This probably won’t get the attention it deserves, so take a moment to consider the breakthrough and its political implications. An experimental vaccine against cervical cancer has moved a step closer toward becoming the first cancer vaccine of any kind on the market. Scientists are reporting Friday that the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing […]
Apparently former FBI director Louis Freeh is preparing for a return to the limelight by, like too many ’90s-era Republicans, writing a book trashing Bill Clinton. Louis Freeh, the FBI director appointed by President Clinton, says his relationship with his boss fell apart because Clinton’s “closets were full of skeletons.” […] Freeh discussed the bad […]
Like Ezra, I continue to be inspired by Al Gore’s vision and convictions. Say what you will about the former vice president, but when it comes to articulating exactly what’s gone wrong with American politics, the guy just keeps getting better. The latest gem was delivered Wednesday to a conference organized by “We Media” in […]
One has to wonder if Knight Ridder’s Joseph Galloway was giggling when he wrote this lead earlier in the week: Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey and vice chief of staff Gen. Richard Cody said Monday that the Army was using looser Defense Department rules that permitted it to sign up more high school dropouts and […]
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: * New York businessman Thomas Golisano, who’s run unsuccessfully for governor three times as an independent, will switch his party affiliation and become a Republican today on route to a fourth attempt. Golisano […]
At yesterday’s White House press briefing, Scott McClellan responded to a series of questions about the president’s claim that the feds have “disrupted at least ten serious al Qaeda terrorist plots” since Sept. 11, 2001. Needless to say, some of press corps were skeptical. Q: Scott, more on the speech. First, on that issue, obviously, […]
As if it weren’t bad enough for the right that Harriet Miers helped create a women’s-issues lecture series at SMU — generally not the kind of thing the right likes because it just screams “feminism” — Knight Ridder has looked into Miers’ one term on the Dallas City Council. In particular, KR reviewed her work […]
I know there’s plenty of frustration out there that Dems on the Hill aren’t doing enough to aggressively go after Republican malfeasance, but frequently, Dem efforts are hard-hitting but largely ignored. There’s a lot going on in the political world this week, but consider a few examples of Dems showing solid follow-through. For example, a […]
National polls released last week showed Bush’s approval rating creeping back up a bit. This was not entirely unexpected. The federal response to Hurricane Katrina — and Bush’s cluelessness during the crisis — hurt the president’s support badly, and his numbers dropped into the high 30s. The anger, however, subsided, and the less-painful response to […]
I mentioned yesterday that the Senate passed a measure, 90 to 9, setting new limits on “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” on detainees (read: prohibiting torture) in Iraq and elsewhere. The nine pro-torture votes came from Sens. Allard (R-CO), Bond (R-MO), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Cornyn (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Roberts (R-KS), Sessions (R-AL), […]