The Gist

Bush feeding the fundies again


Bush is now threatening to veto the DC appropriations bill because the Dems have removed the antigay provisions from it.

I think this confirms my observation from a few weeks ago, contrary to what a lot of commentators were saying, that the White House knew exactly what it was doing when Bush appointed the crackpot "ex-gay" promoter James Holsinger to be Surgeon General. David Gergen and others were saying the White House clearly hadn't done its homework and that the last thing they wanted now was a confirmation fight.

I said the opposite: They in fact want to energize the base and feed the fundies them some read meat because they are all that Bush has got. It's the classic Rovian pattern, even if it's now often having disastrous effect for them. Let's hope the Dems stand firm and make sure that is the case this time.


Americablog has more on the hypocrisy of the bill and the veto threat, and of course, what it means for Mary Cheney and her baby.

We'll be talking all about this on the show today.