Dean In

Howard Dean has officially thrown his hat into the ring as a democratic presidential candidate. He started his campaign by criticizing Bush's presidency, so naturally conservative pundits have started their campaign to marginalize him. The common charge is that if he won the nomination, it would be Nixon - McGovern all over again as democrats abandon the strategy of playing to the middle and nominate an unelectable leftist candidate. Dean's message is beginning to strike a chord with voters as he plays the outsider who is not afraid to criticize the status quo. Sort of a Democtratic version of John McCain.

If we are seeing a replay of Nixon - McGovern, I guess we'll be seeing the republicans breaking into Dean headquarters soon. By the way, has anyone seen G. Gordon Liddy lately? Visit the Dean website here.

(MediaMonkey has not endorsed any candidate at this time)

Wit and Wisdom of Ann Coulter

Another day, another thick hot steaming pile of doggrel from our favorite conservative intellectual "scholar" - Ann Coulter. Ms. Coulter is is the author of Slander, her book pitching that tired, worn-out conservative canard about the liberal media. Her new diatribe, Treason, is another long-winded attack on liberalism. According to the catalog (Crown Books):

In a stunning follow-up to Slander, leading conservative pundit Ann Coulter contends that liberals have been wrong on every major domestic and foreign policy issue, from the fight against communism at home and abroad, the Nixon and Clinton presidencies, and the struggle with the Soviet empire, right up to today's war on terrorism. "Liberals have a preternatural gift for always striking a position on the side of treason," says Coulter. "Everyone says liberals love America, too. No, they don't."

Oh, brother. I guess a provocative paragraph like that guarantees her a spot on conservative radio for a while. Once again another topic is reduced to black and white, good and evil, right and wrong - no shades of gray. Liberals can't get with the Bush agenda because they hate America. It's that simple.

The book has just been released, so I really can't say much about it. Expect more posts after I read it.

The Plot Thickens!

Senate Commerce Committee and chairman John McCain have voted to send the FCC recommendations on media deregulation to a vote of the full senate. Steve Klein has a blurb on this in Poynter's E-Media Tidbits, with a reference to Tom Shales' take on the issue in the Wasingotn Post.

Also this article from Editor and Publisher
Committee Votes to Roll Back FCC Rules