Pledge Madness

My favorite Supreme Court ruling in history is West Virginia v. Barnette, a 1943 case in which the high court said students cannot be compelled to pledge allegiance to anything against their will. In delivering the ruling, Justice Robert Jackson wrote, “Struggles to coerce uniformity of sentiment in support of some end thought essential to […]

‘I ask you, is it happening again?’

One of the harshest criticisms I’ve seen of the Bush administration’s war in Iraq came last Thursday in a devastating critique that lamented the White House’s failure to plan for peace before the war and reliance on deception in the buildup towards war. The surprise, however, was the source. “My contemporaries, our feelings and sensitivities […]

Poll shows distorted reality on al Queda-Saddam Hussein links

I guess it’s poll day here at The Carpetbagger Report. I’ve already mentioned two; here’s another. The Washington Post ran discomforting poll results on the front page on Saturday, showing that nearly 70 percent of Americans continue to believe — without evidence — that Saddam Hussein participated in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. […]

The latest unemployment data

Friday afternoon, the latest data on U.S. unemployment became available. It wasn’t good news. The nation lost an additional 93,000 jobs in August, the seventh consecutive month U.S. employers cut jobs from the workforce and more than double the number of jobs lost in July. Refresh my memory, didn’t Bush push through a $350 billion […]

Latest polling on Democratic presidential candidates

I mentioned this morning that Bush’s poll numbers have reached dramatic lows, but how are the polls on those seeking to replace him? A national Zogby poll demonstrated that only four of the nine candidates have any meaningful base of support at this point in the campaign. Zogby’s results were as follows: Howard Dean — […]

Maybe CNN should just rename it, ‘Larry King and James Dobson Live’

On Friday evening, CNN talk-show host Larry King began his program with nine very familiar words: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome Dr. James Dobson….” James Dobson is the most powerful religious right figure that most Americans have never heard of. He’s just as strident and shrill as his comrades such as Jerry Falwell and […]

Edwards makes Senate announcement official

Just to give you an update on a post from late last week, John Edwards officially announced yesterday that he will not run for re-election to his Senate seat in North Carolina. In a letter to the state party, Edwards said that his White House run is “going exceedingly well” and said that he will […]

Bottom falls out of Bush’s political support

We can now, officially and without any doubt, declare the end of Bush’s unprecedented war-time popularity. Bush’s poll numbers will almost certainly fluctuate, probably a couple of times, between now and the next election, but his base of support has evaporated to the lowest point of his presidency. No wonder I’m wearing a stupid grin […]

Dean vs. Lieberman at the debate

Here’s a match-up where I don’t know who to root for: Lieberman vs. Dean. Last night’s most dramatic confrontation, if you could call it that, came about half-way through the debate when the topic shifted to international trade. Considering that the event was being held in New Mexico, the audience and the moderators deemed this […]

I won’t miss Zell Miller when he’s gone from Congress

If ever there was a prototypical example of a DINO (Democrat In Name Only) it’s Georgia Senator Zell Miller. Appointed to the Senate after then-Sen. Paul Coverdell died of a stroke, and subsequently elected to fill out the term in 2000, Miller has been the most conservative Senate Democrat of the last 15 years. His […]