On Maddow's show, a lot was made about the RNC's attack of President Obama's date night in NYC. Criticizing Obama's date night is petty but let's not act like liberals wouldn't have been all over Bush if he had taken a plane (even a smaller jetstream) to NY to watch a play while he's telling newly unemployed workers that they've been called to make sacrifices. MSNBC would have had a carbon footprint diagram of the trip. Olbermann would be ranting about "What about YOUR sacrifices, MR. PRESIDENT?!"

But the saddest part (and what should have been the focus) is how snarky the press release out of the RNC was. It sounded like a comment on The Fox Nation more than a missive from the head of one of the two major parties of the United States of America. A strong government requires multiple strong parties (more than two, but that's another topic for another blog) and right now we only have one. It's stunning how inept Michael Steele is and I can only think that the Conservatives are already expecting to lose more seats in the 2010 election and are keeping Steele around so they can have a fall guy.

So was date night an awful insult to America? Of course not. But it does seem as poorly timed, if not downright hypocritical, when you look at it objectively. I'm sorry but if you are pushing for new environmental standards, the first one should be a personal pledge to not fly somewhere just to have dinner and see a play. To me, it's another example of Obama being a bit tone deaf to his appearance.

The abortion issue stemmed from one line in which Maddow decried the fact that some states required a woman to talk to a doctor twice, and miss two days of work, in order to have an abortion. Maybe I'm getting more conservative as I get older but I really don't see the problem with this. Abortion is no small decision and clinics probably shouldn't be a one stop shop.

I really wish the abortion and civil union issues would swap the way they are handled. Make a federal law giving all couples, straight or gay, civil unions and equal protection under the law and make abortion a state issue. I get the arguments on both sides of the abortion debate and I really don't see it as a purely woman's choice issue. The woman made her choice (except in cases of rape) when she chose to have sex. To say that she then has the choice whether or not to live with the repercussions of her actions seems a bit off.  I'm fine with the morning after pill, agree that abortion should be an option if the life of the mother is in jeopardy or in cases or rape and incest, but I'm not ready to say that abortion is an inalienable right.

Of course, on the other far side of the docket, Bill O'Reilly didn't exactly have a banner day either. He still stands by his comments about the murdered Dr. Tiller and claimed he was just being honest and all of his analysis was based on the facts. Sorry Bill but you cant say that you're in the No Spin Zone and then compare Tiller to the Nazis and say things like, "If the state of Kansas doesn't stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands." and "No question Dr. Tiller has blood on his hands. But now so does Governor Sebelius. She is not fit to serve. Nor is any Kansas politician who supports Tiller's business of destruction. I wouldn't want to be these people if there is a Judgment Day. I just -- you know ... Kansas is a great state, but this is a disgrace upon everyone who lives in Kansas. Is it not?" So if someone disagrees with Bill O'Reilly on abortion, they aren't fit to serve?

O'Reilly's whole take on today's news was a sad moment for him and really the height of his hypocrisy. He continued to rant against Tiller and say that he should have been stopped but then, seconds later, tried to play the victim because people are now ranting against him and trying to get him to stop calling out abortion doctors. He then said the Left was exploting the tragedy. If The Left is guilty of exploiting Dr. Tiller's death, then O'Reilly is guilty of exploiting the 60,000 fetuses that Dr. Tiller aborted. It also doesn't help that Fox made a huge to do about the Obama Administration investigating Right Wing Extremist groups and then the killer be a member of a Right Wing Extremist group.

It's just upsetting that the biggest names in news are so one-sided and borderline closed-minded. Is Bill O'Reilly to blame for the murder? Of course not. But the deeper wound is the example he sets for his millions of viewers, his inability to listen to and respect the criticism that he is so ready and willing to lash out. I don't mind people preaching to the choir but the cable news world is filled with people promoting distrust, disrespect, and occassionally outright hate of those who aren't in the choir.