A couple of weeks ago, the Cato Institute’s Brink Lindsey sparked a flurry of discussion when he proposed a new breed of “liberaltarians” — a new ideological synthesis between liberals (limited government on social issues, activist government of economic issues) and libertarians (limited government on both). For Lindsey, if the left would get on board […]
I’m anxious to hear the White House’s explanation for this. Middle East analyst Flynt Leverett, who served under President Bush on the National Security Council and is now a fellow at the New America Foundation, revealed today that the White House has been blocking the publication of an op-ed he wrote for the New York […]
As Justin Rood noted, this chart, produced by the Government Accountability Office, tracks the number of per-months attacks in Iraq, based on Pentagon data. A close look at the chart, however, notes that a few details are missing — specifically, the number of attacks in September, October, and November of this year, despite the fact […]
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) had, for all intents and purposes, already been running a presidential race for months. He had 15 trained, funded campaign aides, and as of a week ago, visited New Hampshire seven times. When Bayh noted two weeks ago that he was poised to create an exploratory committee, his presidential campaign was […]
First up from the God machine this week is a controversial video that’s been making the rounds — and sparking complaints — of an evangelistic ministry in Washington, featuring several military officials, in uniform. As Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin can attest, that’s a real no-no. A military watchdog group is asking the Defense […]
Guest Post by Morbo In a previous post, I mentioned hearing Chilean exile Ariel Dorfman speak in 1985. During those remarks, which I still recall more than 20 years later, Dorfman pulled no punches as he excoriated Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and explained how a U.S.-backed coup brought this cruel dictator to power. Why did […]
Guest Post by Morbo Every day real scientists working in real laboratories undercut the claims made by proponents of “intelligent design” creationism. This recent New York Times article showcases a newly discovered example of evolution in humans. Creationists have no traction in the scientific arena, because what they are doing isn’t science. It’s theology. With […]
Guest Post by Morbo World-famous evangelist Billy Graham is 88 years old, nearly blind and mentally infirm. His family knows he will die soon, and his children face a dilemma so common to Americans with aging parents: Should we bury dad on property he always loved or make his grave the centerpiece of a bizarre […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * MSNBC mentioned my post about Tony Snow and “on the couch” on the air today — except the network referred to me as the “Carpetblogger.” Presumably, the audience assumed I have some kind of connection to carpets? * The definition of irony: “Border Fence Firm Snared for Hiring Illegal […]
Town hall meetings have been a staple of the American political process, so when Japan decided it was ready to try a bold experiment in grass-roots democracy, they embraced what they called “TM.” As Norimitsu Onishi explained, it was an exercise in which Japan’s political leaders “met and talked with voters more accustomed to a […]