Of all the lies (or exaggerations, or fabrications, or mistakes, take your pick) that the administration used in the build up towards war in Iraq, the implication that Saddam Hussein was a nuclear threat was among the worst. To be sure, the administration was usually cautious when throwing around the word “nuclear,” preferring to focus […]
Yesterday, I went through a litany of problems Howard Dean had on Meet the Press this past weekend, but I never got to the issue of gun control (I was trying not to pile on). But it looks like it was his position on the issue — and not his poor overall performance — that […]
Bush’s “faith-based” initiative has more flaws than I could outline in one blog post, but the point that has consistently limited its political success deals with employment. Faith-based ministries can already apply for government contracts; Bush’s talk about “discrimination” against religious groups is nonsense. When these ministries receive public funds, however, there are strings attached, […]
When Rt. Gen. Wesley Clark appeared on Meet the Press in February, DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe was so excited after watching the show, he was calling all over Washington touting Clark as a sure-fire winner for Democrats in 2004. Several Democratic activists started emailed transcripts of Clark’s appearance around DC. In the months since, Clark’s […]
My post from last week on the House vote to repeal the estate tax last generated some interesting responses from a few regular readers, but there’s one I wanted to share. A longtime Carpetbagger friend, whom I fondly call Dr. Who, emailed to say that he agreed with my concerns in part, and disagreed in […]
Yesterday, I mentioned how odd I thought it was for Dick Gephardt to say he can get around Supreme Court rulings with executive orders. Specifically, Gephardt spoke at a Jesse Jackson-organized event in Chicago and said, “When I’m president, we’ll have executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any […]
The New York Times ran an interesting article over the weekend that has generated a lot of discussion. The premise of the piece acknowledges a number of “exaggerations” from Bush on issues such as tax cuts and Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, but questions whether these embellishments constitute actual “lies.” The Times article concluded, quite […]
The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz said today that Howard Dean’s hour-long appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday “is turning into one of the year’s most talked-about interviews.” I think that’s true, but it’s not good news for the good doctor. The program was a disaster for Dean. Some of you have probably noticed my […]
Last week I mentioned a poll from the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland on public awareness and opinions on issues relating to Iraq, the attacks of 9/11, weapons of mass destruction, etc. I expressed some concern because too many people were terribly mistaken about the most basic details. For example, […]
After signing trillions of dollars in tax cuts into law, Bush has shown an almost-obsessive interest in cutting government revenue. It appears, more often than not, that cutting taxes is not only the most important domestic goal for the Bush administration, it represents his entire domestic policy. But a new campaign theme appears to emerging […]