Texas Home School Coalition PAC

Texas Home School Coalition

Political Action Committee

THSC PAC Home : Commentaries

Commentaries

2-06-10	While There Is Life, There Is Hope by streiff Back in 2005 the pro-life movement took a hit when judge after judge decided that an incapacitated woman could be killed by dehydration. At the time, we on the pro-life side were lambasted as some kind of mindless Neoliths who were incapable of understanding even the simplest biological concepts while those in favor of this abomination patted themselves on their all too often white- and black-clothed backs and congratulated themselves on successfully squaring the circle of a previously unsolved ethical conundrum. In short, it was a replay of the arguments over abortion except this involved a helpless woman who was inconvenient to her husband, not a baby who was inconvenient to its mother.
1-16-10	Buddha Take the Wheel! by Mike Adams Back in 2007, I received an email from a young woman whose life was a mess. It wasn’t as bad a mess as Tiger Woods’ life. But she was miserable. And the source of her misery was similar to Tiger’s. She had been sleeping around for a number of years and simply couldn’t find peace and happiness. Apparently, something she read in one of my columns convinced her she could no longer continue to have sex outside of marriage and expect happiness. Colt McCoy: a National Champion with or without the Crystal Trophy With apologies to our understandably proud and jubilant Crimson Tide faithful, the University of Alabama, to me, wasn’t the biggest winner in Thursday night’s BCS national championship football game. That distinction went to a young man from Tuscola, Texas, named Colt McCoy.
12-12-09	The Quiet Family Killer: Pornography and Marriage by Patrick F. Fagan When receiving a gift, sometimes the best moment is right before it’s opened. That’s the moment when all advertising hype melds with the hope that the gift will truly be what is desired. But as all holiday gift givers and receivers know, many things don’t deliver what they promise.
10-10-09	Anti-Religious Intent of ‘Invention of Lying’ Confirmed by S.T. Karnick The seemingly charming forthcoming comedy The Invention of Lying is actually a concerted attack on belief in God. After a couple of weeks of unsubstantiated rumors, it has been confirmed that the forthcoming film The Invention of Lying is indeed intended to satirize religion and religious believers.
8-29-09	Robert Novak, Rest in Peace by Charles G. Mills Robert Novak was to journalism what Ty Cobb was to baseball. Just as Ty Cobb mastered the skills of hitting and base-running like no one else ever did, Robert Novak mastered the skills of investigative journalism. Novak correctly saw his job as finding the story and finding out the true facts of the story. He was never afraid of the truth. Like Ty Cobb, he kept his many kindnesses private and had a public reputation for nastiness. He enjoyed his nickname as the "Prince of Darkness."
7-25-09	I Am an American Patriot by Joanne Juren Today, when I awoke, I cried as I listened to the news about President Obama and his "healthcare" bill and I realized that as a person in my 50's, I am the one he is targeting with this bill. I am the one who is going to be denied the knee replacement I will need in a few years. I am the one who as a cancer survivor will be deemed "not well enough to save." I am the one who will be allowed to die by denying health care to me. Friends, it is time YOU stand up for America. You too must become an American patriot.
7-11-09	Almost All of Us Do It by James Reza This past 4th of July, I entertained at a restaurant in the Stockyards. I’ve entertained at this restaurant for many years and thus, have made scores of friends with many of the restaurant’s clientele.
7-04-09	‘We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident …’ by Chuck Colson The great British intellectual G. K. Chesterton wrote that “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on [a] creed.” Think about that for a moment. Other nations were founded on the basis of race, or by the power of kings or emperors who accumulated lands and the peasants who inhabited those lands. But America was—and is to this day—different.
6-20-09	Iran’s Vote by Gary Bauer Iranians are voting in massive numbers today, but don’t be fooled by the appearance of democracy. As my friend and former Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams points out in a New York Times op-ed, the election isn’t real. All the candidates were pre-selected by the Islamofascists who run the country. Sure it would be nice to see Ahmadinejad voted out, but the office of president is not where the real power resides. Dear David Letterman by Michelle Malkin Will you teach your son to talk about women and girls the way you talk about Sarah Palin and her daughters? Seeing the Duke in a Whole New Light by Mary Claire Kendall For navel-gazing Republicans, in the throes of a full-blown identity crisis, the 30th anniversary of John "Duke" Wayne’s passing this June 11th, couldn’t come sooner, reminding us of what it was like when giants were in our midst. Homeschooling: More Ethnic Minorities, Lower-Income Families, and Parents of Moderately High Formal Education? by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D Sometimes news media reporters do such a poor job of reporting on the homeschool community and research done on it that this author decides he must comment.
5-23-09	Burning Bibles? by Gary Bauer After weeks of rumors, Jake Tapper of ABC News has confirmed that Bibles sent to U.S. troops in Afghanistan were confiscated and destroyed. The Bibles were translated into the predominate Afghan languages and were intended as gifts U.S. soldiers could give to the people. The Pentagon said the Bibles were a violation of regulations prohibiting proselytizing and could endanger the lives of our forces in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
5-16-09	Wanted: A Fighting Party by Patrick J. Buchanan As was evident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, it is deja vu, 1961, all over again. We have a young, cool, witty, personable president -- and an adoring press corps.
5-09-09	Cinco de Mayo by Paul Perry Many think of Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to drink beer or simply as some foreign holiday, but maybe it's not as foreign as we imagine. Dirty Dozen (Part 3) by Wes Riddle Two eminent scholars, Thomas Woods, Jr. and Kevin Gutzman wrote a book last year with a startling and disconcerting thesis. Their argument is that the Constitution is dead not just dying, and they have identified a dozen ways—the dirty dozen—in which all three branches of the federal government have removed restraining elements from federal officials so they can do whatever they want!
4-11-09	The Church's Desertion in Time of War by Dave Welch Another obituary was written about the "Religious Right," and as we Christians just passed Palm Sunday on the way to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, it is an excellent time to do some soul searching. Washington Post reporter Kathleen Parker queries in her article "Political Pullback for the Christian Right" whether the movement is dead, ineffective or has lost its way.
3-22-09	Glenn Beck Re-Energizes the Conservative Movement by Mark Skousen Since moving from CNN to Fox News, the Glenn Beck phenomenon has become the hottest topic today among conservatives. To demonstrate his influence, he recommended an obscure book called The 5,000 Year Leap on his radio and TV show, and today it is #1 on Amazon.
3-14-09	GITMO Thugs: We Did It & Are Proud Of It by Gary Bauer Five “detainees” at Guantanamo Bay who the Bush Administration accused of planning the 9/11 attacks have proudly admitted their guilt. The New York Times reports that the men filed a document with a U.S. military judge entitled, “The Islamic Response to the Government’s Nine Accusations.” (The document has not been released yet, but an unnamed government official read portions of it to a Times reporter.) Good News! Saudi Sympathizer Bites The Dust by Gary Bauer Barack Obama has lost yet another one of his top nominees, and this one is a real cause for celebration for anyone who cares about our national security. Charles W. Freeman withdrew his name from consideration to head the National Intelligence Council, the government body that prepares U.S. intelligence estimates. Freeman called it quits after his ties with Saudi Arabia and communist China became public.
3-07-09	Cube-Steak Americans vs. The Wagyu-Beef White House by Michelle Malkin Maybe thrift isn't dead after all. The Year of the Bottomless Bailout has yielded a much needed correction in the lives of ordinary Americans. While fiscal restraint is AWOL in Washington, individual frugality has made a cultural comeback. Better late than never.
2-14-09	Population Control Marxists Peddle Old Poison in a New Bottle by Don Feder What do Arie Hoekman, John Porritt, Barry Walters, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Karl Marx the United Nations Population Fund, Britain’s Optimum Population Trust and The New York Times have in common – besides the fact that all are/were delusional? They are points of darkness which, when connected, present a grim picture of the left’s anti-family, anti-human agenda.
1-31-09	Stimulating Our Way to Rock Bottom by Ron Paul With attention turning to the next big economic stimulus package, questions are still swirling about our economic troubles. How did we get here? How do we get out? As usual, Washington has all the wrong answers. According to many politicians, we got here by not spending enough, not consuming enough, and not regulating enough. Now government, like some mythical white knight, is going to ride in to save the day by blanketing the economy with dollars, hiring an army of new bureaucrats, creating make-work jobs, and sending everyone some form of a bailout check. The debate seems to focus on whether this will cost enough to save the economy, or if this is just a "down payment" with much more government spending to come. Talk like that would be comical, if the results weren't going to be so tragic. The Case for Doing Nothing by Eamon Javers & Jim Vandehei Most of Washington has reached quick consensus: Government must do something big to shock the economy, and it should cost between $800 billion and $900 billion. The Coming War Against Home Schoolers by Peter Hitchens I knew this was coming. The inflamed, all-seeing red eye of political correctness, glaring this way and that from its dark tower, has finally discovered that home schooling is a threat to the Marxoid project, and has launched its first open attack on it.
1-24-09	The Real America – On the Hudson! by Gary Bauer Yesterday's miracle on the Hudson is a timely reminder of what is still right with America. The 155 people who boarded US Air Flight 1549 at LaGuardia Airport had no idea that in the three minutes after takeoff, they would face the very real possibility of dying in a tragic crash. Instead, all 155 – ranging in age from 85 years to six months – are alive today and our country's spirits are higher for the much needed good news. Martin Luther King's Struggle Was Against Democrats by Michael Zak The police chief of Birmingham, Alabama during the civil rights era was a Democrat. A member of the Ku Klux Klan, Eugene "Bull" Connor had been a Democrat state legislator and a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Bush Showed U.S. Is No Paper Tiger by Debra Saunders From the day President Bush took office, the long knives were out for him - in ways they will not (and should not) be out for President-elect Barack Obama. The chattering class saw Dubya as a walking style crime in a cowboy suit. They hit Bush for everything - for the way he mangled syntax, for the books he read, because he worked out too much. Where Was The Graciousness? by Gary Bauer A number of commentators made the point yesterday that there was such goodwill for President Obama that there were no demonstrators at the inaugural. Of course there weren't. Conservatives and Republicans don't demonstrate. The 60 million Republican and conservative voters who didn't vote for Obama wouldn't dream of trying to disrupt his day. It is the political Left that acts like children when it loses. It's the Left that tried to turn both Bush inaugurals and both Reagan inaugurals into fiascos. Bush Was Right When It Mattered Most by Karl Rove Its call sign has always been Air Force One. But on Tuesday, it was Special Air Mission 28000, as former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura returned home to Texas on a plane full of family, friends, former staff and memories of eight years in the White House. A Dream Unfulfilled by Star Parker and Gary Bauer On Monday, January 19th, America commemorated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. His dream of an equal America is in many ways personified in Barack Obama, whose inauguration as our first African-American president took place the following day. Obama's triumph is a monumental achievement for black Americans. It is also a watershed for America as a whole, a final repudiation of an era when black men and women were not afforded the inalienable rights endowed to all persons by God as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Debunking Myths of Roe v. Wade by Gary Bauer Few Supreme Court decisions have had as much of an impact on American life as has Roe v. Wade, which subsequent courts have interpreted as having discovered a constitutional right to abortion for virtually any reason and at any time during pregnancy. Since Roe, abortion has taken the lives of at least 50 million Americans (equal to the combined populations of 25 states). The demographic repercussions of Roe continue to shape voting patterns and are a driving force behind America’s fast-approaching entitlements crisis.
1-17-09	How Big-Government Is Obama? by Lawrence Kudlow Obama spoke Thursday at George Mason University about his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan -- a.k.a. the stimulus package. There's an interesting section that would warm the heart of John Maynard Keynes. It goes like this: "It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe." Brown, the Energy Downer by Gary Bauer The press have been very effusive in their praise for President-elect Obama's "centrist" appointments. I think they are being rather selective in choosing whom they review. A month ago, I warned about the appointment of Carol Browner as "climate and energy czar," a new position that will attempt to subjugate U.S. energy policy to the ideology of "climate change." Barack Obama, Meet Mohammed al Qahtani The Obama transition team leaked yesterday that the president-elect intends to issue an executive order shortly after Inauguration Day ordering the closure of "GITMO." Wild celebrations will no doubt take place at ACLU offices and jihadist hangouts at this news. But I doubt most Americans will celebrate. Here's why.
1-10-09	Have You Noticed? by Gary Bauer In the days following his historic election, Barack Obama won high praise from the pundits for his cabinet choices and smooth transition efforts. But more recently, the president-elect has hit a few potholes on his road to the White House. There are growing suggestions in Washington that Bill Richardson's abrupt withdrawal was the result of poor vetting, or no vetting at all, by the Obama team. And even though the new 111th Congress, sworn into today, will feature a vastly greater Democrat majority to assist the new Democrat president, there are signs of straining relations.
1-03-09	"Comforter In Chief" by Gary Bauer Today's Washington Times carries an incredible front page story about the unheralded efforts of President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Cheney and Mrs. Cheney to comfort the families of fallen soldiers in the war against Islamofascism and to express their appreciation to those who have been wounded. U.S.–Israel Collision Course by Dick Morris With the election of Barack Obama, the United States has moved dramatically to the left in its foreign policy at just the time that Israel, which seems likely to return Bibi Netanyahu to office in early February, is moving to the right. A collision is almost inevitable. Guilty by Gary Bauer A New Jersey jury yesterday found five immigrants guilty of conspiring to murder U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Dix. A sixth man in on the plot had already plead guilty. Thus all of the "Fort Dix Six" have been convicted of, or confessed to, plotting to commit mass murder and acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. Prosecutors in the case said the men planned to kill "as many American soldiers as possible." Israel Fights Back by Gary Bauer For months, Hamas thugs in Gaza have fired missiles and mortars into southern Israel, subjecting hundreds of thousands of Israelis to a campaign of 24-hour terror. This was done in clear violation of an Egyptian-negotiated cease-fire to which Hamas had agreed. As usual, the world's reaction to this outrage was a collective "yawn." The United Nations was silent. Major newspapers seldom reported the daily attacks. Earth to Europe, Russia: Hamas Must Be Crushed, Not Coddled by Joel Rosenberg The Gaza war rages on with no immediate end in sight. Indeed, Israeli sources tell me a ground operation into Gaza is not yet definite, but is likely. Israel has rightfully rejected a French-proposed 48 hour cease-fire, saying the Gaza operation will continue until Israel’s goal of shutting down the terrorist rocket threat is accomplished.
12-10-08	The Impending Collapse of Our Enemies by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann The Depression — let’s call it what it is — leaves us, well, depressed. But there is very good news from around the world. Our enemies are collapsing under the strain of dropping oil and gas prices. What we had all hoped conservation and off-shore drilling would achieve, the global economic collapse is accomplishing: the defeat of OPEC, Iran, Chavez, Putin and the weakening of the financial underpinnings of Islamist terrorism. In each of these nations, the hold of the dictator is weakening as, one after the other, they face the consequences of dropping oil prices. Appointment Raises Red Flags by Gary Bauer Today's Washington Times reports that a key appointment by President-elect Barack Obama is raising red flags with immigration reform activists and those concerned about homeland security. Last month, Obama tapped Alexander Aleinikoff to lead his immigration policy transition team. Like so many of Obama's appointments, Aleinikoff was a top official in the Clinton Administration and directed and "staunchly defended" a program at the Immigration and Naturalization Service called Citizenship USA. A Long-Term Afghanistan by George Will With President U.S. Grant's long, narrow desk behind him, he works at Gen. John Pershing's spacious partners desk, and converses with guests at a round table used by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, part of the reassuring furniture of government for most of 42 years, will soon serve his eighth president in a career that began in 1966 when Gates joined the CIA, of which he became director 25 years later. Planning For The Worst? by Gary Bauer Do you recall Senator Joe Biden's campaign warning that if America elected Obama we would get a crisis? Here is an excerpt of Biden's remarks, as reported by ABC News on October 20th:
12-08-08	A Fact-Free Election? by Gary Bauer We just went through an election where the facts didn't matter. And if you don't believe me, then sit down for this item. Talk show host John Ziegler commissioned a poll by John Zogby to test the knowledge of more than 500 Obama voters in a nationwide survey conducted after the election. The results are shocking. It must be noted upfront that virtually all those surveyed had high school diplomas, and more than half had college degrees. Only 2% of Obama voters earned "perfect or near-perfect scores on a post election test which gauged their knowledge of statements and scandals associated with the presidential tickets." The Limits of Success — and Failure by Michael Barone We Americans are blessed with a history that teaches that things work out right. Our first president set the precedent of relinquishing power he could have had for life and returning to his farm. Two of our greatest presidents were struck down, Abraham Lincoln by an assassin and Franklin Roosevelt by grave illness, at a moment of transcendent victory. Such a history of exceptional leaders is a blessing but also a weakness when things go wrong. Americans were drenched with disillusion for decades after a young president was struck down in 1963, well before his great promise could be fulfilled. Adrift From Our Past by S. Michael Craven Last week my family and I spent four blessed days at my wife's ancestral farm, a beautiful spot located between Navasota and Brenham in historic Washington County known as the birthplace of the Republic of Texas in 1836. The land, possessing rolling hills, tranquil ponds and a plethora of Bluebonnets has been in my wife's family since the mid 19th century. It is a wonderful place rich in nostalgia and strong family roots. I confess that it is one of our favorite places on earth. Update On Mumbai Attacks by Gary Bauer In Monday's report, I lamented the lack of responsible journalism in the reporting on the Mumbai atrocities and specifically the reticence of Big Media to identify who committed these atrocities. Today the Wall Street Journal carried a report that was somewhat helpful. Bailout or Bust? by Gary Bauer The CEOs of America's big three automakers are back in Washington this week again seeking a multibillion dollar bailout. This time they drove, after the PR disaster of flying into town on luxury private jets to beg for money. But if they are coming with their hat in hand and a bit more modestly, it's hard to tell from the price tag of their request. Two weeks ago, they were asking for $25 billion. Now they are asking for $34 billion! Unemployment Up – Keep Taxes Down! by Gary Bauer Those looking for some holiday cheer in the midst of these challenging economic times will be hard pressed to find it in the latest economic news. Unemployment is up to 6.7%, and the November job losses were the largest in a single month since 1974.
11-22-08	Giving Thanks For Liberty’s Bounty by Michael Quinn Sullivan We think we know the story of Thanksgiving: That the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, faced a harsh winter, famine and disease, and then only with the help of friendly natives learned how to survive. It’s nice for bed-time stories, and feel-good paintings, but it ignores the most important lessons of our early history.
11-15-08	Marriage Survives! Can it Endure? by S. Michael Craven At the conclusion of my series In Defense of Marriage this past August, I wrote that the outcome of California’s Proposition 8 would figure prominently in the future of marriage in America. If the proposed amendment establishing that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized” was defeated, I predicted it would be nearly impossible to halt the radical homosexual movement and their efforts to redefine marriage and the natural family.
11-08-08	The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president Have We Become Unfit for Democracy? by S. Michael Craven In ancient Athens, two political parties—or social classes—vied for power: the oligarchs and the democrats. The oligarchs sought to establish a state in which only wealthy property owners could vote and hold public office, while the democrats insisted that all male citizens have the same rights. Aristotle summarized these competing approaches to government in Politics, writing, “An oligarchy is said to be that in which the few and the wealthy rule, and a democracy that in which the many and the poor are the rulers.” The Only Quantum of Solace for the GOP? New Leadership by Denise McNamara The new James Bond movie premieres next week, and thank goodness. After the longest presidential campaign in history, we need a diversion, or maybe a medium dry vodka martini. Republicans have been shaken andstirred. And coincidentally, the parallels between conservatives andAgent 007 are striking. Iran, Israel React to Obama Victory by Joel Rosenberg Congratulations to Sen. Obama. His victory last night was an historic moment, further evidence of how far Americans have come in moving beyond the racial divisions of the past. This is good, and should not be underestimated. Hiring Emanuel Shows Obama's Hand by Carol Marin If you hire a shark, does that make you a shark? If you send in an enforcer, are you, de facto, an enforcer, too?
8-30-08	Child Protective Services Relents by Tim Lambert As the result of the legal challenge by a Texas home school family, CPS has changed it's policy of removing children from their parents home. The Real Obama by Tim Lambert In recent days pro-life groups have exposed a radical pr0-choice position of Barak Obama when he was in the Ill. State Senate. He not only opposed a measure to insure that babies that survived a botched abortion would receive medical care, he was the only senator to speak against the bill.
8-16-08	Where We Are by Gary Bauer Columnist George Will gave us something profound to ponder in his column today. With a "peacenik" ready to enter the Oval Office and assume the duties of commander-in-chief while Soviet tanks are rolling through a defenseless democracy, Will had this to say about where we are in history and reminded us about where we have been. The Battle for Home Schooling Freedom by Tim Lambert In a stunning reversal of its own recent decision the California Second Court of Appeals said that home school families in California may teach their children at home without being state accredited teachers.
8-9-08	My Concerns for America by Jon Voight We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up.
7-05-08	How Jesse Helms Made a Difference by John Fund If Ronald Reagan was the sunny and optimistic face of modern conservatism, the uncompromisingly defiant exemplar of it was Jesse Helms, who died yesterday at age 86. Losing the Revolution by Michael Quinn Sullivan Rarely does a government committee produce much of substantive value, poetic or otherwise. Just check out the Internal Revenue Code… Or the state's new business tax. Convoluted. Expensive. Uninspiring. No Guarantees by Tim Lambert Much of the discussion going on now and that has gone on in the last 12 months regarding who we should choose for president is based on what one believes will happen if a certain candidate is nominated or elected to the office. Some have said that in the primary you should vote for what you heart tells you and in the general election follow what your head dictates. This was perhaps the reason that many Republicans chose not to vote for John McCain in primaries after it was clear that he would be the Republican nominee. They wanted to vote for who the really liked.
6-28-08	The Marines Vs. Haditha Smear Merchants by Michelle Malkin Yet another U.S. Marine, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, had charges dropped Tuesday in the so-called Haditha massacre -- bringing the total number of Marines who've been cleared or won case dismissals in the Iraq war incident to seven. "Undue command influence" on the prosecution led to the outcome in Chessani's case. Bottom line: That's zero for seven for military prosecutors, with one trial left to go. Defend your Right to Use Bio-identical Hormones by Steven F. Hotze, M.D. Will you join our army and help us recruit 100,000 individuals to contact the U.S. Congress demanding our right to use bio-identical hormones?
5-18-08	Islamofascists Flex Muscles by Gary Bauer The U.S. is doing well in Iraq where, over the opposition of America's political Left, including Barack Obama, we are taking the fight to the enemy. But in the rest of the region, the news is disastrous. In Defense of 'Big Oil' by Cal Thomas With gas prices topping four dollars a gallon in some regions of the country, now may not be the best time to say something positive about "big oil," but here goes anyway. Who Is Really Responsible For The High Prices You Pay For Gasoline? Investor’s Business Daily For the last 28 years, Democrats in Congress and a few Republicans have again and again opposed our drilling for oil in Alaska's ANWR area when we knew it contained at least 10 billion barrels of oil we could be using now. Commentary: State Needs Innocence Commission Dallas Morning News Editorial A poignant drama unfolded in the state Capitol last week that should have been witnessed by all Texans.
5-10-08	Let's Be Calm and Conservative by Gary Bauer In recent days, I've gotten a lot of questions (not to mention a few angry messages) about oil and gas prices. I don't like paying these prices either, but it seems that a lot of good people are buying into the rhetoric of the Left, which suggests it's all George Bush's fault or some conspiracy in the boardrooms of corporate America. My Plea to Republicans: It's Time for Real Change to Avoid Real Disaster by Newt Gingrich The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November. Ben Stein Provokes the Liberal Wrath by Phyllis Schlafly Ben Stein is known to many as an actor on Comedy Central. But the funniest part about his recent movie "Expelled" is not any clever lines spoken by Stein but the hysterical way liberals are trying to discourage people from seeing it. Michael Moore, Frank Rich, Jeremiah Wright and John Hagee by Dennis Prager It is with no pleasure that I put in writing what I have long believed: Though many individual liberals have only goodwill toward black Americans, the liberal world since the late 1960s (i.e., after the major civil rights legislation of the mid-1960s) has done incalculable damage to black America and to race relations in this country.
4-26-08	The High Cost of Immorality by S. Michael Craven For more than five decades, self-proclaimed experts and so-called sexual reformers, beginning with Alfred Kinsey, have worked to advance the belief that there are no public consequences to private sexual behavior. And Americans, for the most part, have bought into this notion, proving what Lenin said, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth!” Shocking Example Of Leftwing "Tolerance" by Gary Bauer The Left constantly tries to portray itself as the guardian of tolerance and liberty, while defining conservatives and Christians as "bitter, mean-spirited, bigoted extremists." Nothing could be further from the truth. Recent studies have found that conservatives and Christians are far more generous when it comes to donating money, giving blood or volunteering their time. Christian conservatives are not the ones pushing for the passage of so-called "hate crimes" laws that threaten to criminalize certain thoughts or speech, nor are they trying to censor the airwaves with the "Fairness Doctrine" in order to shutdown political or religious speech they oppose.
4-12-08	Popular Vote Is Hilary's Last (Slim) Chance Robert Novak Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) is on the edge. Though she still can be nominated super-delegates are poised to leap to Sen. Barack Obama (D) if there are any further problems for Clinton. Her slippage in the Pennsylvania polls is most worrisome for her.
3-29-08	The Big (Untold) Story in the Middle East by Joel Rosenberg The lead story on Drudge over the weekend was the Pope baptizing a prominent Egyptian author who converted from Islam to Catholicism, and for good reason. It's a huge story in Italy and the Muslim world, especially coming as it did the week that Osama bin Laden accused the Pope of waging a "crusade" against Islam. But this particular baptism is just the tip of the iceberg. Hillary’s Whopper, Jeremiah and Jesus, Defund Planned Parenthood by Gary Bauer We've focused a lot in the past week on Senator Barack Obama's credibility,but we haven't forgotten about Hillary. It's not breaking news to say that politicians often exaggerate, but here is an example of Hillary's disconnect from reality.
3-22-08	Liberal Fascists Are Coming for Your Kids by Don Feder One of the most encouraging signs in an otherwise bleak election year is Jonah Goldberg's insightful book "Liberal Fascism -- The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning," currently number 3 on The New York Times Best Sellers List.
3-15-08	One Man Can Change History by Newt Gingrich On Wednesday, March 12, I am delivering a lecture at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington based on a simple proposition: "What if Reagan had not run for President and the Soviet Union still existed?" "Non-Judgmental" Nonsense by Thomas Sowell What was he thinking of? That was the first question that came to mind when the story of New York governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring was reported in the media.
3-08-08	THSC Response to California Home School Case by Tim Lambert On February 28 the California Second Court of Appeals ruled that a family has no constitutional right to homeschool their children, and, in fact, a family could only homeschool legally if the parent was a certified teacher. How Liberals Play Race Politics By Patrick J. Buchanan "All is race," wrote Benjamin Disraeli, "there is no other truth." What Disraeli meant by race is what Winston Churchill meant when he spoke of "our island race" -- a tribe, an ethnic group, a people unique and separate from all others.
2-23-08	Liberal Lies, Con-Man Conservatives, Your Money by Michael Quinn Sullivan How do you know when a liberal is lying? Because he’s promising to do the will of the people. History is littered with despots, tyrants and those who wanted to be, all claiming to be men of the people, doing their will. Which people? The ones he isn’t oppressing, right then.
2-02-08	When the NY Times Speaks, I Listen by Bobby Eberle Conservatives have a special relationship with the New York Times, the newspaper that has been caught in scandal after scandal and which is the epitome of extreme liberalism. Remember the full page ad by MoveOn.org against Gen. David Petraeus that appeared in the New York Times? We later learned that the paper "accidentally" gave MoveOn.org a discounted rate. Noriega Has Many of the Attributes to Beat Texas GOP and Cornyn by Carlos Guerra Will Texas Democrats finally start winning statewide elections again? State Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston — who wants to deny U.S. Sen. John Cornyn a second term — is betting on it.
1-26-08	Can Giuliani Get Into the Republican Game in Florida? by Stuart Rothenberg Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) has taken quite a hit recently both in the national media and in national polls. Journalists have noted that his crowds during the first two weeks of January were small, leading some to conclude that the mayor’s presidential race may be over even before it has begun. HSLDA PAC: Mike Huckabee for President by Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA’s PAC Committee has taken the historic step of making an early endorsement in the 2008 race for president. ENPR: Clinton and McCain Now Front-Runners by Robert Novak While both the Republican and Democratic presidential races are undecided going into the massive array of February 5 primaries (which amounts to nearly a national primary), a Hillary Clinton vs. John McCain contest in November looms as the most likely prospect. That is the match-up that offers the highest likelihood of Republican success despite the continued sniping at McCain by certain right-wing activists. 'Straight Talk' Express Takes Scenic Route to Truth by Ann Coulter John McCain is Bob Dole minus the charm, conservatism and youth. Like McCain, pollsters assured us that Dole was the most "electable" Republican. Unlike McCain, Dole didn't lie all the time while claiming to engage in Straight Talk. Huckabee Presents the Best Choice for Reagan Supporters by John Linder I was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives 34 years ago. I have watched this party change for a long time. Some changes have been better than others. Two Against One by Maureen Dowd If Bill Clinton has to trash his legacy to protect his legacy, so be it. If he has to put a dagger through the heart of hope to give Hillary hope, so be it. Mitt’s Moment by Carl Cameron Polls show Mitt Romney could win the Florida Primary. John McCain is under attack, much as he was in 99 and 00. Rudy Giuliani’s slide appears to have halted - so far there is no sign of an uptick out of third. Unpopular TxDOT, Do-Nothing Candidate, Annoying Taxpayers, Math Tax by Michael Quinn Sullivan In our pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped political marketplace, it’s nice to find unabashed, unadulterated honesty. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes accidental. This week we find honesty, sickening truth, and some delusional self-righteousness thrown in for fun.
1-19-08	John Vincent Coulter by Ann Coulter The longest baby ever born at the Albany, N.Y., hospital, at least as of May 5, 1926, who grew up to be my strapping father, passed away last Friday morning. Martin Luther King's Struggle Was Against Democrats by Michael Zak On this day in 1901, the Alabama Democratic Party called for a convention to write a new state constitution that would prohibit African-Americans from voting. Despite vocal opposition from Booker T. Washington and other Republican civil rights activists, the Democrat scam succeeded. The Problem by Gary Bauer A lot of us are frustrated about the GOP's obvious shift in recent years away from conservative principles. A few years ago, the GOP Congress spent money like the proverbial "drunken sailor," which is actually an unfair insult of sailors. When Reagan was elected, he tried to get rid of the federal education bureaucracy. We failed, but at least we tried. Under this administration, the education bureaucracy has grown like a weed, and so has the budget. Are your schools any better? Of course not! Add some GOP scandals to this drift away from conservative principles, and you have a demoralized movement.
1-12-08	Craddick Isn't Going Anywhere by Clay Robison I might as well start off the New Year with a safe prediction: Regardless of how many Republican and Democratic legislators want to remove him as speaker, Tom Craddick will be re-elected in November to his umpteenth term in the West Texas district he has represented since 1969. Bilingual Waste, Coastal Bailout, Enviro-Birdies by Michael Quinn Sullivan Spending other people’s money too often means never having to stop being wasteful. From creating another faux-financial crisis in our schools to underwriting risky behavior, the new year brings new reminders of the need for vigilant stewards of the taxpayers' money. It’s Time to Change the Presidential Nomination Process by Bobby Eberle Over the years, there have been attempts by some members of the Republican National Committee to change the process by which the GOP presidential nominee is determined. Years ago, there was talk of "smoke filled rooms" at the national convention in which deals would be hashed out to determine a nominee. As the years went on, the state primary/caucus elections become more powerful, and the nominee was determined long before the convention. Human Events Endorses Fred Thompson by Editors of Human Events The 2008 presidential election is the most unusual and most important in many years. It’s been more than five decades since such a race didn’t feature an incumbent President or Vice President. Since World War II, America has not had a presidential election at a time when the stakes were higher. Conservatives have to win this election, and to do so, we have to identify a candidate around whom we all c
1-05-08	Spunky Homeschool on Huckabee and Homeschoolers by Ned Ryun I alluded to Spunky Homeschool’s blogs on Huckabee and homeschooling and figure it deserves a separate posting. Having been at HSLDA, I enjoyed the fact that she made it quite obvious the discrepancy between HSLDA’s strong stances against Huckabee’s legislation, and then its endorsement of him. I would encourage everyone, homeschooler or not, to read the Spunky Homeschool blogs. If nothing else, they show what Huckabee is all about. The Case for Immoral Politicians by Rick Casey If being confronted by brief footage of the naked breasts of beautiful women offends you, don't go see Charlie Wilson's War. Flashback: The Real John McCain by Patrick Ruffini In preparation for a John McCain presidential run, I clipped out what is perhaps the seminal article on McCain’s transformation from a Goldwater conservative to a maverick quasi-Democrat during the 2000 campaign and the early Bush years. Jonathan Chait’s assessment of just how far McCain had gone to the left in the April 29, 2002 issue of The New Republic stood out even at the time. I Googled it a few years later, and saved the full text. It is no longer available on TNR’s website. Op-Ed Columnist: The Great Divide by Paul Krugman Yesterday The Times published a highly informative chart laying out the positions of the presidential candidates on major issues. It was, I’d argue, a useful reality check for those who believe that the next president can somehow usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The surprising results of last night's Iowa Republican caucus were devastating for former Gov. Mitt Romney and vindicating for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, but the biggest winner may have been Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).
12-29-07	Huckabee Governed Against the Grain by Adam Nossiter and David Barstow In more than a decade of presiding over this state, Mike Huckabee produced a legacy like few other Republican governors in the South, surprising even liberal Democrats with his willingness to upend some of Arkansas' more parochial traditions. Behind Our Presidential Recommendations by Keven Ann Willey It all started on Oct. 24. That's the day we decided that we needed to go public with our recommendations in the 2008 presidential primaries before the end of the year for them to have any resonance. And it's the day we mapped out a process for making our recommendations as studied and relevant to our readers as possible. Liberals Sing ‘Huckelujah’ by Ann Coulter All I want for Christmas is for Christians to listen to what Mike Huckabee says, rather than what the media say about him. The mainstream media keep flogging Huckabee for being a Christian, apparently unaware that this "God" fellow is testing through the roof in focus groups. Mitt and Mike: A Tale of Two States by Matt Bai As I watched Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee try to out-speechify each other in Iowa last week, it occurred to me that they are separated not just by temperament or ideology, but also by the distinct political cultures from which they hail. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Republican Overview: With the Iowa caucuses in one week and the New Hampshire primary in 12 days, the GOP picture is getting fuzzier, rather than clearer. With former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee under increased scrutiny, and front-running former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney being closely watched for any misstep, lesser candidates are seeing glimpses of hope. AP Gives Thompson the ‘04 Treatment by Jed Babbin The Associated Press -- once the gold standard of fast and accurate reporting -- changed during the Bush presidency. What was liberal bias has reshaped the wire service into one of the most politically activist media outlets. This is a cautionary tale for every Republican candidate. What AP tried to do to Fred Thompson is going to be repeated against any conservative candidate who exudes a whiff of conservatism in the primaries and whichever Republican gains the presidential nomination. Will Arizona's New Immigration Law Work? by Froma Harrop What would happen if the United States seriously enforced the ban on hiring undocumented workers? We may find out starting Tuesday, when Arizona promises to do it locally. Criticism of Texas House Speaker Is Misplaced by State Rep. Warren Chisum During the waning days of the legislative session, some members, including individuals who had announced candidacies for the speaker's post, urged the House to disengage from regular business to consider a "motion to vacate the chair," even though such a motion is not authorized under H
12-22-07	Huck Finned by USA Today by Ken Conner In his newfound role as "front-runner", Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is the subject of increased scrutiny by the media. For many in the secular media, Huckabee's prior role as a minister is of far greater concern than his prior role as governor of the State of Arkansas. (A preacher as President? Heaven help us!) Consequently, Huckabee has been the candidate among the Republican wannabes who has had to field most of the tough "God questions" during their debates. Beyond the Presidential Campaign Spotlight by Newt Gingrich For the next few weeks, we will be drowned in news media coverage of every detail of the presidential campaign. The Huckabee Backlash by Paul Vitello The “Huckabee panic” some political bloggers are calling it: The conservative backlash gathering against former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s increasingly formidable bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Secular Europe or Religious America by Dennis Prager Last week, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen wrote a column titled "Secular Europe's Merits," in which he explained why he prefers the secularism of Europe to the religiosity of America. Religion At Christmas 2007 by Donald Devine U.S. Stands Alone in Its Embrace of Religion Among Wealthy Nations.” That is the title of a Pew Research Center report on the status of worldwide religion—and no other rich country comes close. While 59 percent of Americans say religion plays an important role in their lives (mostly Christianity, which is adhered to by 80%), only about half that percent say religion is important in the second-most religiously-wealthy nation, Great Britain. As the nearby chart shows, religion is important in many countries in South America, Asia and Africa but only the U.S. is both religious and prosperous. Baptists Not on Board by Robert Novak When Mike Huckabee went to Houston on Tuesday to raise funds for his fast-rising, money-starved presidential candidacy, a luncheon for the ordained Baptist minister was arranged by evangelical Christians. On hand was Judge Paul Pressler, a hero to Southern Baptist Convention reformers. But he was a nonpaying guest who supports Fred Thompson for president. There’s a Huckabee Born Every Minute by Ann Coulter Despite the overwhelming popular demand for another column on Ron Radosh's review of Stan Evans' book, this week's column will address the urgent matter of evangelical Christians getting blamed for Mike Huckabee. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak As this year's session of Congress nears adjournment this week, Republicans are claiming victory with the likely passage of an omnibus appropriations bill roughly meeting President George W. Bush's spending limits. It contains money for the Iraq War and apparently is free of Democratic conditions. Clearly, the Democratic leadership did not want to risk a government shutdown. It's yet more proof that Democrats are unwilling to take bold action on Iraq. Romney Learns That ‘Facts Are Stubborn Things’ by Michael Luo There was the period last spring when Mitt Romney claimed while campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire that he had been a hunter “pretty much all my life,” only to have to admit later he had seriously hunted on only two occasions. For Clinton Campaign, Different Strategies at Play by Patrick Healy Faced with a question, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton often begins her answers with a single word: “Well.” (As in, “Well, I’ve spent 35 years of my life...”) It’s hard to tell if it’s a verbal tic; a one-syllable pause as she prepares a response; or a Midwesternism that has survived Wellesley, Yale, Arkansas, Washington, and New York. Cleverly Firing Back at Atheism by Robert H. Knight For centuries, atheism has been the rake lurking around the edges of the Christmas party, but now it’s slurping from the punch bowl in the middle of the room. Who Would Bush Endorse? He Won't Quite Say by Todd J. Gillman WWWD? That is the question. Bush Boxed in His Congressional Foes by Janet Hook Just over a year ago, a chastened President Bush acknowledged that his party had taken a "thumping" in the congressional elections, and he greeted the new Democratic majority at the weakest point of his presidency. Homeschoolers Beware! by Joseph Farah I take a back seat to no one in my admiration of homeschoolers. I am a homeschooler myself. As I have written in my book "Taking America Back," I believe the homeschool movement is the vanguard of what could be a peaceful, social and cultural revolution that will restore morality, justice and freedom in our country. Vox Huckabee by Terry Eastland Washington (The Weekly Standard) Vol. 013, Issue 16 - 12/31/2007 - Aboard the Huckabus I'm riding across Iowa in a tour bus carry-ing members of the press assigned to cover Mike Huckabee, after whom the bus is named. Huckabus: Is there a candidate whose name has inspired the creation of so many new words? Think Huckaboom (for the candidate's surge in the polls, which has him leading the Republican field in Iowa) and Huckabust (for the candidate's impending demise, predicted by some hopeful observers). Huck is the root from which you can invent your own Huckaword. This marketing-savvy campaign hardly minds the many uses of Huck. Even the unflattering ones remind people of a certain candidate for president. You're going to remember the name Huckabee--a precondition, if you think about it, for giving the candidate your vote.
12-15-07	Bill Hurts, Not Helps, Hillary’s Campaign by Dick Morris & Eileen McGann Bill Clinton’s poll ratings are very high so Hillary figures he can be of great help to her on the campaign trail. So far, so good — but then they extrapolate that view and conclude that he would be a good pe rson to make her negative attacks on opponents, to answer charges against her and to take the media to task for their coverage. And that’s where they are wrong. Blocked Vatican Envoy by Robert Novak President Bush's nomination of Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican is being held up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raising the possibility that the post may be vacant when Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States in April. All In by Stephen F. Hayes Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has decided to take his campaign and virtually all of its resources to Iowa in an all-or-nothing attempt to register a strong showing in the caucuses here on January 3. From Kennedy to Romney: 47 Years of Judicial War Against American Freedom of Religion by Newt Gingrich On Sunday, I appeared on ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" to comment on what I am calling a bureaucratic coup d'etat, that is the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran released earlier this week. I'll give you my take on it in a minute, but first, I wanted to share with you that while I was getting ready to appear, it occurred to me that all the historical comparisons being made between presidential candidate Mitt Romney's speech last week and President John Kennedy's speech in 1960 are wrong in a fundamental way. Laying A Mitt on the Secularists by Bill Murchison Right., Yes. Mitt Romney, if elected our president, “will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest.” Nor should any candidate “become the spokesman for his faith.” Yes, Naturally. Sorting Out the Presidential Race by Bobby Eberle With only a few weeks left until the first presidential primaries and caucuses, the race for the GOP presidential nomination is still wide open. So many conservatives have yet to decide on a favorite, and this has led to the most up-for-grabs race in recent memory. Status-Quo on Tuesday Good News for GOP by Stuart Rothenberg Republicans got some good news Tuesday when they won special elections in Ohio and Virginia to retain two Congressional seats that became open upon the death of sitting GOP U.S. House members. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Despite the continuing partisan stalemate on appropriations in Congress, there almost surely will be no government shutdown. Congress would get the blame for that, and Democrats as the majority party will not let that happen. The best bet is that the government will be kept running by a continuing resolution (CR) until early next spring, postponing determination of the actual spending level until then. Bigger Than Life by Joel Achenbach Freddie Thompson hit full height in the 10th grade, some 6 feet, 5 3/4 inches. His buddies called him "Stick." He was a nice-looking kid, played football and basketball, chased girls, horsed around in class, rarely cracked a book. Analysis: Thompson Scores Debate Points by David Yepsen Fred Thompson came out on top in Wednesday's debate among the Republican presidential candidates in Iowa. Of all the candidates, he did himself the most good. How to Create a National Controversy: Evolution vs. Creationism by Donna Garner For the Texas Freedom Network and the liberal press (i.e., the "Sisterhood") to create a national controversy which is meant to tear down the influence of pro-family conservatives, the first thing the Sisterhood has to find is a "victim." That person has been found -- Chris Comer, the Texas Education Agency's science curriculum director whom the Sisterhood deliberately represents as a noble and courageous evolutionist who was unjustly fired by the mean, old TEA managers. Huckacide by Rich Lowry The ghost of Howard Dean haunts the pundit class. As soon as a candidate of either party spikes up in the polls, he is compared with Dean, who had a spectacular boomlet in the second half of 2003 only to deflate as soon as people began to vote in early 2004. Who’s to Blame for High Property Taxes in Texas? by Tom Pauken The San Antonio Express-News had a major story last weekend about who’s to blame for the small savings in property taxes homeowners have received “since state leaders approved a new school-funding system 18 months ago.” That school-finance plan was designed to cut school property taxes by one-third over a three year period.
12-08-07	Who’s Afraid of Barack Obama? by Frank Rich Just 24 hours after Hillary Clinton mowed down a skeptical Katie Couric with her certitude that she would win the Democratic nomination — “It will be me!” — her husband showed exactly how she could lose it. So You Think You Want to Run for Office? by Jason Embry A politician's life can be pretty fun. People call you "commissioner" or "senator" instead of your boring old first name, lobbyists may treat you to a succulent lobster or bottle of fine wine before asking you for favors, and sometimes you get to park for free at the airport. Mr. Nasty vs. Mr. Nice by David S. Broder Call them Mr. Rough and Mr. Smooth. Or maybe Mr. Nasty and Mr. Nice. The intense battle between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney for supremacy in the Jan. 8 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary is more a contrast in personalities than a difference on issues. Mike Huckabee is a Fiscal Conservative by Dick Morris As Mike Huckabee rises in the polls, an inevitable process of vetting him for conservative credentials is under way in which people who know nothing of Arkansas or of the circumstances of his governorship weigh in knowingly about his record. As his political consultant in the ea rly ’90s and one who has been following Arkansas politics for 30 years, let me clue you in: Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative. You Be the Judge by Gary Bauer As Mike Huckabee continues to improve in the polls, his positions on the issues are coming under greater scrutiny. Over the last week, a heated debate has broken out between Huckabee and many of the other candidates over the immigration issue, and particularly the question of providing benefits to the children of illegal immigrants. Tough Road Ahead for Huckabee by Liz Sidoti Mike Huckabee, who has surged from the back of the Republican presidential pack to challenge longtime leader Mitt Romney in Iowa, is campaigning with a spring in his step and an ear-to-ear grin. Questions About Character Cost Clinton by Star Parker The honesty and transparency themes are driving much of voter sentiment in this election. It helps explain the surprising success of Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. And we see similar dynamics with the Democratic candidates. “Freedom of Education” Adopted at DNC Convention by Jeff Jacoby "Freedom of education, being an essential of civil and religious liberty . . . must not be interfered with under any pretext whatever," the party's national platform declared. "We are opposed to state interference with parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children as an infringement of the fundamental ... doctrine that the largest individual liberty consistent with the rights of others insures the highest type of American citizenship and the best government." Death, Taxes & Mrs. Clinton by Peggy Noonan I will never forget that breathtaking moment when, in the CNN/YouTube debate earlier this fall, the woman from Ohio held up a picture and said, "Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards, this is a human fetus. Given a few more months, it will be a baby you could hold in your arms. You all say you're 'for the children.' I would ask you to look America in the eye and tell us how you can support laws to end this life. Thank you." Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Despite a slip in the polls by front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Republican confidence about winning the presidency actually has declined. The reason is the dispiriting performance put on by the Republican candidates in last Wednesday's debate in St. Petersburg, Fla. We have had several Republicans tell us that after watching that affair, they wondered not only about the outcome of the '08 presidential election but also the long-range future of the GOP. Russians Voted Away Their Freedoms & Venezuelans Almost Did. Why? by Bret Stephens “It is ultimately a cruel misunderstanding of youth to believe it will find its heart's desire in freedom," says Leo Naphta, the great character of Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" "Its deepest desire is to obey." On Sunday, voters as far apart as Caracas and Vladivostok took to the polls and put Naphta's theory to a practical test. So, What's The Big Deal About Religion In '08? by Frank Salvato We have come to a point in the 2008 presidential election cycle where both political parties' candidates are fielding questions about religion. While religion is a personal issue for an overwhelming majority of Americans, religion in government has been frowned upon ever since the ACLU took an active roll in purging it from the "public square." So, it would seem at odds with the dogma of the Secular Progressive Left that religion should be an election issue at all. Yet each candidate has had to answer questions about their faith, with Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney being literally scrutinized on the issue. Abolishing Property Taxes, Distorted Reports, and the NFL by Michael Quinn Sullivan We both know the time is long overdue to rip the poisonous weed of property taxes out of the state’s economic garden. We might actually get the chance if State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford gets his way. Paul's Quixotic, Chaotic Run May Make Its Push in N.H. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) has raised more than $10 million for his run for president in the past two months, leaving him well positioned to help swing the outcome of the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, a state well suited to his libertarian, antiwar platform.
12-01-07	Obama, Huckabee Make Their Case in Iowa by Salena Zito Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama stand on political precipices in Iowa. NYT: An Undocumented Newspaper by Ann Coulter Last week, in an article titled "Walking a Tightrope on Immigration," The New York Times made the fact-defying claim that the illegal immigration issue poses a risk for Republicans who appeal to voters "angry" about illegal immigration. (This is as opposed to voters "angry" that they spent good money buying a copy of The New York Times.) Addicting Government, Forcing Football, Killing Jobs, Spending Restraint by Michael Quinn Sullivan The hubris of the government planners varies between scary and laughable. Social engineers keep whining to the press that thousands of “eligible” children are not enrolled in the government health “insurance” plan. Their solution, of course, is to spend a lot of your money to “educate” wayward parents into placing their kids in the care of government bureaucracy. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Evans Talk about New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D) primary campaign decline was accelerated by the new Zogby International poll. It shows every major Republican candidate nationally defeating her, while Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (D) beat every major Republican candidate. National polls at this stage of the game should not be taken too seriously, but Zogby does indicate decline by Clinton. Paris Violence Ramps Up by Gary Bauer The rioting in France entered its third day last night, and events took an ominous turn. A French police official said that "genuine urban guerrillas with conventional weapons" were now involved. European news broadcasts available online show Muslim rioters firing shotguns at reporters and policemen. Over 100 police officers have been injured, at least thirty of them hit by buckshot. Six officers were in serious condition after being shot at close range, several of them in the face. Most media reports continue to describe the rioting thugs as "youth" or, in a few cases, as "Arab and black children." House GOP Exits Will Strengthen Right in ‘08 by John Gizzi With the number of House Republicans retiring at 17 and counting -- compared to four exits on the Democratic side -- there are few GOP prognosticators who dare to say that their party has any chance of regaining the majority it held in the House from 1994-to-2006. Simply put, the mathematics just aren’t there. Hollywood Huckabee? by Jed Babbin One way to tell how well a candidate is doing is by seeing who turns up for the press conferences and lunches they sometimes hold. At a Capitol Hill lunch Thursday, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet attracted a lot of the folks who wouldn’t have taken his phone call a few months ago.
11-24-07	Abortion Rights – The Democrats’ Litmus Test by Tom Paulken Anyone watching the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas Thursday night came away with the clear understanding that all of the Democratic contenders for President support the absolute right of a woman to have an abortion. Support for the Roe v. Wade decision, which overturned the laws limiting abortion in all fifty states, has become the litmus test these days for Democrats seeking the presidential nomination of their party. Democratic Iran Dilemma by Robert Novak Sen. Barack Obama, desperate to cut down front-running Sen. Hillary Clinton, did not take advantage of one opening in Thursday night's Las Vegas Democratic presidential debate. Obama pulled his punches on Clinton's September vote for a resolution that he earlier said can be used to go to war against Iran. His reticence may be traced to his co-sponsorship of a similar hawkish amendment back in March. Will Illegal Immigration Destroy the Democrats? by E. J. Dionne, Jr. More significant than Hillary Clinton's supposed gaffe at the end of this week's Democratic presidential debate is the subject around which she tiptoed so delicately: Immigration is the issue Democrats fear because it could leave them with a set of no-win political choices. Voters Lose by Gary Bauer I've long wondered whether the current presidential debate format sufficiently informs the public about where the candidates stand on the issues, or whether the debates are merely stage-managed public relations events during which candidates offer obtuse and abstract answers to pre- approved questions from friendly questioners. Making Thanksgiving Meaningful Again by Newt Gingrich This Thanksgiving, it's time to ensure that every young American and every immigrant who would become a new citizen learn about the historic origins and meaning of Thanksgiving. Taxing Jobs; Washington's Thanksgiving by Michael Quinn Sullivan In 1789 a Thanksgiving Day proclamation was issued by President George Washington. As we pause 218 years later for this Thanksgiving in 2007, his words make for a valuable reminder of from whence we came. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Evans The Democratic presidential contest is getting mean and nasty with a desperate feeling by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) that she must be stopped in Iowa or not at all. She has never been better than even in the polls in Iowa against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.). (See below for the Clinton-Obama story.).
11-17-07	The (Anti-Religious) Bigotry of the Elites by Newt Gingrich I got a note this week that reminded me, once again, how much the American people disagree with the Washington elite -- and how differently we would run our country if and when we get the chance. Giuliani’s Lead is Fragile by Tom Pauken A new Wall St. Journal/NBC News poll has Rudy Giuliani well ahead of his principal rivals, John McCain and Fred Thompson. Giuliani has 33% support from likely Republican primary voters while McCain has 16% and Thompson 15%. Mitt Romney is in fourth place in the polls. Huckabee Garnering More Support in Presidential Bid by Tom McGregor The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have “discovered” Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. Today, both newspapers printed front-page, full-length feature stories on his candidacy. Mr. Huckabee’s campaign has recently gained momentum with increased fund-raising, higher Web traffic, and a major endorsement from a prominent social conservative, the American Family association chairman Don Wildmon. Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Evans The failure of Congress to move promptly on adjustment of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) may mean a delay in income tax refunds next year for people who count on them. The problem is a dispute over proposed tax hikes in the Democrats' AMT bill. Texas’ Worst Republicans; Seeing Red by Michael Quinn Sullivan Frustrated by the lack of fundamental fiscal reforms in the legislature? Does the fact that your tax burden is only going up make you mad? Bothered that the Republican-controlled legislature has failed to deliver on strengthened spending limits and property tax appraisal reform? Well, you are not alone. Coming Around the Far Turn by Jennifer Rubin With less than fifty days to go before the GOP Iowa presidential caucuses, the Republican presidential nomination is still up for grabs. But who’s ahead, who’s behind, and what should we look for in the next seven weeks? The Icebergs Ahead For the Democrats by David Broder As the Democratic presidential race finally gets down to brass tacks, two issues are becoming paramount. But only one of them is clearly on the table. Opposing the War and the Troops by Gary Bauer Congressional Democrats did it again. After going 0-for-40 on legislation to force America’s “retreat and defeat” in Iraq, the House voted 218-to-203 last night to provide only a quarter of the funding for the war in Iraq that President Bush requested. Worse, the bill came with strings demanding hard deadlines for troop withdrawals.
11-10-07	A Window into the Minds of GOP Voters By Carl Luebsdorf A dozen Republican voters put a human face on the uncertainty over their party's 2008 presidential candidates and the downbeat mood of the nation that has been registered in recent polls. Hutchison Confounds Both Sides on Abortion By W. Gardner Selby Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has held statewide office since 1991 and served in the U.S. Senate since 1993, could turn out to be the most popular Texas politician of her era and, barring a zippy bid by Lance Armstrong, the state's strongest-starting candidate for governor in 2010. Hillary Reveals Her Inner Self by Peggy Noonan The story isn't that the Democrats finally took on Hillary Clinton. Nor is it that they were gentlemanly to the point of gingerly and tentative. There was an air of "Please, somebody kill her for me so I can jump in and show high minded compassion at her plight!" Advertising with Tax Dollars; Equity for Texans By Michael Quinn Sullivan Should state agencies use tax dollars to, effectively, lobby you to accept their policy positions? Should government programs be promoting themselves through ad campaigns? Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Evans The transformation of congressional procedure into a knife fight as the session nears an end was typified by the maneuvers of Democratic leaders this week. They attempted to fold the controversial Labor/Health and Human Services (replete with earmarks) and Education appropriations bills into the non-controversial Military Construction bill (including Veterans benefits). The outcome is unclear.
11-03-07	Counterfeit Conservatives vs The Real Right by Michael Quinn Sullivan That conservatives haven’t seen the kind of significant budget reforms we would have expected under complete Republican control of state government almost goes without saying. No strong spending-limit measures, no property tax appraisal reform… just to name two.
	Positive, Reagan-like Spirit Spurs Huckabee's Rise by David Yepson Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's been the hot candidate in the Republican race since he finished second in the Iowa GOP's straw poll back in August.
	Evans-Novak Report by Robert Evans The Iraq War may be fading as a transcendent issue for the '08 election, partly from the result of reduced casualties and partly because of Democrats' inability to agree on a coherent, unified policy in Congress. Anti-war hawks are furious with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for refusing to take the risk of cutting off war financing.
	The Demise of the Religious Right? by Chuck Colson The cover story of Sunday's New York Times Magazine pronounced the demise of the religious right in America. The ranks are demoralized, split, and liberal evangelicals are taking over with a new agenda for the environment and the poor. On the editorial page, the acerbic Frank Rich coordinated his column with the magazine, concluding, "Inauguration Day 2009 is at the very least Armageddon for the reigning ayatollahs of the American right."
	Obama and Edwards – Not Ready for Prime Time by Tom Pauken Hillary Clinton is very fortunate that her principal challengers for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 are Barack Obama and John Edwards. I watched the televised debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening and have to agree with the headline writer of the Daily Telegraph who led the story on the debate with the following: “Rivals ‘swing at but miss’ Hillary Clinton.”
	Conservative Vision, NFL-Cable Fight, the Corpus Right by Michael Quinn Sullivan Principles matter: That lesson was driven into me by my first scoutmaster, Mr. Burleson, who led me from Tenderfoot to Eagle Scout in Wichita Falls. He didn’t mind mistakes, but he hated the idea of kids not being exposed to core principles. I was reminded of his lessons during a speech I attended this week; more about that at the end.
	Thompson on War and the ’08 Campaign by Jed Babbin Hey, senator. Thanks very much for taking the time. We know a little about what your schedule looks like If your not careful, you're gonna get the reputation of being a real hard working guy
	Terrorists: Vote Hillary; Kill Rudy by Deroy Murdock Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is gaining fans, even on the West Bank.
	Republicans Have Reason to Smile by Jennifer Rubin Hillary Clinton seems unbeatable in the Democratic presidential primary and tops all GOP challengers in most head-to-head polls, Larry Craig won't leave the Senate but re-electable GOP incumbents will, and President Bush's approval ratings remain at record lows. So for conservatives inclined to be depressed there is plenty of reason to conclude that the future is grim for Republicans.
	Looking for Mr. Right by Patrick Buchanan "I was conservative yesterday, I'm a conservative today, and I will be a conservative tomorrow," declared Fred Thompson to the Conservative Party of New York, billing himself as the "consistent conservative" in the GOP race -- in contrast to ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani.
	Giuliani Supporter to Run for Dallas GOP Chairman by Tom Pauken Jonathan Neerman, a young attorney in Dallas who has endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President, is running for Chairman of the Dallas County Republican party.
10-27-07	Rush 'Attaboy' by Geoff Metcalf The new epitome for turning lemons into lemonade goes to talk show giant Rush Limbaugh. In the frothy wake of the perpetual acrimonious partisan spitting match between left and right, Limbaugh has eviscerated his petty mean spirited critics AND gifted a worthy charity with a financial windfall.
	Not What Was Truly Intended by Tom Pauken On Nov. 6, Texans will have the opportunity to pass a constitutional amendment, Proposition 3, which limits the increase in property taxes on one's homestead to not more than 10 percent above the property's most recent appraisal.
	SCHIP Veto Justified by Gary Palmer Now that President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill has been upheld, liberals are turning the propaganda machine loose on the President and Republicans in Congress. But people need to see through the distortions and understand what is at stake with this bill.
	More Money for State? by Peggy Venable Taxpayers, it's time to open your wallets. November ballot initiatives total almost $10 billion in state spending. School districts are asking for almost $7 billion more in taxes, and local governments are seeking $9 billion in bonds.
	Do All Democrats Agree With Congressman Pete Stark? by Newt Gingrich Of all the leftwing calls for surrender in Iraq -- of all the insults to our troops and hysterical attacks on our President -- one stood out this week.
	Largely Irrelevant? Bush Soldiers On by Donald Lambro George Bush was asked last week whether he had become irrelevant in the decisions of government, a question that has been posed before in previous presidencies.
	The Atheist Indoctrination Project by Dinesh D'Souza It seems atheists have developed a comprehensive strategy to win the minds of the next generation. The strategy can be described simply: let the religious people breed them, and we will educate them to despise their parents’ beliefs.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) committed the biggest blunder of her tenure by pressing the Armenian genocide resolution and then having to back down when her support vanished. She should have taken the advice of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who has opposed the Armenian proposal dating back to his days as an aide in the Clinton White House. Democratic support, once at more than 225 members, collapsed when Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, briefed congressmen individually and pointed out serious problems with Turkey created by the genocide resolution.
	Facts Show Electric Deregulation a Clear Success by Bill Peacock Galileo, the 17th Century Italian astronomer whom Albert Einstein called the father of modern science, was willing to change his views based on observation. For this, he was forced to spend the last years of his life under house arrest by those who refused to believe the sun was at the center of the solar system.
	We're Not in 2006 Anymore by Michael Barone Things are not working out as Democratic congressional leaders expected. For the first eight months of this year, they struggled to find some way to shut down the American military effort in Iraq.
10-20-07	Are Cancer Bonds Worth the Cost? by Michael Quinn Sullivan The marketing machine to convince you to grow government and spend more of your money is churning again – this time in the form “Proposition 15,” allowing for the expenditure of $4.16 billion so that the state can spend $3 billion over 10 years to help look for a cure to cancer. Which cancer? What type? You know, um, cancer.
	A Choice for Taxpayers by Robert Novak Back on their heels in a defensive posture all year while majority Democrats in Congress offered liberal initiatives, reform-minded conservative Republicans this week introduce the most sweeping tax plan since Jack Kemp's three decades ago. It would establish a radically simplified, flatter tax for an estimated 90 percent to 95 percent of all income tax filers.
	“Oops, I Did It Again” by Gary Bauer No, this isn’t about Britney Spears. Fresh off one Chinese fundraising scandal involving Norman Hsu and the Paw family, today’s Los Angeles Times carries a scathing report on what could likely become another major scandal for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
	Gen. Sanchez's Scream by Daniel Henninger Over the past weekend there were front-page accounts everywhere of Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez's description of the war in Iraq as a "nightmare." The New York Times led its story this way: "In a sweeping indictment of the four-year effort in Iraq, the former top commander of American forces there called the Bush administration's handling of the war 'incompetent' and said the result was 'a nightmare with no end in sight.' " Gen. Sanchez said this last Friday to a gathering of reporters and editors in Washington who cover military affairs. It was a dramatic denunciation from the man who led U.S. forces in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
	The Rise of the Religious Left by Steven Malanga Everyone knows the potent force of the Christian right in American politics. But since the mid-1990s, an increasingly influential religious movement has arisen on the left, mostly escaping the national press's notice.
	Choice of Lesser Evils for Religious Right by Sheldon Alberts Facing an auditorium full of conservative Christians yesterday, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson demonstrated that, if nothing else, he has mastered the age-old politician's skill of pandering to a crowd.
	England Wrong to Blame Electric Rates on GOP by Will Lutz When switching parties a few weeks ago, Rep. Kirk England (D-Grand Prairie) cited high utility costs as one reason for his dissatisfaction with the Republican Party.
10-20-07	Evans-Novak Report by Robert Novak Gloom deepens in Republican ranks with the continuing retirement of incumbents in both the House and Senate. Major Democratic gains in the Senate could even approach the magic number of 60 seats needed for a filibuster-free environment. The losses in the House also threaten to be severe, limited only by gerrymandered districts.
10-13-07	Don't Like Coal, Don't Like Nukes; What's Left? by Bruce Hight Over the past year or so the biggest public fight for Texas' environmental groups has been to stop construction of 11 new coal-fired power plants in Texas. For now, they've mostly won; eight have been cancelled.
	Corruption, Bad Grades, and Glimpsing Texas’ Future by Michael Quinn Sullivan This week’s indictment of State Rep. Terri Hodge (D-Dallas) and her Dallas County cronies should be a clarion call to reform the way governments hand out contracts. Sadly, it’s only the latest in a string of bribery and corruption cases related to construction bidding. (While the case is pretty complex, it boils down to bribes associated with a developer building low-income housing.)
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Peace advocates in Israel are looking toward the coming Annapolis conference on the Middle East as a last hope for a peace settlement that President George W. Bush, as a lame duck, will seek as a glorious ending to his presidency. That course could be aided by the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be there as virtual lame ducks. However, there is no sign that Bush is so inclined or even that he will attend much of the proceedings at Annapolis.
	Prepping the Media Battlefield: Part 3 by Jed Babbin MoveOn.org has Hillary Clinton and the New York Times cornered. They won’t escape: she, because Sen. Clinton has to maintain her allegiance to the hardcore left; the Times because it doesn’t want to.
	The MoveOn-dot-Democrats by Jed Babbin Rush Limbaugh performed an enormously important public service by creating a controversy over the left's phony soldiers. He provided the second data point we needed to identify the new subspecies of Democrat that wants to take the White House in 2008: they are the MoveOn.Democrats.
	Democrats: "This is a white man's country. Let white men rule." by Michael Zak That was the Democratic Party's national campaign slogan in 1868. The Democrat presidential nominee that year, Horatio Seymour, had previously criticized Republican President Abraham Lincoln for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, calling it "a proposal for the butchery of women and children." In December 1860, he had written to former Democrat President Franklin Pierce: "We have deferred cutting throats long enough. I should like to begin with the abolitionists at once."
	Thompson's First Debate Performance a Let-down for Many Conservatives by Robert Novak Conservative voters hoping former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) would be a Reaganesque white knight were likely disappointed by Thompson's performance in his first debate. He took the safe route on nearly every answer, including endorsing the Bush Administration's current policies on Iraq and ethanol subsidies. Needing to distinguish himself, he didn't.
	Meet the Media by Gary Bauer Yesterday, my good friend Tony Perkins and I had breakfast with twenty of the most influential reporters in Washington, D.C. The breakfast was sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor and usually involves "newsmakers" engaging in an on-the-record exchange with key media personalities.
	Lying for Kids; More Money, No Relief by Michael Quinn Sullivan If it feels like everyone wants to separate you from your cash, it’s because they do! School districts, cities, counties and the state are rushing to pass massive new bond projects to grow government, hoping you’ll be swayed by emotional promises that going into debt will cure everything from traffic to grandma’s breast cancer. Don’t be fooled.
	Rush Limbaugh, Vindicated by L. Brent Bozell III The ruckus over the Rush Limbaugh "phony soldiers" statement is dying down. It ought not to. There is a huge story here.
	Giuliani and Thompson Win Debate by Quin Hillyer On economic matters, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson stand above the rest of the Republican field both on substance and on refusal to pander to populist myths. Of the two, Giuliani is the more engaging, the more memorable, and the more clear -- but Thompson wasn't bad at all.
	The Same God? by Cal Thomas Whatever else his critics say of him, no one can fault President Bush for failing to go the extra mile in his efforts to show that neither he, nor the United States, is opposed to the Islamic faith, or to Muslim nations.
	What Rush Said The last time we checked, Rush Limbaugh had the greatest reach and frequency of any commentator in the country. He needs no defense from us regarding the contrived controversy over his talk show use last week of the phrase "phony soldiers." In fact, he has been returning fire with both aplomb and delight since the leftists at Media Matters turned on their spigot of disinformation last week.
	Coulter's Law by Donald Devine Ann Coulter may go over the top sometimes but she understands today’s legal morass. “You can make 30 times more money than doctors by becoming a trial lawyer suing doctors. You need no skills, no superior board scores, no decade of training and no sleepless residency. It's only a matter of time before the best and brightest students forget about medical school and go to law school instead. How long can a society based on suing the productive last?”
10-6-07	Curfew Denies Children Rights, Circumvents Laws by Deborah Korpi If the Waco mayor and city council have it their way, your children could be taken to a detention center for being just that, children. Under a proposed daytime curfew ordinance, children under the age of 17 could be stopped, interrogated and potentially taken to a detention center if they are found in public during the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
	GOP Has a Devious Plan in California by Bob Herbert Right now, it's just a petition drive on its way to becoming a ballot initiative in California. But you should think of it as a tropical depression that could develop into a major storm that blows away the Democrats' chances of winning the White House next year.
	Honor Requires Us to Fight to Win by Steve Ogden I try to attend the funerals of those from my Texas Senate District who have died in the War on Terror. There have been 20. It has been a privilege to offer the respect and condolences of the State of Texas to the families of the fallen soldiers from my district.
	Congressional Bullies Bash Blackwater by Gary Bauer Further evidence of how far the Democrat Congress is willing to go in its efforts to criminalize politics was on display yesterday during the ill- conceived attempt by congressional bullies to browbeat and intimidate Erik Prince, chairman of the private security firm Blackwater USA. Prince, a former Navy Seal, stood his ground under an intense barrage of hostile questioning and even returned fire when needed.
9-29-07	The Inmates Are Running The Asylum by Gary Bauer I spent most of the day on Capitol Hill yesterday, meeting with members of Congress and discussing important issues. The terrain is familiar to me, though it can be hostile at times. I have worked in this town for three decades, served eight years in the Reagan administration and have been through some tough hearings myself.
	Fighting “Domestic Terrorism” by Gary Bauer In the post-9/11 world, domestic terrorism is an issue that certainly deserves our full attention. In just the past two years, there has been a string of disturbing incidents, including the alleged plot by six Islamists to attack our troops at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak This week's charade on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) typifies the partisan game in Congress. Passage on party lines of a Democratic bill radically expanding a program for poor children into a general health insurance bill was intended to force a presidential veto that could not be overridden in the House. It is intended primarily as a political marker for the '08 campaign.
	Encouraging Signs by Gary Bauer Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported on a recent poll that sent key Democrats in this town into damage control mode. The poll, conducted by a Democrat polling firm (giving it significant credibility), surveyed 31 key House districts currently held by Democrat incumbents. The results confirmed previous data that strongly suggested that a liberal nominee in the general election – specifically Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton – would be a serious drag on Democrat candidates down the ballot.
	Starting to Add Up by Dallas Morning News Editors Those who think it's a crock that America's schools can get all students doing math at grade level by 2014 should look carefully at key test results released Tuesday. Fourth- and eighth-graders are doing better than ever in that subject, according to 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam scores
	The Right Fight for Democrats by E. J. Dionne, Jr. This week's showdown over children's health insurance is the first skirmish in the new battle for universal health coverage. It is also the first confrontation between the president and Congress fought out almost entirely on terms set by the new Democratic majority.
	Dr. Dobson And I Need Your Prayers by Gary Bauer The last two weeks have been the worst I can remember in a long time for the pro-family, pro-life movement. A series of distorted media reports have tried to divide us. Christians and other values voters are taking verbal shots at each other over whom to support in the presidential race. And reporters are "licking their chops" at the dissention and disarray.
9-22-07	President Announces Limited Drawdown by Gary Bauer President Bush delivered a well-reasoned speech last night and told the country that some of our troops in Iraq will begin returning home.
	Here Comes "Hillary Care" by Gary Bauer Hillary Clinton unveiled her health care "reform" plan today. Predictably, it's another gigantic government mandate and the first step toward nationalized health care, with an estimated cost of more than $100 billion a year. How will she pay for it? The same way Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards are suggesting they would pay for their health "reform" plans - with higher taxes!
	One Spendaholic Announces Retirement from Legislature by Michael Quinn Sullivan The Dallas Morning News is reporting right now on their blog that State Rep. Fred Hill (R-Richardson) isn’t seeking re-election. This is welcome news for Texas’ taxpayers!
	Hillary's Silence by Gary Bauer Senator Hillary Clinton announced her health care plan yesterday, but she continued to be silent on the vicious attack by MoveOn.org against one of America's heroes, General David Petraeus. As you know, the general, who has served our nation in three wars, was smeared by the leftwing character assassins at MoveOn.org. They ran a full-page ad in the New York Times referring to the general as "General Betray Us."
	President Defends Petraeus by Gary Bauer President Bush held a press conference this morning and was asked a question about the recent ad by MoveOn.org placed in the New York Times. As you may recall, the ad mocked General David Petraeus, the American commander in Iraq, calling him, "General Betray Us."
	Scattering Spendoholics, Liberal Water, Taxes Up And Away by Michael Quinn Sullivan You can watch the TFR Spendometer to see how fast state government is spending your money, but a great feature at Comptroller Susan Combs' official website lets you see where the money goes once it leaves your wallet.
9-15-07	Hearing Those Porky Squeals by Michael Quinn Sullivan A reporter for the Amarillo and Lubbock newspapers stopped in my office on Wednesday. It appears several Republican lawmakers are angry that you are paying attention. They don’t like the fact taxpayers and voters are now asking questions about how they voted in Austin.
	Here Comes The Thug by Gary Bauer A key Islamist website known to be a reliable source of information announced yesterday that in the next 72 hours there will be a new videotaped message to America from mass murderer Osama bin Laden. The last video was released just before the 2004 presidential election. This one is obviously timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 atrocities.
	Being A Democrat Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry by Doug Patton Since the details of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's disgusting restroom antics came to light, comparisons and contrasts of scandals involving Republicans versus Democrats have been made by almost every pundit with a political ax to grind.
	A Few Questions For Fred Thompson by Michael Reagan Fred Thompson's opening shot in launching his campaign on the Jay Leno show was impressive, but now he has to forget the sound bites and the folksy advice and get down to brass tacks.
	Making No Child Left Behind Worse by Dan Lips Congress is preparing to take up the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, but parents and taxpayers shouldn’t get their hopes up. An early draft of the new NCLB bill suggests that congressional leaders are working to make the already flawed program worse.
	You're Invited... by Gary Bauer According to numerous press reports, Osama bin Laden’s latest message turned out to be a bizarre rant that runs the gamut – covering issues from global warming to the U.S. mortgage meltdown to the evils of capitalism and the failure of congressional Democrats to force our retreat from Iraq, which he compares to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan.
	The Senate's Ethics Sleight of Hand by Robert Novak The final version of the widely celebrated ethics bill, approved by overwhelming margins in both the House and Senate a month ago, finally and quietly made its way last week from Capitol Hill to the White House. It surely will soon be signed into law by President Bush.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Contrary to the happy talk coming out of the Bush Administration, well-informed business sources have heightened the perceived risk of recession. If the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) at its meeting next Tuesday does anything less than cut the federal funds rate by 50 basis points, it will be a major disappointment and damaging to markets and the broader economy. Indeed, a cut that deep already has been discounted in markets.
	Dr. Dobson Found Innocent I hope that headline got your attention, because in the game of “gotcha politics” headlines are often effective weapons, as perception often becomes reality. Stung by the reelection of George W. Bush, despite the incredible sums of money spent by radical Soros-funded groups to defeat him, and furious with the success of the pro-family movement in passing marriage protection amendments in more than two dozen states, a number of leftwing groups set out to intimidate pro-family organizations, their leaders and supporters. Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family were at the top of their list.
	“Family Discount”? It seems that the radical anti-war group MoveOn.org got a big break from the New York Times for its disgusting attack ad against General David Petraeus. Today’s New York Post reports that the open rate for a full-page like the one MoveOn.org ran is $181,692. Yet, the group paid only $65,000 – about a third.
9-08-07	President Bush Goes To Anbar Province by Gary Bauer The president irritated Big Media and his political opposition yesterday when he flew to Iraq and met with U.S. troops in Al-Anbar province, once written off by critics of the war as "lost." Anbar province is a vast Sunni territory where, until recently, Al Qaeda had flourished.
	What Nerve by Dallas Morning News Editor Ask Rep. Jeb Hensarling what's on his Texas constituents' minds these days, and he'll respond without hesitation: "Illegal immigration, illegal immigration, illegal immigration."
	Unflappable Fred by Denise McNamara Yes, I have been supporting Fred Thompson for President since January. Many of you have been giving me a hard time, wondering, “Why are you supporting a guy who won’t formally announce?” Some of you have bought into the other candidates’ propaganda about Fred lacking the “fire in the belly.” Well, tonight my candidate will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and tomorrow he will formally announce via a webcast on the www.imwithfred.com website. And he has been running first or second in the national polls for weeks. And to those of you who didn’t believe that Fred would run, all I can say is: I told you so!
	If You Build it, They Will Vote The Texas Straw Poll is one for the history books. The failure of the legislature to move up the Texas primary date, the scheduling of the event on Labor Day weekend and the first day of dove-hunting season, the limiting of participants to past convention delegates rather than Republican primary voters, and the lack of participation by the leading candidates all contributed to an extremely low turnout.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The guilty plea of Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) adds to the lengthening list of Republican criminals. The allegations of Craig's homosexual liaisons in public restrooms, still simply hearsay and inference, strike some Senate leaders as unsurprising. This recalls the same questions that arose following the Mark Foley scandal: Why did Republicans let him stick around and give him leadership roles if they knew? What other surprises are Republicans keeping in the closet? Craig's potential un-resignation causes more headaches, but the GOP Senate leadership signals it will flex its muscle to force Craig out as soon as possible.
9-01-07	Warner Vs. The Warrior by Gary Bauer Senator John Warner (R-VA) was pitiful on Meet the Press Sunday. He basically demanded the president start withdrawing troops from Iraq and threatened to vote with the Democrats if Bush didn't do it. How's that for loyalty?
	"Shadow Of A Nuclear Holocaust" by Gary Bauer Speaking before the American Legion convention today, President Bush again outlined the stakes in Iraq and offered a stark warning about the nature of the enemy we are confronting.
	For Want of A Mission by Bill Murchison Umm-hmm. Yep. The Alberto Gonzales thing never was primarily about Alberto. Witness some of the edifying commentary that accompanies our first Hispanic attorney general on his way back to Texas.
	Hardball by Gary Bauer We got a lot of positive feedback today from my interview last night with Chris Matthews on Hardball. Of course, there was also the usual smattering of obscene, vile e-mails from homosexual activists and their leftwing supporters. I am always amazed at how hateful the self-described "tolerance" crowd is. Their mantra is that everything should be tolerated - except of course the voices of those of us speaking from the perspective of Judeo-Christian values!
8-25-07	‘The Mark of Rove’ by Paul Gigot These are the days of Republican doubt, with President Bush fighting an unpopular war, Congress in opposition hands, and a 2008 presidential field trailing Democrats in nearly every poll. But don't tell that to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's political alter ego, who even as he prepares to resign from the White House after six and a half years sees recovery ahead.
	Lawmaker Math by Michael Quinn Sullivan Hear that knocking at your door? It’s the taxman, and he wants more money. Pay up. Bad spending and tax ideas are floating around. Here are three: state, county and school.
	Thompson “Ready To Rumble” by Gary Bauer Influential Washington Post columnist David Broder met with Fred Thompson this week and is reporting that Thompson plans an aggressive reform-minded presidential campaign that will take on issues others are afraid to talk about. Broder reports that former Senator Thompson plans to “shake up the establishment candidates of both parties” and argue that our country is facing fiscal and security threats that must be dealt with now or our future will be jeopardy.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The credit crunch threatening to seriously undermine the economy could transform the political climate -- adding an economic downturn to multiple woes afflicting Republicans going into the 2008 election. As usual, the Bush Administration is behind the curve, still viewing the broad problem as largely limited to sub-prime mortgages. Financial institutions look to the Federal Reserve to stem the bleeding.
	Securing Our Future by Gary Bauer President Bush delivered an excellent speech today before the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ national convention, drawing upon the lessons of history in defense of the Iraq war.
	Election Predictions by Paul Weyrich With little more than a year remaining before the next presidential election, I have some ideas about who will win and who will lose. My record to date has been remarkably accurate.
	The Totalitarian Left by Gary Bauer For all its rhetoric about conservative Christians being the "American Taliban," there has always been a totalitarian impulse among those on the Left, and it is on display once again in the efforts to shutdown Fox News and to silence Bill O'Reilly. The effort is being led by MoveOn.org and radical leftwing blogs like the Daily Kos.
	Democratic Dustup by Kimberley Strassel "They'll find their way back to the middle. And if they don't, they won't win." So says a blunt Harold Ford Jr., chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, of his party's current crop of presidential candidates.
8-18-07	What Is the Conservative Alternative to Daily Kos? by Patrick Ruffini The netroots is reveling in Chicago, and the natural reaction is to ask, “Where’s our YearlyKos?”
	Keeping Taxes Down a Must for Texans by Peggy Venable Texans may believe we have some of the lowest tax burdens in the country, but a recent study reveals disturbing trends that may turn our low-tax reputation on its head.
	A Monopoly by Any Other Name by Jamie Story What’s in a name? Apparently, to a government school monopoly, it’s everything.
	Finding Faith on the Campaign Trail by Nathan Tabor The 2008 election is already emerging as a faith-filled affair—if you are to believe the rhetoric coming out of some candidate camps this campaign season.
	Border Security Is National Security by Gary Bauer Throughout the debate on immigration reform, conservatives repeatedly stressed the link between border security and national security. It has been a fairly regular theme in this daily report ever since September 11, 2001. However, there was news last week that underscored yet again the urgent need for this country to get serious about border security.
	No One Will Even Try to Blend Party, Government Like He Did by Robert Novak The most useless speculation today in Washington is whom Chief of Staff Josh Bolten might choose to replace Karl Rove at the White House. He is genuinely irreplaceable. Nobody will attempt to combine the political and policy functions as Rove has done. Indeed, fellow Republicans question whether he should have attempted the feat himself.
8-11-07	Fighting For Sake Of Fighting by Roy Maynard Over time, most quarrels go from relevant to irrelevant. The longer the argument continues, the further from the point it strays - usually.
	Limbaugh of the Left is Beating Rush at Own Game by E.J. Dionne, Jr. Perhaps you missed it, but last Wednesday was the 19th anniversary of Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Limbaugh was celebrating his ripe old age, in media years, in the same week that liberal blog fans were trekking to Chicago for the Yearly Kos convention. Therein lies one of the most important stories in American politics.
	Battle Over Benefits by Editors, DallasNews.com To some Texans who work at community colleges, Gov. Rick Perry must seem like the Grinch who stole Christmas. In June, the governor vetoed $154 million in state money to pay the health benefits of community college employees who don't qualify as state workers. The veto sparked loud and persistent protests.
	Rupert Murdoch: Satan or Savior? by Cal Thomas The grotesque amount of condescension from the elite media concerning the purchase of Dow Jones, which includes The Wall Street Journal, by "media mogul" Rupert Murdoch is astounding. You would think Hugo Chavez had just bought the newspaper with his oil money and announced an immediate tilt to the left.
	Tyranny at the Texas Medical Board The Texas Medical Board (TMB) is denying physicians the constitutional right of due process, destroying their lives and the lives of the patients who rely upon them for care.
	When Their Bill Fails, Dems Find an Admiral to Blame by Robert Novak A sadder but wiser J.M. "Mike" McConnell, director of National Intelligence (DNI), told a senior Republican House member last weekend that the next time he dealt with congressional Democrats he would make sure a Republican was in the room or on the phone. After a lifetime navigating the murky waters of intelligence, Adm. McConnell at age 64 was ill prepared for the stormy seas of Capitol Hill.
	Strategic Patience by Austin Bay According to major media, America's "surge in Iraq" is suddenly working.
	Taxing the Poor by John Goodman On Christmas Day 2002, Jack Whittaker won the lottery. He won big. At $315 million, he held the largest single winning ticket in the history of American lotteries.
	Let Wisconsin Experiment with Socialized Medicine by John Stossel The Wall Street Journal editorial-page editors are correct in saying that Wisconsin's universal health care plan is "openly hostile to market incentives that contain costs," and that the state can "expect to attract health-care free-riders while losing productive workers who leave for less-taxing climes" says news correspondent John Stossel
	Revolting Taxes, Growing Government by Michael Quinn Sullivan I spent part of the week in Boston at the National Conference of State Legislators. To the city that hosted the original tax protest came legislators of all parties seeking new ways to grow government and raise taxes. Paul Revere, Sam Adams and the gang would be most displeased…
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak With congressional Republicans' morale in a steady decline, the adjournment for the August recess found the GOP in high spirits thanks to winning the anti-terrorist eavesdropping bill. That trumped Democratic passage of an energy bill in the final House session last Saturday night. The importance is that Democrats still flinch when they come face to face with President George W. Bush on terrorism.
8-04-07	Spending Tax Dollars by Michael Quinn Sullivan Is it impolite to ask that our tax dollars be spent more wisely? Whether we consider the growing weight of taxes at the local, state and federal level, or the endless stream of new regulations, it is harder and harder to find any results worthy of cost of government we now bear. Well, any positive results.
	The FISA Fight by Jed Babbin If Usama bin Laden has a sense of humor – or maybe if his #2 guy, Ayman al-Zawahiri does -- the two must be laughing as hard as you or I do when we see a rerun of “Blazing Saddles.” The spectacle of the US Congress refusing to deal with the crisis in intelligence gathering necessitating amendment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act must tickle their funny bones like their favorite hostage-beheading video.
	Signs of Attack Increase by Gary Bauer Counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv believes that an Al Qaeda attack on several American cities is likely within the next ninety days. Aviv states, “I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.”
	Evans-Novak Report by Robert Novak The Middle East initiative by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is not taken seriously. He is limited to economic, not political, aspects, and is spending no more than one week a month on the project. The highest-ranking U.S. representative in the Israeli-Palestinian situation is at the assistant secretary level. That is a sign that President Bush is not truly serious about achieving a settlement.
	Good For America; Bad For The Left If you're a tourist in Washington today and happen to notice that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are looking a little worried, it's no mystery why. Good news is coming out of Iraq in an avalanche, and those who have staked their futures on America's failure are getting nervous.
	The Martyrs No One Cares About The blood of innocent Christian missionaries spills on Afghan sands. The world watches and yawns. The United Nations offers nothing more than a formal expression of "concern." Where is the global uproar over the human rights abuses unfolding before our eyes?
7-28-07	Surge Is Working; Defeatists Don't Care by Gary Bauer By the day, evidence is growing that the U.S. "surge" in Iraq, declared a failure even before it had begun, is in fact working. The U.S. military, as usual, is performing courageously on the field of battle, dislodging Al Qaeda and its allies from strongholds, reducing their sanctuaries and doing it all with minimal civilian casualties.
	Edwards Sees The Enemy And Gets Tough by Gary Bauer I tuned in to last night’s Democrat/YouTube debate just in time to see former Senator John Edwards finally get tough on the Islamofascists – or at least so I I thought.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Despite the failure of Democrats to get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate to cut off debate on an Iraq, Republican unease with the war is growing. President George W. Bush is on a very short leash in Iraq. He must begin withdrawal by September to avoid a bipartisan resolution in Congress.
7-20-07	After Iraq by Thomas Sowell "And then what?" That is the question which should be asked of those who are demanding that we pull out of Iraq now.
	Ready for Texas' Taxes? by Michael Quinn Sullivan While in Corpus Christi on Monday night, I had the opportunity to visit with a gentleman who owns a small business in town that sits on property he owns. He also inherited a piece of property that he rents out. With the new business tax and skyrocketing property taxes, he’s trying to figure out how to make ends meet.
	Increased Chatter by Gary Bauer Recently, there have been several stories in the news about a heightened state of concern among anti-terrorism officials following the foiled attacks in London and Glasgow. Two weeks ago, ABC News reported that Homeland Security officials were warning of a "summer spectacular" by Al Qaeda, noting a similarity to pre-9/11 intelligence.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Despite important, senior Republican senators' abandoning ship on the Iraq War, it is unlikely that Democrats will win Senate passage this month of a binding resolution calling for withdrawal of troops. The most popular such proposal has about 51 senators supporting it, short of the 60 votes needed for cloture. However, it may be a different story in September after Gen. David Petraeus makes his status report. But by then, President George W. Bush may be making his own troop redeployments.
7-14-07	Iran's Proxy War Tehran is on the offensive against us throughout the Middle East. Will Congress respond?
7-06-07	Can We Keep the Republic? by Michael Quinn Sullivan At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, it is said, Benjamin Franklin (then 81 years old) was approached with a very pointed question. The people wanted to know what form of government had been created for the newly independent nation. Franklin’s answer, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
	Independence Day Message by Gary Bauer In recent weeks I have kept up a regular stream of reports on the struggles confronting our country. As the 231st birthday of America dawns tomorrow, let us set aside these concerns for a moment.
	Evans-Novak Political Report It is hard to cut the gloom among Republicans on Capitol Hill about the 2008 elections. They see Democrats winning three ways -- actually increasing their margins in both the House and Senate and putting Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the White House. These Republicans are counting on excesses of an all-Democratic government in 2009-10 leading to a GOP comeback in the 2010 election.
6-30-07	The Queen and Free Speech by Fred Thompson Last week, I was fortunate enough to spend some time in London. Being there, I couldn't help but think how much America owes to British culture and traditions. Even our past disagreements, like that “taxation without representation” thing, had their roots in British thought. The American Revolution can, in fact, be traced directly back to ideas set forth by the great British thinkers such as John Locke and Adam Smith.
	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Although the Senate, as expected, voted Tuesday to bring back the immigration reform bill, the consensus is that the cloture vote on the bill will fail Thursday. Even if it succeeds and the bill actually passes the Senate, there appears little chance of its passing the House (with opposition there on both sides of the aisle, especially among Republicans). Nobody will succeed politically as a result of the bill's defeat, but the biggest loser will be the divided Republican Party.
	TFR Releases Scorecard, Names 'Taxpayer Heroes' by Michael Quinn Sullivan Texans for Fiscal Responsibility pleased to present the “House edition” of our scorecard of the 80th Session of the Texas Legislature (the Senate edition will be released next month).
	"It Didn't Work" by Gary Bauer The Senate's "grand compromise" bill on comprehensive immigration reform has failed! The deeply flawed bill fell 14 votes short of the 60 necessary to end debate and move ahead to a full vote. The lopsided vote means that in the last two days, 18 senators who originally supported the bill-six Democrats and 12 Republicans-ultimately changed their minds and voted against it. In a press conference after the vote, a dejected President Bush said, "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work." All indications are that this vote puts an end to efforts to reform immigration this year, and possibly until after the 2008 election.
6/14/2007	Thugs on the March by Gary Bauer The events of the last 24 hours should be a wake-up call for those who still think we can talk ourselves out of war or simply walk away from the conflict. Gaza, just as we and others predicted, is rapidly becoming "Hamasistan," an Islamofascist terror state.
6/13/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak President George W. Bush's lunch with Republican Senators Tuesday, only the second such meeting in his presidency, was cordial. Nobody really confronted Bush on immigration (as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had proposed in an e-mail to GOP Senatorial aides). The President discussed his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before getting into immigration. But Bush's authority with congressional Republicans is at low ebb.
6/7/2007	Immigration “Reform” Unraveling? by Gary Bauer Senators and staffers were earning their pay yesterday as the Senate slogged through at least 16 roll call votes on various amendments to the comprehensive immigration “reform” bill before adjourning well after midnight. For the most part, the coalition that brought us this ill-conceived “grand compromise” held together, turning back one commonsense amendment after another.
6/6/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Just when it seemed that President George W. Bush's stock could go no lower with his political base, he dropped down a little more with the sentencing of Scooter Libby. Bush's reluctance to pardon Libby compares with his stubborn support of Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales. It is hard to exaggerate the extent of Republican discontent with the President.
6/1/2007	Grassroots Rage by Gary Bauer It's getting hot here in Washington, and I don't mean the summer heat. Both political parties are feeling the heat right now from their core supporters, and grassroots activists on the Left and the Right are taking their rage out against the Washington establishment.
5/31/2007	Legislature in the Rear View Mirror by Michael Quinn Sullivan For taxpayers, happiness is truly a legislative session in the rearview mirror. And the recently-concluded Session is no different; we should find great pleasure in the fact lawmakers have left Austin.
5/30/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The second week of the Senate's immigration bill points up the bitter internal dispute within the Republican Party, which is not a mere conflict between President George W. Bush and such conservatives as Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.). It has divided South Carolina's two first-term GOP Senators, Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint. It has separated Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, from his normal conservative constituency. This is a serious intraparty problem.
5/25/2007	The Liberal Inquisition by Gary Bauer There is tension in the air in Washington these days. Sure, there are major policy disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government and contentious issues like the war and immigration reform. But there is a siege mentality developing too – a sense of “gotcha” politics and intimidation. Liberals in Congress have launched at least 36 investigations against the administration. But this week, there was a chilling exchange in the House Judiciary Committee that went totally unnoticed.
5/23/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Iraq: After passing two bills that President Bush deemed unacceptable, Democrats have blinked in the fight over funds for the Iraq War.
	Importing a Slave Class by Ann Coulter Apparently, my position on immigration is that we must deport all 12 million illegal aliens immediately, inasmuch as this is billed as the only alternative to immediate amnesty. The jejune fact that we "can't deport them all" is supposed to lead ineluctably to the conclusion that we must grant amnesty to illegal aliens -- and fast!
5/18/2007	That Ticking Sound From Austin by Michael Quinn Sullivan With just 10 days left in the legislative session, time is running out. On the one hand, that is a good thing – less time for bad things to get done. On the other, it’s less time for good things to be accomplished. Either way, the clock is ticking.
5/16/2007	"To Fund or Not To Fund?" by Gary Bauer That is the question bedeviling Democrats on Capitol Hill. This morning, a majority of Senate Democrats (29 of them) voted for legislation, sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Majority Leader Harry Reid, to cut off funding for the troops in Iraq. Twenty Democrats and 47 Republicans voted against it.
	Jerry Falwell -- Say Hello to Ronald Reagan! by Ann Coulter No man in the last century better illustrated Jesus' warning that "All men will hate you because of me" than the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who left this world on Tuesday. Separately, no man better illustrates my warning that it doesn't pay to be nice to liberals.
5/7/2007	“Mickey” Joins the Islamofascists by Gary Bauer Palestinian television, which is completely controlled by the Palestinian “government” (the folks who would run a Palestinian state), broadcast a blood curdling show last week. It featured a Mickey Mouse-type character leading 5 and 6 year-old children in chants of “Kill the Jews” and “Kill the Americans.”
5/2/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak President George W. Bush's veto of the Iraq supplemental bill formalizes what everyone has expected for weeks. As negotiations proceed, the probable outcome is that there will remain no hard deadline for getting U.S. troops out of Iraq, but Bush will have to put up with some conditions that he does not like.
5/1/2007	Teepen: Bush Put Government in Death-grip of the GOP by Tom Teepen Bit by bit, as odd scraps of information surface, the hidden history of George W. Bush's presidency is emerging, like a jigsaw puzzle coming together.
4/27/2007	Al Qaeda & Iran by Gary Bauer Two reports in recent weeks clearly demonstrate the threat that the Iranian regime poses to peace in the Middle East and beyond. The first report, from the Associated Press, noted that Iranian-made weapons were recently captured by coalition forces in Afghanistan. We have known for some time that Iranian-made IEDs were being used in Iraq, but now it appears as though the mullahs in Tehran are expanding their sights and exporting weapons to aid Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan. The second report from a British paper, The Sunday Times, is far more disturbing.
4/25/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Republican morale is at a low point that recalls Watergate days. The word from Iraq is that the surge has not proved an immediate cure-all. On the contrary, the U.S. military is overworked and tired. There now appears to be no hope of getting out of Iraq by year's end. Adding to the low morale is President George W. Bush's defensive posture behind the barricade, defying the Democratic majority in Congress.
	Nuts in the Crosshairs by Ann Coulter For cranky right-wingers who think politicians don't listen to them, this week I give you elected Democrats running like scared schoolgirls from the media's demand that they enact new gun control laws in response to the Virginia Tech shooting.
4/24/2007	Fight Over War Erupts by Gary Bauer Congressional liberals upped the ante yesterday in the ongoing feud between Congress and President Bush over the war in Iraq. According to the Washington Times, Democrats on the House and Senate conference committee negotiating differences in the chambers' war funding bills actually accelerated the timetable for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq.
4/23/2007	Wanted: A Culture of Self-Defense by Michelle Malkin There's no polite way or time to say it: American colleges and universities have become coddle industries. Big Nanny administrators oversee speech codes, segregated dorms, politically correct academic departments and designated "safe spaces" to protect students selectively from hurtful (conservative) opinions -- while allowing mob rule for approved leftist positions (textbook case: Columbia University's anti-Minuteman Project protesters).
4/20/2007	Tax Relief (Still) Pending by Michael Quinn Sullivan So in fine Reaganesque fashion, State Rep. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney) is trying to get your money back into your hands. To accomplish that, he introduced House Bill 2785, which would provide more than $2.5 billion in immediate property tax relief. Because the bill would cut local school district M&O property taxes, a hearing was held in the House Public Education Committee earlier this week.
4/19/2007	Signs of Intelligence? by Fred Dalton Thompson One of the things that's got to be going through a lot of peoples' minds now is how one man with two handguns, that he had to reload time and time again, could go from classroom to classroom on the Virginia Tech campus without being stopped. Much of the answer can be found in policies put in place by the university itself.
4/18/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The Supreme Court's decision this morning upholding a ban on partial-birth abortion reminds conservative voters of one of President George W. Bush's successes -- appointments to the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court. The decision is not a huge victory in practical terms, but it could conceivably mark the point at which pro-lifers stop being pushed backward in the courts.
	New Moderate Democrats Mostly Bow to Leadership by Robert Novak For the second time, Heath Shuler has fallen short of expectations in Washington. Two decades ago, he was a top Washington Redskins draft choice as a University of Tennessee All-American quarterback but proved a bust. This year, he came to Congress after being elected to a heavily Republican North Carolina who would be so conservative that it was even speculated that he would vote against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker. Not so.
	We Need More Heroes by James Bowman Reacting to what many in Britain and elsewhere are regarding as the disgraceful behavior while in captivity of the British sailors and marines kidnapped by the Iranians, Simon Heffer recently wrote in the London Daily Telegraph: “Why are some so weak-minded compared with those 18- year-olds who, within living memory, went over the top on the Somme, or splashed through machine-gun fire onto the Normandy beaches?”
4/17/2007	Looking for Heroes at Virginia Tech by Gary Bauer The blame game is already in full force today over the horrific events at Virginia Tech. Some critics feel the university administration should have closed the campus after the first two killings early in the morning (I tend to agree).
4/13/2007	Religious Extremism by Gary Bauer Paul Krugman is a well-known columnist for the New York Times who woke up this morning very worried about religious extremists. He devoted his whole column to it this morning. I understand his concern.
4/11/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Fred Thompson is very likely to enter the race for President, with a possible announcement coming as early as next week. Thompson's announcement that he is in remission from lymphoma is a trial balloon -- the reaction could determine his decision. This particular kind of lymphoma is much less harmful than others and should not shorten his life expectancy.
4/6/2007	Let Some Government Programs Ride Into Sunset by U.S. Senator John Cornyn Congress recently passed a 5-year, $15 trillion federal budget just as many Americans were looking up from calculating their federal income tax bills.
4/5/2007	"Nancy Pelosi's Foolish Shuttle Diplomacy" by Gary Bauer You know congressional liberals have overreached when the liberal media calls them on it, and that's precisely what happened in Washington today. The headline for this item isn't mine, but is in fact the subtitle to the lead editorial in today's Washington Post. It's not often you will find me praising the editors of the Post, but they nailed it!
4/4/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Comments in Sunday's New York Times by former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd offer a window into the disillusionment now felt even within President George W. Bush's inner circle. Dowd not only expressed his disappointment, but also echoed our assessment of Bush as "isolated." Dowd views Bush as trapped within a bubble formed by his closest advisors, and blind to the public's demand for withdrawal from Iraq. Some Republicans, however, question this sudden reversal, particularly since Dowd is a former Democrat and he expressed interest in working for Sen. Barack Obama's (D.-Ill.) presidential campaign.
3/30/2007	Middle East Inching Toward War? by Gary Bauer This has been anything but a “quiet week” on the foreign policy scene. Shaken by Iran’s seizure of British sailors and taken back by the unusually harsh rhetoric coming out of Saudi Arabia, western diplomats are scurrying to parse the statements, hoping to read between the lines what is very likely not there.
	Republican Retreat: Welfare, Education, Economy by Michael Quinn Sullivan The indomitable Winston Churchill, speaking in October 1941, encouraged the young men of his country, “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
3/28/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The attitude of Capitol Hill Republicans toward President George W. Bush has reached a new low with Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales' incompetent handling of the U.S. attorneys matter. It is not just that there is so little GOP support for Gonzales, but that there is considerable distancing from the President. There is a consensus among congressional Republicans that Bush's policies -- starting with Iraq -- are at the heart of the party's problems.
3/27/2007	Protecting Texas' Free Market by Michael Quinn Sullivan For the last decade, Texas has been the national leader in making moves toward substantive, free-market reforms as means to solve problems and improve the quality of life.
3/23/2007	A Cure for Political Depression by Peggy Noonan I will never forget the stunning Oct. 7, 1962, Time magazine cover that showed Franklin D. Roosevelt weeping, a shining tear snaking its way down his pale and sunken cheek as he surveyed the destruction wrought by the New Frontier--tax cuts, a Republican running Treasury.
	Connecting the Dots by Gary Bauer Watching the nightly news, it would be easy to think that jihadist violence is primarily limited to the Middle East, but recent events elsewhere suggest that Islamic terrorism is not geographically limited.
	Why Don't the Two Parties Work Together? by William Rusher Every once in a while some hopeless idealist, sick unto death of the constant squabbling between the two major parties, demands to know "Why don't the Republicans and Democrats in Washington just get together and work for the good of the country?"
3/21/2007	'300' Therapy by Amanda B. Carpenter I’ve never been in therapy, but I can’t imagine anything could be more cathartic than watching King Leonidas and his mighty band of Spartans brutally massacre the thousands of jihadis that descended on them at the epic Battle of Thermopylae in the blockbuster hit 300.
	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Just as the Democrats seemed off balance in dealing with the Iraq war, Republicans are furious that the Bush Administration is losing the initiative thanks to three big fumbles: firing the U.S. attorneys, the FBI excesses and the Walter Reed Army Hospital. "Incompetence" is the word used by Republicans in describing the administration.
	Gore's Global Warming Religion by Ann Coulter No matter how much liberals try to dress up their nutty superstitions about global warming as "science," which only six-fingered lunatics could doubt, scratch a global warming "scientist" and you get a religious fanatic.
	Universal Pre-K by Gina Parker Ford Proponents of universal pre-K, such as the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC), are less interested in improving educational opportunities for children and more interested in growing the ranks of public school teachers.
3/20/2007	House Kills TIF Tax, But Senate Is Hesitating by Michael Quinn Sullivan The Texas House voted [this week] to eliminate the TIF tax! Your calls, letters and e-mails made a big difference! The battle now moves the Texas Senate, but the terrain is very rough. The influential chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan), isn’t committed to eliminating the TIF tax.
3/14/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The early rush of the new Democratic majority in Congress has been slowed to a walk, but the Republicans still have not adjusted to being in the minority.
	Whatever Happened To The Surge? by Gary Bauer When President Bush decided to send a "surge" (previously known as reinforcements) of new troops to Iraq, he was roundly condemned by the legions of the "wise" that reside in Big Media, academia and Congress.
3/9/2007	Shining Sunlight in State Government by Michael Quinn Sullivan “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases,” wrote U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in advocating for transparent government. “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”
3/8/2007	Jimmy Carter’s Friends by Gary Bauer Former President Jimmy Carter continues to bash Israel, America’s most reliable Middle East ally, as he travels from university to university, promoting his ludicrous book, Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid.
3/7/2007	Shooting Elephants in a Barrel by Ann Coulter Lewis Libby has now been found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice for lies that had absolutely no legal consequence.
	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Reports circulate on Capitol Hill that Democrats will insert House-passed bills, stalled in the Senate, to the supplemental appropriations bill funding the Iraq war. Democratic leaders flatly deny this to us.
3/6/2007	Republican Justices Dissented From the Dred Scott Decision by Michael Zak In his inauguration address, Democrat President James Buchanan hinted that he had been tipped off that the Supreme Court would soon render a decision that he believed would settle the question of slavery in the territories.
3/2/2007	Do Our Issues Matter? by Gary Bauer A lot of social issue conservatives are worried that the values issues-the sanctity of life, preservation of marriage etc.-won't loom large in the 2008 general election or even in the battle for the GOP nomination.
2/28/2007	Evans Novak Political Report by Robert Novak Republicans have recovered from the initial blow of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) early blitz, thanks largely to the Senate's playing its historical role of the saucer cooling the hot coffee from the House.
	Why Liberals Are Right to Hate the Ten Commandments by Michael Medved The left’s fiery obsession with removing Ten Commandments monuments from public property throughout the United States may seem odd and irrational but actually reflects the deepest values of contemporary liberalism.
2/27/2007	“Friends of God” by Gary Bauer In the wake of the 2004 election … a nonplussed liberal media establishment was left with just one question …
2/23/2007	The Problem Lies in Islamism -- Not Us by Rabbi Aryeh Spero Many in the West are shocked and horrified by the aggressive and wild outbursts coming from members of the Islamic communities on the streets of Europe and elsewhere.
1/13/2006	Stupid in America by John Stossel "Stupid in America" is a nasty title for a program about public education, but some nasty things are going on in America's public schools and it's about time we face up to it. Watch the video.
2/23/2007	Cheney vs. Pelosi by Gary Bauer A few days ago, Vice President Dick Cheney hit a nerve when he suggested that Al Qaeda's goals would be helped by the "cut and run" policies being promoted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
2/21/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The principal issue in Washington is the Democratic effort to stop the surge of troops in Iraq.
2/14/2007	Evans-Novak Political Report by Robert Novak The futility so far of congressional Republicans in coping with the Democratic majority is typified by the fuss they have made about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) desire for a bigger Air Force plane. It was arrogant on Pelosi's part, but the White House was correct in disregarding it.
	Sudden Jihad Syndrome? by Gary Bauer Were five people killed in Salt Lake City this week because of Islamofascism? Don't count on Big Media to answer that question. Here is what we know as of now.
2/7/2007	Yellowcake and Yellow Journalism by Ann Coulter To see how liberal history is created, you need to tune into the nut-cable stations and watch their coverage of the Scooter Libby trial. On MSNBC they're covering the trial like it's the Normandy Invasion, starring Elvis Presley, as told by Joseph Goebbels.