Sunday Discussion Group

Dems in Washington have never been so anxious to demonstrate to voters that they are religious. Looking for religious voters, some Democrats are finding God. They’re finding him in terms more familiar in recent times to religious conservatives than to liberals, invoking Jesus Christ or the spiritual meaning of Christmas as they push their agenda […]

Scott McClellan’s nervous twitch

It’s often easy to see when Scott McClellan feels like he’s in a jam. Yesterday, for example, when too many questions started going in a direction with which he’s uncomfortable, he relied on his favorite trump card. See if you can spot it. “Well, we have a responsibility to work with Congress to do all […]

Bush unplugged

Last night on PBS, Bush artfully dodged every question about revelations that his White House allowed the NSA to spy on American citizens, on American soil, without a warrant, possibly illegally. Today, however, in a rare live radio address, the president expanded a bit on his thoughts. President Bush today acknowledged that he had secretly […]

In case of candidate withdrawal, break glass

Guest Post by Morbo Now that it looks like Jeannie Pirro’s Senate campaign against Hillary Clinton has collapsed, New York Republicans need a new candidate. I have just two words for them: Alan Keyes. It’s the perfect solution. Empire State Republicans need a candidate. Keyes, who except for a brief stint as a talk-show host […]

The wearing of the green (and red) is OK in Plano

Guest Post by Morbo As the Carpetbagger noted earlier this week, religious right claims of a “war on Christmas” are melting faster than a snowman in Miami. This week, one of the kook right’s favorite horror stories about anti-Christmas bias abruptly imploded. Fox News Channel blowhard John Gibson asserts in his new book about alleged […]

The power of redemption only goes so far

Guest Post by Morbo I don’t pretend to be an expert on Christian theology. I was raised in a Christian home but concede I have strayed far from that upbringing. But I remember enough to know that a core Christian doctrine is that everyone always has hope for redemption. Amazing grace, after all, could even […]

Stop him before he applies precedent again

Guest Post by Morbo I got a letter this week from one of my favorite religious right nutcases, the Rev. Rick Scarborough. Rev. Rick wants me to send him a few bucks so he can impeach U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton, who earlier this year ruled that public school recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance […]

Another week in Bushville

Borrowing the headline from TNR’s Franklin Foer, I think it’s helpful to take a moment, particularly on Fridays, to take stock of the week that was and consider what we’ve learned about the president over the last seven days. To be sure, the elections in Iraq were the week’s most significant event, and in this […]

A match made in … somewhere unpleasant

On August 4, Bob Novak, then a commentator for CNN, threw a bit of a temper tantrum on the air, stormed off the set, and hasn’t been on the air since. Today, Novak announced that his 25-year relationship with CNN is over. Guess where he’s headed. Commentator Robert Novak, who hasn’t been seen on CNN […]

Patriot Act blocked in the Senate

Senate Republicans needed 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and extend the Patriot Act. They didn’t come close. The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans’ privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders. In a […]