WARNING! SCIENCE CONTENT! There’s actually a pun buried in the title of this column, but you might not find it amusing unless you have a pHd in advanced particle physics. The science community is abuzz over rumors that a research team in Italy may have discovered the long sought and highly controversial “dark matter” which some claim makes up a huge amount of the mass of the universe. Researchers from Italy stirred up controversy eight years ago when they announced they had discovered...

The press is already dutifully lining up to report on last night’s “Compassion Forum” in Pennsylvania, where Senators Clinton and Obama allowed themselves to be thrust into a “Dog and Pony Show for Jesus” contest to see who could “out-God” each other. At the end of this column I’ll get to some more specific observations from the event, as promised in my short summary last night, but first I would like to address a broader question. Was this really necessary...

The moderators seemed to come armed with an agenda, at least as I read it. Hillary Clinton, by comparison, received a series of softball questions centering on the most important moments of her life when God spoke to her, etc. The exceptions were questions each candidate shared in common, including whether life begins at conception, etc. The questions for Obama included a large number of very aggressive “gotcha” questions on the “bitter” remarks, Reverend Wright, and other...

While I have enjoyed writing columns here at The Moderate Voice in the short time since Joe Gandelman invited me, I feel it only fair to give warning to both the Editor and our readers that I may be moving on to a new position which could stop me from doing this. You see, I am going to be announcing my availability to accept a position with the Hillary Clinton campaign as her official Campaign Booze Adviser. With Mark Penn out of the picture, it has now become more clear than ever that the candidate...

I was on a radio show earlier this year with Ed Morrissey of Hot Air during the period when it had begun to look obvious that Barack Obama would be the Democratic nominee. We were pondering the question of who in the Democratic party had the “guns” to go hang the bell on the cat of the Hillary Clinton Campaign. “But who,” Ed asked, “is going to make that long walk down the hall to tell Hillary it’s over?” We both admitted that it didn’t look like any...

My apologies for this being non-political. Today we took a trip which we knew had been coming for some time, but was made none the easier from knowing it. Our oldest dog, Kenya, (shown here in happier times with a number of her toys and gifts at Christmas) was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder last fall. She was put on an aggressive treatment schedule of Peroxicam and some low level pain relievers to reduce the size of the tumor, give her relief from discomfort, and give her a few more good months...

You could consider this as part of The Confessions of an Unapologetic Isolationist. A free trade apostate, if you will. As such, it saddens me to see the editorial board of the Washington Post climbing in bed with the Unfair Trade for America crowd. In their column, “Drop Dead Colombia” the editors take Nancy Pelosi to task for not immediately throwing open our trade doors to yet another country and laying out the red carpet for whatever will rush in – or more to the point, out...

A $420,000 phone bill? 3.2 million for office rent? As the Politico points out, those are just a few of the bills that William Jefferson Clinton has run up since leaving the White House. “Well,” I can hear you saying, “the Clintons have made more than $100 million in the last seven years. I’m sure he can afford it.” Yes, he probably could have. But the fact is, you – the taxpayer – actually footed the bill on those costs. The price tag for Clinton’s federal...

Too provocative of a title? I’ll let you be the judge, but it calls attention to the unending rhetorical frenzy engendered by the Democratic primary race. The latest example came at a fundraising concert for Hillary Clinton put on by Sir Elton John. Some of his comments caught the attention of the media quickly. “I never cease to be amazed at the misogynist attitude of some of the people in this country,” he said. “I say to hell with them.” This was yet another reference...

Well, if only Nixon could go to China, who knows? I have to confess, when it comes to matters of Israel and the Palestinians, I’m lucky to be able to spell “Gaza” since it’s not in my spell checker. When I get confused, I turn to my own personal authority on All Matters Jewish, The One True Tami. Her Hebrew bona fides are fine by me and include having studied extensively in that country. She takes a look at some of the criticism Carter is receiving for opening talks with Hamas...

Ok, not really. But at the rate things are going I won’t be terribly surprised if we see that headline in the near future. We’re well accustomed to the media being ready to pounce and inform us when political candidates or office holders do or say something perceived as a “gaffe” out on the trail. Perhaps candidates are getting more politically astute. Or maybe we’ve just weeded out all of them who trip themselves up regularly. Whatever the cause, we have long since...

Apparently Barack Obama is not only far less popular than some of us previously thought, but he can take down the careers of anyone who comes in contact with him. Even Oprah Winfrey! I hate to hint and run, but I’m short on time so you can read more here. (Warning, large snark and satire content.) And in case you think it’s just comedy, the story really came from The Poltico.

There was a good bit of chatter over the weekend concerning rumors that Secretary of State Condi Rice might be actively seeking the VP slot on John McCain’s presidential ticket. This is certainly not a new idea. If you traveled the blogs in the Right side of the sphere last year you probably saw numerous “Draft Condi!” buttons exhorting her fans to push the Secretary into a run for president. But how receptive would the movers and shakers of the Republican party be to the idea of...

If I could point out one must read column in the media today it would have to be the latest from John Kass at the Chicago Tribune. The initial thrust of the column is the perceived damage to Barack Obama’s presidential aspirations done by his association with Rev. Wright. But after that, Kass settles down and attempts to tackle the problems we face in dealing with the issues this story brought to public attention. One of the key problems, in the author’s view, is that we spend too much...

Only you, dear reader, can judge whether or not I make an effort to see both sides of the story when covering political events. But when I read this ABC account of a Q&A session Senator Hillary Clinton held in Oregon last night, my irony, credulity and nausea meters all pegged out into the red zone. But [Clinton's] calm tone and relaxed demeanor soon became sharp and fiery. “Elections are about choices. You are supposed to present your case and you’re supposed to critique the other case....

Even given the caveat that the only things certain about polls this year are that 1.) they’re usually wrong and 2.) they’ll change next week, it’s hard to ignore the portents from the latest Rasmussen numbers out of North Carolina. In a state where Obama was already predicted to clean up better than a Dyson vacuum cleaner, the poll results show him with a staggering 23 point lead. In North Carolina, Barack Obama has opened up a twenty-three percentage point lead over Hillary Clinton....

This weekend finds a dueling pair of highly interesting opinion pieces on the legality of the Iraq war after the ball drops in Time Square this New Years eve. They are found with Bruce Ackerman’s and Oona Hathaway’s column in the Washington post which is then challenged by Adam White at Slate Magazine. The theory put forth in the Post entry seems simple enough at first glance. There are two key bits of paperwork establishing the “legality” of the current occupation and both may have a finite...

I must admit that I was of two minds after reading about Nancy Pelosi issuing stern warnings to Gen. David Petraeus regarding his (and Ambassador Ryan Crocker’s) upcoming testimony before Congress assessing the situation in Iraq. On the one hand, there was an element of common sense to it which held some appeal. It would be in none of our best interests to have military leaders putting a “spin” on the news from the war front just to serve a political master. But then again, Petraeus has thus...

A new CNN poll tells us that 76% of Americans are ready for a black president. In the breakdown we see that 78% of whites and 69% of blacks answered this question in the affirmative. Additionally, 63% of Americans feel that the country is ready for a female president. On the surface you may be cheered by these numbers, but I suppose I’m just more of a pessimist by nature. When I first read the results I found myself asking, “you mean nearly a quarter of Americans are not ready for a black...

The always interesting Ed Morrissey of Hot Air will be on CNN tonight at 8:45 eastern, 5:45 pacific tonight offering his views to the old media from the new media. Be sure to check it out! Joe Gandelman has also appeared on CNN, along with other bloggers, and it’s always good to see some of the voices of new media getting some face time with the general public!

The initial hints from this Wall Street Journal article could have some readers sighing, “Oh, not again!” With the title, McCain and the Model, one could easily think we had yet another high profile politician caught in an affair with a mistress or pursuing “ladies of negotiable affection” to the dismay of their wives. Those expecting a salacious, tawdry tale are likely to be disappointed. But the best story by far begins in the summer of 1957, when McCain sailed to Rio de...

I see that Hillary Clinton is falling back on an old campaign tactic - promising new jobs in a time when finding work can often be more difficult than locating your car keys in the dark. In fact, she is now promising three million of them if we’ll only forgive, forget and elect her president. This is, of course, reminiscent of how the then First Lady promised New Yorkers 200,000 new jobs during her first term if we would elect her to the Senate. The pesky fact that the Empire State actually...

Some interesting news appears to be coming out of Minnesota this week. I found a very comprehensive and informative article over at Ladies Logic (an excellent Minnesota conservative – moderate blog, by the way) which details an ongoing investigation into the affairs of one Lori Swanson, the Democratic Attorney General of the state. There is still much more to be revealed, but some intriguing questions have already arisen. Why have so many Attorneys General resigned or been driven out of that...

Clearly this is the beginning of the end for the presidential aspirations of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) and it all began in the tiny hamlet of Altoona, Pennsylvania. As reported at Media Matters, Mr. Obama showed up at the Pleasant Valley Lanes bowling emporium and proceeded to take part in America’s favorite sport. The results were nothing less than Earth shattering. The Senator racked up a score of … (are you sitting down?) … 37!!! As we all know, competent bowling is a legal...

I had just recently finished reading about the results of Earth Hour Chicago and the tons of carbon emissions which were not released into the atmosphere when I was suddenly put in mind of a sandwich I made recently – and my grandmother. The combination may sound strange, but programs such as Earth Hour nudge me to remain mindful of some efforts my family and I have undertaken recently to be less wasteful. You see, my grandparents grew up during the great depression. The lessons they learned...