Cass Sunstein (a former colleague of Obama's on the University of Chicago Law School faculty) picks up on some of the crucial themes: Obama's speech is noteworthy for at least four reasons. First, he spoke openly and unambiguously about his own religious convictions. ("My faith reminds me that we all are sinners. ... Living His example is the hardest kind of faith--but it is … [Read more...] about Obama’s Speech to Saddleback

I suppose that we each have our own ways of trying to grasp momentous events like the war in Iraq. But as absorbed by and thoroughly read as I am about the war, I still am brought up short when I am reminded of how utterly unnecessary it was. That happened again the other evening. The Dear Friend & Conscience was working on a PowerPoint presentation in connection with a … [Read more...] about A Commentary on The Foghorns of War

The Moderate Voice is supremely pleased to welcome its latest new coblogger, Jason Steck. Steck has been a favorite of TMV and holds a record, of sorts. We have linked to THIS CLASSIC POST on what it means to be a moderate — perhaps the best single explanation we have seen anywhere, in any medium — at LEAST four times. He wrote it on his wonderful, gem-of-a-blog … [Read more...] about Introducing TMV’s Newest Co-Blogger

Yet another sign of an ailing newspaper industry:The Wall Street Journal, whose wide pages and text-rich look have long been an icon of the American newspaper business, is about to undergo several changes that include cutting three inches off its width.But it sounds a lot more profound than that:Along with the size reduction, which is equivalent to about one of its columns, the … [Read more...] about The Wall Street Journal Plans Big Changes

...to keep what's important in perspective. … [Read more...] about One In A While It Doesn’t Hurt

....like a good lip sync: … [Read more...] about Enough Politics: Let’s Look At Something More Interesting

From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: … [Read more...] about You Know It’s Christmas When

One way to explain the concept and process of Centrism is to look to the US Constitution. A group pledging their property, honor and lives needed to craft a mutual operating agreement that justified their risks. They tenaciously negotiated among themselves to find pragmatic mechanisms that could work and stand the test of time. They wanted the most modest organization that … [Read more...] about The US Constitution as a Centrist Manifesto

During a “go to bedâ€? conversation some years ago, Adorable Child (AC) asked Polimom, “Mommy, would our lives be different if we were black?â€? There is no easy answer to such a question from a five-year-old, and I floundered badly. Five years later, though, I realize that I might have better answered her question with one of my own: What about our lives was the same? If … [Read more...] about Mommy, would our lives be different if we were black?

Two desegregation cases are before the Supreme Court, and if we are to believe the radical color-blindness advocates, voluntary desegregation itself is unconstitutional. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I fear that Brown will Rest in Peace at age 62. … [Read more...] about The End of the Road

Michael VDG has put up a couple of smart posts on whether George Walker Bush is the worst president ever, one of which includes a link to a series of WaPo "Outlook" section columns in which historians and other pundits take a stab at that question and perhaps an even more important one at this juncture: What can the president do during the last two years of his second term to … [Read more...] about Another Take on Whether Bush Is the Worst President

The guys at Power Line interviewed Mark Steyn. You can listen to the interview at Power Line. As John writes "Mark is both informative and funny; if you have never heard him expound his views at length, you are in for a treat. Mark Steyn is not just the world's most provocative intellectual; he's the most fun." ... and Say no to AP’s shoddy work. … [Read more...] about Mark Steyn at Power Line

Michelle Malkin has an important post about new software to help bypass Internet censors in countries that censor the World Wide Web. Spread the word. … [Read more...] about Freedom from Censors

Yesterday, I published a post, linking to an article in which Eric Foner asks the question whether George W. Bush is the worst President in U.S. history. One commenter wrote in the comment section of that post:Far be it for me to advise any self censorship here at TMV, but I think posts questioning whether Bush is the "Worst President Ever" come across as overly partisan (even … [Read more...] about The Worst President Ever… Too Early to Call to Say the Least

A while ago I informed you all that I was supposed to write an article about America's biggest problem. Because I found the subject to be quite difficult, so many problems, I asked you all for advice. Firstly, let me thank all of you for your input: it was very valuable and informative. Secondly, after doing some research and reading a lot, I decided to write the essay about … [Read more...] about America’s #1 Problem: Updated

Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard suggests how the President can best use his remaining time in office. * Fire generals. * Keep John Bolton * Stop earmarks. * Give judicial nominees recess appointments. * Talk up the military option in Iran. * Apply the Kennedy model to North Korea. * Push a radical energy independence plan. * Implement the military … [Read more...] about Bush – Swing for the fences

Andrew Sullivan on what seems to be an effort to go after Iraq Study Group co-chaired by former Secretary of State Jim Baker, considered by many to be a kind of political alter ego of Bush 41 and notable unfavorite of Bush 43:There is a mood on the right at this moment that is not entirely rational. They are lashing out at the people who can rescue them from the folly of the … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Andrew Sullivan On Pre-Emptive Attempts To Discredit The Baker Commission

He was my choice from the outset, more or less, but I didn't think he would win. Not with a high-profile celebrity candidate like Michael Ignatieff heading to the leadership convention with the most delegates and an aura of Trudeau about him, not with the formidable Bob Rae in the race. Perhaps an alliance with Gerard Kennedy would help, but I thought the anti-Ignatieff … [Read more...] about Stephane Dion wins Liberal leadership race in Canada

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean got it right. He is telling Democrats that they shouldn't view the November election victories as a restoration, but as a loan of power — to see what they can do. Basically, the Democrats are like a brand, new employee who's hired and is initially on probation. Should independents, centrists and moderates who fled … [Read more...] about Howard Dean Gets It Right: Democratic Victories Are Loan, Not Gift

A new irony in the Iraq War and a new public relations headache have surfaced for President George Bush. The source: a report in the New York Times about a classified memo by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld submitted to the White House two days before Rumsfeld's resignation as Defense Secretary — a resignation that is widely conceded to have come with a strong shove … [Read more...] about Rumsfeld Urged “Major Adjustment” In Iraq Policy Before Quitting (UPDATED)