Free Republic

Is there any political caricature more threadbare than casting the Republican Party as "the Confederacy?" CNN analyst Gloria Borger tossed that one on Thursday, with all its pejorative assumptions about hidden or not-so-hidden racial animus, noting New England states had no House Republicans.

The latest story from CBS is one in which the dishonesty is on par with Dan Rather's forged document story. Earlier this week on CBS News, Gloria Borger presented a story about the GOP plans to pursue the "nuclear option" (read: constitutional option) and interviewed Ken Starr in a 20-minute sit down conversation. Ken Starr, Dean of Pepperdine Law School, was once an enemy of the left for prosecuting Bill Clinton in the Whitewater investigation. But after the CBS report this week, he has been praised by the many in the MSM and liberals for "speaking the truth about not...

As it turns out, Howard Dean is not the best choice to lead the Democratic National Committee. If the party is looking for a new spokesman, there is a better choice--David Spade (with apologies to his Capital One ad): Social Security reform? No. Clear some judges? No way, Jose. Find some agreement on national security? Nyet. Sure, the Democrats are struggling to find their voice, pick their leaders, and agree on a legislative strategy. It's hard work. But it's also too bad they're allowing themselves to look like a bunch of minority naysayers--defined more by old tactics than new ideas....

It's the latest political cliche: this is a divided country. Or this is a polarized country. Or this, if you prefer, is a nation that has been split since the 2000 election between the heartland "red states" that supported George W. Bush and the Northeast and western "blues" (map, below) that went for Al Gore. Ipso facto, 2004 is going to be a really close election. But wait. While the political cognoscenti have been frantically trying to handicap the Democrats--first in Iowa, and now busily recalibrating their prognostications for the New Hampshire primary--something quantifiable has actually been happening among voters....

Population figures show Sweetwater slipping fast BY JOHN REYNOLDS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Alongside its reputation as the rattlesnake capital of the world, Sweetwater has earned another, albeit unwanted, title: fastest shrinking city in Texas. 10 fastest growing cities Statistics from the Census Bureau's city-by-city population estimates for July 1, 2002, released Thursday. The estimates were considered accurate only for cities with populations of 10,000 or greater. City 2001 (est.) 2002 (est.) Percent Change Leander 9,646 11,661 20.9 Cedar Park 32,325 37,764 16.8 McKinney 63,198 73,081 15.6 Frisco 41,882 47,652 13.8 Allen 51,303 57,216 11.5 Rockwall 20,103 22,334 11.1 Sachse 11,761 13,015 10.7...