The New Republic

It's not exactly William F. Buckley taking on the Birchers, but the clearer heads over at National Review have been making tentative, intermittent efforts to disassociate conservatism from its craziest adherents. The problem, of course, is that some of those adherents work for National Review. READ MORE >>

Unlike Isaac Chotiner, I rarely watched Robert Novak (or any of the other instant experts) on television, but I read his and Rowland Evans' column since at least the early 1970s. READ MORE >>

Here's what our senior editor wrote after the announcement of the columnist's brain tumor last year: READ MORE >>

The Washington Post and other news outlets are reporting that the journalist and political commentator Robert Novak has died at the age of 78. Novak is probably best known for his role in the Valerie Plame case, but prior to that scandal he was a constant presence on CNN and a prolific writer. He not only co-starred in the debate show Crossfire, but he was a frequent panelist on other programs like The Capital Gang. READ MORE >>

In a recent survey by Westin hotels, a majority of respondents--51%--said they'd rather have a perfect night's sleep than great sex. Counterintuitive finding: More men than women went for sleep over sex.  Geographically peculiar finding: Of all those asked--some 12,500 recent travelers from a dozen countries--only Canadians went with sex more often than sleep. READ MORE >>

At least as Chuck Grassley defines it. From MSNBC's "First Read": READ MORE >>

Creationism For Liberals: Is Religion The Most Important Source Of Morality? by Jerry A. Coyne READ MORE >>

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Check out James Parker's ode to the Orange Line which ran in yesterday's Globe. I agree with all of it. My only quibble: Why no mention of Ruggles? Is there any other subway stop in the U.S. with a name that rolls off the tongue with as much zest as Ruggles? --Jason Zengerle READ MORE >>

Who says there are no second acts in politics? --Christopher Orr READ MORE >>