Private-accounts-meister Newt Gingrich bagging on the crisis claim? "The combination of higher birth rates and more immigration makes the United States the healthiest of developed nations. This is not a crisis," says the former Speaker, according to Bloomberg.

via The Road to Surfdom via Atrios

IF someone important like Andrew Sullivan had said this, it would no doubt be all over the blogosphere, with people tripping over themselves to praise his honesty. Alas, it comes merely from retiring Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage:

"I'm disappointed that Iraq hasn't turned out better. And that we weren't able to move forward more meaningfully in the Middle East peace process."
Then, after a minute's pause, he adds a third regret: "The biggest regret is that we didn't stop 9/11. And then in the wake of 9/11, instead of redoubling what is our traditional export of hope and optimism we exported our fear and our anger. And presented a very intense and angry face to the world. I regret that a lot."

Of course, if anybody from the left had said it, they would have been denounced as a traitor and a classic America-hater. Probably by Andrew Sullivan.

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Click here to download or open WMV player

SNL parodies Chris Matthews and Armstrong Williams

You've made the bigtime now Mr. Williams. Take your rightful place among all the famous political stooges of punditry.

NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine commission landmark national poll

The vast majority (87%) of teens aged 13 to 16, have not had sexual intercourse. Most (73%) have not been sexually intimate at all. Seventy-four percent say they have not had sex because they made a conscious decision not to. As many (75%) have not because they believe they are too young. Many say they abstain because they fear the potential consequences—pregnancy (74%), STDs (71%), parents’ reaction (65%). While just more than half say it is because they haven’t met the right person yet (54%), few say it is because of a lack of opportunity (21%). Four in 10 (42%) say they have not because of religious or moral beliefs.

please read the full transcript here

Reading this report should stifle claims by religious groups and others that say our teens are being corrupted by explicit sexual references in televison and movies, but it probably won't. If anything this study shows just how intelligent teens are in expressing their understanding and practices regarding sex.

Teens are most likely to say they talk often to their friends about sex and sexual relationships (62%). Four in 10 (41%) also say they talk with their parents often. Teens are much less likely to speak with school and religious leaders.

By World O' Crap A Vast Hugh Hewitt Conspiracy

As you know, Hugh recently appeared on O'Reilly show where he endeavored, in his words, "to protect the reputation of the blogosphere post Kos/Armstrong Williams." He did this by pointing out how the right-wing side of the blogosphere brought down the mainstream media, while the left-wing side side of the blogosphere (the side to which Kos and Armstrong belong) is corrupt, immoral, and is probably behind those anthrax letters. read on

There is no crisis... And there is no projected crisis anytime in the near future. Or far future. But the Bush machine and its Right Wing allies will work in overdrive to convince people that doom is imminent.

The GOP has always hated social security, and now they see a chance to do something about it. With There Is No Crisis, BlogPAC is enaging the battle. It's time for us to be proactive.

It looks like there's no way Frist and Co. can get around the need for 60 votes in the Senate. Mark Schmitt has the details. Seemingly arcane; but if you're interested in how all this is going to turn out, a really big deal.

For all those who believe that Barbara Boxer is mis-representing what the White House said about WMD's and the war in Iraq:

Press Briefing 4/10/03 Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer

FLEISCHER: No. We know Saddam Hussein is there, but we haven't found him yet, either. The fact of the matter is we are still in a war, and not everything about the war is yet known. But make no mistake -- as I said earlier -- we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about. And we have high confidence it will be found.

Quote from Condi Rice with Wolf Blitzer Friday, January 10, 2003 :

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."

There is no mistaking the fact that WMD's were the primary reason the American people believed that going to war with Iraq was justified. No matter how many times the Sean Hannity's talk about no fly zones, weapons inspectors, and broken U.N.resolutions; the image that President Bush and Condi Rice painted of "mushroom clouds " prevailed over all.

Boxer: I personally believe ... that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth,"

Rice responded: "I have never, ever, lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. "I would hope that we can have this conversation ... without impugning my credibility or my integrity

Video

This was the most heated exchange during today's testimony.

David Frum:
"The story is going around Washington that Senate Foreign Relations chairman Richard Lugar handed Condoleezza Rice a list of names of “neocons” he wanted blacklisted from the Department of State – and that Rice assented."