They rely so much on the press to fix their problems that they don't know how to solve them themselves.

When the IRS scandal emerged, I have no doubt that they expected the press to say that the allegations were cooked up by a bunch of right-wing wacko birds.  And when the story about Fox News came up, they expected the press to say that it doesn't matter what happens to Fox.  When the press wouldn't play ball, they had no other skills to rely on. 

Without a compliant press corp, Obama has few, if any, strengths.

I think the Administration thought that the press would carry Obama's water like it has since the days of Jeremiah Wright.  The problem is that that level of protection doesn't make you strong, but it makes you frail if you ever find yourself without it.

Yeah, that's about right.

Agreed.  I think that's why the court might provide a good check and balance to agency power.

And they keep finding Big Brothers instead.

It is the tragedy of our time that no matter how dangerous a government can become (and the 20th century in particular is just rife with examples), people never seem to give up looking for their angels.

This is not addressed to anyone in particular, but is there any limiting principle in local regulation for a conservative?  If Toledo, Ohio decided to confiscate guns, I think there would be a lot of resistance to the legitimacy of the move, not simply the wisdom.

The problem is with the words "constitutes" and "free." 

Majoritarianism, by itself, is not synonymous with freedom as most people right of center would understand it.  We think of freedom as encompassing freedom of speech, due process and respect for property rights and many other rights.  Majority rule may help or hinder freedom depending on how people are riled up.

But majority rule does not "constitute" a free society as we understand it.  Even if majority rule were a necessary condition for a free society, it is not sufficient for a free society.

Somewhere, an irony meter has just exploded.

As bad as this is, it is still not nearly as bad as the abuse of the interstate commerce provisions of the Constitution.  Obviously, I hope the government loses, but there are vastly larger threats to federalism that people tolerate on any everyday basis that worry me even more.  (Perhaps because people tolerate them on an everyday basis.)

Christie makes a fine governor of New Jersey.  Probably about as good as one could expect for the state as a Republican, maybe better.

That said, will he be able to make the argument for conservative positions or are we going to put forward yet another candidate whose entire argument is no deeper than the notion that he believes in America?

It's not about what you eat.  It's about whether you jump when they say "jump."

I am more than happy to be polite, but manners are a two-way street.  Some people just go out of their way to be offended just to give other people orders.    There are like soccer players who fake injuries to get penalty cards.

To Obama, it is not about what people can do together through voluntary association; it's only about what people can do together by government forcing people to do things. 

I am always amazed at how narrow his vision of the world is.

It wasn't political correctness.  Just variety, as I had used the term "Indian" once already.  I will not be cowed.  (With apologies to any Bovine-Americans.)

Is it just me or with the removal of Indian sports team names (and banning tobacco) that liberals are also wiping out the visibility of Native Americans and their culture?

Blame the culture.  If it's true that Jason Collins is gay, then it's true.  It's the culture that makes a big deal about it, though it is at least noteworthy considering the paucity of known gay male athletes in the major sporting leagues.  (Why noteworthy?  Because you don't see it everyday.)

If you don't like the story, don't follow it.   It's a free country.  Until a few days ago, I barely remembered that people paid money to watch basketball games.

At the end of the day, the only thing that is going to matter is whether gay athletes help their teams win games.  This is tempest in a teapot and we all soon get on with our lives.

And if the term "hero" is thrown around too much, it has almost always been thrown around too much.  I don't even like the term "tragic hero" since most of those characters aren't really heroic.  I suspect that boat sailed several centuries ago.