I hear lots of folks in the pro-life side of the abortion debate insist on characterizing those on the other side of the debate as "pro-abortion."  They insist that being "pro-abortion" and "pro-choice" are really just two different labels for the same thing.  Of course, if these really are… Read full post »

The McCain camp sent out a rapid response to Obama's speech tonight.

 Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama," spokesman Tucker Bounds said. "When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over,

… Read full post »

Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised to hear that I'm not a big fan of the Clintons.  But, I like to think I give credit where credit is due, and Hillary Clinton has done a couple things over the last 48 hours that seem rather un-Clinton like to… Read full post »

It didn't take long for the McCain camp to respond to the news that Obama picked Joe Biden to be his running mate.

McCain should be careful. If he picks somebody like Mitt Romney for his VP spot the response ad writes itself. The Obama camp could… Read full post »

Conservative critics of higher education from Allan Bloom to David Horowitz claim there is a liberal bias in higher learning. They contend that conservative students and ideas are marginalized in the classroom and that liberal professors are out to indoctrinate instead of educate. However, a new st… Read full post »

 In case you haven't seen it yet.  Here is Paris Hilton's response to McCain's ad.

An email from the McCain camp: 

McCain Team -

Americans across the country are feeling the effects of high gas prices and our need to expand domestic oil production.

John McCain says we need offshore oil drilling and we need it now. Senator Barack

… Read full post »

Well, here we are. The conventions haven't even taken place yet and the 2008 campaign is already getting pretty ugly. McCain has launched a series of highly dubious ads that claim Obama is to blame for high gas prices, does not support the troops, and is no more prepared… Read full post »

Some people are going to get pissed off about this one. Apparently, a little while back Obama said that Ludacris on his iPod. Just now I just saw on TV that Ludacris has a dropped a new track of political significance.

Ludacris slams quite a few people… Read full post »

Here is McCain's latest negative ad against Obama. Instead of making bogus charges about Obama causing high gas prices and questioning his support of the troops this one compares him to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Like his other ads this one is riddled with difficulties.… Read full post »

I'm watching MSNBC right now and they just announced the breaking news that the House is holding Karl Rove in contempt. It looks like they moved passed the petition.

UPDATED: It looks like the next step requires Pelosi to do something.

The committee decision is only a recommendation, and

… Read full post »

David Horowitz and his right-wing thought police have been complaining about "liberal bias" in higher education for a few years now. Interestingly, none of his accusations of bias in academia have been substantiated. Perhaps this wonder if this new academic watchdog group will have better luck. B… Read full post »

Here's a list of books on the topic of politics in higher education.

1. Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind.
2. Rodger Kimball, Tenured Radicals.
3. Martha Nussbaum, Cultivating Humanity.
4. Bill Readings, The University in Ruins.
5. David Horowitiz, The Professors.
6. Michael Bérubé, What's
… Read full post »

When a President is sworn they take the following oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

President Bush has not… Read full post »

If you have not seen John McCain's new ad, then brace yourself for a read dose of "straight talk."

Um. Yeah, clearly being against off-shore drilling and so forth means that Obama is responsible for high gas prices. It's an absurd claim. If this is the/… Read full post »

Ultimately, I don't think The New Yorker cover of the Obamas is offensive. It's political satire that mocks right-wing smears against the Obamas.

The cover is either, at a minimum, neutral with regard to supporting Obama or, at most, an outright pro-Obama piece of political art.… Read full post »

Recently, McCain got a question about health care companies covering Viagra but not birth control pills. Here's the clip.

Yeah, that is kind of a awkward and uncomfortable exchange, Willie. But, what's awkward and strange about it to me is that it seems to show… Read full post »

The political story of the day is about Gen. Clark’s comments about McCain’s military service. McCain, like other political candidates, is attempting to win voters over by selling a narrative about his life that is supposed to establish his qualifications for the Presidency. A big par… Read full post »

I just watched MSNBC's documentary on the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), "Religion or Mind Control?" You can check out a clip here. (Had trouble with embeding video again.)

The FLDS women interviewed in the show claim that there is no… Read full post »

This week’s episode of 30 Days put an anti-gay adoption Mormon – I think her name is Kate - in the home of a gay couple who adopted several kids.

Kate argues at one point that legalizing adoption for homosexual couples is equivalent to discrimination… Read full post »

Recently Obama made some comments that have drawn fire from James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Obama remarks:

"Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the… Read full post »

I think Scott McClellan is still full of it. He’s made a very dubious claim several times on the talk shows since his book came out that does not seem to be getting as much attention in the media as I think it should. Here's McClellan on Countdown… Read full post »

As a former Creationist and (current) college philosophy instructor I’ve followed the debate over Intelligent Design (ID) with great interest because it raises several important philosophical issues regarding the nature of science, god’s existence, and church-state. Let me say, right o… Read full post »