On my less naïve days, there are a few rules I try not to forget, usually leading with the most important truism of ’em all: politics rarely makes sense. That said, Bush’s latest campaign foray into health care seems to be a direct affront to common sense. Bush’s record on the issue is abysmal and […]
It just keeps getting worse. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday that at the time he made the case to the United Nations for the invasion of Iraq some US intelligence officials already knew many of the claims about weapons and terrorist ties were suspect, but they had not informed him or other […]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one… The Bush administration prepared a detailed government report on health care benefits for seniors, but “inadvertently” left out information that shows burdensome new out-of-pocket Medicare costs for millions of elderly Americans. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. I didn’t think so. With a new Medicare drug benefit set […]
One of Bush’s absolute favorite lines in his campaign speech is about how a Kerry presidency would cost an additional $2 trillion. Consider this exchange from an event in Michigan yesterday: Bush: I’m running against a fellow who, thus far, has promised over $2 trillion of new federal spending. Audience: Booo! Bush: Yes. And we […]
I recently had an item in The Gadflyer about the burdensome costs passed on to local communities who host exclusive Bush events. But while I was talking generally about personnel costs (police, fire, hazmat teams, etc.) that municipalities bear, it turns out Bush isn’t even a good guest at the airport. As my friend Fitz […]
Congressional Republicans know there are only a few weeks left before the end of the session, so it’s time to get down to serious business. Lawmakers will therefore be using their limited time left to vote on constitutional amendments on gay marriage and flag burning. Your tax dollars at work. Dems, meanwhile, are prepared to […]
Guess who’s a little thin-skinned? Zell Miller, fresh off his starring role as the wild-eyed attack dog at the Republican convention, wrote an op-ed for (who else?) the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page today, mounting something resembling a defense of his controversial remarks. Unfortunately, Miller still isn’t making any sense. Initially, Miller he rejects the […]
No, I don’t mean Alan Keyes, who isn’t to be taken seriously; I mean Oklahoma’s Republican Senate candidate Tom Coburn, who should be taken very seriously. Coburn’s over-the-top rhetoric continued its absurd trajectory last week, calling lawmakers in the state capital “a bunch of crapheads in Oklahoma City.” I realize that the GOP’s approach to […]
Colin Powell said a couple of interesting things on the Sunday morning talk shows yesterday, some of which generated media attention. The part I found most surprising, however, seemed to go by unnoticed. Much was made, for example, of Powell completely contradicting Bush and Cheney on connections between Iraq and al Queda. Though it wasn’t […]
You may not have heard, but with the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks occurring over the weekend, Bush issued a proclamation once again taking it upon himself to urge Americans to pray. Indeed, he proclaimed Sept. 10-12 as “National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.” Because I keep track of such things, I’d like to […]