Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D), who represented Nebraska but has lived in New York City for 10 years, is considering entering the city’s mayoral race. “I am angry about the way New […]
How far have congressional Republicans strayed from responsible rhetoric on the federal judiciary? Don’t ask. Congress can’t lower judges’ salaries or fire them — provisions tucked into the Constitution by the Framers, who watched judges serve at the whim of King George III. But lawmakers can eliminate their positions altogether. “We could reduce the size […]
Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition golden boy, Bush advisor, and now a candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia, is up to his ears in the Jack Abramoff/casino-lobbying scandal. How bad is it for Reed? Even TV preacher Pat Robertson, Reed’s one-time mentor, is dismayed. Some of Mr. Reed’s past patrons – including the Rev. […]
Well, sort of. Over the weekend, Trent Lott (R-Miss.) responded to the far right’s new favorite argument — Dems are blocking a handful of Bush judicial nominees because Dems hate religious people. As Think Progress noted, Lott appeared ABC News’ This Week and parroted the nonsensical line. Lott: [W]hat has made people uncomfortable is that […]
It’s good to know Bush is staying on top of things. [I]t’s hard to keep up with every tiny little thing in the paper. Take the new, White House-approved policy to require U.S. citizens to show passports when they reenter the country from Mexico and Canada — and require the same for citizens of those […]
To follow up on an observation from last week, the question as to whether or not Wesley Clark is running for president again is no longer in doubt. This guy’s in for sure. Mark Kleiman, for example, saw Clark at a Los Angeles fundraiser over the weekend, at which the former general made his intentions […]
I was more or less prepared to move past the subject altogether, but Roll Call had an item today on Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and the now-infamous Terri “great political issue” Schiavo memo. Most of the piece dealt with the fact that Martinez is facing some pressure from campaign advisors who are urging the freshman […]
It was only a matter of time. The dreaded book-list questionnaire had been making the rounds and I knew it’d reach me eventually. Yesterday, my friend Dr. Laniac put me to the challenge, which I have accepted. I hope no one is too terribly disappointed with my selections. 1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which […]
Guest Post by Morbo Federal Appeals Court Judge Richard A. Posner has penned a new book titled Catastrophe: Risk and Response, which examines various disasters that could befall humankind. Posner discusses the usual eco-threats — global warming, pandemics, massive earthquakes and so on — but I found his discussion of man-made disasters more interesting, specifically, […]
Guest Post by Morbo Under Republican rule, the quality of “experts” testifying at Congressional hearings has definitely taken a dive. Case in point: On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights heard testimony on the Federal Marriage Amendment. One of the witnesses, who was called by Sen. Sam Brownback […]