In May, Franklin Foer wrote a good piece for The New Republic explaining that disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff had not only corrupted Republican lawmakers like Tom DeLay and Bob Ney, but the rest of the GOP establishment as well. Foer was more right than he probably realized. Abramoff’s connections to the Bush administration had, […]
Just eight days ago, Time’s Mike Allen summarized what he had heard from administration sources about the Bush gang’s “three-part comeback plan” after the debacle that was the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. Let’s take a moment to revisit the list and see how they’re doing. Step One was to “spend freely, and worry about […]
There are any number of interesting side stories and mini-dramas in DC right now, but the one that may warrant the most attention is watching Republicans scramble, plot, and scheme while trying to figure out how to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. How it plays out may speak volumes about the GOP’s immediate future. Over […]
You know a once-proud political powerhouse has fallen apart when it can’t even pay its bills. The Christian Coalition, formed 16 years ago by TV preacher Pat Robertson, may have, at one time, been synonymous with the religious right political movement, but now, instead of scaring lawmakers, it’s dodging debt collectors. Last year, the Coalition’s […]
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: * A statewide poll released over the weekend in Virginia shows the gubernatorial race getting closer all the time. With just seven weeks until Election Day, a Mason-Dixon poll shows former state Attorney […]
Maybe it was George Stephanopoulos’ ability to pry information out of his old boss, maybe it was some kind of political calculation, or perhaps the former president is just sick of holding his tongue, but Bill Clinton was on ABC yesterday morning and he spoke his mind on all kinds of hot-button issues. For example, […]
For all the talk about the “crisis” of patients suing doctors, you’ll be pleased to know that some doctors are getting in on the litigation game as well. Doctors have long accepted that their patients share opinions about the care they have received, knowing that satisfied patients will refer others while those not so happy […]
Allan Hubbard, the director of Bush’s National Economic Council, joined Scott McClellan on Friday for a press briefing, and helped respond to a variety of Katrina-related questions. One exchange, in particular, stood out. Q: So where does the money come from? Obviously, you’ve got to borrow it or offsets in the budget, what? Hubbard: Well, […]
It didn’t seem to generate much of a fuss, but I found it interesting that, starting about two weeks ago, there were foreign troops operating on American soil. Like ghosts from a bygone era, a Mexican military convoy of 47 vehicles bringing relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina arrived in the home of the Alamo […]
The Washington Post’s Al Kamen is hosting a little “Brownie’s New Gig” contest in which participants to can offer suggestions for a “suitable new job” for former FEMA director Mike Brown. At this rate, Brown may want to take a close look at the results — because getting a new job in the politico-governmental field […]