There Is No Truth To the Rumor . . .

Every Friday, we take a look around and debunk gossip, bust urban legends, and, we hope, give you a little smile to start your weekend.
There Is No Truth To the Rumor that “Octo-mom” Nadya Suleman granted Dr. Phil an interview so she could get some advice on cravenly seeking publicity and making a career for [...]

N.Y. Post: Free Speech Cuts Both Ways

The N.Y. Post’s editors don’t get it.  Rupert Murdoch doesn’t get it.  It’s clear Kathleen Parker doesn’t get it when she says,   
Cartoon outrage is becoming tedious, as is the need to explain once more why being offended is not just cause for battle.
This time it’s not Muslims rioting in the streets, but the Rev. Al [...]

The Obama Plan: It Needs a Name

John F. Kennedy had “The New Frontier.”  Lyndon Johnson had “The Great Society.”  Ronald Reagan had “Morning in America,” (nap in the afternoon).  George H. W. Bush had “The New World Order.”
Franklin Roosevelt had “The New Deal.”  Teddy Roosevelt had “The Square Deal.”  George W. Bush had “Let’s Make a (no-bid, secret, unregulated) Deal!”  
What [...]

We’ll Say It: Sarah Palin Is an Idiot

Revising history.  Up is down.  Sarah Palin is brilliant.  Her brilliance was obscured by the news coverage.
John Ziegler, right wing radio talk show host, is now peddling a DVD called “Media Malpractice.”  It supposedly shows how Sarah Palin was done in by the liberal media.  This Rush Limbaugh wannabe was on the Today Show to [...]

John Cosgrove: “That’s Our Job Up Here”

After helping to pass a restaurant smoking ban this week, Delegate John Cosgrove patted himself on the back.
“We gave our constituents what they demanded,” said Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake. “That’s our job up here.”
Alas, if only Delegate Cosgrove had experienced his populist epiphany a little earlier in his career!
This stunning realization comes too late from [...]

There Is No Truth To the Rumor . . .

Every Friday, we take a look around and debunk gossip, bust urban legends, and, we hope, give you a little smile to start your weekend.
There Is No Truth To the Rumor that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will refuse federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. When she said she would “reject the stimulus package” [...]

Cosgrove and Friends: Scared to Death of Voters?

Any hope for bipartisan redistricting in Virginia is gone for 2009.  Same with any hope for convenient, no-excuse early voting.  Both were killed by Delegate John Cosgrove’s House Elections Subcommittee, 4-2, along party lines. Neither bill will go to the full committee, much less the House floor for a (gasp!) public vote. 
Why are the four Republican delegates [...]

The Worst President? Bush Debuts at #36

We love lists. So a list of the best and worst U.S. Presidents scored by 65 historians for C-SPAN is irresistible.  Ranked in categories like “Moral Authority” “International Relations” and “Crisis Leadership,” it’s no surprise that Abraham Lincoln comes out as number one.  He was number one in 2000 as well.
We have no major quarrels [...]

Eric Cantor: In the Extreme Minority

  
Today’s New York Times has a must-read profile of House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Richmond. Among the highlights:

Cantor said that he “talks to Newt Gingrich on a regular basis because he was in the position that we are in: in the extreme minority.”
Cantor “faces the challenge of trying to lead a shrinking [...]

Medicaid Cuts: Tearing Holes in the Safety Net

In an editorial this morning, the Virginian-Pilot warns that the Commonwealth faces another year of declining tax revenues, job losses and rising poverty.  Current budget gimmicks constitute temporary fixes at best, offering no long-term protections for the nursing home residents, disabled people and indigent families who rely on Medicaid.
Virginia already ranks 48th in the nation on Medicaid [...]