1 off all drinks. Free appetizers and drink discounts until 9pm.

At 7:30 Ms Wheeler will discuss her book with Q&A to follow.

Book sales handled by Olsson’s-Dupont Circle

Murray Waas, one of the country’s top investigative reporters, and the leading reporter on the ever-unfolding Plamegate scandal for such publications as the National Journal, will talk at this Thursday’s DCDL meeting (Feb. 8) on the Scooter Libby trial and other abuses of government — and media — power. His blog links to his prescient coverage on this scandal along with the latest, most thoughtful coverage of the trial by other reporters and bloggers. You can also catch up on some of Waas’s accomplishments at this Wikipedia site, including a link to Jay Rosen’s article in PressThink: “Murray Waas is our Woodward Now.”

For those seeking some of the most thorough coverage of the trial, also check out the live blogging at Firedoglake. And check back later each day or early evening for their video summary of the day’s events — with more attention to details than you’ll get on the network TV news.

Update: Slate does a good recap of the grand-jury tapes featuring Fitzgerald grilling Libby aired Tuesday at the trial; compare those with the excerpts of then-secret grand jury testimony Waas featured in a mid-January preview piece about the trial: “CIA Leak Probe: Inside the Grand Jury.” Waas, once again, scooped the rest of the national media. You don’t want to miss him give his views on the trial at this Thursday’s Drinking Liberally meeting.

Update II: After the presentation by Waas and his guest “Swopa,” Thursday night, you may want to check out the archived video recaps of the Libby trial featuring Swopa of Firedoglake and www.needlenose.com presented at politicstv.com . All of The Nation’s David Corn’s daily postings and analysis of the trial can be read at his Capital Games site. He is the co-author of Hubris, the most thoroughly reported book on how government insiders sold the fraudulent case for war.

Thursday, February 8
6:30pm (speaker starts at 7:30)
Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW
(north of Dupont Circle)

To keep up to date on DCDL events, subscribe to our e-mail announcement list.

DC Drinking Liberally (Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill) is teaming up with folks from the Democratic National Committee and the New Organizing Institute to host a happy hour for people attending the DNC winter meeting this weekend.

DNC members, bloggers, progressive organizers, grassroots/netroots activists, the Drinking Liberally crowd — all are welcome. The more the merrier. The fun starts at about 7 at Timberlake’s (1726 Connecticut Ave NW, north of Dupont Circle) and will run until at least 9.

Our just-inside-the-Beltway friends at Alexandria Drinking Liberally are moving a little farther inside, to Arlington. No word yet on a name change, but they may be considering “Northern Virginia Drinking Liberally” (though that could cause problems down the line if another NoVa chapter emerges).

The new location is Capitol City Brewing Company, 2700 S. Quincy St, in Shirlington. They’ll continue meeting on Thursday nights, like the Dupont Circle chapter. Subscribe to their e-mail list to keep up-to-date on their events.

By the way, there are currently three DL chapters in the slowly bluening state of Virginia. The others are in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Do you think you ought to watch the State of the Union, but you’re concerned about the effect on your blood pressure? How about watching it with a support group — others who will share your disgust and outrage, as well as your hope that new Virginia senator Jim Webb does a good job on the Democratic response?

Since the DC-area chapters of Drinking Liberally aren’t having watch parties, let’s join our friends at DC for Democracy for theirs:

Tuesday, January 23
7:30–10pm
Marty’s Restaurant
527 Eighth St SE
(Eastern Market Metro)
RSVP

Last month a couple of people from On Tap (a free local magazine available at Metro stops and other fine establishments) paid a visit to our weekly gathering at Timberlake’s. Now the fruits of that visit are in print and online, as we’re featured as January’s Group of the Month. Aside from a bit of gender confusion, it’s a good article, and it brought us two new people this week.

DCDL regular Jesse describes us as “the place to come for intelligent conversation in a casual atmosphere”, so let’s shape up and try to live up to that for the next few weeks at least.

Update: Dan will need to reschedule tonight’s guest appearance at Drinking Liberally. New date coming soon.

On Thursday, January 25 the DC chapter of Drinking Liberally is proud to host washingtonpost.com columnist Dan Froomkin at Timberlake’s, Dupont Circle. Dan is best known for his White House Briefing column, a weekday roundup of all the latest on the White House. His column is a critical favorite in the political blogosphere.

The evening starts with a happy hour 6:30-7:30, followed by Dan’s talk and Q&A. Per tradition on our speaker nights, free appetizers, and drink discounts last until 9:00.
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This Saturday, December 9, Dupont Circle Drinking Liberally will be going to the 7 o’clock showing of Bobby, the new movie about Robert Kennedy, at DC’s last movie palace, the Uptown Theatre, 3424 Connecticut Ave NW (Cleveland Park Metro), which opened in 1933.

Then at 9:30, we’ll head up the street to Washington’s best Chinese restaurant from the time of the movie and see how well it’s surviving the modern era. Yenching Palace (3524 Connecticut Ave NW) was the site of meetings in 1962 between emissaries of JFK and Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis and in 1971 between Henry Kissinger and Chinese representatives when Nixon was planning to restore relations with China. Rumor has it that Yenching Palace will be turning into a Walgreen’s before long, so check it out before it’s gone.

If you’re interested in joining us, meet in front of the theater at 6:40, and please e-mail us at dcthu@drinkingliberally.org so we can have some idea how many people will be going to the restaurant.

To keep up to date with DCDL events, subscribe to our e-mail announcement list.

Drinking Liberally is pleased to host best-selling author Frank Schaeffer on Thursday, Nov 30 in the back room at Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW (Dupont Circle Metro stop). Happy Hour starts at 6:30. Mr. Schaeffer will speak about his new book “Baby Jack,” followed by your questions starting at 7:30.

In the novel “Baby Jack” Mr. Schaeffer takes readers into the life of the Ogden family, where intelligent and talented son Jack decides, in the words of his father, to “throw his life away” on the Marine Corps and join that “collection of victims.” Jack joins because of a need inside him that he knows exists, but that neither he nor his family understands.

Mr. Schaeffer (along with Kathy Roth-Douqet) is also the author of “AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from the Military and How it Hurts Our Country.” His fiction, humor and nonfiction have received international critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times describes his writing as, “A rich brew of cross-cultural comedy.” The Guardian UK says: “funny and wonderfully observed.” The Times of London says: “Schaeffer describes both the pleasures and occasional torments of childhood with charm and humor.”

(crossposted at home)

I have a positive Thanksgiving post to offer on the second anniversary of StealthBadger.net, and I’m actually grateful for many things this year.

For my country, there are many people I’d like to thank for the process of democracy that began to show real fruits, and will hopefully continue past the election - the process of revitalizing and inspiring the Democratic party to be more than a machine. I hope that the Dems continue to grow and change, as well as become even more responsive and responsible in both their actions and outlook.

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