The controversy over the ill-conceived and arguably homophobic Snickers Super Bowl ad continues to simmer for its parent company Masterfoods. AmericaBlog reports that Masterfoods is in "full crisis mode" over the spot and that "heads will roll" to ensure that Snickers marketing never again insults large swaths of the American public. But sadly, Snickers is […]

Some breaking stories are destined to become instant battlegrounds in the Culture War. Even as you learn of the events, you can immediately envision the "values" vultures of Fox News on the right or the minions of multiculturalism on the left mobilizing to denounce the latest outrage. To be sure, this week has produced a […]

From the Giuliani camp comes word that the former New York mayor is moving one step closer to tossing his hat in the presidential ring. With the 2008 White House race already in overdrive, Rudy announced today that he was filing a "statement of candidacy" with the FEC. Polls suggest that the putative hero of […]

Updated January 25, 2007 and April 19, 2005 (originally published November 24, 2004) The “War on Terror” has provided Americans with a helpful introduction to theocracy. The fight against Al Qaeda, the war on the Taliban, and the growing tensions with the regime in Iran has offered a quick primer on the hallmarks of the […]

Lost in the flurry of recent presidential campaign announcements is one of the more intriguing developments of the modern political era. That is, while most candidates seek the White House with real aspirations to govern the nation, a self-chosen few such as Al Sharpton or Gary Bauer aim only to lead a movement or community. […]

The simmering controversy over the display of the Confederate flag by public entities remains a festering sore on the American body politic. And over the past week, voices from the left, right and center weighed in on the ongoing disgrace that is the public romance of the CSA banner in South Carolina, Mississippi and elsewhere […]

Tuesday's State of the Union Address should offer Americans compelling viewing. After the GOP's electoral disaster in November and the resounding thud that greeted the "surge" in Iraq, the 2007 SOTU can be said to officially mark the last throes of the Bush presidency. In anticipation of tomorrow night's presidential flight of fantasy, here are […]

Out of Austin, Texas comes word that the president of the University of Texas is forming a panel to decide the fate of numerous campus statues depicting Confederate leaders such as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. President William Powers Jr. summarized the lingering controversy: "The whole range of options is on the table. A […]

As 2006 comes to a close, the Top 10 GOP Sound Bites chart has been turned upside down. In the wake of the Republicans' midterm election nightmare and the battering of the Iraq Study Group report, a bevy of GOP favorites have fallen off the list. Nowhere is the shake-up more evident than in the […]

In its December 18th issue, the New Republic offers a window into the soul of Kansas Republican Senator and 2008 White House hopeful Sam Brownback. Tracing Brownback's dual conversions from small government Gingrich acolyte to red meat culture warrior and from devout evangelical to Catholic firebrand, TNR ponders his presidential prospects. But Brownback's' new found […]