This afternoon on the Senate floor, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) stood before a large photograph of his family and shared this important fact: “I’m really proud to say that in the recorded history of our family, we’ve never had a divorce or any kind of homosexual relationship.” Watch it:

INHOFE: As you see here, and I think this is maybe the most important prop we’ll have during the entire debate, my wife and I have been married 47 years. We have 20 kids and grandkids. I’m really proud to say that in the recorded history of our family, we’ve never had a divorce or any kind of homosexual relationship.

(HT: Atrios and AmericaBlog)

Inhofe is consistent in his professional life. His office says “he does not hire openly gay staffers ‘due to the possibility of a conflict of agenda.’”

“Congress should make Social Security overhaul its top priority next year, while a rewrite of the tax code and revamping the nation’s healthcare system probably will wait until at least 2009, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Jim McCrery, R-La., said today.” (sub. req’d)

UPDATE: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) responds to McCrery, saying conservatives “once again are not listening to the American people, who resoundingly rejected this risky scheme last year.” Meanwhile, Rep. George Miller (D-CA) calls on Congress to “strengthen Social Security, not undermine it, and solve the private pension crisis so that all Americans can have a decent retirement.”

Ian Murray, senior fellow at the Exxon-backed Competitive Enterprise Institute, writes for the National Review on global warming issues. Today, he excerpts some promotional material from a horror movie that he says “mirrors Al Gore’s views” on global warming:

[G]lobal warming is caused by the widespread sin, immorality, and materialism of our current society. The looting and murders after these disasters struck are further evidence of the Antichrist’s coming. The Bible’s revelation predicts that it will be under these conditions that the mark of the Beast will come upon us.

Global warming skeptics can’t challenge Al Gore on the substance, so they just smear him personally. This is what is left of the “debate” about climate change.

Stand up against Murray’s smear tactics. Pledge to go see An Inconvenient Truth.

courtesy of Tree Hugger.

Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh asserted that “the American left” and “the drive-by media” is happy about allegations of misconduct against civilians by U.S. troops at Haditha. Moreover, they planned on using Haditha to “gang rape” supporters of the war to undermine U.S. efforts in Iraq:

This Haditha story, this Haditha incident, whatever, this is it folks, this is the final big push on behalf of the Democratic Party, the American left, and the Drive-By Media to destroy our effort to win the war in Iraq. That’s what Haditha represents — and they are going about it gleefully. They are ecstatic about it… Folks, let me just put it in graphic terms. It is going to be a gang rape. There is going to be a gang rape by the Democratic Party, the American left and the Drive-By Media, to finally take us out in the war against Iraq. Make no bones about it.

Actually, taking the allegations seriously is essential to our success in creating a secure and democratic Iraq. The Iraqi people need to know the truth, which is that the alleged conduct is not tolerated in the United States military or in American society. It requires a thorough investigation by the United States government, thorough coverage by the United States media, and appropriate outrage by the American public, left, right, and center.

Anything less does a disservice to all the troops in Iraq who have held themselves to highest ethical standards under extreme pressure.

Rep. Tom Delay’s “fellow Texas GOP House members chose an expensive contemporary French restaurant in Washington, Le Paradou, to toast the outgoing 22-year congressman Tuesday night in a private dinner.” But DeLay’s spokeswoman “was unhappy with any references to the restaurant as French”: “This is an American restaurant that serves French cuisine.”

Yesterday President Bush tried to justify a federal constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by blaming “activist judges”:

Unfortunately, this consensus [against same-sex marriage] is being undermined by activist judges and local officials who have struck down state laws protecting marriage and made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage.

But this threat is being exaggerated by Bush and the right wing. In reality, the judiciary has played a very small role in defining marriage and traditional marriage is not under attack:

– Same-sex marriage “has been recognized in only 1 of the 50 states as the result of court order.”

- While only one state, Massachusetts, allows same-sex marriage, forty-five states have barred the practice under state statutes or state constitutional amendments.

– Nebraska is the only state that has its marriage amendment overturned. The court invalidated the amendment because it was drafted so broadly that it would have prohibited every type of same-sex relationship, not just same-sex marriage. But the decision did not order the state to recognize same-sex marriages. The case is now under appeal.

More debunking of Bush’s myths on same-sex marriage here.

In her new book, “Godless,” right-wing pundit Ann Coulter writes of the 9/11 widows:

These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzies. I have never seen people enjoying their husbands’ death so much.

She was confronted about the statement this morning by NBC’s Matt Lauer. Coulter accused Lauer of “getting testy.” Watch it:

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