At Bush’s press conference yesterday, a reporter asked the president, “Can you talk a little bit about the process you’re using to pick your next Supreme Court justice?” In recent months, these questions have been easily dismissed as “speculative.” There is no vacancy, Bush has said, so it’s inappropriate to start talking about the process […]
Part of me believes it’s just overkill by now. Fox News Channel is a Republican outlet — the network knows it, its viewers expect it, the rational world takes it for granted. Sure, FNC will make half-hearted denials on occasion and pretend to care about defending a “fair and balanced” charade, but the evidence is […]
The principle of government neutrality towards religion isn’t complicated. But to see how badly some people understand the concept is nevertheless stunning. A Kentucky judge has been offering some drug and alcohol offenders the option of attending worship services instead of going to jail or rehab — a practice some say violates the separation of […]
Last week, the misguided and poorly-named American Family Association announced that it was ending its nine-year boycott of Disney. A grand total of zero of the AFA’s demands had been met and the targeted company enjoyed a surge in profits after the boycott began (though the two were no doubt unrelated). The fiasco prompted me […]
In the even-Democrats-can-make-dumb-suggestions category, I offer you a New Jersey Dem who is spearheading an initiative to change the name of the state’s beloved hockey team. What chance do the New Jersey Devils give a proposal that would rename the pro hockey franchise as something a little less demonic? Think hell freezing over. “I can […]
The conservative line on in-vitro fertilization has never made a lot of sense in the context of stem-cell research. The right says IVF is great — modern technology is helping people who want children have babies — even though it leads to unused embryos being discarded. In a nationally televised address, the president even praised […]
I’ve often wondered why a) Dems don’t make a bigger deal about GOP votes against troop benefits; and b) why Dems wait until election years to get aggressive about advertising. I’m pleased to report that I’ll wonder no more — Dems are doing both. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee began airing radio ads in a […]
Word from CNN is that Ex-FBI official W. Mark Felt has told Vanity Fair that he was the secret Watergate source for Woodward and Bernstein known as “Deep Throat.” Interesting. Felt was the #3 man at the FBI at the time and has always been a leading Deep Throat suspect. In fact, in 1992, the […]
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: * With Sen. Jon Corzine (D) doing well in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, Rep. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is working furiously to position himself as Corzine’s replacement. As part of his efforts, Menendez has […]
Let’s see, late Friday afternoon in advance of Memorial Day weekend, a time when DC is quiet and political reporters are headed out of town. The Bush gang has a habit of taking advantage of these opportunities to make announcements they don’t want people to hear about. Predictably, last week was no exception. The director […]