Boots On The Ground
[ Posted Monday, December 31st, 2007 – 12:23 UTC ]
Archive of Articles for December, 2007
My "McLaughlin Awards" For 2007 [Part 2]
[ Posted Friday, December 28th, 2007 – 14:55 UTC ]
OK, here we go with Part 2 of my annual McLaughlin Awards. Last week's column covered the first half of these awards.
Unfortunately (as of this writing) the transcript for last week's McLaughlin Group is not yet available on their website, so you'll have to check it later to compare how I did with the actual McLaughlin Group themselves.
Republican Realignment In 2008?
[ Posted Thursday, December 27th, 2007 – 17:22 UTC ]
While predicting the future of the Democratic Party is usually a futile exercise due to the inherent "herding cats" nature of the party, predicting the future of the Republican Party is usually pretty easy to do. So easy, it's boring. Which is why I normally shy away from the subject.
But 2008 is going to be a watershed year for the Republican Party, because they seem to be having their own set of factionalist problems. Which means the fortunes of the GOP will be a lot more interesting than usual next year.
Why Christmas Is Not On The Solstice
[ Posted Monday, December 24th, 2007 – 15:38 UTC ]
Now, "the end of the year" is just as fluid a concept as any in the calendar business. Most civilizations which followed used the Egyptian concept of spring being the beginning of the year. Makes sense, since that's when everything is born anew. The Romans even used this system, which is also still kind of in use today. If you start your calendar in March, then count forward, you have July as the fifth month (which was originally called Quntillis), August as the sixth (originally Sextillis), and then a numerical run of September (seven), October (eight), November (nine) and December (ten). January and February didn't even originally have names, and seeing as how they're the worst months of the year, weather-wise, it's not surprising.
Politically Correct Season's Greetings
[ Posted Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 – 13:03 UTC ]
My "McLaughlin Awards" For 2007 [Part 1]
[ Posted Friday, December 21st, 2007 – 14:41 UTC ]
For those of you who have been reading this column long enough, you may remember a fun set of columns (Part 1 and Part 2) I wrote last year, giving my picks for the annual tongue-in-cheek awards handed out by the McLaughlin Group television show.
Because I had so much fun doing it last year, I present for your amusement, agreement, and/or rage my selections for this year's awards. This is a two-week event, so check back here next Friday for Part 2.
As always when this column hands out awards, our eminent jury consists of me, my wife, and our cat (who breaks ties with her vote). So I wouldn't take it too seriously.
Anti-Establishment Dream Election: Huckabee v. Edwards v. Paul
[ Posted Thursday, December 20th, 2007 – 12:57 UTC ]
Like Christmas poinsettias popping up all over, articles are starting to appear in not only the blogosphere but also the mainstream news with a common theme: what if we've been wrong all along? What if the "inevitable" candidates don't win the nomination of the Democratic and/or Republican parties? What if they're not even the "second-place" candidates we picked? What if (gasp!) the people of Iowa and the rest of the early primary states don't give us Clinton, Obama, Giuliani, or Romney?
Democrats Cave On SCHIP
[ Posted Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 – 15:31 UTC ]
For all the Democrats in Washington who still wonder why Congress' approval ratings are lower than President Bush's, I offer up Exhibit A -- caving on SCHIP. Giving the Republicans such a stupendous political Christmas present is possibly the stupidest thing I have seen Democrats in Congress do this year.
And that's saying a lot.