At his press conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair this morning, Bush was asked about Bob Woodward’s revelations that the White House began secretly planning an invasion of Iraq shortly after 9/11. Here’s the convincing, well thought-out answer Bush provided to quell what may soon be a major controversy: “You know, I can’t remember exact […]
As you’ve hopefully come to expect on Friday afternoons, I have some statewide polling data to share. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, there haven’t been as many polls this week, so today’s list is a little shorter than usual. As always, these results were released within the last seven days. Massachusetts (12 electoral votes) University of […]
This week’s edition features two emails I received in response to the release of Bush’s PDB from August 6, 2001. First, Carpetbagger regular Joe Fitzpatrick noted: I saw this in response to the recent PDB release: “James R. Thompson, a former Illinois governor (R), said the memo “didn’t call for anything to be done” by […]
The White House seems to have an inordinate fondness for the derisive use of the phrase “law enforcement operation.” It’s intended to describe how Democrats, particularly John Kerry, want to approach the war on terror. Bush, for example, told a Florida audience on March 20: “Kerry said, and I quote, ‘The war on terror is […]
I’m not sure when polls started getting a bad wrap, but to hear Bush tell it, they’re political poison. Boasting of his disinterest in polling seems to be one of Bush’s favorite things to say. At his press conference this week, he said: [A]s to whether or not I made decisions based upon polls, I […]
So Bush can’t run for a second term on foreign policy. And he can’t run on the war on terrorism. And he can’t run on the economy. What’s left? The RNC believes the candidate who once claimed to be a “uniter, not a divider,” should inflame the simmering culture war and split the electorate along […]
Right now, somewhere in the OEOB, someone is trying to figure out how to describe Bob Woodward as a disgruntled former employee. After tarnishing his reputation a bit with his last fawning book, “Bush at War,” Woodward is back with “Plan of Attack,” a detailed account of the months leading up to the U.S. invasion […]
In 1996, Bill Clinton was enjoying his run for re-election on a peace and prosperity platform, but he wanted an increase in the minimum wage. When Republicans, which controlled both chambers of Congress, initially balked, Dems saw an opportunity to hammer the GOP on an issue that resonated with the public. Republicans saw the polls […]
I have to admit, I’m a little concerned about projects like this one. House Democrats are preparing a “Catholic Voting Scorecard” in an effort to show that Catholic Democratic lawmakers have adhered more closely to the position of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy on key issues than their Catholic Republican counterparts. Democratic sources say Reps. Rosa […]
The government’s policy in Iraq, if you can call it an actual “policy,” is failing. Iraq is falling apart, violence is overwhelming, and there’s little relief in sight. Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sees these developments and wants us to know one thing: this is all good […]