Today President George W. Bush declared January 18, 2009 as “National Sanctity of Human Life Day” (NSHLD). President Reagan began the tradition of designating this annual observance (which typically falls on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, 1973). One thing to note about the President’s action today. Reagan, Bush, and Bush all made the annual proclamation, while Clinton did not. Given his record of support for abortion rights, it is unlikely that Obama will continue the tradition during his administration. So this is probably the last presidential proclamation of NSHLD that we will see for at least the next 4-8 years. Here’s the entire…
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A Few Thoughts on Bush’s Speech
President George W. Bush addressed the nation in prime time tonight with a speech that lasted just over 13 minutes.
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Obama To End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Here’s the lede from the CNN.com story: “In an overlooked YouTube video posted on Friday, a spokesman for Barack Obama said the president-elect is committed to ending the policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. armed forces.”
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More on the Gay Bishop at Inauguration
On Monday, I noted that President-elect Barack Obama has invited openly gay bishop Gene Robinson to pray at the inauguration. The New York Times reports on this selection and includes a brief interview with Bishop Robinson:
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Gay Bishop To Pray at Inaugural Event
President-elect Barack Obama got a lot of flak from his base when he tapped Rick Warren to pray at the presidential swearing-in ceremony. Warren was unpopular with some of the left-wing because of his support for California’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
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Bush’s Final News Conference
Bush defends his legacy in this final news conference with the White House press corps. It’s fascinating to hear his reflections on his own presidency.
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Laci and Conner’s Law To Be Tested
The Associated Press is reporting that the 2004 “Laci and Conner’s Law” (which defines a fetus as a “child”) is about to be tested: “Federal prosecutors in New Mexico believe they may be the first to use a 2004 law to charge someone with killing a fetus while causing the death or injury of the mother. . . “The Unborn Victims of Violence Act stemmed from the abduction and murder of a pregnant woman, Laci Peterson, in California in 2003. The law makes it a crime to kill a fetus in utero at any stage of development while committing another federal crime; it does not require the perpetrator to know…
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President Bush’s Reading Habits
Karl Rove has an interesting essay in the Wall Street Journal in which he describes President Bush’s reading habits. In 2006, Rove says that he and Bush had a contest in which Bush finished the year having read 95 books. After listing some titles that Bush has read, Rove concludes: “There is a myth perpetuated by Bush critics that he would rather burn a book than read one. Like so many caricatures of the past eight years, this one is not only wrong, but also the opposite of the truth and evidence that bitterness can devour a small-minded critic. Mr. Bush loves books, learns from them, and is intellectually engaged…
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Joe Scarborough Challenges MSM
Tim Challies has this video linked on his blog, but I saw some of it when it was originally broadcast last week on MSNBC. Here’s the description: “Joe Scarborough challenges the MSM on the lack of attention to Obama’s Chicago roots in light of Blago.”
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More on the Rick Warren Controversy
Albert Mohler has a short article on Rick Warren’s decision to pray at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. At the end, Mohler explains why he would not accept such an invitation: “Would I deliver the invocation at the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States? Well, I have not been asked, but I can imagine that it would be difficult to turn down this invitation. After all, the inaugural ceremony is a national event, not a personal ceremony. Yet, in the end, the context of this inaugural ceremony would not allow me to accept. President-elect Obama has pledged to sign legislation including the Freedom of Choice…