On February 17, 2009, most analog television broadcasting in the United States will cease, with the exception of some “low-power” television stations and stations physically located in Canada and Mexico that broadcast to U.S. audiences. After that date, most televisions bought before 2005 will not be able to tune into most over-the-air TV channels without [...]

Today’s Democratic primaries in Kentucky and Oregon provide something akin to a rematch of the recent Indiana-North Carolina pairing. Hillary Clinton should easily win Kentucky, where Barack Obama hasn’t even bothered to campaign, and Obama should take Oregon. The Polls The latest RealClearPolitics average has Clinton up a whopping 29 points in Kentucky and Obama [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is well versed on removing hanging chads. Wizbang is looking for the best man. Wyatt Earp is runnin’ on a wing and a prayer. Public Pondering is a little stiff in a public forum. Cowboy Blob is on a mission from God. Willisms is surprised its alive. Right [...]

California wine impresario Robert Mondavi has died at the ripe old age of 94. Robert Mondavi, the man hailed as the ambassador of the Napa Valley and the godfather of California wine, no longer owned a winery when he died today at his home in Yountville at the age of 94. The winery that bears [...]

I just had a lunch with Glenn Reynolds, who was in town to speak to the NRA Convention about Heller. We discussed such things as local politics, the high amusement value of the Democrat Presidential primary, Joss Whedon returning to Fox, and the fact that while the overall quality of movies is declining there are [...]

The Washington Post has offered another round of buyouts to its staff and two of their biggest names, David Broder and Tony Kornheiser, have opted for the cash. In Broder’s case, it appears to be mostly an accounting move, as he’ll still be doing what he does now, just on a contract basis. The column [...]

Scott McConnell reports that AEI’s Fred Kagan has asked the rhetorical question, “Would the United States really want to live in a world where Russia held sway over Georgia and the Ukraine?” Daniel Larison finds the question strange, indeed: Obviously, I understand why Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians and Georgians are not interested in having Russia hold sway [...]

As has been long expected, former Rep. Bob Barr has announced that he’s running for President as a Libertarian. Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr has announced that he’s running for president as a Libertarian. His candidacy would be a wild card in the White House race and many believe it would hurt Republican Sen. John [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is giving CBS some competition. Wizbang has the Tom Sawyer whitewash defense. Wyatt Earp is doing a little scanning. Public Pondering isn’t really for school uniforms. Cowboy Blob thinks there is one good head between the two of ‘em. Willisms has the Kung Fu grip. Right Pundits is [...]

A young Fox News staffer was fired for telling John McCain she’d voted for him, Chris Ariens reports. Insiders tell us the assistant, identified as Jennifer Locke, was on assignment with a camera crew to cover the entertainment angle of the event. When Sen. John McCain walked by, the assistant said, “I voted for you [...]

Marc Lynch extols the work of Radio Free Europe analyst Daniel Kimmage “on al-Qaeda’s internet operations, including his definitive study of Iraqi insurgent media (with Kathleen Ridolfo) and his more recent report on al-Qaeda’s internet media production network. There are very few people inside or outside the government who have worked harder or thought more [...]

Voters in Indiana and North Carolina go to the polls today having far more impact on the race than anyone would have thought possible four months ago. If Barack Obama wins both states, even narrowly, it will be difficult for Hillary Clinton to justify staying in the race. If Clinton wins both, it will be [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney has a trial balloon. Wizbang taunts the Happy Fun Ball. Wyatt Earp is a little snitch. Public Pondering ponders the graying of America Cowboy Blob is takin’ his best shot Willisms has no sense of humor, nun at all. Right Pundits has the breast contest this weekend. Blonde [...]

Jonathan Last notes a WaPo write-up on the new “Iron Man” live action movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and observes: The reporter makes the case that Iron Man is a second-tier hero, closer to Thor than Spider-Man. I’m not sure I buy that. In recent years, Iron Man has assumed a larger and larger role [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney thinks this makes his ass look fat. Wizbang still has Obamazombies. Wyatt Earp is prayin’ for changes to the tax code. Public Pondering is reachin’ across the pond. Cowboy Blob still wants to keep it up. Willisms is outta time. Right Pundits is gonna rip another. Blonde Sagacity [...]

The NYT today runs an incredibly long feature by David Barstow entitled “Message Machine: Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand.” The gist of the piece is that the retired military officers you see on television are often currently employed as defense contractors, and thus have a vested interest in the war machine, and are targeted [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is having a blast. Wizbang is bringin’ the heat. Wyatt Earp took the crash course. Public Pondering should’ve just called Orkin. Cowboy Blob has the new James Bond. Willisms is willing to work across the aisle. Right Pundits has The Biggest Loser Blonde Sagacity has a job training [...]

The writer’s strike is long over but its impact continues, as viewers have been slow to return to their old viewing habits. Just because your favorite dramas and comedies are back on the air after the writers strike doesn’t mean you’re necessarily watching them. A preliminary look at ratings of returning programs on the big [...]

A flurry of new ads have come out over the last couple of days. They show stark differences in personality and position. In “Ignite,” John McCain promises to “take the best ideas from both parties to spur innovation, invest in people and create jobs.” In an ad simply called, “Pennsylvania,” Hillary Clinton continues to bang [...]

A bunch of DC area libertarians apparently decided to celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday by congregating at his memorial at midnight and dancing to the sounds of their iPods for ten minutes. No, I don’t get it either. At any rate, as Julian Sanchez and Radley Balko report, the constabulary showed up, ordered everyone to move [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is on the the wagon. Wizbang thinks Bill got the ‘RON MEXICO’ one. Wyatt Earp is on the rocks. Public Pondering is looking for a few good men. Cowboy Blob is taking his best shot. The Gone Rick Motel is getting some needed romantic advice. Willisms doesn’t know [...]

CBS plans to oust Katie Couric from the anchor chair of the “Evening News” soon after the election, Rebecca Dana reports for WSJ. After two years of record-low ratings, both CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric say that the “CBS Evening News” anchor is likely to leave the network well before her [...]

Costas Panagopoulos, director of Fordham University’s Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy, has studied Oprah Winfrey’s popularity polls over the years and found that her ratings “plummeted” after endorsing Barack Obama — “almost instantly.” Panagopoulos chronicles nearly two decades of “sky high” approval for Winfrey, who was consistently among the most popular woman in the [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney gets the point. Wizbang pondering the imponderable Wyatt Earp is a duck out of water. Public Pondering is passing the peace pipe Cowboy Blob is hangin’ in the hood The Gone Rick Motel has a real wiener Willisms is hoping for some justice. Blonde Sagacity likes to play [...]

The Carlisle, Pennsylvania Sentinel has announced that they’re going hyper-local and that national/world news will take the back seat.” Starting today: • As with the Sunday paper, the main “A” section will be all local news, with state news toward the back. Obituaries will be in this section, as well as the Opinion page and [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney didn’t follow the yellow brick road. Wizbang has a superdelegate in his pants. Wyatt Earp thought Chikezie should’ve stayed on American Idol. Public Pondering is travelin’ heavy. Cowboy Blob has a story of Mice and Men. The Gone Rick Motel should’ve taken the blue pill. Willisms is guarding [...]

The I’ve gotta Whopper Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

The Sirius-XM merger is one step closer to fruition. The U.S. Justice Department approved the merger between satellite radio companies Sirius and XM Monday, more than a year after the two companies first announced their deal. In its decision, the Department of Justice had to determine whether an XM-Sirius merger was anti-competitive, or if other [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney thought the ‘boxers or briefs’ comparison was bad enough. Wizbang has the lead dog. Wyatt Earp has trooper pooper duty. Public Pondering is running for cover. Cowboy Blob has a giant among men. Right Pundits has the Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Gone Rick Motel is turning [...]

Ivan Dixon, best known for his role as Sergeant James Kinchloe on “Hogan’s Heroes,” died Sunday. Actor Ivan Dixon, who brought the problems and promise of contemporary blacks to life in the film “Nothing But a Man” and portrayed the levelheaded POW Kinchloe in TV’s “Hogan’s Heroes,” has died. He was 76. Dixon died Sunday [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is banging with the Royals. Wizbang is sly as a fox, George Fox. Wyatt Earp thinks the devil is in the details. Public Pondering is making with the wisecracks. Cowboy Blob finally found a cheaper model. Right Pundits actually speaks with quotes. The Gone Rick Motel has a [...]

Two reports highlighted at memeorandum give opposite views on what impact the six week lull between the Mississippi and Pennsylvania primaries will have on the Democratic race. ABC’s Rich Klein argues that it will benefit Hillary Clinton in a piece headlined “Time on Her Side: Obama Maintains Lead, but Clinton Might Have the Edge.” “When [...]

New York Governor Elliot Spitzer is “involved” in a prostitution ring. Details are still sketchy. Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning. Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early [...]

The Democrats have just increased their majority in the House by one: In a stunning upset Saturday that could be a sign of trouble for Republicans this fall, a little-known Democratic physicist won the special election for a far west suburban congressional seat long held by former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Rookie candidate Bill [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is taking a stand. Wizbang has some spare change. Wyatt Earp has inner beauty (and lots of it) Public Pondering is down on her luck. Cowboy Blob is a crackshot. Right Pundits has a con-jugular visit. The Gone Rick Motel wants a piece. Willisms is after the mime [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney seldom hears a discouraging word. Wizbang has the diabolic duo.

Lee Gomes argues that the Internet has turned garden variety political junkies into virtual Beltway insiders. While all good reporters have their own sources, they also share the same daily reading list. Most start with the big national papers, though you can skip those and head right for a site like Mr. Klein’s “the Note” [...]

Danny Glover marvels at Hillary Clinton’s adaptability. Hillary Clinton adopts a new persona for every setting. She is alternately a lover, a fighter, a mocker, a whiner and a crier as she competes with Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Whatever it takes! As I recall, the same was true of Bill Clinton in [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney is off to visit Stacy and Clinton. Wizbang hopes some ass doesn’t stop traffic. Wyatt Earp is still voting for American Idol. Public Pondering needs a little respect. Cowboy Blob has the lone star head of state. The Gone Rick Motel welcomes back Mr. Kotter. Blonde Sagacity has [...]

Michelle Obama spoke these words in Milwaukee yesterday: What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback and let me tell you something, For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done [...]

Fidel Castro has finally resigned the presidency of Cuba. Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country as president or commander-in-chief, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution. Castro, 81, who has not appeared in public for almost [...]

The Unfogged gang has three posts in as many days about a wildly popular new blog about which I was previously unaware called Stuff White People Like. It’s the kind of blog only white people could like: a blog about white people written by white people for other white people that makes fun of white [...]

John McCain is trying to publicly shame Barack Obama into accepting federal fundraising limits in the fall campaign — and Obama is indicating that he might. Hammering Senator Barack Obama for a fourth straight day, Senator John McCain said here on Friday that he expects Senator Obama to abide by his pledge use public financing [...]

Well, the income tax rebate has been signed into law WASHINGTON — The stimulus law signed by President Bush on Wednesday provides what he called a “booster shot” to the economy, but the medicine might not be strong enough to ward off a recession. The $168 billion package of personal tax rebates and business tax [...]

Sara Robinson has an interesting examination of the question of Barack Obama’s cult of personality. She begins by a look at the literature on actual cults and shows why the Obama campaign doesn’t qualify. While worthwhile from a technical standpoint, though, that’s not really what the debate is about. Perhaps “cult” is a poor word [...]

The Danish Muslim cartoons that sparked worldwide rioting, mayhem, and murder two years ago are back. Newspapers across Europe Wednesday reprinted the controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked worldwide protests two years ago. The move came one day after Danish authorities arrested three people allegedly plotting a “terror-related assassination” of Kurt Westergaard, the [...]

Imad Mughniyeh, the man behind the the 1983 attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut and the TWA Flight 847 hijacking, has been killed. A senior Hezbollah commander suspected in some of the highest-profile international terrorist attacks of the last 25 years has died in an explosion in Syria, Hezbollah TV said Wednesday. Imad Mughniyeh [...]

With 0% of the precincts counted, OTB projects John McCain and Barack Obama as the winner of the Potomac Primaries held today in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia based on pre-election polls. Actual returns will be posted below with some frequency as they’re available. Despite my having filled out the paperwork to change [...]

Weekend Caption Jam Linkfest. . . Rodney has a new intern. Wizbang doesn’t get any respect. Willisms is so glad you could come Wyatt Earp has the biggest loser. Right Pundits has the brain trust. Public Pondering interviews Michael Jackson. Cowboy Blob now does math in base 9. The Gone Rick Motel would just rather [...]

Hillary Clinton raised staggering amounts of money this cycle, shattering previous records, and yet has loaned her campaign $5 million from her joint checking account. The Politico‘s Ben Smith wonders where it all went. Hillary Clinton spent more than $77 million on her campaign in 2007, and her campaign said she had about $25 million [...]