I know embarrassment isn’t one of those emotions common on Capitol Hill, but I have to wonder how awkward it must be for divorced politicians to attend hearings touting the importance of marriage. It’s like the debate over the Defense of Marriage Act in the ’90s, which was led by Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) — […]
Bush has an annoying habit of taking credit for policies and achievements he opposed. As governor of Texas, for example, Bush strongly opposed a state “patients’ bill of rights” that offered families a legal recourse against HMOs. Not only did Bush oppose the measure, he ultimately vetoed it when the bill reached his desk. Later, […]
Like Kos, I was a little surprised to see a Reuters report on Republicans looking to June 30 as the day when Bush’s political future will be secured. Republicans said the key to Bush’s rebounding is to bring a sense of stability in Iraq. The Bush administration is hoping that process will be aided by […]
There’s something about articles highlighting Republican infighting that makes my day. The GOP is supposed to be the party of unwavering discipline, homogeneity, and Reagan’s 11th Commandment, which is why it’s always so encouraging to see them acting like, well, Democrats. There have been plenty of fun recent examples, just in the last week. Chuck […]
When it comes to Bush nominees, the Senate has been at a standstill for quite a while. There’s news today that there may be a break in the partisan tensions. There’s no mystery as to how things got so bad. Senate Republicans blocked Clinton’s judicial nominees in his second term, hoping to see a Republican […]
One of the truly scary controversies that hands over our democracy is the system of electronic, touch-screen voting that will be in place this November. Several blogs cover this issue thoroughly, so I don’t mention it as often as I probably should, but if you know anything about it, you know these systems are ripe […]
With all of the scandals swirling around the Bush administration, let’s not forget that the Medicare controversy is still lingering. In fact, yesterday it got ratcheted up a bit. Let’s step back and review for a moment and consider what we already know. While Bush’s Medicare bill was pending in Congress, the administration told lawmakers […]
For months, we’ve been hearing that Senate Republicans were preparing to set a series of “traps” for John Kerry on the Senate floor. Initially, the idea was to schedule votes on controversial issues in which Kerry’s vote could be held against him. It was, from the outset, an unusually foolish plan. Kerry wasn’t there to […]
Just to follow up on the Meet the Press debacle in which an aide to Colin Powell tried to cut off the interview before it was completed, it appears that the iron clad rule of the Bush White House — no one can ever be fired for any reason — is still in effect. Richard […]
About a year ago, Bush traveled to Canton, Ohio (20 electoral votes), to rally support for his third tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy proposal in three years. Specifically, he visited a manufacturing plant owned by Timken Company to highlight the kind of benefits Americans will enjoy if only Congress would heed his call for more tax cuts. As we […]