When Hillary loses (either in the primary or in the general) the editorials and post mortems will sound something like this explanation by Linda Mason, a VP at CBS News, who uses broad generalizations to justify the specific journalistic atrocity that is Katie Couric.

Mason: "I'm just surprised at how, almost 30 years after I worked on the Evening News as the first woman producer, that Katie is having such a tough time being accepted by the public, which seems to prefer the news from white guys, and now that Charlie's doing so well, from older white guys. I guess they want the reassurance of a Walter Cronkite.

"I had no idea that a woman delivering the news would be a handicap. And I'm afraid that Katie's paying a price for being the first woman. But I think it's a great trail that she's blazing, and I think if the broadcast continues to be as good as it has been, if we continue to break news, if we continue to tell interesting stories, people will start to watch. It takes time, I think. But I was surprised that there was an obvious connection between a woman giving the news, and the audience wanting to watch it." (Public Eye, a CBSNews.com blog)

Rudy's problem was not, as Dick Morris suggests, that he didn't have enough time during the debate — it was he had too much.

Can you imagine if he had MORE time to talk about his abortion position? More time to dig a hole the size of the Grand Canyon to bury his candidacy? Now, let's talk some more about Roe v. Wade; let's explain his support of federal funding for abortion; let's pull out more quotes about a woman's rights; let's look at who else he gave money to besides Planned Parenthood. Of course, on that last one he could just blame it all on Wife No. 2 —  Donna Hanover made me do it! Oops, maybe he might not want to pick another fight with her. Read more...

The title of this note is taken from Norman Mailer's famous essay about John Kennedy, which he wrote in 1960 during the Democratic National Convention. It remains one of the most brilliant political writings in history and I heartily recommend that anyone who has not read it should find it.

We will soon learn whether Harry Reid can play big-time poker with George Bush on the Iraq war, a subject to be discussed here soon.

For now, a standing ovation for the Speaker, the House Democratic Caucus, the Out Of Iraq Caucus, the Fighting Democrats in the House, and two Republicans who had the courage of their convictions, Walter Jones (N.C.) and Wayne Gilchrest (Md.). Read more...

What in the heck are the Democrats doing to the intelligence bill?

First, they cut human intelligence funding and shift money to study global climate change. Then, they stick in an earmark to fund a National Drug Intelligence Center that happens to be in the district of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).

It is remarkable to think that in this time of war, a war that is largely being fought in the shadows, by terrorists on one hand and our spies on the other, that Democrats would choose to spend one dime of money on global warming.

But it really isn’t much of a surprise. Since the surrender in Vietnam, brought about by a radically liberal Democratic Congress, the Democrats have largely hated the intelligence community. For example, the Clinton administration slashed human intelligence to the bare bones, leading to the disaster that was Sept. 11. Read more...

President Bush is like the boy in the bubble. He is looking out through a haze, isolated, unable to comprehend much of the outside world.

He jokes with the queen, tries to empathize with tornado victims, goes about his daily routine of bike riding, all while Republicans on the Hill become more and more disenchanted. November 2008 is looming larger and larger, and they can't get through to this guy.

Some started trying to penetrate the hermetically sealed bubble with a letter opener. Now they know they need a howitzer. Soon they will recognize that this president is not coming back from over 70 percent disapproval ratings. And that the only way to save their political skins is to convince Bush to change course in Iraq. Read more...

The mainstream media insist on minimizing terror threats that our intelligence operatives quash before they can wreak mayhem and kill our people. They did it with the Sears Tower raid, the jets that were going to be destroyed over the Atlantic, the millenium attack on LAX airport, the shoe bomber, the Brooklyn Bridge attack, and Padilla the would-be dirty bomber.  In each case, the media is fond of writing how the gang could never have gotten it together to pull off the raid. They portray the attackers as clowns who were disorganized and just dabblers in terror whose case is being hyped by the right wing to stoke terror fears.

But these characterizations of real threats we faced and, thanks to our homeland security forces, thwarted are quite wrong and distorted. Had these liberal critics interviewed Mohammed Atta and his gang of 9/11 hijackers, they might have come to the same conclusion. Read more...

As for the pesky abortion issue having finally swum its way to the surface in the ’08 sweepstakes, this week hands a thumbs-down to Rudy Giuliani, a thumbs-up to Mitt Romney and a thumbs-sideways to Sen. John McCain. OK, it’s one thing if the McCain campaign is the one leaking Planned Parenthood contributions from Mrs. Romney and the former Mr. and Mrs. Giuliani to the media. We don’t know if it is but all is fair in a presidential campaign. But it was hard to swallow McCain jumping in the very next day and saying that the pro-choice position violates one of the “fundamental principles of a conservative.” How gratuitous! Ask any passionate pro-lifer in the GOP and they will tell you that but for his supportive votes they have never felt McCain cared for their cause. Looks like he does now, I guess.

Now to Rudy — supporting abortion rights and saying the government has no place in this decision is one thing for Republican primary voters to digest, and according to those months of good poll numbers I was convinced they were willing to look past it. But contributing to the top provider of abortions is another matter entirely. Best of luck. Read more...

There is a reason that Fred Thompson's recent California speech was a giant dud: He does not have anything to say that would elect him to the presidency.

The Republican candidates have a possibly insurmountable problem in 2008, which is that America desperately wants to put George W. Bush into the past, while the Republicans who want to succeed him must appeal to a right-wing base far out of touch with the nation.

The single most powerful political fact is the enormous and overwhelming repudiation by political independents of George Bush, his political agenda, and his style of polarizing and divisive politics.

Fred Thompson's problem is that his opening is on the right of the party, while the right of the party is what destroys Republican appeals to political independents. Read more...

Well, it’s Mother’s Day again. Just recently, the queen was in our country and we fell in love with her all over again. My connection with her was that she and my mother were born in the same year, a mere week apart. I have never met a senior citizen I couldn’t talk to and I finally figured out why: because my sensitivity and dedication to my own mother as she grows old has made me more sensitive and caring toward those in their jubilee years.

My mother, now in her 80s, is sweet and adorable and is in much more need of her children than ever before. Yes, she gives the impression that she’s still tough and independent, but the simple things remind me that she’s getting older and that I need to enjoy every waking moment with her.

Every morning without interruption, at 5 a.m. I call my mother and every time it’s as if she’s hearing from me for the first time. The Bible’s definition of love could not have described a mother’s love more poignantly. Read more...