BILL O'REILLY: Here's, here's the bottom line on this for every American and everybody in the world, nobody knows for sure, all right? We don't know what he has. We think he has 8,500 liters of anthrax. But let's see. But there's a doubt on both sides. And I said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush Administration again, all right? But I'm giving my government the benefit of the doubt. . . .
BILL O'REILLY: . . if he has 8,500 liters of anthrax that he's not going to give up, even though the United Nations demanded that he do that, we are doing the right thing. If he doesn't have any weapons, then we are doing the wrong thing.
(O'Reilly's interview on ABC's Good Morning America, March 18, 2003)

O'REILLY: Colonel, if weapons of mass destruction aren't found, your reputation, my reputation -- because I will have to apologize because I bought into it, I bought into it -- and out of a scale 1 to 10, 10 is the best, how certain are you that we're going to find these weapons of mass destruction?
MAGINNIS:There's a 10 there, Bill.
[A little later in the conversation]:
O'REILLY:Real fast, Colonel, any prediction of when something is going to happen on your part? Real fast.
MAGINNIS: In the next two weeks, we are going to have many hundreds of people in there. I would say within a month, we will have a lot of..
O'REILLY: All right, a month from today, we'll do this story again, and then we have it on tape. Gentlemen, thanks very much. Very interesting.(The O'Reilly Factor, April 22)

"BMX XXX" has many partners in misogyny in the world of video-play. "Grand Theft Auto" has boys genuflecting, parents hand-wringing, and Justin apologizing profusely when he boots up after dinner to deliver virtual hookers to their mob-boss headquarters, occasionally bumping off a few streetwalkers along the way. The new "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball" closely emulates "BMX XXX" with its barely bikini-clad ball-spikers, even outdoing "BMX"'s customizing option with a control that allows you to set the "jiggle factor" of your player's breasts. (The game is rumored to be offering a topless edition next season.) Next year will see the release of what may be the archetype of all subjugation games when Hugh Hefner unveils his game based on life at the Playboy Mansion. But, to date, "BMX XXX" is the industry leader.
In the conclusion to Only Words, MacKinnon imagines a day when "artifacts of these abuses will reside in a glass case next to the dinosaur skeletons in the Smithsonian." With "BMX XXX," sadly, that day seems quite a bit further off. And, when it comes, the glass case will have to fit not just video cameras and tapes but the discarded gaming platforms that delivered gender-training with a virtual dirt bike and a pornographic God complex.

In his address Tuesday, the senator condemned a video game called "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" in which the object is to hunt down people who stole the player's cocaine. The player is awarded points for having sex with a prostitute before killing her. "As I watched it, I feared for my daughters," Lieberman said as several women in the crowded nodded their heads in agreement. "And I fear for yours."

When desperate Texas Democrats fled their statehouse last week to avoid a political showdown, they simply followed a Republican playbook that had been written nine years before in California. Then, Republicans hid in Sacramento's Hyatt Regency Hotel to block that wily despot Willie Brown from clinging to the speakership for a 15th year in the teeth of a new, razor-thin Republican majority. They failed, outfoxed by Brown.

[Roger] Ailes mentioned that he'd heard that "MSNBC had allegedly set up a small team to seek our more conservative, populist stories." He also noted that MSNBC had "failed" with Chris Matthews. Ailes: "If Chris Matthews worked for me, he'd be doing better. ... I wouldn't let him answer everybody's question for them. He asks the question. Then he answers it. Then he asks you what you thinks of his answer. Then he goes on to another question. At some point, he's got to let the guest answer. I'd say 'Chris, if you don't shut the f--- up I'm going to fire you."

New York Times' Rutenberg reports on ex-Pres Clinton aide Sydney Blumenthal's new book "The Clinton Wars" containing an account of MSNBC's Chris Matthews lobbying the WH "to succeed" Dee Dee Myers. Matthews, according to Mr. Blumenthal, "then 'turned into a detractor of Clinton,' though he draws no direct connection to the supposed failed job hunt." The implication "bothers" Matthews because, "he has told people at NBC News and elsewhere, it is simply not true." Ex-Clinton CoS Leon Panetta said he did, indeed, speak with" Matthews "about the job, which came open in 1994." Panetta: "It was not by any means him calling me and lobbying for the job. ... I was calling him to check out his interest." Myers: "I find it a little bit unlikely .... If he was doing it, it's the first I've ever heard of it." Blumenthal "stands by his story" citing "numerous sources, several of my White House colleagues." More Blumenthal: "This was not a deep, dark secret." Matthews "would not comment publicly on the matter" (5/19).

"SNL" opened this weekend with an episode of "Hardball." Guests were: WH CoS "Andrew Card," the Rev. "Al Sharpton" and Sen. "Rick Santorum" (R-PA):
MSNBC's "Matthews": "Welcome back to 'Hardball,' I'm Chris Matthews. President Bush declares that those responsible this week's attack in Saudi Arabia will be hunted down and given a dose of American justice. Is it me or is this administration starting to sound like an episode of 'Walker, Texas Ranger?' I haven't seen a guy this cocky since Ruben from 'American Idol' at a waffle eating contest. As the election season heats up the question becomes, is Bush unstoppable? Or do the Democrats have a David for this Goliath? Joining us tonight White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card."
"Card": "Thanks for having me Chris."
"Matthews": "Whatever you said shut it. Also joining us a man that has more track suits than the wardrobe department of the 'Sopranos,' Democratic Presidential hopeful and political train wreck, Al Sharpton."
"Sharpton": "I've got some good stuff for you today Chris."
"Matthews": "Good, but just on principle I'm going to tell you to zip it. Mr. Card we'll start with you, do you see any Republican weaknesses heading into the 2004 campaign?"
"Card": "Absolutely not. Just look at President Bush's recent accomplishments. He piloted that fighter jet all by himself and landed on the aircraft carrier. People love that. He single handily caught Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden and made them wrestle each other in a cage match. Two years ago he came up with the idea for 'Joe Millionaire.' He's amazing.
"Matthews": "And does it bother you that none of that is true?"
"Card": "Look Chris, if it doesn't bother Karl Rove, it doesn't bother me."
"Matthews": "Al Sharpton, what is your strategy for battling such a popular incumbent?"
"Sharpton": "It's going to be easy, look who I'm running against. Edwards, Kerry, Gephardt -- nobody knows those dudes.
"Matthews": "What about Bush, how you going to beat him?"
"Sharpton": "What? Bush can run again? [looks off to the side] Come on Garry, come on, man. You got to let me know about these things."
"Matthews": "Sharpton campaign, right about where we all thought it would be. Andrew Card, what would the Democrats have to do to have a chance?"
"Card": "Well the Democrats biggest problem is that no one recognizes their candidates. They need someone that is universally adored. The only shot they have is to lower the voting age to six and nominate Sponge Bob Square Pants. ... Chris, not even Jesus Christ would run against George Bush, because as the Bible clearly states, Jesus was a Republican."
"Matthews": "Nice, that's a good crazy boy. Our next guest is doing the best he can to help Democrats win. ... Please welcome the man who put the 'idiot' into 'He's an idiot,' Republican Senator Rick Santorum. ... Senator do you think your controversial remarks will hurt President Bush in 2004?"
"Santorum": "Chris, I was taken out of context. When I said gay sex was as bad as man on dog sex, I meant man on male dog. Sex between a human male and a female dog I have no problem with."
"Matthews": "Good lord this is better than I thought, keep going."
"Santorum": "I have no problem with gay people. I like Liberace, I like George Michael, I even like that gay teletubby. I just don't like it when Liberace, George Michael, and the gay teletubby have sex with each other."
"Matthews": "Don't stop Santorum, one more time."
"Santorum": "Chris I'm not asking much. All I'm asking is for every American male get a tattoo on his fanny that reads: Exit Only"
("SNL", NBC, 5/17, transcript from National Journal's The Hotline)

Worst. Tax cut. Ever. There are excellent arguments for abolishing the double taxation of dividends, though it really ought to be done at the corporate level, not at the individual level. There are Keynesian arguments for countercyclical tax cuts-- implemented to speed growth up and then rescinded during the other half of the business cycle. These might take the form of tax cuts implemented for, say, three years and then repealed... This tax cut is not a short-term stimulus, still less a short-term stimulus to the stock market. The desirable effects that it is supposed to have would all be defeated by a three-year sunset clause; corporations aren't going to restructure their debt practices, their dividends vs. stock buyback practices, for such a short-term provision... Instead, Senators are voting for something that no one's theory or argument predicts will do anything useful.

JournalismJobs.com: Why have conservative media outlets like The Weekly Standard and Fox News Channel become more popular in the past few years?

Matt Labash: Because they feed the rage. We bring the pain to the liberal media. I say that mockingly, but it's true somewhat. We come with a strong point of view and people like point of view journalism. While all these hand-wringing Freedom Forum types talk about objectivity, the conservative media likes to rap the liberal media on the knuckles for not being objective. We've created this cottage industry in which it pays to be un-objective. It pays to be subjective as much as possible. It's a great way to have your cake and eat it too. Criticize other people for not being objective. Be as subjective as you want. It's a great little racket. I'm glad we found it actually.