One of the new leafs Bush administration members seem to have turned over is to inch towards more accessibility in less controllable situations. If they’re not getting all that pesky publicity about keeping people who disagree from entering, they can then focus on their message. The problem is that if you are in a situation where polls show your support plummeting in terms of policy and the popularity and credibility of key administration members, unless you only admit The Choir to preach to,...

Here’s one (at times politically incorrect) view of it.

Some blogs take an ABC satire alleging to be a memo from White House Press Secretary Tony Snow seriously. (Hey, that happens to best of us. We once took seriously all the memos from readers suggesting a special, dark place where we should stick our computer but we know all of our readers love us…)

This is not a lot of baloney. From the AP: Some might call a partially-eaten sandwich ordered by then-Vice President Richard Nixon 46 years ago just a piece of trash. But Steve Jenne thought he saw a piece of history and has held onto it ever since. Jenne retrieved the left-behind buffalo barbecue sandwich after Nixon dined at a political rally in Sullivan, Illinois, during his 1960 presidential campaign. Over the years, the item piqued the public interest as Nixon lost that campaign and eventually...

Mexico’s President Vincente Fox is doing a quick about-face on signing a controversial new Mexican drug law that would decriminalize small amounts of some drugs — and that could have led to a boost in tourism for Mexico for all the wrong reasons: After intense pressure from the United States, President Vicente Fox has asked Congress to reconsider a law it passed last week that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as part of a larger effort to crack down on street-level...

911 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui’s defense team saved the day despite the best efforts of their client: a jury has decided he should be spared the death penalty and given a life sentence for the bloodiest terrorist attack on the American homeland. And, according to the Washington Post, he was gloatingly jubilant: “America, you lost. I won!” Moussaoui yelled as he was escorted from the U.S. District courtroom in Alexandria after the verdict was read. He clapped his hands as he...

CNN reports: Tsunami warnings were issued for Fiji and New Zealand early Thursday (local time) after a massive earthquake measuring about 8.0 in magnitude shook the southern Pacific Ocean. The quake’s epicenter was about 90 miles off the coast of Tonga, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck Wednesday 3:26 p.m. UTC, or 4:26 a.m. Thursday in Tonga. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami wave could hit Suva, Fiji, as early as 5:13 p.m. UTC (5:13 a.m. local time)...

It has been several days now since his high-profile comedy gig at the White House Correspondent dinner but the hills are alive with the sound of talk about Stephen Colbert’s performance. Did he step out of line and by implication is that a no-no in today’s Washington D.C? Must satire to a certain degree now be deferential? Did his satirical target President George Bush just sit there displeased or was Bush actually close to exploding? Should people send Colbert a message (whether they...

Ed Morrissey thinks so. He quotes a news article about backlash then writes: The real irony of this situation is that prior to the series of protests, with their demands and rejection of American sovereignty, the immigration hardliners did not have the momentum to get their program passed. President Bush had enough juice left to get a moderate reform program passed, one which granted earned citizenship and only superficially addressed border security. Now that the protesters have rammed their strident...

You can see it’s part of a pattern: again a new low…

We plan to use videos VERY SPARINGLY on TMV…but this is one we must share with readers. Since TMV himself is in entertainment and comedy he has his favorite “classic comedians” and at the top of the list is the great Lou Costello, part of the famous Abbott & Costello comedy team. Costello died at the age 52 in 1959 (he had the same heart disease that later took the young life of singer Bobby Darin). We’ve wanted to write a special tribute to him one day (and we will save...

…but is it proving to be a bad influence on some of its actors?

The debate: is a wall needed at the U.S. Mexico border? The debaters: Josh Trevino (on the right) and Armando (on the left). The venue: the great new blog that offers issue-oriented debate, Swords Crossed. Trevino makes the case for a wall here. Armando makes the case against the wall here. Note that they also answer each other in comments — and they’re not into name calling or personal attacks. Swords Crossed is MUST reading if you’re interested in SERIOUS political debate.

File this one in the Yet Another Political Prescription From Majority Leader Bill Frist that proved to be the wrong one. Can the Republicans sue him for political malpractice yet? Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s proposal last week to offer consumers $100 rebates for high gasoline prices is “dead,” according to several House and Senate leaders. House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said the idea of a $100 rebate is “insulting” to consumers. Senate...

The latest USA Today/Gallup poll suggests last week’s shake-up at the White House has had little impact — with President George Bush’s and the GOP’s poll numbers continuing to nosedive: Six months before Republicans try to hold on to control of Congress in the fall elections, a new poll shows President Bush has slid to the lowest approval rating of his presidency, and a majority of voters say they’ll vote for Democrats in November. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday...

Some are wondering if there was a media blackout on the Comedy Central satirist doing his routine within feet of a clearly unamused President George Bush and Laura Bush. Speculation that that the media blacked out Colbert either knowingly or due to its choices can be seen all over the Internet. A few places here,here, here and on many sites too numerous to list here. Others (some 20,000 and rising so far) are thanking Colbert through a website. Our view? As someone who worked in the news media,...

The Moderate Voice has signed onto it: Adherence to this statement begins at the moment of endorsement — some of the originators of this statement have not always followed its principles, but we are all committed to doing so now. This statement is nonpartisan and nonideological. It is open to participants and adherents left, right and center. In an era when online activism and community have more impact, promise and peril than ever, it is essential that we seize upon the best aspects of the...

It was called “Day Without Immigrants” — and it took place from sea to shining sea, often involving a sea of people. But are there political storm waves on the horizon? The old cliche is that “for each action there is a reaction” — and it’s a classic (another cliche) “what came first — the chicken or the egg” situation: has the trigger been immigrants slipping across the border illegally, or American business (and government) allowing them...

Click on the arrow above for images of the May 1 demonstration in New York City.

It’s getting to the point where seemingly every week President George W. Bush’s polling hits a new low — and it’s clear his problem with eroding numbers is no longer just from independent voters but from his own party. The latest from CBS: With gas prices sky-high and no end of the Iraq war in sight, President George W. Bush’s approval rating hits an all-time low in a new CBS News poll. Only 33 percent approve of his job performance, Mr. Bush’s lowest approval...

….in Bangladesh.

…and others don’t.

That’s what some in Washington seem to feel..

Hey, speak for yourself…

On the face of it, at least, this seems to be a top U.S. military official throwing cold water on the heated speculation about an American military attack on Iran: Military action against Iran would be fraught with risk and would have repercussions across the region, a leading American general conceded. “Any action militarily is very complicated,” Lt Gen Victor Renuart, the director of planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Daily Telegraph. “And any action by any country...