How desperate was the White House to deceive the public — particularly the African-American community — about its No Child Left Behind scheme? Desperate enough to give Armstrong Williams $240,000 — of our money — to promote it. Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a […]
Three committee chairmanships, three disappointments. Veterans’ Affairs Committee — The committee’s current chair, Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), despite his widespread popularity among actual veterans, was removed from his post yesterday. As expected, he was replaced because he wasn’t loyal enough in toeing the GOP line. House Republican leaders decided Wednesday to oust Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman […]
Remember all the fun we had over the summer wondering if Bush insists on getting his questions in advance? Apparently, it started something of a trend. Condoleezza Rice should expect few surprises when she faces the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jan. 18 and 19 for confirmation hearings on her nomination to be secretary of state. […]
Bush believes his narrow election victory gives him a mandate to pursue a radical conservative agenda. But some House Republicans, bolstered by their own gains, not only have a conservative agenda their own, they’re also anxious to take a second look at some of Bush’s previous ideas. Some conservative Republicans in the House want to […]
Most of you have probably already heard, but California Sen. Barbara Boxer is prepared to join with several House Dems in launching a challenge to Ohio’s electoral votes when the Senate meets this afternoon to certify the votes of the Electoral College. Conyers & Co. needed at least one — and it looks like Boxer […]
Remember during the campaign when the Bush campaign was livid about John Kerry’s $200 billion estimate for the cost of the war? And remember when the White House fired economic adviser Larry Lindsey for suggesting before the invasion that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion? Just checking. Congress expects a new […]
I’m torn over whether sitting senators should be permitted to work outside of their official responsibilities while serving in the Senate. At this point, thanks to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), it’s become an interesting political debate. Is it good for the republic that serving in Congress must be treated as a full-time job? Newly elected […]
Of the many names still in the mix for who will succeed Terry McAuliffe as chair of the Democratic National Committee, the one name no one expected to see has suddenly become the center of significant attention: Terry McAuliffe. Top Democrats are working to convince current Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to remain in […]
I guess it’s fair to say the final score is Jon Stewart 2, Tucker Carlson 0. First Stewart humiliated Carlson on Crossfire and blasted the embarrassment the CNN show had become. In the subsequent fallout, Carlson was fired and Crossfire, which Stewart said was “hurting America,” has been cancelled. CNN, which lost the services of […]
There are plenty of torture-related news items available today, each more discouraging than the next. An Australian citizen, for example, was apparently transferred by U.S. officials to Egypt in 2001, where he was tortured for six months before being flown to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. In addition, newly-released documents show that the […]