As debate on the stimulus package continues to rage, exactly the wrong sort of attention is being paid to one element of the proposal dealing with the “Buy American” clause. The usual list of suspects is lining up to tell us exactly how awful this is, including this New York Times piece by Gregory Mankiw. As usual, he invokes the ghost of Smoot-Hawley to frighten the unpatriotic peasants and also takes time out to instruct us on the virtues of so called “free trade.” Like...

I find myself in a bit of an ethical dilemma this weekend, reading the story of a convicted domestic terrorist who will be spending quite some time in jail. (Bear with me for a bit and the title will make sense.) A radical activist who helped set a $1 million fire to protest research on genetically modified crops was sentenced Thursday to nearly 22 years in prison _ even more than the prosecution recommended. Marie Mason decided to “elevate her grievances beyond the norms of civilized society”...

Earlier, Robert Stein provided us with an excellent analysis of the sad demise of newspapers, magazines and books. While this is an important topic, particularly for those with an interest in history and how future generations will learn of our times, there is another form of the printed word which has already come to the point of extinction. That is the ancient practice of letter writing. While composing this piece I searched my memory for my own track record in penning letters. As a young man...

Haven’t we labored under this incompetent, destructive, tax dodging administration long enough?

While we didn’t see a Senate vote Thursday night on the stimulus package, it seems that it will only be a temporary reprieve. On such an important issue it is unfortunate that both the political generals and the talking heads have succeeded in turning it into a political football. One of the most annoying pieces of “analysis” for the week comes to us from Paul Krugman. It’s time for Mr. Obama to go on the offensive. Above all, he must not shy away from pointing out that those...

With all of the attention being paid to the implosion of several nominees for President Obama’s cabinet, it seems an apt time to put these nominations in historical context. How many presidential cabinet nominations have failed over the course of our nation’s history? Which president holds the record for the most failed nominees? How does the current crop compare to their forebears? I answer these and other questions today in my latest column at Pajamas Media. (Yes, in case you were wondering,...

Does anyone else remember Barack Obama’s “Five Day Rule” which purported to shine more sunlight on the legislative process and give voters time to read and comment on bills? For a refresher course, the information is still available at his web site. Sunlight Before Signing: Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them. As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public...

Here’s one of those stories which seems to have slipped through the cracks and not shown up on any of the larger conservative blogs I read. If it had, I’m not sure what sort of reception it would have received. The new chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele, sat down this weekend for a chat with Chris Wallace on Fox News. During his discussion of the future of the GOP, he let slip with a couple of interesting remarks. (Video available at the link above.) WALLACE: You are one of the co-founders...

While many in the GOP are engaged in serious discussions of the Party’s path out of the wilderness, others seem to be doubling down on bets which have previously failed to pay off. Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo discusses the curious results of a recent poll in which a majority of Republicans seem to feel that the party needs to be more like Sarah Palin. A new Rasmussen poll further demonstrates that the GOP could be in for a long stretch in the wilderness: A majority of GOP voters now...

If you’re going to be home and near your computer today and are interested in the upcoming spectacle of the Superbowl, you may want to drop by the Hot Air Live Football Site, where chatizens of all stripes will be making the usual jokes, cheering for their favorite team and discussing whatever comes to mind. I’ll be moderating the chat to keep out the overly abusive and disruptive trolls, but it will be a largely non-political day of fun, sports and activities. We’ll run some trivia...

I suppose we all knew this was coming. Disaster has struck the South in the form of an ice storm which has shut down power and most all infrastructure and services, leaving many residents of Kentucky in dire straits. MARION, Ky. – In some parts of rural Kentucky, they’re getting water the old-fashioned way — with pails from a creek. There’s not room for one more sleeping bag on the shelter floor. The creative are flushing their toilets with melted snow. At least 42 people have died,...

At least for the moment, it seems that Republicans are presenting a unified front in decrying the proposed Federal stimulus package currently under consideration. In fact, newly minted RNC chairman Michael Steele praised the failure of any House Republicans to vote for the package, saying that the “Goose egg was just beautiful.” So it would come as no surprise if many GOP governors, particularly those often mentioned as potential White House hopefuls, would be standing shoulder to shoulder...

Unlucky blogger has his entire life thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an African-American trash collector. Yes, this will likely be an incredible waste of your time.

The news is just filtering out that after three votes, former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele has been chosen as the new chairman of the RNC. If you happen to be a very liberal reader, I’m not saying that you’re going to fall in love with the guy, but I think that the RNC has done a fine job in this selection. Steele has stood against the wheel for election in Maryland, (not exactly a buckle in bible belt social conservatism) and authored some very scholarly work on American...

I may have witnessed a glimmer of hope for a productive, bipartisan solution to the stimulus bill quandary when Sen. Ben Nelson (D – Neb) came forward to speak about the upcoming Senate debate on the legislation. “What I’m hoping to do is bring together a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats and offer changes that will attract others and improve the bill,” he told FOX News. “People want this to succeed.” Asked how many Republicans he can get to vote for...

Today, on Mid Stream Radio, (at our new time of 10:00 am Eastern) we will be inviting some special guests from each end of the spectrum to discuss this week’s House vote on the stimulus package. The topic has certainly drawn a lot of attention and debate, so we’ll see if we can’t sort out the details for you. I’ll be joined, as always, by my lovely co-host, Cindy the Lady Logician. We’ll also be updating you on the drive to institute National Pie Week (follow that link...

Yet another group of scientists don’t think so. Still worried that the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole that will destroy the Earth when it’s finally switched on this summer? Um, well, you may have a point. Three physicists have reexamined the math surrounding the creation of microscopic black holes in the Switzerland-based LHC, the world’s largest particle collider, and determined that they won’t simply evaporate in a millisecond as had previously been predicted. Happy...

For your quote of the day, I would encourage you to explore this adventure in soul searching from a conservative who is also an atheist… Rick Moran. The money quote. If, at times, it seems to some of my regular readers that my conservatism appears “inconsistent,” it is only because the principles upon which my political philosophy is based might be unchanging but the ideas that animate those principles are in a constant state of flux. For instance, I believe in the conservative principle...

Long time readers will know that it’s a rare day indeed when I find myself agreeing with Michelle Malkin. (I’m pausing to think if I’ve ever linked to her from TMV.) But following last night’s disastrous failure by the House of Representatives to achieve any sort of bipartisan consensus on a stimulus package, I think she is correct in saying that the House version of the bill has turned into a gigantic “crap sandwich” and the Democrats own it 100%. Personally,...

Earlier this week I found myself feeling a bit peeved with Congressional Republicans when they began urging their members to vote against the upcoming stimulus bill. While I remained uncomfortable with huge amounts of tax dollars rushing out the door and a deficit which will shatter all records, I recognize that the economy is in dire straits and the people we elected to office will need to deal with it. In fact, when I heard that President Obama had gotten the Democrats to remove some sort of family...

While I understand the praise he has received for his qualifications, the more I hear about Tim Geithner, the more I wonder about the wisdom of this selection. Even leaving aside his failure to master the complexities of a computer based home tax preparation program, this report from Politico looks to raise eyebrows further. Newly minted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s finances got a recent boost, thanks to a plump $435,000 severance payment from his old employer – the Federal Reserve Bank...

I’ve long since given up on fighting the trend of having a day, week or month to commemorate everything under the sun. We have talk like a pirate day, alcohol awareness week, (do we get a discount?) and all 12 slots on the calendar are taken up for somebody’s history awareness month. (Note to Congress: my dog is still waiting for basset hound awareness month.) Anyway, if we’re going to have all of these generally pointless celebrations, it’s high time that we had one that...

Russ Feingold’s recent announcement of plans to revise the 17th amendment have brought the predictable responses about gubernatorial appointments for Senate seats. They have also tossed fuel for the fire on the old question of whether or not our process for amending the United States Constitution is too difficult. Over at The American Prospect, Dylan Matthews weighs in with his frustration over how hard it is to edit our founding documents. Responses to Russ Feingold’s proposed constitutional...

This is one of those stories which I initially hoped would just go away, but for some reason it keeps hanging around like that old set of luggage you just can’t take down to the good will store. Our new president made an off hand comment the other day, invoking the name of Right wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh. “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus...

My friend and old partner in blogging crime, Ron Beasley, has been on hiatus from Newshoggers for while, dealing with some medical issues and the forces of mother nature. Today, though, he rejoins the fold. In addition to years of incisive political and social commentary, Ron is also a skilled photographer and digital artist. This weekend he shares a photograph of a squirrel who may challenge Dramatic Hamster in online rodent angst. One possible caption from the comments. “Did I leave the gas...