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: * In the 17-candidate race to replace former Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), State Sen. John Campbell (R) led the pack, but will have to go through the motions in the general election later […]
I’m not entirely certain, but I think George Will’s column today said the president is incompetent. First things first. Will’s column was about Harriet Miers and the undeniable reality that she’s unqualified for the Supreme Court. [T]here is no reason to believe that Miers’s nomination resulted from the president’s careful consultation with people capable of […]
For the first time in months, Bush was asked directly yesterday to respond to developments in the ongoing Plame Game criminal investigation. It didn’t go well. One reporter asked if Bush would remove a member of his staff if they were indicted in this scandal (as he had promised earlier). Bush said he wouldn’t “talk […]
About two weeks ago, an Army captain and two sergeants from the 82nd Airborne Division who were responsible for supervising prisoners in Iraq went public with first-hand accounts of routine torture, in many instances ordered by military intelligence officers. What’s worse, the leading whistleblower, Capt. Ian Fishback, a West Point graduate — whose concerns went […]
During his confirmation hearings, John Roberts insisted repeatedly that he not only lacked an ideological agenda, but he also had no judicial “philosophy.” [Sen. Orrin Hatch] asked [Roberts] whether he is “an originalist, a strict constructionist, a fundamentalist, perfectionist, a majoritarian or minimalist….” Roberts replied that he resists labels and wants to be known only […]
At yesterday’s press conference, Bush was asked for his thoughts on why African Americans overwhelmingly voted against him and against Republicans in general. “I was disappointed, frankly, in the vote I got in the African American community. I was. I’ve done my best to elevate people to positions of authority and responsibility — not just […]
The president spent much of this morning’s press conference defending Harriet Miers and touting her well-hidden qualifications for the Supreme Court. On more than one occasion, though, Bush urged the Senate to confirm her on the basis of practically nothing. “[Miers] understands the law, she’s got a keen mind, she will not legislate from the […]
We learned back in March that Tom DeLay joined Jack Abramoff on a lavish European vacation, including golf at St. Andrew’s and a meeting with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The trip, of course, has become controversial for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the excursion was […]
From time to time, the Federalist Papers offer unique insight into our republican ideals. As of yesterday, they also offer insight into the kind of mistake Bush made in nominating Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. Randy Barnett, a law professor at Boston University, wrote an item for the Wall Street Journal today (brought to […]
The New Republic’s Ryan Lizza did a Nexis search and found a grand total of three articles written by Harriet Miers. The Nexis database goes back about 20 or so years, so that’s probably the total number of pieces we’re dealing with. But one in particular may have significance during the Supreme Court confirmation process. […]