New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announcing he's leaving the Republican Party is a little like Madonna announcing she's leaving the Catholic Church. Was he ever really a paragon of the GOP? Speculation abounds that he's running for president on the Ross Perot egotistical-billionaire plan, with press reports citing his intention to spend a cool $1 billion of his personal fortune. That will surely create a headwind, but a big part of the wind beneath his wings will be the support he hopes to generate from the national media. And it's happening already. Bloomberg's third-party spoiler ambitions were heavily promoted by... continue reading
It's too bad John Kerry never had the courage in the last presidential campaign to take on Hollywood as a presidential candidate. Then again, President Bush said next to nothing about Tinseltown's corrosive effect on America's moral values on his path to re-election, either. Why both camps ignored an issue with such profound political ramifications is a mystery to me. Would it surprise you that Hillary Clinton is not going to make that mistake? Last week, in a Democratic debate of sorts on religion and values issues aired on CNN, Mrs. Clinton told a questioning pastor that she could support... continue reading
CNN hosted three presidential debates last week, two for the Democrats and one for the Republicans. Democratic candidates were awarded twice as much airtime in a three-day period. CNN has its work cut out for it if it wants to be seen as impartial in the upcoming presidential election. What tilted the schedule in the Democrats' favor? Both Sunday's and Tuesday's two-hour traditional debates in New Hampshire with each party were hosted by Wolf Blitzer. But on Monday, CNN devoted an hour to the top three Democrat contenders, hosted by the religious-left group Sojourners. Each received 15 minutes of air... continue reading
The nation's leading champions of televised profanities celebrated a victory for the "First Amendment" when the Manhattan-based Second Circuit Court of Appeals rebuffed the FCC's attempt to fine Fox Entertainment for dropping F- and S-bombs on prime-time television by Cher and Paris Hilton's pal Nicole Richie, in front of millions of young children. Both times the cussing came during live awards programs, neither of which contained even a five-second delay. Fox never felt obligated to do anything but offer insincere apologies for what it aired and still continues to refuse to enact a time delay to prevent this from happening... continue reading
No journalists in the last thirty years have built more of a legend than the old Washington Post pairing of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. As the Watergate wrecking crew that put Richard Nixon in the scrap yard, they are America's most venerated "icons" of investigative reporting. But since that event, the paths of Woodward and Bernstein have separated dramatically. Woodward is still considered the top-dog journalist in Washington, a titan no president can ignore if he cares about his historical legacy, or his short-term political standing. By contrast, Bernstein has bounced around to cushy media jobs, at ABC, and... continue reading
The Wall Street Journal recently put together an E-mail debate on the subject of whether the FCC should regulate violence on television. Former FCC commissioner Gloria Tristani was selected for the pro-regulation side, and Rene Balcer, the head writer of "Law and Order," was recruited as the anti-regulation voice. It's instructive to follow Balcer's arguments, not only for what they say, but also for what they say about people like Balcer who advance them. Balcer immediately began by chiding parents for not having the brains to figure out how to program their DVD players, let alone the vaunted V-chip technology,... continue reading
Al Gore's new book "The Assault on Reason" has definitively established one fact: Al Gore is still the sorest loser in American politics. Even liberal book reviewers are wincing at the tone of his jeremiad against the Bush administration. The book should have been titled "They Should Have Elected Me Instead: How Much Better America Would Fare With President Gore." He seems to believe his own silly "Saturday Night Live" skit from last year, the one in which he pretended to be president and gas was 19 cents a gallon and the budget surplus was $11 trillion. He even implies... continue reading
As Britney Spears went bald and crazy and Christina Aguilera aggressively transformed from teen princess to smut queen, the Betty Boop-voiced pop singer Gwen Stefani has become the next pop phenomenon, especially among young girls. But for this summer's concert series, she's sharing the stage with a rapper named Akon - a man who is earning the reputation for being decidedly unfriendly with young girls. Video of Akon's simulated rough sex with a girl plucked from the audience during an April concert in Trinidad has become a shocking scandal after repeated viewings of the assault on YouTube. The girl, Danah... continue reading
Almost 28 years ago I toyed with my first professional writing adventure. My college roommate Joe Duggan had approached me with the proposition that we freelance a profile piece on the man who was grabbing national headlines with his political activism, so we drove down to Lynchburg Virginia, attended a service at the Thomas Road Baptist Church, and then settled in for an hour-long interview with its founder. Yesterday I returned to that church, this time with my son David, and joined by the 6,000 packed inside the building, and thousands more seated at Liberty University's Vines Center and Williams... continue reading
If you thought the radio airwaves would suddenly turn nicer in the wake of the Don Imus firing, think again. The shameless shock jocks Opie and Anthony have succeeded in ramming through whatever wall of post-Imus politeness was constructed with a grotesque routine on XM Satellite Radio that played - for laughs - the idea of raping the Secretary of State. On a satellite-only segment promoted on the Opie and Anthony website as "uncut, uncensored, and totally filthy," this duo laughed as a character named "Homeless Charlie" described how he would like to "[F-word] that [B-word]." The hosts giggled and... continue reading