Sunday Open Thread

For general discussion about politics, the economy, the holidays, sports, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
NB Staff
December 26th, 2010 6:58 AM

Doonesbury Hates God in Christmas Day Comic Strip

Newspaper readers probably had raised eyebrows on Christmas Day if they saw Doonesbury's comic strip for this sacred day. A female social worker is chatting with a female soldier and asking her if she gets support out in the field. They have this exchange: SOLDIER: Yes, ma'am, I talk to our chaplain. SOCIAL WORKER: Good. A chaplain can be a good resource. SOLDIER: Mine yells at God a lot…
Tim Graham
December 25th, 2010 10:47 PM

Linus Explains True Meaning of Christmas to Charlie Brown

I've received a number of requests for the video and text of Linus explaining the true meaning of Christmas to Charlie Brown. So, without further ado:
Noel Sheppard
December 25th, 2010 9:48 PM

Joy Behar's Christmas Card Features Her Hugging Bill O'Reilly

Joy Behar, ever the comedienne, sent family and friends a Christmas card this year featuring a Photoshopped picture of her hugging Fox News's Bill O'Reilly. The Huffington Post appears to be the first to publish its contents which included tidings to "Muslims and Jews and Catholics and Atheists (not agnostics - too wishy washy) and Mama Grizzlies and Democrats and Republicans and Tea Partiers…
Noel Sheppard
December 25th, 2010 6:31 PM

Bozell Column: An Angry Anti-Christmas at School

The metaphor “The War on Christmas” can be mocked – as if Santa and his reindeer are dodging anti-aircraft fire. But many of our public schools have church-and-state sensitivity police with an alarming degree of Santaphobia. Anyone who's attended a school's “winter concert” in December with no traditional Christmas music – not even “Frosty the Snowman” – knows the drill. The vast Christian…
Brent Bozell
December 25th, 2010 5:02 PM

Charles Krauthammer Offends Mark Shields by Saying 'ObamaCare

Syndicated columnist and PBS contributor Mark Shields got offended Friday when Charles Krauthammer called the President's signature piece of legislation "ObamaCare." This interestingly came less than ten minutes after Shields apologized to his fellow "Inside Washington" panelists for saying "Christmas season" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
December 25th, 2010 3:42 PM

PBS’s Smiley Sees ‘Tolerance Decreasing’ in America, U.S. Seen a

 On Monday’s Tavis Smiley show on PBS, during a discussion with author Robert Putnam to discuss his book American Grace, after Putnam recounted the central thesis that various religions in America - and even non-religious people - tend to tolerate each other well compared to other countries, host Smiley made known his view that tolerance is "decreasing" in America and cited attitudes toward…
Brad Wilmouth
December 25th, 2010 2:40 PM

Best Notable Quotables of 2010: Media Dopes vs. Hollywood Dopes

Every year, the Media Research Center invites a distinguished panel of expert judges to sift through the dopiest, wackiest quotes of the year, and every year it seems the honor roll of idiocy gets longer and longer. This year, top honors in the MRC's "Audacity of Dopes Award for the Wackiest Analysis of the Year" went to the Boston Globe Magazine's Charles Pierce, for a January 10 column he…
Rich Noyes
December 25th, 2010 1:10 PM

Mark Shields Apologizes for Saying 'Christmas Season' on Christmas Eve

Syndicated columnist and PBS regular Mark Shields on Friday apologized for saying "Christmas season." Such occurred on the most recent installment of PBS's "Inside Washington" broadcast in many parts of the country on Christmas Eve (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
December 25th, 2010 11:43 AM

PBS’s Gordon Peterson Suggests Dream Act Would Pass if Illegal Immig

 On Friday’s Inside Washington on PBS, during a discussion of President Obama’s failure to secure passage of the Dream Act in the Senate, after panel member Evan Thomas of Newsweek asserted that "stupid politics" was behind the bill’s defeat, host Gordon Peterson brought up a quip by humorist Jimmy Tingle that "if they all looked like Norwegians, there’d be no problem." After introducing the…
Brad Wilmouth
December 25th, 2010 11:23 AM

Merry Christmas from NewsBusters

The folks at NewsBusters would like to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas (video follows):
NB Staff
December 25th, 2010 10:34 AM

What If It's True

Suppose what some call the "Christmas story" is true -- all of it, from the angels, to the shepherds, to the virgin birth, to God taking on human flesh. By this, I don't mean to suggest it is true only for those who believe it to be true, but what if it is objectively true, no matter what the deniers say? What difference would it make? Should it make any difference? The narrative and the…
Cal Thomas
December 25th, 2010 12:00 AM

Margaret Carlson Mocks Tea Party as 'Blowing Off Steam,' Praises Obama

 On Friday’s Political Capital show, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson lavished praise on President Obama has having "negotiating skills" like the recently deceased diplomat Richard Holbrooke - known for facilitating a ceasefire in Bosnia in the mid-1990s - as host Al Hunt asked Carlson and the National Review’s Kate O’Beirne to describe what Christmas gifts they would figuratively give to various…
Brad Wilmouth
December 24th, 2010 11:49 PM

Krauthammer And Hayes See Mitch Daniels As Man To Watch For

It's Christmas Eve, so let's treat ourselves to something conservative political junkies enjoy: handicapping the 2012 Republican field.   On the Fox News Special Report this evening, panelists Stephen Hayes and Charles Krauthammer both singled out Mitch Daniels as a man to watch.  Hayes identifed  the Indiana gov as perhaps the true Tea Party candidate—someone willing to speak the hard…
Mark Finkelstein
December 24th, 2010 8:04 PM