Speaking of polls, these results just don’t make any sense. Most Americans say they’re at least somewhat confident about the safety of prescription drugs sold in the United States, according to an Associated Press poll taken at a time when several popular medications have been linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. […] […]
The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll on domestic policies, in particular Social Security, will probably be viewed as bad news for the White House. Bush needs people to believe that the system in “in crisis” right now and that his plan to gut the program is necessary to save it. That’s clearly not where the […]
The ACLU has fed the papers more information. The Bush administration is facing a wave of new allegations that the abuse of foreign detainees in U.S. military custody was more widespread, varied and grave in the past three years than the Defense Department has long maintained. New documents released yesterday detail a series of probes […]
There are really only two constituencies that will benefit from Bush’s goal of privatizing Social Security: far-right ideologues, which oppose the existence of the program on philosophical grounds; and Wall Street, which stands to receive a windfall of Americans’ retirement money. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that financial firms are gearing up for […]
Following up on yesterday’s item about Russ Feingold exploring a presidential bid, the Wisconsin senator popped up again today with an interesting piece in Salon — written by Feingold himself — about what he learned during a recent trip through Alabama. Feingold and his wife visited Greenville, Ala., which he described thusly: “If the red-and-blue […]
I hate to keep harping on yesterday’s White House press conference, but it was a treasure trove of material. There was an interesting question from an international reporter, whom I believe works for BBC, who asked whether Bush is concerned whether the multiple torture reports from the last year might “damage America’s reputation as a […]
Salon’s Eric Boehlert noted today that Bush’s approval ratings heading into next month’s inauguration are among the “worst of any president in modern-day history.” Republicans like to brag about the sweeping mandate that President Bush received on Election Day. But as he prepares for his second term, Bush approaches Inauguration Day with historically weak job-approval […]
It was a minor part of a larger profile piece, but I found Sen.-Elect Tom Coburn’s reaction to Senate ethics rules telling. The rules they learned in the orientation session on ethics? “Ridiculous,” [Coburn] says. “Crazy.” He can fly his wife home from Washington with frequent-flier miles, but not to Washington. He can dine with […]
During the presidential campaign, Bush acted as if he hadn’t been president for the last four years. During yesterday’s press conference, he acted as if he won’t be president for the next four. Every question regarding Social Security, for example, elicited responses in which Bush, who claims to have Social Security “reform” at the top […]
Bush’s responses to reporters’ questions yesterday about Donald Rumsfeld predictably dodged specific concerns and relied on the president’s expertise in psychoanalysis. “Listen, I know how — I know Secretary Rumsfeld’s heart. I know how much he cares for the troops. … [H]e is — he’s a good, decent man. He’s a caring fellow.” So, we’re […]