The Bush administration must really think we’re fools. There’s no other possible explanation. Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld joined the ever-growing list of prominent government figures to deny the obvious fact that U.N. weapons inspectors were in Iraq immediately before our invasion began. Speaking with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Rumsfeld made a comment early […]
There haven’t been any major updates lately on the investigation into the Plame Game scandal, but I’ve noticed that a handful of conservative outlets are still trying to undercut the seriousness of the controversy. I may be biased, but I’m finding these criticisms terribly unpersuasive. First up is the Wall Street Journal, whose editorial page […]
I don’t know if you had to be a poli sci major to enjoy it, but Robert Kaiser had a fascinating item in the Washington Post over the weekend about Congress, as an institution, ceding its power to the White House. The notion of competition between the executive and the legislative branches has been a […]
I noticed, via Hesiod, that yet another Republican has offended yet another minority group. This time, it’s the Latino community. Latino leaders [in Oklahoma] say they’re outraged at an Oklahoma lawmaker’s comment that there are too many “Mexicans and Hispanics” coming to live in the state. Oklahoma City Republican Bill Graves made the comment Tuesday […]
The AP had a fun, what-ever-happened-there article over the weekend, updating us on the travails of Carolyn Risher and her anti-Satan campaign in Inglis, Fla. For those of you who don’t recall the fun, on Halloween night 2002, Inglis Mayor Carolyn Risher believed she had stumbled upon the primary cause of her community’s numerous social […]
From today’s Progress Report: Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday: “You and a few other critics are the only people I’ve heard use the phrase ‘immediate threat.’ I didn’t… It’s become kind of folklore that that’s what happened.” Donald Rumsfeld, Sept. 19, 2002: “No terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our […]
Just when you thought the Bush administration is no longer capable of surprising you, we learn that the administration has been paying actors to pose as journalists to praise the new Medicare law for videos sent to TV stations nationwide. The videos are intended for use in local television news programs. Several include pictures of […]
What is it with Concerned Women for America and its habit of firing its leaders? Late last week, the religious right group, whose principal purpose is to be an attack dog against feminism and gay rights, announced that it had fired Sandy Rios as its president. Of course, it’s hard to feel bad for Rios. […]
Today is the official launch for a new progressive Internet magazine called The Gadflyer. It’s a publication likely to have an immediate impact and lasting influence on political journalism. I strongly recommend it. The Gadflyer’s editors have already assembled a tremendous team of talented writers. The Editor-in-Chief is Paul Waldman, whom you may recognize from […]