Bush believes his narrow election victory gives him a mandate to pursue a radical conservative agenda. But some House Republicans, bolstered by their own gains, not only have a conservative agenda their own, they’re also anxious to take a second look at some of Bush’s previous ideas. Some conservative Republicans in the House want to […]
Most of you have probably already heard, but California Sen. Barbara Boxer is prepared to join with several House Dems in launching a challenge to Ohio’s electoral votes when the Senate meets this afternoon to certify the votes of the Electoral College. Conyers & Co. needed at least one — and it looks like Boxer […]
Remember during the campaign when the Bush campaign was livid about John Kerry’s $200 billion estimate for the cost of the war? And remember when the White House fired economic adviser Larry Lindsey for suggesting before the invasion that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion? Just checking. Congress expects a new […]
I’m torn over whether sitting senators should be permitted to work outside of their official responsibilities while serving in the Senate. At this point, thanks to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), it’s become an interesting political debate. Is it good for the republic that serving in Congress must be treated as a full-time job? Newly elected […]
Of the many names still in the mix for who will succeed Terry McAuliffe as chair of the Democratic National Committee, the one name no one expected to see has suddenly become the center of significant attention: Terry McAuliffe. Top Democrats are working to convince current Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to remain in […]
I guess it’s fair to say the final score is Jon Stewart 2, Tucker Carlson 0. First Stewart humiliated Carlson on Crossfire and blasted the embarrassment the CNN show had become. In the subsequent fallout, Carlson was fired and Crossfire, which Stewart said was “hurting America,” has been cancelled. CNN, which lost the services of […]
There are plenty of torture-related news items available today, each more discouraging than the next. An Australian citizen, for example, was apparently transferred by U.S. officials to Egypt in 2001, where he was tortured for six months before being flown to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. In addition, newly-released documents show that the […]
The White House’s drive to privatize (or should it be “piratize“?) Social Security is not getting off to a good start. The White House, in a private memo to conservative allies, strongly argues that Social Security benefits paid to future retirees must be significantly reduced. The memo disputes those on the right who insist that […]
One of the more unexpected pieces of news that came out over the holidays was the Bush White House’s plans to cut the Defense budget a little. That’s right — Bush, the pro-military president, while we’re still fighting a costly and deadly war, believes the Pentagon needs less money. Under orders from President Bush to […]
The United Nations Population Fund, which is generally called UNFPA, focused this week on one of the many crises caused by the Asian tsunami. Among the 5 million people directly affected in the region, there are at least 150,000 women who are currently pregnant or who may be facing complications of pregnancy, including trauma-induced miscarriage, […]