A few weeks ago, Kansas’ State Board of Education voted to adopt weaker science standards that specifically seek to undermine evolutionary biology. The new Kansas standards press beyond the broad mandate for critical analysis of evolution that four other states have established in recent years, by citing specific points of contention that doubters of evolution […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Political conditions in Maryland seem to be improving all the time. A new Rasmussen poll shows Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) trailing both of his most likely Dem opponents in next year’s […]
Last week, it seemed the CEOs from the nation’s biggest oil companies had been caught dead to rights. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing over escalating energy prices, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) asked the five CEOs if their company, or any of its representatives, participated in Vice President Cheney’s energy task force in 2001. They […]
According to a front-page article in the Washington Post, the Pentagon plans to move several U.S. military brigades out of Iraq soon, and put them “on call” in Kuwait. With this in mind, I can’t help but wonder how soon Republicans will accuse the Pentagon of embracing a “cut and run” strategy. Barring any major […]
Nearly a week after Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) lashed out at Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), calling the decorated Marine veteran a “coward,” she’s still in a pretty deep hole. Unfortunately for her, the rookie lawmaker hasn’t learned to stop digging. For example, Schmidt probably isn’t scoring points by characterizing herself as a victim. Rep. Jean […]
I saw a handful of news items yesterday alluding to some British tabloid report on Bush wanting to bomb al-Jazeera. I just passed right over the stories, figuring they couldn’t possibly be true. As it turns out, there may be something to this. President Bush expressed interest in bombing the headquarters of the Arabic television […]
Just a month ago, it looked like lawmakers were making a welcome gesture about their salaries. On a 92-6 vote, the Senate agreed to forgo the annual cost-of-living increase to their salary, and lawmakers said all the right things about doing their part to save a little extra money in the federal budget. That was […]
Sen. Barack Obama today called for a troop reduction in Iraq, defended John Murtha, and offered the White House a helpful suggestion that the Bush gang will surely ignore. Obama said Americans want to find solutions to the “difficult and complicated situation in Iraq.” “The President could take the politics out of Iraq once and […]
I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, because this is just so typical. Fox News is refusing to air an ad critical of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, citing its lawyers’ contention that the spot is factually incorrect. A spokesman for the groups sponsoring the ad said the network’s decision reflects the political right’s effort to […]
In the latest sign that Antonin Scalia has completely given up on the reality-based community, the Supreme Court justice suggested yesterday that the high court did not inject itself into the 2000 presidential election. Speaking at the Time Warner Center last night, Scalia said: “The election was dragged into the courts by the Gore people. […]