As if the victims of Hurricane Katrina didn’t have enough to worry about, there’s that damn bankruptcy bill from earlier this year. Hurricane Katrina is expected to cause a spurt of bankruptcy filings by storm victims — and sweeping changes in U.S. bankruptcy laws may leave them even more strapped than they otherwise might be. […]
There’s been ample discussion of congressional hearings and the possibility of some kind of independent commission to review and analyze the series of breakdowns associated with the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The good news is, the president apparently supports the idea of a formal probe. The bad news is, Bush wants to lead it. Beset with […]
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: * Two top-tier Republican presidential candidates are dealing with far-right ads against them in early primary states. John McCain is the subject of a new Club for Growth ad, which is running in […]
In July, shortly after Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement, word from the White House was that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was at the top of the president’s short list. C. Boyden Gray, White House counsel under the first President Bush and someone brought in to help this Bush make his selection, made the president’s […]
Just in case the antiabortion group Columbia Christians for Life (conveniently located at Christian Life and Liberty.net) hadn’t been ridiculed enough for exploiting the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina for political gain, the group is at it again. First, the group alerted like-minded fundamentalists to the idea that the satellite image of the storm, as far […]
About a week ago, Bob Novak wrote a column explaining that 2006 could be a “tough year” for Republicans in the Senate. Dem recruiting has gone well, Republican recruiting less so, and factors likely to drive the campaign narrative next year definitely tilt in the Dems’ direction. Later this week, the GOP’s hopes for a […]
Shortly after reports surfaced in January that Bush’s Department of Education paid conservative pundit Armstrong Williams $241,000 to promote the president’s education policies, the agency’s inspector general announced he would launch an investigation into this and other contracts with the media. The report is finally available and, confirming critics’ fears, the department’s “payola” problems went […]
On Friday, shortly after Bill Frist told Senate Finance Committee members that a vote on a permanent repeal of the estate tax would be held the first day back from August recess, Harry Reid gave his colleague a little advice: “Regardless of how one feels about the estate tax, we should all be able to […]
I’ve never published a book, but I suspect publishers consider timing a pretty important factor. When a non-fiction book hits shelves, it should not only have broad appeal, its subject matter should be relevant and pertinent to current events. I mention this because I received an advance copy of Chris Mooney’s The Republican War on […]
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) having only been elected to Congress nine months ago, is apparently a quick study. As Jesse Lee noted yesterday, Boustany has already learned to abandon principles for political expediency. For example, here’s Boustany on Sept. 1: Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., (R-La.), said he spent the past 48 hours urging the […]