It’s been four years since the day that, especially at the time, was supposed to have changed everything. As Condoleezza Rice put it in October 2003, “No less than December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001, forever changed the lives of every American.” Today’s topic: Did it? Four years after the worst attack in American history, […]
Guest Post by Morbo You have to love the optimism of the European media. As the floodwaters in New Orleans slowly recede, some commentators are speculating that this time, President George W. Bush might actually be held accountable. The disaster and the utter failure of the Bush administration to address it are being treated as […]
Guest Post by Morbo The response from the fundamentalist Christian nut right over Hurricane Katrina has been strangely muted. The Carpetbagger noted a few examples of real bottom-feeder groups saying insane stuff about the wrath of God, but the major players like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have been silent. Thankfully, we have Pastor Rick […]
Guest Post by Morbo The imprisonment of James Traficant left the position of biggest maniac in the House of Representatives wide open, and competition for the coveted slot has been fierce. Tom DeLay has put in a strong bid, while still managing to serve as Majority Leader. Oklahoma’s Ernest “Jim” Istook can always be counted […]
Guest Post by Morbo I know it’s not considered polite to say mean things about someone when they die. But when that person was kind of jerk, I see no reason to lard on the hagiography either. Consider recently deceased Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. The man was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1971, […]
It’s too soon to tell exactly how much the federal government will have to spend in Hurricane Katrina’s wake, but it’s obviously going to be in the range of hundreds of billions of dollars. At this point, every penny will be added to an already-enormous deficit. To be sure, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. […]
Despite rumors to the contrary, FEMA Director Mike Brown hasn’t been fired (yet), but he’s been relieved of his duties overseeing relief work on the Gulf Coast. Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, NBC News and The Associated Press reported Friday. Two federal […]
Over the last week or so, the right has targeted a series of people and institutions for Katrina-related criticism, but leave it to Rick Santorum to go after the National Weather Service (via Capitol Buzz). U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is suggesting that early mistakes in predicting the path of Hurricane Katrina may be a symptom […]
During their fifth years in the White House, Nixon was caught up in Watergate and LBJ was suffering politically due to Vietnam. And yet, neither saw their approval ratings drop below 42% by the summer of their fifth year in office. Something to consider while reviewing the latest numbers from polls released over the last […]
There are, of course, two sides to the debacle that led Mike Brown to become the director of FEMA. One was the president deciding to nominate him and the other was the Senate — which had a Dem majority at the time — going along with the idea. As it turns out, the Committee on […]