Tom DeLay vs. Jimmy Carter

I was going to let this go, but the more I think about it, the more irritating it gets. Former President Jimmy Carter spoke out publicly against the war in Iraq late last week, saying he believed the war was “ill advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be […]

It seemed like a good idea at the time

In light of the 9/11 Commission’s ongoing hearings, and the growing sense that the Bush administration was asleep at the wheel before the terrorist attacks, the White House’s political options have changed dramatically. Whereas 9/11 images were once in Bush’s campaign commercials, and Bush’s allegedly bold leadership after the tragedy was supposed to be reason […]

Kerry outlines a strategy for Iraq

Every time Kerry or other Democrats criticize the failures of Bush’s policies in Iraq, the knee-jerk GOP response is, “What would you do differently?” (That is, the response after our patriotism is attacked and we’re told criticisms aid and abet the enemy…) I can appreciate that Kerry, as the Dems’ presidential nominee, needs to articulate […]

Now Bush is concerned about our intelligence services

Four years, two wars, and the worst domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history later, the White House now thinks we might want to reorganize U.S. intelligence agencies. President Bush said Monday that “now may be a time to revamp and reform our intelligence services,” opening the way for consideration of changes at the C.I.A., the […]

Could Bush lose the ‘gun vote’?

So much for the NRA having an office at the Bush White House. Now we can add the “gun vote” to the groups who’ve grown disillusioned with Bush. The LA Times noted today that some gun owners, who backed Bush enthusiastically in 2000, are starting to weigh their options. Though the article is frustratingly vague […]

A rare treat — a Bush press conference

Bush’s dislike for press conferences is notorious at this point. Assigning a motivation for his dislike depends entirely on whether or note you like him. For those who support Bush, his general opposition to press conferences comes from his distrust of the media and a belief that reporters like to “show off” at his expense. […]

Scalia apologizes for confiscated tapes

Credit where credit is due. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has apologized for the controversy surrounding a U.S. Marshal having confiscated the tapes recordings of two journalists. “I have written to the reporters involved, extending my apology,” Scalia said in a letter to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. […] Scalia’s April 9 […]

The mystery of the non-voting public

I had a professor in college who used to argue vehemently that the large percentage of Americans who don’t vote is a sign of political success for the United States. If these folks weren’t happy, and they felt as if the government wasn’t meeting their needs, he’d say, then they’d want to participate in the […]

The most inefficient way imaginable to create 308,000 new jobs

The White House was awfully happy when the Labor Department reported that 308,000 jobs were created in March. It was the strongest month for new employment since Clinton was in office and it was the first time in nine tries the economy created as many jobs as Bush said it would — an impressive 11% […]

Cheney won’t let facts get in the way of perfectly good demagoguery

It’d be a tough call, but if I had to pick the most blatantly dishonest person in the Bush administration, I’d have to say it’s Dick Cheney. The man just can’t seem to help himself. In fact, Cheney lies with such regularity, it no longer seems shocking. On Friday, for example, the vice president was […]