Amy Sullivan

TODAY’S MUST-READS….Don’t really have much time these next few days, so I’ll just point you to some good commentary and we can return to the themes later in the week. First up is the always-worth-reading Mike Tomasky, who asks why the mainstream media seem not to have noticed that our president’s approval ratings are shockingly […]

THE REFORM PARTY….The latest disapproval numbers for Bush and Congress, taken from yesterday’s Wall St. Journal poll, have only cemented my belief that the smartest thing Democrats could do over the next two years is run as the party of reform. People are unhappy with Congress, their dissatisfaction is growing, and they’re ripe for the […]

NO DELAY….I’m going to stay away from Tom DeLay commentary for the moment, as my main thought is that the best thing liberals can do is stand by and enjoy the spectacle. But I will link to Marshall Wittmann’s comments on the subject from yesterday because: a) I love the fact that they’re written in […]

ANOTHER PASSING REMEMBERED….In what is becoming the week of famous deaths comes news of Frank Conroy’s passing. Unless you follow the Iowa Writer’s Workshop closely, you probably heard of Conroy only in the context of, “No…not that Conroy…you’re thinking of Pat.” But in addition to nurturing the careers of many a talented writer in Iowa, […]

A REAL COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE….If you haven’t gotten your fill of John Paul II commentary, I have a piece over on Salon that takes a brief look at the Pope’s influence on American politics. Or, more precisely, the selective lessons conservatives have drawn from his teaching. Short version: abortion, euthanasia–right on!; death penalty, war, workers’ rights–not […]

MATH AND GIRLS….Interesting article from the front page of yesterday’s Wall St. Journal: In her 10th-grade math class, Frankie Teague dimmed the lights, switched on soothing music and handed each student a white board and a marker. Then she projected an arithmetic problem onto a screen at the front of the room. “As soon as […]

DEATHLY AFRAID….Now that Terri Schiavo has died, I’d like to raise a question–not a political question, but a moral one. I’ve been bothered by the way religious leaders discussed her situation and the way that the Pope himself has framed his own slow, painful journey toward the end of life. In both cases, the loudest […]

NO PILLS FOR YOU!….Kevin blogged about the “Pharmacists’ Rights” movement briefly yesterday and Ed Kilgore has a very funny post on the issue that is worth your time. But I want to pull back for a moment to ask whether there is any “there” there to this UPROAR/CONTROVERSY/CULTURAL WAR TO END ALL WARS. The Washington […]

BUSY SIGNAL….The Washington Post has a story today outlining the disappointment in the Native American community to the nearly radio silent response of the White House following the Minnesota shooting earlier this week that left ten people dead. By way of explanation, deputy press secretary (and holiday short-straw drawer) Dana Perino said that Bush tried […]