When Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) unveiled his Military Readiness Enhancement Act a month ago, it didn’t seem like the kind of bill that stood much of a shot. Meehan is right on the substance, of course, and he framed the issue extremely well, but in the current political atmosphere, undoing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” […]
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: * As part of the GOP gear-up to take on Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) next year, State Republican Party Treasurer Hiram Lewis IV threw his hat into the ring over the weekend. Lewis, […]
Proponents of undoing Bush’s restrictive stem-cell policy have been extremely successful of late, so much so that its 186 co-sponsors in the House and 58 co-sponsors in the Senate, coupled by a Hastert promise of a floor vote, point to almost inevitable passage sometime in the next few months. The GOP’s far-right base seems to […]
It’s becoming quite irritating. Every few months, the LA Times runs an op-ed column insisting that Dems have an antagonistic attitude towards religion and are indifferent towards voters who take faith seriously. About a year ago it was Tony Quinn insisting in an LAT column that Dems are “irreligious” and “hostile” towards faith. Six months […]
It’s a shame the article is for subscribers only, but Roll Call had a really interesting item today about the strategery on the Hill surrounding Bush’s Social Security scheme. In particular, the article outlines the next couple of months and challenges some of what we’ve been hearing the past week or so. Republicans in Congress […]
The papal funeral is pretty far from my usual beat, but there was a tidbit in the AP late last week that caught my attention. Bush was close to the front of the section reserved for world leaders, who are being seated in alphabetical order in French. The United States in French is Etats-Unis. A […]
So, how was your weekend? I have a hunch it was a bit more pleasant that it was for Tom DeLay. Let’s see, there was the first member of the House Republican Caucus who called for him to resign… “Tom’s conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting […]
Guest Post by Morbo Florida’s legislature has passed a law allowing people to “use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm.” When it comes to guns, I try to be a reasonable man. If an ex-convict is trying to break […]
Guest Post by Morbo When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was a Scholastic title called The Marble Monster. It was a collection of folk tales from feudal Japan about the deliberations of a revered judge, Ooka the Wise, who could resolve any thorny problem brought before him. The man who compiled […]
Certain constitutional structures created in the United States have historically been models for the world: separation of powers, Bill of Rights, peaceful transitions between administrations, separation of church and state, etc. Other countries around the world saw our success with liberal government and they were inspired to follow our example. Now, as my friend Sam […]