In praise of doubt, maybe | Mark Vernon (Guardian)

Why do we have such an unbalanced attitude to doubt, demanding certainty where there is none, and pretending to doubt what everyone knows? Ann Widdecombe makes an arresting observation. We live in an odd world, she told me when I interviewed her for In Doubt We Trust. Doubt in relation to religion is almost mandatory in public life, whereas doubt in relation to politics is almost forbidden. The secular world demands an agnostic position on religious beliefs for fear of intolerance. The notion that you believe in God has become synonymous with the notion that you hold things with a rigid, possibly violent, certainty. Take matters to God in prayer, as Tony Blair once confessed, and people assume that means you've set your heart on a course that's as blind and destructive as a runaway train. Tony Blair's record, viewed from the outside, lends credence to that view for some. And Ann Widdecombe is not known for her anxious agonising ? though to be fair, she also told me how becoming a Catholic was the end of a process of struggled. What was important for her, though, was to find a church that reached a resolution ...
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Mike Johnston Adam Kinzinger Rachel Kleinfeld Mike Lee

Akaka's Seat a Longshot for GOP

Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics
The retirement of Hawaii Democratic Senator Daniel Akaka has prompted a flurry of excitement among the GOP. Many Republicans believe that if former Governor Linda Lingle were to run, they would have a good shot at winning the open seat. I'm reminded of the Democratic excitement that surrounded Ronnie Musgrove's run for Trent Lott's seat in 2008. Just as the Democrats' heightened expectations proved to be out of touch with the reality of the political landscape in Mississippi, the GOP will likely suffer the same fate in Hawaii this year.To begin with, Republicans are...

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/04/akakas_seat_a_longshot_for_gop_109121.html

Jaime Herrera Ellie Boldman Hill Sarah Huckabee Ben Jealous

The Root: The Misjudged Black Vote On Gay Marriage

When Proposition 8 in California failed to uphold marriage rights for same sex couples, many blamed the African American community, which they saw as being opposed to gay marriage. But David Kaufman of The Root argues that black voters actually have a nuanced and pragmatic approach to LGBT issues.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134257733/the-root-the-misjudged-black-vote-on-gay-marriage?ft=1&f=1057

Huma Abedin Justin Amash Nick Ayers Jeremy Bash

Non-Embryonic Stem Cells Have More DNA Damage

Three studies in Nature report that adult cells reprogrammed to a more primal state, called induced pluripotent stem cells, have more cancerlike mutations than embryonic stem cells. Stem cell biologist Sean Morrison discusses the studies, and their implications for stem cell therapies.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134265299/non-embryonic-stem-cells-have-more-dna-damage?ft=1&f=1007

Ann Coulter Judd Gregg Tucker Carlson Dick Armey

Republicans to debate Ohio union bill for weeks (Reuters)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - The Republican leader of Ohio's House of Representatives plans to hold at least three weeks of debate on a bill to weigh curbs on public sector workers' power to bargain, his spokesman said on Friday.
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Jake Sullivan MARK SANFORD Jay Webber TOM DELAY

Honest Abe Reminds Us Of The Power Of Words

It's no secret that today's political parties are deeply and bitterly divided over a range of issues. Biographer and historian Ron White reflects on Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, delivered 150 years ago Friday (to an even more deeply divided nation), and how it can help us think about American unity.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134162178/150-years-later-lincolns-words-still-resonate?ft=1&f=1057

Tucker Carlson Dick Armey Michael Barone Olympia Snowe