The New York Timesreported yesterday that Ralph Reed and his Century Strategies consulting firm had been hired by Microsoft "to lobby Mr. Bush in opposition to the government's antitrust case against the software giant." Reed quickly put out a statement saying the firm "should have been more sensitive to possible misperceptions, and it is an error that we regret." The statement said Century Strategies was hired by Microsoft in 1998 to "encourage consumers and grassroots citizens to make their views known to public opinion leaders, the media, and political leaders of both parties. Neither Ralph Reed nor any other Century Strategies employee has ever contacted the governor or his staff and asked him to take a position on the Microsoft litigation." That's nice, but the initial New York Times story makes it pretty clear that Microsoft thought it was hiring Reed to lobby Bush.

National Public Radio's Morning Edition looks at the Israel Museum's unique exhibit, " Cradle of Christianity." It sounds like a great exhibition: a re-creation of the Last Supper table, with real artifacts used at such celebrations, the only known artifact documenting the Roman practice of crucifixion, the burial ossuary of Caiaphas the High Priest, a full-scale reconstruction of a Byzantine-period church, and a 1,500-year-old skeleton of a monk wrapped in chains are a few of the displays. But NPR's Linda Gradstein notes an even more important feature of the exhibition: "For many Israelis, especially school groups, the exhibit will be their first exposure to Christianity." One Orthodox Jew Gradstein interviewed explains the only thing she ...