NY Times: "On Tuesday, the toll of American dead in Afghanistan passed 1,000, after a suicide bomb in Kabul killed at least five United States service members. Having taken nearly seven years to reach the first 500 dead, the war killed the second 500 in fewer than two."

From The Church of Jesus Christ blog: "I’m a Democrat – a Pro-life Democrat that is. As a matter of fact, my pro-life stances generally guide most of my political decision-making. Why? Because instead of looking at abortion as the only problem in America, I tend to look at what led to that choice. That … Continue reading Coming out as a Pro-life Democrat

NY Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that juveniles who commit crimes in which no one is killed may not be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Stephen Carter: "For years, liberals have longed for a counterweight to Justice Scalia. Maybe what would be better is a Marshall type, less interested in battling than in building. Americans have come to celebrate a politics dominated by a combative political style in which disagreement goes hand in hand with dislike. The Supreme Court should … Continue reading A Bench of Rivals?

Mark Shields: "For the heirs of the party of Andrew Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman to lose the trust of ordinary Americans to fight in behalf of "the little guys" against Big Money is for Democrats to forfeit their moral identity and their historical birthright...If 2010 voters continue to see no difference between the … Continue reading Have Democrats Lost it?

Washington Post: "A top House Democrat (Rep. James L. Oberstar) has issued an ultimatum to Republicans with the potential for political sting: Withdraw earmarks seeking millions of taxpayer dollars for pet projects or be prepared to stand behind them."

Gallup: The "shift in Americans' views on abortion that Gallup first recorded a year ago has carried over into 2010. Slightly more Americans call themselves "pro-life" than "pro-choice," 47% vs. 45%, according to a May 3-6 Gallup poll."

Ronald Brownstein: "If the economy produces jobs over the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in 2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George W. Bush's presidency.  That comparison comes with many footnotes and asterisks. … Continue reading More jobs might be created this year than during George W. Bush's presidency

James Galbraith apparently doesn't want Democrats to become a bunch of Eisenhower Republicans.  Galbraith: "It says that we should be focusing on real problems and not fake ones. We have serious problems. Unemployment is at 10 percent. if we got busy and worked out things for the unemployed to do, we'd be much better off. … Continue reading Galbraith: The danger posed by the deficit ‘is zero’