Last week President Obama made his first nomination to the appellate court. This came on the heels of news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery for cancer and is now undergoing chemotherapy. Selections for the courts are definitely one area where presidents will never be able to please all the people all of the time, but are we even doing as well as we might in a deeply divided nation? Personally, I believe that we’re consistently bottom feeding in the pool of judicial...

Over in the U.K. there are ideas being floated regarding reducing the nation’s population to roughly 30 million, roughly what it was during the Victorian era. Unfortunately, the argument is made in terms of environmental impact. JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society. Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT),...

I originally thought that it was a great idea to set up an online tracking tool so citizens could see what happens to their tax dollars, particularly when the government is so busy handing those dollars out to everyone. The people in charge of the web site, however, seem to be finding it difficult to deliver the goods thus far. Tracking the spending from the $787 billion economic stimulus package is proving difficult because of shortcomings in the available data, the chairman of the stimulus act...

Ok… they’re not actually phasers, but we are going to be seeing some seriously big honking lasers. Northrop Grumman has apparently broken one of the technological barriers to development and built a laser with more than 100 kW output which should pretty much fry anything in its sights. Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time — paving the way for energy weapons to go to war. In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at...

Ever since I caught the business end of a verbal Louisville Slugger for asking if late night comics would begin criticizing the Obama administration, I’ve been carrying this guilty feeling as if it’s my responsibility to keep watch over the late night comedians. Last night, more signs of life were breathed into my hopes for even handed satire in the age of Obama when Jon Stewart looked at the Obama plan for having wounded U.S. soldiers use their own health insurance for medical costs....

Animal rights activists around the globe will surely be up in arms over news that NASA has cruelly and unusually murdered a free-tailed bat which was attempting to get a free ride on the Space Shuttle. A bat that apparently had trouble flying instead tried to hitch a ride on the space shuttle Discovery, NASA officials said. The rodent was last seen clinging on the foam of the external tank of the space shuttle moments before the Discovery launched, officials said. NASA officials had hoped the bat...

It used to be that President George W. Bush could go to events and he would only need his Secret Service folks to make sure nobody had any weapons. By the time of the 2004 election he had to make sure that nobody was around who was wearing a pink shirt under their sweater or a Kerry bumper sticker on their car. From here on out, he may not be able to show up to speak anywhere unless everyone in attendance has removed their shoes. Perhaps he can schedule all of his future paid speaking appearances...

Later this afternoon, at 4 pm eastern, stop by the Movie Addict Headquarters radio show for an interview with John P. McCarthy and a rundown of the best Irish themed movies of all time. What are some of your picks for the best Irish themed films? See you on the radio!

While reading a recent transcript of press avails by NY20 Congressional candidates Scott Murphy and Jim Tedisco, I noticed an odd comment by Murphy. I didn’t pay much attention to it and let it slide until I saw that John McCormack had perked up his ears over the same thing. MURPHY: So, one of the best moments of my life: I was going down to D.C. a week and a half ago. We were going down to raise some money. Only been twice, very quick, spending my time in the district, but we did go down....

Kathleen Parker has raised a ruckus once again, calling out critics of the media for their failure to grasp the importance of actual journalism and a functional fourth estate. There is surely room for media criticism, and a few bad actors in recent years have badly frayed public trust. And, yes, some newspapers are more liberal than their readership and do a lousy job of concealing it. But the greater truth is that newspaper reporters, editors and institutions are responsible for the boots-on-the-ground...

Surely we can take some time out on a Sunday afternoon to get away from criticizing various politicians and just have a little fun. With that thought in mind, take one minute and treat yourself to what is very possibly the funniest pet dog video clip ever produced. Yes, I feel a little bit sorry for the dog, but he seems to be comfortable and healthy other than being a tad bit… ummm… insane.

Now that we’ve had time to digest this year’s sweeping victory by Slum Dog Millionaire (and the egregious insult of virtually ignoring Hancock and Iron Man) it’s an opportune moment to see how the current crop of cinematic efforts stack up against Best Film winners from days past. Later this week, on Thursday afternoon at 3 pm eastern time, Betty Jo Tucker of Movie Addict Headquarters and I will join Ed Morrissey of Hot Air for a discussion of the very best and very worst of Oscar’s...

Personally I think this story is far from being ripe enough for the picking, at least absent some sort of public statement from the subject, but a certain high profile general seems to be planning a trip to Iowa in 2010. (Edit: Original version said Idaho.) THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that General [David] Petraeus is planning on delivering the commencement address at the University of Iowa in 2010. Petraeus going to Iowa, a state he doesn’t have previous ties to, is going to create a huge amount...

One of our favorite congress critters in the beltway follies has long been Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann. Whether she’s calling for McCarthy style hearings into the patriotism of her fellow members of Congress, complaining that America is running out of rich people, or failing to comprehend how congressional district lines are established, she never fails to amuse, or at least make us wonder how she hangs on to her office. This week proved no different, as the curious congressperson...

Lately, when we hear about some politico being “tossed under the bus” it’s been somebody in the Obama administration. But now, who is considering tossing RNC Chairman Michael Steele under the bus? And why? Don’t tell anyone you heard it here, but it might have something to do with the “A” word. One thing is certain: he’s a lot less media savvy than most of us thought. And since he doesn’t seem to have much skill in organization, we have to ask ourselves why...

A new (or perhaps not so new) poll in the Empire State is showing Democrat Scott Murphy closing the gap on Republican Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco. Tedisco, the state Assembly minority leader, holds a 7-percentage-point lead over Murphy, a 39-year-old venture capitalist, according to the late February survey by the Benenson Strategy Group. The margin was 44 to 37 percent, with Libertarian Eric Sundwall at 4 percent, and 15 percent of voters undecided.The poll was paid for by the Democratic...

With the barbarians clattering at the gate, the sad but probably inevitable end came yesterday to Chas Freeman’s bid to be seated as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Since we’ve covered this all before, there is no need to recap the particulars, but Freeman left no doubt as to his view of the playing field on his way out the door. “The libels on me and their easily traceable email trails show conclusively that there is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view...

This was pointed out to me by my wife, but the stunning cultural relevance was so clear that I knew you would all want partake in this particular feast. In the United States, much criticism has been laid on reality television shows and contest formats. Rightly so! You can keep your Survivor, Amazing Race and Who Wants to Be the Next Celebrity Supermodel Top Chef. In Japan, television executives have solved the riddle and determined what it is that viewers truly need, want and deserve. That, of course,...

It seems that the “Employee Free Choice Act” or Card Check will head to the floor for a vote in both chambers this week. Support in the Senate, however, seems to be wavering. At least six Senators who have voted to move forward with the so-called card-check proposal, including one Republican, now say they are opposed or not sure — an indication that Senate Democratic leaders are short of the 60 votes they need for approval. You can find plenty of coverage of this issue all over...

Introductory question: What do foreign, oil producing nations, American farmers and trash collectors have in common with the Catholic Church? Hopefully we will be able to address that question here today. To begin with, we’ll look at this article from the St. Louis Dispatch which addresses concerns that many Catholic run hospitals are threatening to shut down if the Obama administration were to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) into law. In response, Ed Morrissey ponders the following situation. We...

David Letterman, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert spent most of the last eight years abusing the Bush administration with gusto. Given that the person in charge presents the largest target, this shouldn’t come as any surprise. But when Barack Obama took office I fully expected that the gun-sights would swing around and take aim at the new boss, same as the old boss. Are the popular funnymen living up to expectations on this score? This is the subject I examine in my most recent column at Pajamas...

A collection of Republicans are lining up in opposition to Chas Freeman this week. While some of their complaints are couched in concerns over Freeman’s “brutal reality” stance on human rights in China and perfectly valid questions over financial concerns, they make it very clear that their primary issue is the NIC Chief’s stated positions on Israel. You can click through the jump above for the full serving of claptrap, but the issue has brought my mind back to an older question....

Happy Monday, and welcome to another week at The Moderate Voice. For those of you who were busy or out of town over the weekend, remember that we set the clocks forward yesterday. This means that most of you will be losing one hour of sleep. Unless, of course, you earn more than $250,000 per year, in which case you will lose two hours and eleven minutes. (Rimshot!) The good news is that you’ll all be getting an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. Nature lovers should be warned, however,...

Ever since Chas Freeman was tapped to head the National Intelligence Council, a predictable and much needed firestorm of debate has erupted. Critics, choosing to ignore Freeman’s extensive background in Middle East affairs and security matters have latched on to some of his opinions on U.S. – Israeli relations as “evidence” that he would be ill suited to the task. This week we find one of the more interesting responses being published by none other than Freeman’s own...

Local news sources are reporting that Republican Assembly Leader Jim Tedisco has released his next campaign advertisement, this time going directly after his Democratic opponent, Scott Murphy, for his Wall Street pedigree. The race to fill Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s now vacant seat in the 20th Congressional District is heating up as the two candidates vying for the job come out swinging. Republican Jim Tedisco, backed by the National Republican Campaign Committee, has launched a scathing...