I wonder which of the Democratic candidates would like to make the phone call to the families of these dead soldiers to explain the unilateralism of George Bush....

I don't think it's liberal bias so much as ignorant and lazy journalism...It also goes to show you that "presidential scholars" aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Check the quote from this story:

"If in the battleground states there's a continued loss of industrial jobs, and if we have a Democratic candidate who can use that effectively in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon, then Bush may be in trouble," said James Thurber, a presidential scholar at American University. [emphasis added]

Including a quote like this in the story may make it seem like Bush is more vulnerable then he is. But, there's a little problem...

You see, there's a huge, gaping hole in this incredibly insightful analysis...It's a hole the size of the continental US, and it's become known as "The Map"...Someone should tell Mr. Thurber that Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon all went Democratic in the 2000 election. A stronger Democratic showing in those states wouldn't hurt Bush in the least (unless, of course, we're talking about hurting Bush's chances at a 48 state landslide).

Especially when you consider this....

This guy may be a commercial genius, but what he knows about professional football couldn't fill a thimble...

Aside from constantly meddling where he obviously has no clue, keeping Steve Spurrier as coach after another dismal performance this year has to qualify as the dumbest football decision of the year. I don't question his business acumen, but somebody has got to explain the X's and O's to this guy...

"One shot, one kill"...Generally one of the least noticed and least appreciated part of our armed forces....by design...

It's difficult enough to understand why someone would think it's a really good idea to get shot, but taking it to the next level and wanting to get shot in the groin has got to take a special kinda crazy...

For all those opposed to the "Bush Doctrine," that policy has a giant gift under your Christmas tree in case you haven't opened it yet...Merry Christmas

Don't worry, this is the season of new beginnings...it's never too late to admit you were wrong....again...

Michelle Cottle of TNR gets it right...

President Bush's political guru, Karl Roves estimates that 4 million evangelicals stayed home in 2000. If you had to pick one issue: medicare, education, foreign policy, etc. that is important to evangelicals, it's....judges...

Yes...judges...With liberal groups like the ACLU doing their level best to remove religious expression from public view and activist judges increasingly likely to read their own rights into the Constitution where none previously existed, evangelicals are getting mad...

Note to liberal causes and Democratic candidates everywhere...don't make them angry...you wouldn't like them when they're angry...

This is one of those cases where the numbers don't tell the whole story...

I did my level best to avoid shopping malls but still got jammed up in traffic whenever I was even close to one. What attempts I did make were greeted by long lines filled with people in full-on shopping mode. From what I witnessed, a good amount of that shopping took the form of gift certificates which retailers can't book as revenue until they're actually spent, but there's something else is going on too.

Markets work. Consumers learn from the behavior of retailers. People know that everything goes on sale the day after Christmas. Unless there are children for whom Christmas wouldn't be the same without presents under the tree, more and more people are putting off exchanging gifts for a couple of days. It's simple logic: why fights the maddening crowd and pay twice what you should, when a short wait will eliminate much of the stress and let you give even more/better gifts for the same price?

Every year, the numbers reported the day after Christmas bear less and less relation to actual holiday season sales. The week after Christmas is becoming almost as crazy in the malls as the week before. For a more accurate measure of the annual shopping phenemenon, retailers should wait to report results until after the New Year, and investors should wait until then to react. By then, at least a portion of the gift certificates will have been redeemed, most returns will have occurred, and most of the late-Christmas crowd will have celebrated as well.

I know it's vital to science and progress and all that...but I just can't help but think: how well does the explanation, "...but my real job is picking at old scabs" go over at the singles bar?

I found a good reason to watch the Rose Bowl....Who's playing again?

Seven years? I mean....c'mon people...Someone needs to provide a good answer why it took so long...

How lunatic has the left gone in this country (or in any other, for that matter), that Joe Lieberman actually has to defend the obvious?

You don't have to be either for or against abortion to have common sense. It's a well-known phenomenon that medical developments are allowing babies to be "viable" well before full-term. How deep does the denial run on the left (note "Doctor" Dean's response)?

Next thing you know they'll be denying that adoption and abstinence even exist...

So much for that War on Islam I keep hearing about...

It just goes to show you that - more often than not - there's a whole lotta wisdom tied up in those old sayings...Take, for instance the old saw that "Laughter is the best medicine"...

If we didn't have Dennis Kucinich to kick around, we'd have to invent him...Someone's been watching a few too many James Bond movies....

That he was ever included in the Democratic debates and - even more so - that there are people who actually take him seriously speaks volumes about the current state of the party (and more specifically the current state of the liberal left).

My predictions for 2004 so far:

- The DVD Collector's Edition Lord of the Rings Trilogy Set complete with additional scenes will be one of the year's most popular items;
- The economies of those countries who have participated in the "Coalition of the Willing" (America, Britain, Poland, etc.) in Iraq will outgrow those of the "Axis of Weasels" (Russia, Germany, France) by at least a factor of 2;
- Jacques Chirac's government will be in serious trouble as the French people finally "get it" and Dominic de Villepin (at the very least) will get the old heave-ho;
- President Bush will not only win the '04 election handily, he will have extremely long coat tails (aided by redistricting and Democratic retirements) to win even stronger majorities in both houses of Congress;

More to come as I think of them....

Could this be the most effective campaign ad this season?

Personally I think President Bush should run this ad on TV in every major market at least once a week until Election Day. Only bitter people vote for anger...and America is not a bitter country...It just happens to be big enough to make a home for them too.

I keep hearing about "tacking back to the center after winning the primaries." Ain't gonna happen...

First, Dean will lose his base if he does. Pragmatic politics is not something his supporters will allow. If they were interested at all in pragmatic politics, they'd be backing a different horse. (provided, of course, they actually care if Dean wins)

Second, Bush won't let him. In this day of 24 hour news and instant internet, every breath is recorded for posterity...and is fair game for opponents' campaign ads. Dean's going to spend the better part of 2004 on the defensive for every policy flip-flop and unserious foreign policy pronouncement he has made. His rivals for the nomination have already begun the process...Look for Bush to come in and finish the job...

Could PlayStation be at least partly responsible for the growing conservatism of America's youth?

With the overwhelming popularity of such titles as SOCOM, where the player assumes control of a team of Navy Seals, and Medal of Honor, where the player takes the role of an American GI in WWII; Americans are getting a steady dose of the honor and bravery of the American soldier.

Besides, if you've already conquered the terrorists from your sofa, why wouldn't you support the real heroes doing the same?

Finally got around to seeing "Return of the King" yesterday...Wow...definitely a visual feast worthy of the big screen, and evidently I'm not the only one who thinks so...

I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say this trilogy is New Line's best investment since it got its' legs with Nightmare on Elm Street.

Is it just me, or are the Democratic candidates collectively trying to blame Bush for everything?

First Dean misses the fall of the Soviet Union, and now he's having difficulty remembering when exactly it was that Bush became president. Can someone please remind him who was president during the late '90's when this whole Mad Cow thing happened in England?