Brownback explains the dangers of gay marriage

I always enjoy listening to conservatives explain why they oppose gay marriage. Given the seriousness with which they take the issue, and their campaign for a constitutional amendment, you’d think they would have come up with some compelling reasons by now. Except, in most instances, they’re surprisingly incoherent. Usually it comes down to an inherent […]

The reports before the report

Next week, the White House will unveil the progress report on Iraq, ostensibly written by Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker (but really written by the president’s team), which will no doubt make quite a splash. But in the meantime, we’re seeing the release of several key reports, all of which offer a credible, […]

Craig’s conundrum — Day 10

So, what’s the latest from Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho)? Keeping up is getting tricky, but the senator is apparently convinced that he can “clear his name.” The Senate Ethics Committee, however, isn’t anxious to help in that endeavor. The Senate Ethics committee late Wednesday rejected Sen. Larry Craig’s request to drop ethics charges against him, […]

Loose nukes — this time, they’re ours

It’s still very hard to fathom how something like this can happen, even accidentally. I realize that there are occasional bureaucratic snafus in any multi-layered system, even one as sophisticated as the U.S. military, but I simply cannot wrap my head around the notion that an Air Force bomber accidentally flew six cruise missiles armed […]

I watch the debates — so you don’t have to

On “The Tonight Show” last night, Jay Leno asked Fred Thompson why he’d decided to skip the GOP debate in New Hampshire. “I’ll do my share, but I don’t think it’s a very enlightening forum, to tell you the truth,” Thompson said. As it turns out, as is usually the case, Thompson was wrong. I’d […]

Wednesday’s Mini-Report

Today’s edition of quick hits. * Jaw-dropper from the AP: “A B-52 bomber was mistakenly loaded with five nuclear warheads during a flight from North Dakota to Louisiana, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The bomber carried advanced cruise missiles as part of a Defense Department program to retire 400 of the missiles, the Military Times said.” […]

McConnell suggests Craig may serve out the rest of his term

The twists and turns are coming quickly on the Larry Craig story. In the latest news, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.), who just last week said the charges against Craig were “unforgivable,” told reporters today that he’s spoken to Craig and discussed the Idaho Republican’s plan to return to the chamber. Sen. Larry Craig […]

Professional excuse making

American Enterprise Institute “military analyst” Fred Kagan is not exactly a neutral observer when it comes to the president’s “surge” strategy. In fact, Kagan is perhaps best known for being the architect of the surge, crafting the policy in 2006 as an alternative to the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations. While the ISG said “sustained increases […]

Let the p.r. campaign begin

When Sen. Larry Craig’s (R-Idaho) team started letting reporters know late yesterday that the senator was reconsidering his resignation, there was some talk that Craig was floating a trial balloon, seeing what kind of reaction the rumors received. As of this afternoon, this is no trial balloon; Craig is seriously trying to mount a comeback. […]

Televangelist D. James Kennedy dies at age 76

Though never quite as well known as his brethren in Virginia (Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson), televangelist D. James Kennedy led a religious right powerhouse for a generation, creating a megachurch in South Florida, a $37 million evangelical multimedia empire, the Center for Reclaiming America, the Center for Christian Statesmanship, and a major annual religio-political […]