“We have a feeling like we’re about to set sail across an ocean to discover a new world. It’s sort of the same feeling Columbus or Magellan must have had.” So spoke NASA JPL project manager Jim Fanson this week as a Delta II rocket carried the Kepler spacecraft into orbit. For all of us who misspent much of our youth reading novels by Isaac Asimov and dreaming of worlds orbiting distant stars, this is an exciting moment. With Kepler in orbit, we will shortly begin scanning...

There I was, having a fine week of venting some righteous indignation about President Obama’s economic policies and diplomatic gaffes, when others who oppose everything to do with both Obama’s administration and his family force me into cursing them rather than lighting a candle in the darkness. Andrew Malcolm posted a story about First Lady Michelle Obama showing up at a DC homeless shelter to serve meals to the needy, and it’s resulted in a particularly ugly response. First, appearances...

I may not agree with the course being taken by President Obama on the economic crisis, and a couple of his cabinet appointments could have been more thoughtful, but I’ve tried not to pile on him too much and support what he does well. Some news today from our friends in England, however, has truly set my teeth on edge. I’ll let the Daily Mail explain the details of the Great Brit Gift Debacle. (Hat tip to Hot Air.) He [Britain's Prime Minister] had put clearly great thought into giving...

I don’t know if we’re going to find a solution to the nation’s economic woes, a way to bring Iran to the table of sanity or ever reach bottom on the stock market or housing prices, but by golly we’ve managed to get a new swing set installed at the White House and it’s only March 5. First daughters Malia and Sasha Obama got a big surprise after school Wednesday: a brand-new swing set. They squealed with delight upon seeing it, a spokeswoman for the first lady said. President...

Now that the Oscars are over and we’ve finished celebrating the best of the movies, we should take a moment to recognize some of the films which are so bad that they are good. One of these, which may reach the pinnacle of the genre, is Hard Ticket to Hawaii. I first heard about this film from the fine folks at G4TV as one of the best bad films in history. The title is most certainly well deserved, as this 1987 offering from director Andy Sidaris may be the most incredibly expensive wastes of...

Clearly he does, or he wouldn’t say that when the United States does well, it hurts the Yankees.

It seems we had a “close encounter” of the potentially nasty kind this week. An asteroid of approximately forty yards diameter zoomed past the Earth this week, coming within 40,000 miles. It may sound like a long ways away, but this is roughly twice the orbit of our geosynchronous satellites and only one seventh of the distance to the moon. In cosmic terms, that’s about as close to a bulls-eye as you get. How bad would a collision by an asteroid of that size? If it impacts on land,...

As part of our continuing efforts to bring you up to the minute coverage of breaking political news, I was dispatched today to Saratoga Springs, New York to report on the first debate between Republican Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy. Had a mystery novelist been writing about our journey, somber bassoon music would have been playing during that first sentence and a narrator would intone a haunting voiceover including phrases such as, “little did they know.” While...

The LA Times reports that President Obama is looking into rolling back the annoying and politically motivated “Conscience Rule” signed by President Bush at the end of his last term. The rule didn’t only apply to doctors performing abortions, but to a wide range of health care workers, allowing them to refuse to provide counseling regarding abortion as an option, the dispensing of birth control pills, emergency contraception and related products if their pro-choice leanings made...

That was a question which popped up during this morning’s edition of Morning Joe on MSNBC, during a Q&A between the crew and Chuck Todd. On the surface it sounds like a fairly unlikely premise, as the two men are about as far apart as they could be. But are they really? I decided to do some digging and you may be surprised to find out that these two might actually have been separated at birth. One of the most trusted indicators of similarity between people is, of course, biometrics. A...

When campaigning in a largely rural district such as New York’s 20th, candidates eventually have to deal with the reality of small-town newspapers and their coverage of the race. The Albany Times-Union has been providing quite a bit of coverage, though it’s difficult not to notice the decided slant in favor of the Democrat thus far. Smaller publications are also weighing in, though, and this weekend we’ll take a brief look at two offerings from the Schenectady Daily Gazette. First...

Much like a pack of wolves tries to isolate a weak caribou from the herd, are the Republicans trying to split President Obama away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House leadership? At the New York Times, Carl Hulse certainly seems to think so. But that will not stop Republicans from trying. On Friday, the leadership sent Mr. Obama a letter urging him to use his first veto on the $410 billion spending bill and the 9,000 earmarks it includes if it clears Congress in its present form. “Republicans...

Radio legend Paul Harvey has passed away. From his web site. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM, Tulsa, while he was still in high school. Later, while attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO as an announcer, then as a program director. Paul Harvey reached audiences way beyond the windy city in 1951, when he began his coast-to-coast “News and Comment” on the ABC Radio Networks. On May 10, 1976, Mr. Harvey began...

We’re gearing up for the first round of debates between Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco and Democratic candidate Scott Murphy. Their initial meeting will take place this coming Tuesday, March 3, in Saratoga Springs, New York in the public library. The event will be hosted by AARP and the topics will include health care, Social Security, long term care and enhanced retirement security. Longer range plans include another debate on March 26, shortly before the election, which will be sponsored...

With CPAC in full swing, much of the focus has been on examining the root causes of the electoral trip to the woodshed which the Republicans took in the 2006 and 2008 elections. In the usual fashion, it’s expected that if you can determine what you did wrong last time you will hopefully avoid those mistakes in the future and improve your prospects. Yesterday, at Pajamas Media, Rick Moran examined their progress, noting that conservatives are talking the talk, but wonders if they can walk the...

An unsettling sign from the Obama Administration this week in the form of statements made by Attorney General Eric Holder. It seems that the specter of the assault rifle ban may be coming round again. The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today. “As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among...

This year’s CPAC is underway in Washington, DC. There will be a number of high-profile speakers and the topic is sure to focus on the new direction for the GOP during their period in the Beltway wilderness. While the mainstream press will doubtless provide plenty of coverage, for a more personal touch I would suggest stopping by Hot Air for a series of live broadcasts with interviews, panel sessions and more, televised on line by Ed Morrissey. There will be a live, online chat running most...

Another update from our previous story on NY 20th CD Democratic Candidate Scott Murphy’s early writings on the appropriateness of having R.O.T.C. on college campus grounds. It seems that, during one of his campaign stops at a local V.F.W. the question was put to Mr. Murphy three times. His reaction is caught for you on film, thanks to the wonder of YouTube. It seems that the genie is out of the bottle on this one now. In the Empire State, the Big Apple accounts for 3/5 of the state population,...

HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. – Wanted: A campaign manager for Jim Tedisco (R-NY) who can stop him from talking to the press. On the surface, I agree with this New York Times piece in that the upcoming special election in New York’s 20th Congressional District should have been a slam-dunk for Jim Tedisco. His Democratic opponent, Scott Murphy, has spent the last two weeks fighting off charges about unpaid taxes and questionable lobbying activities, and inquiries about why he didn’t bother...

In his autobiography, George Burns mentioned that the reason he always carried a cigar when doing his comedy routines or speaking in public was that he had “bad hands.” He didn’t know what to do with them while talking and he knew that it was distracting to the audience, so he clutched that stogy just so he’d have something to do with his hands. Last night Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal had his big moment in the spotlight (which may, in reality, have been his opening volley...

Even if his name doesn’t immediately ring a bell with casual viewers, one look at the picture of Fred Willard will likely trigger your memory. The prolific actor’s resume includes nearly two hundred film and television appearances, with nearly as many credits on talk shows and other fora showing up as himself. Today, at 4 PM eastern, on Movie Addict Headquarters, author and film critic Betty Jo Tucker and I will interview Fred about his role as co-host in Robert Osborne’s Classic...

As the days tick on toward the special congressional election in New York’s 20th district, opposition research on both sides continues to unearth background material on the candidates. This week the Albany Times Union finds some material published by Democrat Scott Murphy during his days as a Senior Editor at the Harvard Perspective. The editorial in question, signed by Murphy and two others, argues against R.O.T.C. presence on campus. “The values enforced by the military — submission to...

During the 2008 election, one of the major complaints regarding John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin was the lack of vetting which went into the decision. Once the choice was set in stone, though, criticism in some circles shifted to the abysmal handling of the VP candidate and her “not ready for prime time” persona. Apparently things haven’t improved since the election ended, because one lesson which Governor Palin never seemed to learn is that Americans don’t generally...

Newly minted RNC Chair Michael Steele has set the tone, calling for the application of the party’s traditional message to “urban — suburban hip-hop settings.” But what exactly does that mean? And how do you take a sometimes moldy construct of American conservatism and translate it to the urban, hip-hop culture? A daunting task to be sure, but I take a swing at it today in my latest column at Pajamas Media. And allow me to anticipate some of the responses. Yes, my friends… let the hate...

All efforts by President Obama to get Republicans on board for the economic stimulus package fell to pieces, but will one of his next efforts garner more support? It seems that he’s planning to grab hold of the third rail of politics and attempt to reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Depending how it’s handled, he might have the GOP in his corner on this one, unless they truly do plan to be nothing more than the Party of No. WASHINGTON — President Obama is eager to seek a...