Calls to ‘Rein in the Federal Government’ Are ‘Not Very Rational

“The side that talks about the need to rein in the federal government” is “not very rational,” yet “is winning” the debate over whether to pass another “stimulus” bill, Al Hunt regretted on Sunday’s This Week on ABC. The former Washington Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, who’s Washington Editor for Bloomberg where he hosts Bloomberg TV’s Political Capital show, fretted over how “right…
Brent Baker

Krugman: 'Heartless, Clueless and Confused' GOP Block Unemployment Ben

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is angry the Senate hasn't once again extended unemployment benefits, and he's blaming "heartless, clueless and confused" Republicans."There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do…
Noel Sheppard

Open Thread: Too Much TV and Video Games Doubles Attention Problems

NB Staff

CBS Legal Correspondent: Senate Democrats Can Blame Themselves for Kag

There have been a lot of complaints from the left over the opposition Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan has faced from Senate Republicans in her battle to win confirmation. But Kagan proponents should have seen this day coming when Democrats in the Senate did the same things to try to slow the confirmations of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito. On CBS's July 4 "Face the Nation,"…
Jeff Poor

Petraeus Uses a Word the President Avoids to Describe Goal in Afghanis

The first six words (bolded by me) of Deb Riechmann's report from Kabul, Afghanistan for the Associated Press are refreshing: "We are in this to win," Gen. David Petraeus said as he took the reins of an Afghan war effort troubled by waning support, an emboldened enemy, government corruption and a looming commitment to withdraw troops - even with no sign of violence easing. It would have been…
Tom Blumer

Embattled Weigel Calls Sources of Criticism of His Ideology 'Partisan

At this point, we all know the Dave Weigel saga, which is as a so-called blogger for The Washington Post, he made some disparaging remarks about the people he covered as a conservative beat blogger. That eventually led to his resignation at the Post and he addressed it on CNN's July 4 "Reliable Sources." Weigel was asked by host Howard Kurtz if in this day and age it was "an uncomfortable fit"…
Jeff Poor

Independence Day Treat: JibJab Presents 'Founding Fathers Rap

Noel Sheppard

The Progressive Magazine Commemorates Anti-America Historian Howard Zi

Fireworks, barbecue, parades on the Fourth of July ... but hold the flags. Sounds ridiculous, right? Although Howard Zinn died earlier this year, that was his suggestion back in 2006. And what does The Progressive magazine do this July 4th? They trot Zinn's anti-American sentiments out for their left-of-center audience by republishing his piece, "Put away the flags." "On this July 4, we would…
Jeff Poor

Fact Checking ABC's This Week: Most Statements PolitiFact Sees as 'Fal

Back in April, as ABC's Jake Tapper took over as interim host of This Week (pending the arrival of ex-CNNer Christiane Amanpour in August), the show asked the fact-checkers at PolitiFact to evaluate the truthfulness of statements made on the show.After nearly three months, the results show far more Democrats and liberals earning a "False" rating, with most of the "True" ratings going to…
Rich Noyes

Cynthia Tucker: 'Steele Would've Been Fired Long Time Ago Were He Not

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Cynthia Tucker on Sunday said that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele "is a self-aggrandizing, gaffe-prone incompetent who would have been fired a long time ago were he not black." Chatting with ABC's Jake Tapper during the Roundtable segment of today's "This Week" about Steele's recent remarks concerning Afghanistan, Tucker went even further…
Noel Sheppard

Open Thread: Happy Independence Day

NB Staff

Was Maddow's Criticism of Sharron Angle Also a Swipe at Olbermann

You might wonder the same after hearing what Rachel Maddow said in response to GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle's contentious interview with Las Vegas Sun columnist and local cable show host Jon Ralston.Maddow, as is her wont, criticized Angle for avoiding left-leaning media prior to Ralston interviewing her June 29 -- followed by Maddow criticizing Angle after the interview. Suffice it to say…
Jack Coleman

Saturday Funnies: Leno Chats With Really Clueless Folks About Independ

Imagine not knowing what year the United States declared its independence, what country we fought to win our freedom from, or who was the General that led our troops to victory.As hard as it is to believe, there are actually Americans that are that stupid, and Jay Leno caught up with some of them last week:
Noel Sheppard

MSM Wall Protecting Obama Gulf Oil Spill Response Cracks With Latest A

Perhaps it is frustration, as expressed by Anderson Cooper, with the new White House rules inhibiting reports about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that is now causing a big crack in the Mainstream Media wall which until recently mostly avoided direct criticism of the Obama administration response. However that crack has now turned into a flood of surprising criticism coming from formerly friendly…
P.J. Gladnick