from the “War on Christians” conference. The event — organized by Baptist minister Rick Scarborough, author of the new book “Liberalism Kills Kids” — will feature talks by Sen. Brownback (R-KS), Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and various other right-wing luminaries.

Yesterday on CBS’s Face the Nation, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley tried to rebut the claim that Iraq is in a civil war. Watch it:

Transcript:

QUESTION: What we seem to be seeing in Iraq is a civil war. Do you define it that way?

HADLEY: I think what’s important is rather than talking about semantics, talk about what’s happened. … Iraqi leadership clearly does not want to descend into further violence. The institutions have held together and if you look at the Iraqi people, every time they’ve had a chance to vote they have voted for unity and they have voted for peace.

But the only evidence Hadley provided — “unity” results of the December elections — is false: Nine out of 10 Iraqis in the Shiite Muslim provinces of the south voted for religious Shiite parties; nine out of 10 Iraqis in central and western Iraq voted for Sunni parties; and nine out of 10 Iraqis in the Kurdish provinces of the north voted for Kurdish candidates. Nationwide, only about nine percent voted for “national unity” tickets.

Bush’s National Security Strategy claims that the battle of ideas will be the ultimate factor in deciding whether we win the war on terror:

In the long run, winning the war on terror means winning the battle of ideas, for it is ideas that can turn the disenchanted into murderers willing to kill innocent victims.

Today, Rumsfeld provided an honest assessment of the administration’s efforts to date:

RUMSFELD: If I were grading, I would say we probably deserve a D or a D-plus as a country as to how well we’re doing in the battle of ideas that’s taking place in the world today. And I’m not going to suggest that it’s easy, but we have not found the formula as a country.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Condoleezza Rice and Karen Hughes.

A large majority of Americans still oppose the right-wing campaign over Terri Schiavo. Fully 64 percent say her husband’s decision to remove her feeding tube was the right one, including 70 percent of moderates, 53 percent of conservatives, and 61 percent of evangelicals.

Today, the New York Times reports on a previously-disclosed British memo that states Bush had decided by late January 2003 — nearly seven weeks prior to the invasion — that he was going to war. In today’s White House press briefing, Scott McClellan claimed this report was “fully consistent” with what President Bush was saying in the lead-up to war:

This was a meeting that took place back in January of 2003. Even if I know exactly what was said in that meeting, I wouldn’t get into discussing private conversations between world leaders like this. Again, I reiterate to you: The comments that we are making publicly and privately are fully consistent with one another.

Were Bush’s public comments consistent with his private desire in January 2003 to begin the military campaign? We report, you decide.

Public statement:

Bush: “I’ve not made up our mind about military action. Hopefully, this can be done peacefully.” [3/6/03]

Private statement

“The start date for the military campaign was now penciled in for 10 March,” Mr. Manning wrote, paraphrasing the president. “This was when the bombing would begin.” [Bush/Blair meeting, 1/31/03]

Public statement:

Bush: “We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq.” [3/8/03]

Private statement:

“The U.S. was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in U.N. colours,” the memo says, attributing the idea to Mr. Bush. “If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach.” [Bush/Blair meeting, 1/31/03]

Read more

Don’t shred the Constitution.

Here’s the video if you missed his appearance last night.

Today on CBS’s Early Show, Bay Buchanan — right-wing strategist and sister of Pat Buchanan — argued that the government can, and should, deport all the undocumented workers in the United States.

Watch it:

Transcript:

BUCHANAN: Every guest worker program in the history of this country and any other country around the world has always turned into amnesty. He says it’s impossible to move these people out. It is certainly not impossible. It is very realistic. We should absolutely stand up to the law and let people come through legal channels, but in no way reward them for illegal behavior.

But as Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) later points out, it is “unrealistic to deport” 11 million people, many of whom are already paying U.S. taxes. A 2005 American Progress study found that it would cost at least $206 billion over five years to deport all undocumented workers. The annual $41.2 billion cost exceeds the entire FY06 budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

Transcript continues below: Read more

is revoked. In Texas, “indicted felons are not allowed to carry concealed handguns.”