I recently argued that there is now an opportunity to roll back the incendiary rhetoric and to consider what other, non-military options should be on the table with respect to the Iranian nuclear crisis. In fact, "crisis" is too loaded a term. There is some sort of crisis, to be sure, but there is no immediate crisis. Iran is not about to build a nuclear arsenal in the near … [Read more...] about Spinning for war: Ratcheting up the incendiary rhetoric on Iran

So what should the Democrats' position be on Iran? Here's one idea. On the other hand, there are some voices that fear Democrats could make a serious mistake on Iran — and that the President needs to change his modus operandi ASAP in this perilous new Iran-is-nuclear era. Details are here. … [Read more...] about The Democrats, The President And Iran

John McCain's recent political moves have brought him some criticism, as he mends fences with his party's political establishment. Some are puzzled by his moves. But here's one explanation for what's going on. … [Read more...] about Understanding John McCain

There are many views on immigration reform. Here are two of them, each of them well spelled out: (1) Tom Watson (2) John Hawkins Read these two and the post below and you will note (again) that it's a huge issue and each side sees huge implications. … [Read more...] about Two Differing Views On The Immigration Issue

A poll by the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg perhaps explains why the Republican leadership seems to be scrambling to reformulate its position on immigration reform. The polls show the GOP-dominated House's position on immigration reform is out of the American mainstream. The LAT's Ronald Brownstein reports:Most Americans say the United States should confront the challenge of … [Read more...] about Poll Shows Americans Want Border Enforcement AND Help For Immigrants

...and Happy Easter to my Christian friends! … [Read more...] about A Sweet & Happy Passover to All…

...and Happy Easter to my Christian friends! … [Read more...] about A Sweet & Happy Passover to All…

Talk shows (including one that looks in line to compete with sister CNN) are in. … [Read more...] about A Shift At Headline News

A new dispute between the White House and the Washington Post over a published report boils down to the question: did President George W. Bush knowingly use information on weapons of mass destruction that had been officially debunked, or not? That's the issue at hand. But a bigger issue is the overriding one facing and steadily undermining this administration: seemingly each … [Read more...] about Bush’s Biolab WMD Argument Had Been Debunked

Over at The Reaction, The (liberal) Girl Next Door wonders what it might take to reclaim liberalism in and for America. … [Read more...] about Reclaiming liberalism

Well, it was only a matter of time, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, Iran has announced that it has "succeeded in enriching uranium to new levels," according to The Washington Post. Is this a crisis? Yes. We simply cannot accept a nuclear Iran and, obviously, Iran is well on its way to becoming a nuclear state. So what to do? Reports suggest that the … [Read more...] about Iran’s enriched uranium and the possibility of preventive war

My friend and Reaction guest blogger Sean Aqui of Midtopia has written an excellent post on Islam's Reformation -- see here. He argues that "what we are seeing today is Islam passing through the same painful adolescence that both Judaism and Christianity endured centuries ago," which is to say, we are witnessing "Islam's bloody transition from its medieval origins to … [Read more...] about The nature and history of Islam

Here's the latest on the Italian election from the BBC: Italy's centre-left opposition leader Romano Prodi has been declared official winner of the parliamentary election after an extremely close race. But his rival, centre-right PM Silvio Berlusconi, refused to admit defeat, saying there had been irregularities. Official results showed Mr Prodi had won just enough seats to … [Read more...] about Prodi claims victory, Berlusconi refuses to concede

It seems that a look at dismal opinion polls and angry demonstrations have had an impact on the GOP leadership which is mulling over major changes to the proposed immigration bill: Following huge nationwide protests, Republicans on Tuesday moved to possibly change two key provisions in a get-tough immigration bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. One would turn … [Read more...] about Republicans Planning Major Changes To Immigration Bill

Vol. IV, Iss. 10: Every election season some candidates, officeholders, and party pooh-bahs make classic errors on their way to the general election. A few such decisions cost them seats. If an election is close, those losses can be decisive. Some mistakes are national and massive in scope; the name "Tom DeLay" more or less makes our point. Others attract national attention but … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball – What Were They Thinking? Dumb and Dumber in 2006

Given our dangerous dance with Iran, we could be in for a serious jolt at the gas pump soon. So who will be ready and who will be left in the lurch? More here. … [Read more...] about If An Oil Crisis Hits, Which Cities Are Ready?

Some religious folk want to say whatever they please regarding people's sexuality. I agree they can say their piece, but is that speech without consequences? I don't think so. More here. … [Read more...] about The Right To Discriminate

Well, no...it's not. But if you want to lead a healthier life, an active sex life apparently brings you more good than harm. More here. … [Read more...] about Is Sex Necessary?

I've been in the advertising and marketing world for a while now, and with that comes a fair amount of exposure to the production side of the business. What that means, for the purposes of this post, is that I've written and produced a fair amount of radio and television commercials. Now, when I'm editing a radio or television spot, I really get into it and make sure every … [Read more...] about Sounds Only Dogs Can Hear

There are signs now that the immigration issue, once seen by some GOP strategists as a good "wedge issue" to garner votes in the 2006 mid-term elections is becoming more of a political boomerang. The Washington Post reports:In the wake of this week's massive demonstrations, many House Republicans are worried that a tough anti-illegal-immigration bill they thought would please … [Read more...] about Is The Immigration Issue Becoming A Political Boomerang For The GOP?