Remember all that talk from John Kerry during the campaign about the need to do far better in securing Russia’s nuclear and chemical weapons stockpiles? He was right. U.S. programs to help Russia protect and destroy its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are far behind schedule, despite President Bush’s warning this fall that terrorists getting […]
Last week, in reference to the unofficial hearings John Conyers had called in the House to highlight voting problems on election day, I suggested that this is exactly the kind of thing congressional Dems need to do more of. Fortunately, Harry Reid seems to agree. Lacking the power to formally examine alleged corruption in the […]
If only the Bush administration would make up its mind. Bush, last year: Bush told a group of senators that Kim Jong Il is a “pygmy” who acts like “a spoiled child at a dinner table” and is “starving his own people” in “a Gulag the size of Houston.” Bush, earlier last year: Bush, ever […]
I know this isn’t an obvious political story, but it’s a fun one with entertaining angles. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which promotes itself as a seller of clean music, deceived customers by stocking compact discs by the rock group Evanescence that contain the f-word, a lawsuit claims. The hit group’s latest CD and DVD, “Anywhere But […]
In case you missed it, the New York Times highlighted yesterday the way in which the religious right movement, while helping to drive the political agenda in DC, is also taking advantage of the power it can wield at the state level. Energized by electoral victories last month that they say reflect wide support for […]
It happens with enough frequency that it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it continues to highlight a flaw in the electoral college system. Remember in early November when we learned that the final tally of votes led to a Bush 286, Kerry 252 split? Well, that’s not how history will record it because that’s not […]
Nominations for the 2004 Koufax Awards, the annual awards for progressive blogs, have begun. Be sure to swing by and vote for your favorites. As Atrios put it, these are “the only awards that matter.” On a related note, many thanks to those of you who’ve already cast your vote for The Carpetbagger Report. I’m […]
Today’s Washington Post article on Senate Republicans’ desire to gut the chamber’s filibuster rules: Republicans [said] that, even though the number of filibustered nominations is small, the Democrats are trampling on the Constitution by denying a straight up-or-down vote for even a single nomination. The Constitution, they note, requires two-thirds majorities for treaties, constitutional amendments […]
I have to admit, I’m torn. Part of me assumes Bush will be successful in gutting Social Security because he’s been successful in pretty much everything else he’s gone after, whether the merits of the idea were ridiculous or not. But the other part of me continues to marvel at the number of congressional Republicans […]
I know the media adores John McCain, but this national AP story, which seems to be popping up all over, is just silly. Sen. John McCain, the straight-talking Republican who often challenges the GOP establishment, has taken on a headline-grabbing issue steroids in baseball and generated talk of a presidential bid in 2008. Amid revelations […]