January 26th 2008 - Today's Columns:

Michael Barone : South Carolina Has Set the Stage for General Election - Barone argues that SC removed Thompson and Huckabee from the race but did not determine the winner. On the Dem side Obama will win easily and Hillary will be seen as having disrespected blacks, possibly leading to lower turnout in the general. Hillary is so incredibly divisive it seems her nomination and general campaign could yield numerous opportunities for the Republicans to pick up the pieces of those left in her aftermath.

WSJ Supreme Opportunity - Urging SCOTUS to take up the 9th Circuit case of AT&T v. linkline. The 9th Circuit ruled that the anti-trust case can go forward on the grounds that AT&T is squeezing linkLine out of the market. This would require AT&T to raise prices to the consumer. Is that what anti-trust legislation is supposed to do?

Robert D. Novak : Attorney General Edwards?

• Obama surrogates are floating the idea of Edwards as AG in an Obama administration
• Private polling showed McCain picking up Thompson supporters after Fred's withdrawal [RCP still shows a dead heat between Mitt & McCain]
• Senate GOP retreat - Mitch McConnell shut down negative talk about earmarks - Ted Stevens shockingly gave a lecture in support of earmarks
• Bush has given up on pushing FHA bill in favor of stimulating us
• McCain fled Florida in a desperate attempt to raise funds in NY

Alan Roebuck: How to Respond to a Supercilious Atheist - This article is far too lengthy and boring to read the whole thing. I am an atheist but I certainly do not consider myself supercilious. If anything I'm envious of those with religious faith. But arguments like these are childish and insulting when passed for intellectual discourse.

Lee Cary: Can the GOP Re-frame the Illegal Immigration Issue? - Cary argues that Hispanic voters are not a bloc and can be persuaded by appealing to their desire for a better life for their children, as opposed to the appeal to fear they will hear from the Democrats. He uses the example of blacks becoming a Democrat voting bloc after Republicans failed to fight the mischaracterization of the Civil Rights debate of the 60's. I wonder if it would be more effective to couple the appeal to hope with fear though. Offer the hopeful vision for the future but also warn of the effects of throwing support to the Democrats. Just look at what they've done for the black communities they hold so dear. (This reminds me to post my letter to the editor published on American Thinker during the immigration debate last year.)

Richard Baehr: Immigration: A Modest Proposal - Another proposed solution to the immigration problem. It's better than anything that's come out of Washington but I still think it should focus more on incentives and disincentives than laws and enforcement. It is easier to achieve your goals if you don't try to contravene human nature in the process.

Mark Steyn: It's all delicious fantasy for us. But in some places, they're actually living the apocalypse. Where else are you going to read about iconic destruction, General Butt Naked, multicultural sensitivities, and eating genitals all in one article?