I don’t want to alarm anyone, but telling teenagers not to have sex apparently doesn’t stop them from having sex. A long-awaited national study has concluded that abstinence-only sex education, a cornerstone of the Bush administration’s social agenda, does not keep teenagers from having sex. Neither does it increase or decrease the likelihood that if […]
Prosecutor purge percolates along
What have we learned over the last half-day or so about the prosecutor purge scandal? Plenty. * We learned a couple of weeks ago that the White House considered a proposal to fire all 93 U.S. Attorneys. Yesterday, NPR explained why: “NPR now has new information about that plan. According to someone who’s had conversations […]
This Week in God
First up from the God Machine this week is an odd flap about Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee extending Easter wishes to Christians, which ended up bothering a variety of conservative evangelicals. Late last week, shortly before the holiday, the DNC celebrated Easter with a brief statement from Dean. “Easter Sunday is a […]
The Pope is for evolution — except when he’s not
Guest Post by Morbo What exactly does Pope Benedict XVI believe about evolution? No one seems to know for sure. Some comments he made on the topic last September have just been published in a new German book, but they haven’t shed much light on the matter. Media reports about this have been all over […]
Utah sends a message: We don’t like vouchers!
Guest Post by Morbo Every now and then, folks in a red state do something surprising. Consider Utah, for example. States don’t come much redder than Utah, where socially conservative Mormons account for 70 percent of the population. They vote reliably for the Republican Party. As the Carpetbagger noted recently, 71 percent of them went […]
Oprah’s law of stupidity
Guest Post by Morbo If there is justice in the universe, Oprah Winfrey will one day be held accountable for her crimes, which are legion. Winfrey’s daily program is seen by millions, and her monthly magazine adds to her reach. She has been called the most influential woman in the world. Winfrey has incredible power […]
Friday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Best wishes go out to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) after a serious car accident last night left him in critical condition. All the news today about his condition was discouraging. The crash broke the governor’s leg, six ribs, his sternum and a vertebra. The AP noted that […]
The ongoing (and utterly foolish) search for a ‘war czar’
On Wednesday, the WaPo had a major scoop: the White House has been quietly been searching for a “high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The person would apparently be the new Commander in Chief — coordinating military policy and having the power to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department, […]
Where’d Karl’s emails go?
So, where are we with Karl Rove’s “lost” emails? Let’s turn to Dan Froomkin for a quick overview. From 2001 to 2004, the RNC’s highly unusual “document retention” policy was to intentionally destroy all e-mails that were more than 30 days old. In the summer of 2004, due to “unspecified legal inquiries,” the RNC changed […]
Don’t blame Bush; he just works there
The disconnect was awkward and difficult to explain. On Tuesday, Bush said extending tours of duty for U.S. troops in Iraq is “unacceptable.” On Wednesday, Bush’s Defense Department announced that extending tours of duty is now administration policy. Yesterday, I urged someone in the White House press corps to ask presidential spokesperson Dana Perino if […]