Best…quote…ever: “If Prince Bandar’s pledge to President Bush on energy prices is true, would that designate him as a Ranger or a Pioneer?” Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), commenting on Bob Woodward’s book Plan of Attack, which reported that Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan said his country “hoped to fine-tune oil prices over 10 months […]
I can admit, the Kerry campaign hasn’t handled questions about his full military record with its usual aplomb. They’ve been a little clumsy with what is apparently a non-story, but the really frustrating part is the Bush campaign’s mock-outrage. When asked on Sunday if he would agree to release all of his military records, Kerry […]
The Center for American Progress has really sunk their teeth into the controversy surrounding the Bush administration diverting $700 million from appropriations meant for the war Afghanistan and spending it to prepare for a different war in Iraq. CAP has a helpful backgrounder exploring the various legal obligations the White House appears to have ignored […]
I know it’s not unusual for people with famous last names to try and take advantage of their parents’ notoriety, but there are some disturbing political developments in Pennsylvania this year where people are running for Congress who really shouldn’t be. As Aaron at naw and Arnold P. California at Demagogue have noted that Scott […]
When there’s a written transcript of someone saying something they wish they hadn’t, the person has very few choices. The responsible thing, of course, is to live up to one’s own comments and explain what they meant. If necessary, one can even apologize and admit mistake. Or, if you’re Don Rumsfeld, you can just have […]
Mary Lynn F. Jones wrote a good item about Bush’s hostility for Congress, highlighting several recent examples of the president lying to lawmakers and/or ignoring them. It’s a helpful overview and definitely worth reading. Jones notes, of course, the fact that the White House diverted $700 million from an appropriations bill that intended for the […]
Slate’s Tim Noah, whom I usually enjoy a great deal, is doing his best to revive talk about Bush dropping Cheney from the GOP ticket. I’ve already explained why I don’t think this will happen, but Noah’s arguments, which really don’t work, warrant a quick refutation. (Maybe “quick” is the wrong word…) At the outset, […]
Just last month, the Bush campaign started running blistering attack ads against John Kerry, accusing him of opposing needed resources for our troops in Iraq. Ironically, now Republican lawmakers are saying the same thing about Bush. In a stunning front-page article today, the Washington Post notes that funding requests from the Pentagon have been ignored […]
No matter how you slice it, the race for control of the U.S. Senate is going to be awfully close. But there’s one trend I’ve noticed recently — the stark difference between the parties and their respective primary battles. There are 34 Senate races this year, but less than half of those are really competitive. […]
The other Woodward-inspired scandal, aside from the Bush-Bandar deal, is siphoning off $700 million appropriated for the war in Afghanistan and using it instead for Iraq. For his part, Woodward may not care much for the Bandar scandal, but he seems to think the $700 million story is the one with juice. “[Administration officials] get […]