Just two weeks ago, a handful of people — including the First Lady and White House adviser Ed Gillespie — suggested opposition to Harriet Miers nomination had a whiff of sexism. Even I didn’t believe the charges were accurate, but it was nevertheless amusing to watch from afar as conservatives found themselves on the end […]
When Bush nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court, he said Roberts “will strictly apply the Constitution and laws, not legislate from the bench.” When Bush nominated Harriet Miers, he said she “will strictly interpret our Constitution and laws. She will not legislation [sic] from the bench.” Today, Bush nominated Samuel Alito to the high […]
With Bush nominating Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court this morning, I have to assume it’s only a matter of hours before conservatives start trying to the move the goalposts they helped reposition over the last two weeks. Before it gets out of hand, let’s remember where the newly-adopted standards for the confirmation process begin. […]
Let’s not forget that, as bad as October has been for Republicans, it’s not likely to get much better anytime soon. Roll Call reports today that the party’s “headaches are set to multiply.” On Tuesday, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) will be back in court in Austin, Texas, to contest felony money laundering and conspiracy charges […]
I suppose one way to gauge just how serious the Plame scandal is for the Bush White House is how furiously the president distances himself from its principal players. Under normal circumstances, Bush stands behind his close friends, no matter how much trouble they’re in (Rumsfeld, for example, is still running the Pentagon). But when […]
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: * With just eight days until New Jersey picks its new governor, a new Zogby poll is in line with nearly all of the other recent polls: Sen. Jon Corzine (D) is up […]
When Dick Morris starts publicly questioning Dick Cheney’s role in the Plame scandal, it’s kind of interesting because Morris loves Cheney and has dismissed the controversy for months. But when Nick Kristof raises the specter of Cheney’s resignation in the New York Times, the White House has an entirely different kind of problem. Kristof observes […]
Part of the Dems post-Plame-indictment strategy seems to be emphasizing the need for Karl Rove to be forced out of his job. For a variety of reasons, I think this is a very wise approach. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid got the ball rolling yesterday on CNN, repeating his call for Rove’s ouster four times. […]
Patrick Fitzgerald may have warned us all not to read “tea leaves,” but the political world wants to know whether Karl Rove is in the clear, and can move forward knowing that an indictment is a long shot, or whether Rove remains in legal jeopardy. The media gave mixed signals, based on thin sourcing, all […]
With all that’s going on with the White House leak scandal and the Supreme Court, it’s important that stories like this one don’t get lost in the shuffle. On Friday, the Department of Agriculture released new data on hunger in the United States. The results weren’t encouraging. Findings show that the number of people living […]