The president who clearly hates press conferences finally hosted one yesterday, speaking with the White House press corps for almost an hour before heading off to Texas for a month-long vacation. (Apparently, pointing fingers and avoiding blame for one’s mistakes can really exhaust a guy.) Bush has set such a low standard for holding press […]
Much to no one’s surprise, Senate Dems announced yesterday that they will filibuster Bill Pryor’s nomination to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. A floor vote on Pryor’s nomination could come as early as Thursday. Baseless and offensive Republican accusations of anti-Catholic bigotry, even against Catholic senators, apparently had the opposite of the intended effect. […]
Less than a day after announcing that the air marshal program was being scaled back due to budget cuts, the Transportation Security Administration has done a dramatic u-turn. As MSNBC is reporting under the headline, “Flip-flop on air marshal schedules,” the TSA will “immediately begin scheduling air marshals back on cross-country and international flights.” It’s […]
I’ve heard plenty of talk about voters not being particularly enthralled by any of the nine Dems running for president. There are doubts about likeability (Kerry), electability (Dean), experience (Edwards), and/or leadership skills (Gephardt). Some speculate that these misgivings lead to “undecideds” and “no opinion” ranking so highly in multiple polls. Does this mean, however, […]
I don’t like flying. It’s not a phobia, per se, because I can (and do) get on airplanes with some regularity, but I’m not crazy about it. When terrorists used four commercial airliners as missiles on Sept. 11, 2001, whatever pleasure I may have taken in flying seemed to evaporate. I took some solace, however, […]
The story that looks like it couldn’t get more ridiculous somehow manages to find a way. When we last left our Texas adventure, a new special session was beginning in the Texas legislature to pass Tom DeLay’s outrageous redistricting scheme. 11 Dems in the State Senate fled to New Mexico to deny their chamber a […]
The top tier of Democratic presidential candidates has shifted a bit over the last six months. Sometimes it’s included Edwards, other times Lieberman, usually Gephardt’s in there, and now Dean has solidified his position near the top. The only consistent member of the top-tier club has been Kerry. Since Dean has charged ahead, every campaign […]
Kudos to Salon.com’s Michelle Goldberg not only for her excellent article on the national gathering of the College Republicans over the weekend, but for having the patience to endure the audience’s vile anti-American rhetoric. I suspect the temptation to run from the convention hall screaming would have been awfully strong if I were in her […]
It’s not often, but occasionally a political issue will offer distinct options between helping American families and helping business interests. In the early 1990s, for example, Democrats championed the Family and Medical Leave Act to help families by allowing a worker to tend to a sick relative or care for a child for a limited […]
Sometimes Republicans in Congress do things that are so insane, it’s hard to know where to begin a sincere criticism. It’s no secret that the House GOP doesn’t care much for the principle of church-state separation. When federal appeals courts issued rulings against “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and against a two-ton Ten […]