New blog notice -- Reality Check

We've added a new blog to our blog roll today, Reality Check. The four self-described "Ivy League-educated non-partisan political junkies" promise to look at the "evolving" positions of each of the major candidates for president and let us know what they said back before they said what they're saying now. That's my summary of their mission; they've summed it up more pithily in their motto: "All the Flip-Flops Fit to Print."

It's too early to tell whether they're nursing any concealed biases, but they seem to be off to a good start. Today, they point out the perennial pre-Iowa shift in favor of ethanol by Senator McCain and others. In other early posts, they've criticized Senator Clinton's wide-range of opinions on the Iraq war.

I do worry they may turn a bit too harsh, labeling as inconsistent sound bites which in reality differ only in the amount of detail offered. For example, they noted that Gov. Romney "worried that the Democrats would take away his hunting rifle," noting his criticism of some Democrats for using the Virginia Tech shootings as an excuse for incrementally taking away our Second Amendment rights. Reality Check found this inconsistent with his 2004 support of a ban on assault weapons (like Uzis and Mac-10s). While I'm not sure of the benefits really offered by such state bans, I wouldn't equate support for an assault weapons ban with support for any other form of gun control, so I don't see the two positions as being in conflict.

But check them out, and judge for yourself. It's not easy starting a blog, as Simon, Tully, Bobby and I (along with guest bloggers Rafique and the long-lost Stubborn Jack) can attest. Kudos to Reality Check for giving it a go with a great concept.