Headline

            
               Bushspeak II
The tortured syntax of George W. Bush's father has been visited upon the son,
the Dallas Morning News says. The Texas governor stumbled over
"missile launches" Tuesday in South Carolina, instead uttering the phrase, "a
world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." Other recent
gaffes include: "The question we need to ask: Is our children learning?" and
blending "trade" and "barriers" into a warning against "terriers."

            
               Netizens to FEC: Keep out! Everyone
from the Republican National Committee to the AFL-CIO has told the Federal
Election Commission to keep its nose out of the Internet, the New York
Times reports. The agency asked for input on in its role in regulating
online campaigning. The response: More than 1,200 e-mail messages, 99 percent
of which opposed regulation.

            
               Ballot
Box
You will need to edit
the URL for this piece.Be sure to include Show and idMessage 

            
               Ballot Box
You will need to edit the URL for this piece.Be sure to include Show and
idMessage   

            
               Christmas
Jeers
Please send your questions for publication to
prudence@slate.com. Dear Prudie,I received the worst version of the dreaded
Christmas letter--addressed to no one in particular--with an early Christmas
card. The computerized letter began with the rundown of every family member's
'accomplishments' for the last year. Included in the 'accomplishments' were
being fired from a job, suing someone for discrimination, three near-death
experiences, and an extended hospital stay. 

            
               Antler
Envy
You know it must be
holiday season in Tabloidland when all those dirty secrets about Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer start to surface. With the Globe claiming that singing
cowboy Gene Autry 'hated' Rudolph's theme song and had to be persuaded to
record the Christmas classic, the National Enquirer weighs in with a
'surprising revelation': 'Rudolph is a girl!' According to 'top university
reindeer expert' Maria Berg, male reindeer have already shed their antlers by
late December, meaning that the nine antler-topped reindeer traditionally seen
with Santa on Christmas Eve must be female. 

            
               Christmas
Jeers
Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. Dear Prudie,I
received the worst version of the dreaded Christmas letter--addressed to no one
in particular--with an early Christmas card. The computerized letter began with
the rundown of every family member's 'accomplishments' for the last year.
Included in the 'accomplishments' were being fired from a job, suing someone
for discrimination, three near-death experiences, and an extended hospital
stay.

            
               Christmas
Jeers
Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. Dear Prudie,I
received the worst version of the dreaded Christmas letter--addressed to no one
in particular--with an early Christmas card. The computerized letter began with
the rundown of every family member's 'accomplishments' for the last year.
Included in the 'accomplishments' were being fired from a job, suing someone
for discrimination, three near-death experiences, and an extended hospital
stay.