The NYT’s Thomas Friedman wrote the other day that the State of the Union was almost unnecessary. “[T]he American people basically fired George Bush in the last election,” Friedman said. “We’re now just watching him clean out his desk.” The latest Newsweek poll, released yesterday, suggests Friedman’s analysis is about right. President George W. Bush […]
The presidential fields, on both sides of the aisle, are slowly taking shape. Exploratory committees are in place; fundraising is underway; the race for staffers is fairly intense; and we’re already seeing early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. Voters, activists, reporters, and establishment types are starting to decide what, exactly, is the most important […]
Rudy Giuliani has been reluctant to talk too much about the war in Iraq, in large part because he apparently realizes how incredibly unpopular it is, and the extent to which the crisis has brought nothing but ruin to Bush’s presidency. But now that Giuliani is getting closer to launching his presidential campaign in earnest, […]
Take a look at this map, and notice how the climate zones have changed over the last 17 years. For those concerned with gardening, landscaping, and agriculture, it’s pretty obvious that areas that were once too cold for certain kinds of plants are suddenly warm enough to find themselves in an entirely new zone. Warmer […]
Perhaps naively, I still hold out hope that the Bush administration’s purge of U.S. Attorneys is a controversy that could turn into a real political problem for the White House. A quick review, for those just joining us. Across the country, United States Attorneys are sometimes described as local attorneys general — each U.S. Attorney […]
It’s only been a week, but the Plame trial has already become a bad dream for the Bush gang from which they can’t wake up. And it’s likely to get worse. White House anxiety is mounting over the prospect that top officials — including deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and counselor Dan Bartlett-may be […]
First up from the God Machine is an invitation members of the Senate received from a religious leader offering prayers on their behalf. Considering the religious leader in question, one can only hope lawmakers have the good sense to decline. “On January 30th and 31st, Robert Gray will be in Washington, D.C., to introduce Pastor […]
Guest Post by Morbo This is the time of year when we start thinking of titanic contests of national scope. The Super Bowl is approaching, the Oscar nominees have been announced and there’s a new search for the next “American Idol.” But it’s not enough. We need a new competition, and I think I’ve got […]
Guest Post by Morbo I think I’m on to the Rev. Donald Wildmon. The founder of the American Family Association isn’t really interested in stopping pornography. Rather, he’s presiding over a giant “porn-for-fundamentalists” empire in Tupelo, Miss. Consider his recent bulletin expressing outrage and disgust over an “explicit, sickening” homosexual scene that aired on a […]
Guest Post by Morbo The doctrine of academic freedom is so important that I believe it should be violated only in extreme and rare cases. Studying a subject that is a little weird is not one of those cases. Recently, Dr. Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University’s Department of Biological Sciences, has become a figure […]