MIKE HUCKABEE OFTEN MIXES RELIGION with politics. But the former Arkansas governor jumped the shark on the eve of the Michigan primary, when he told a crowd of cheering (and faithful) supporters that the Constitution needs a religious fix: “I have opponents in this race,” he said, “who do not want to change the Constitution. […]

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CNN NEWS ANCHOR ANDERSON COOPER BEGAN his wrap-up of the New Hampshire presidential primary by observing that it was “a remarkable night.” John McCain, who would refer to himself as “Lazarus,” had risen from the dead. And Hillary Clinton, who let down her guard and showed genuine emotion, defied pollsters and also ended up the […]

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Year of the Immigrant—On the final weekend of the year both the New York Times and National Public Radio focused on the illegal immigrant as the bête noire of Republican presidential-primary politics. On the same weekend the Dallas Morning News declared “The Illegal Immigrant” its person of the year. The award has a considerable shelf life; it’s already evident that the […]

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On May 13, 1999, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, changed his position on global warming. “The last time, I wasn’t certain of the science,” Bush said. “I’ve had some briefings recently, and I’m becoming more convinced that the science proves there’s global warming.” Bush was the front-runner in the campaign for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination—although he wouldn’t officially declare his candidacy until the legislative session ended a month later. He was responding to a question I asked him at a press conference in Austin, where I was working on a book about his candidacy. Neither Bush nor his press secretary, Karen Hughes, explained when “the last time” was. Nor would either elaborate on what briefings about what science had led him to depart so radically from the position he’d held since he was elected governor five years earlier. Up to this point he’d said there was no proof that the earth was warming.

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You’ve Got Mail—On Friday, August 31, the FOIA Handbook page of the White House website included the following information: “This handbook is intended to assist you in making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of Administration (OA). . . .” The page directed FOIA applicants to a compliance officer and listed […]

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