Among the many sub-plots to watch for in Wednesday's State of the Union address will be President Bush's appropriation of the words "freedom" and "liberty" for his agenda and the GOP. As we've written before, the Republicans have dominated American policy debates through their manipulation and control of language. Whether through message discipline or superior […]

With President Bush's 2005 State of the Union approaching, my 2004 SOTU-eve critique of Bush's so-called Ownership Society still stands. State of Disunion Even with his shaky State of the Union address and dipping approval ratings, President Bush unfortunately remains in a strong position for the 2004 election. Saddam is captured, GDP is surging, and […]

Children's cartoon favorite Spongebob Squarepants is the latest cultural icon to draw the ire of the American Taliban. Identified as an agent of the gay agenda by Focus on the Family's James Dobson, Spongebob joins Rick Santorum's dogs and John Cornyn's box turtles as a threat to the American family. What is it about Spongebob […]

In the aftermath of President Bush' second inauguration, there is a widespread consensus that taken literally, his address would commit the United States to a global campaign of democratic proselytization. American friends and foes, puppets and pawns, the wistful and the wary, all are understandably concerned. Before starting a panic over the President's apparent Wilsonian […]

To commemorate the Second Inauguration of President George W. Bush, Perrspectives is pleased to announce the winners of the "Name That Bush Scandal" Contest which concluded at noon EST, January 20, 2005. Perrspectives received entries from all over the United States (and the world, for that matter). We'd like to thank everyone who participated for […]

Among the few certainties of life is this: no one will mistake the second inaugural address of George W. Bush with that of Abraham Lincoln. In one short speech, Bush encapsulated all the defining traits of his presidency. The rhetorical flourishes of his global crusade for freedom, a post-facto rationale for the war in Iraq, […]

January 20th has arrived and with it, George W. Bush's second inauguration. Starting today and continuing through the February State of the Union, we'll be subjected to the constant drumbeat of "The Ownership Society", the current facade put on the ongoing Republican assault on the American public interest and common good. With the election out […]

Only days after the Armstrong Williams paid-for-pundit debacle, President Bush used his January 12 "town hall meeting" to once again reach out to African-Americans. this time on his Social Security privatization plan. With a hand-picked audience of supporters present on stage and in the Washington DC audience, Bush was on the top of his game: […]

On the same day that Howard Dean officially threw his hat into the ring for DNC Chairman, his former campaign manager Joe Trippi announced on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews that he is supporting Simon Rosenberg. I couldn't agree more. As I've said before, while the loose cannon Dean would be a perilous selection for […]

On the heels of the Armstrong Williams "Payolagate" scandal come rumors that Bush administration may be planning additional outreach to the African-American community. While not confirmed, the DC grapevine has it that the Bush folks have in fact asked NWA and their lead man Ice Cube to perform their smash hit "Straight Out of Compton" […]