Bush’s 1000 Days

Arthur Schlesinger Jr. on our president and history. A great read.

A cartoon the reflects the times

Propaganda indeed.

Don’t Cross That Line

Ohio is making a strong run at taking the title in the nation's "most draconian abortion law" contest. Earlier this year, the South Dakota legislature made it a felony for doctors to provide abortions, except for when the life of the mother is at stake. Ohio house bill 228, which is still in committee, would make it a felony for a woman to have an abortion performed in the state as well as making it illegal for a woman to cross into another state to have the procedure done. Addtionally, facilitating an out of state abortion or arranging transportation for a procedure out of state would go on the books as a felony as well.

Set aside for a moment the fact that this bill will be tossed into the circular file should it ever be signed into law. The real question is: why do some in the pro-life lobby continue to go well past what most Americans are willing to entertain in terms of abortion restrictions? The large but silent middle of the American electorate favors reducing the amount of abortions, but they aren't for criminalizing the act. Lest we forget, abortions are still legal in the United States under Roe.

Measures like this reek of desperation. With the Bush administration fraying at the edges and the Republican Party at large beset with scandals, this is red meat for the base, a rallying call with midterm elections coming in November. 

Dunce of the Day

Michelle Malkin, for her “who me?” role in releasing the personal information of some members of an anti-war group at U.C. Santa Cruz. Admittedly, the students made a mistake by including their personal information on a press release they circulated, but Malkin, by making this information available on her website (which gets considerable traffic), essentially left the ingredients for a fire in the hands of a bunch of pyromaniacs. Predictably, the students were bombarded with vile and disgusting threats. After being tossed to the lynch mob by Malkin, the students pleaded with Malkin to remove their information from her site. Instead, she posted the information again.

U.C. Santa Cruz alumni and American Prospect writer Ezra Klein pities Michelle. Ezra is a better man than I.

Light posting recently

Work and a wedding have slowed my posting, but I’m hoping to get back into a groove soon.

In the meantime, here are the big stories of the day:

George W. Bush…Leaker In Chief?

Today, hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest new immigration policies.

Is the U.S. planning a nuclear strike on Iran? In this week’s New Yorker, Seymour Hersh presents evidence that President Bush is considering the option.