The Republicans’ reaction to Democratic criticism of the war is sad but predictable. Lawmakers and their conservative allies in the media are questioning Democrats’ patriotism, support for the military, toughness, and general approach to foreign policy. My favorite is when Republicans try to score cheap partisan points with voters by accusing Democrats of trying to […]
Far be it for Carpetbagger to begrudge someone for wanting to take a little break. But isn’t it a little odd the president won’t be in the White House this weekend? It was announced today that Bush will be leaving DC in a few hours so he can spend the weekend at the presidential retreat, […]
The Bush White House is clearly a bit sensitive about the new war being labeled “unilateral.” Every time someone uses the word — it’s usually Howard Dean, who’s added the word to his stump speech — Ari Fleischer and Bush allies in Congress go ballistic. As war in Iraq got underway, the administration released a […]
I have to admit I was naive this week about the House’s commitment to fiscal responsibility. I’ll spare you a rehashing of all the reasons a quarter-trillion dollar tax cut is a monumentally bad idea right now. With an Iraqi invasion having begun, no money in the budget to pay for it, and an escalating […]
Now that the war with Iraq has officially begun, many critics of the administration and/or the invasion are left wondering what to do. Eric Alterman, editor of Altercation at MSNBC, had an interesting comment on his blog yesterday. “For me, the antiwar movement such as it was, is over,” Alterman said. “We lost. It’s time […]
I understand the temptation to sometimes stick up for your friends, even when they’re wrong. And I certainly can relate to doing your best to “spin” difficult situations to the benefit of your political allies. But once and a while, when your friends’ mistakes become ridiculous, it’s best not to even try to defend it. […]
I’ve received some terrific emails today from some of the Carpetbagger’s most reliable readers. One email had some questions about “preemptive” strikes and how common they are in American history. As the reader, let’s call him Dr. Who, put it, “When was the last time America ‘started’ a war?” Dr. Who added, “Have there been […]
No U.S. president, from either party, has ever tried to wage a full-scale war and pass a large tax cut at the same time. It’s just never happened. Lincoln raised taxes to pay for the Civil War. McKinley raised taxes to finance the Spanish-American War. Wilson raised the top income tax rate from 7% to […]
Thanks to an alert reader, let’s call him MW, for letting me know about the text of Robin Cook’s brilliant speech to the British Parliament yesterday. In it, Cook explains why he cannot, in good conscience, serve in Tony Blair’s government as it stands with the U.S. on war with Iraq. I know most of […]
If you watched President Bush on TV last night, you heard many of the same messages we’ve all heard for several months (except for that part about exile; that was new). In mentioning U.N. Resolution 1441, Bush said, again, that the “Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, finding Iraq in material breach of its obligations, […]