What is it with these guys? The Bush administration showed its respect for an independent media by putting pundits on the payroll, Jeb Bush did the same thing, and now Mitt Romney is getting in on the fun. Governor Mitt Romney’s administration has awarded a $10,000 contract to a Boston Herald op-ed columnist to promote […]
Recipients of the coveted Peabody Award, one of the highest honors in broadcasting, were announced yesterday. As my friends at Crooks & Liars noted, one of the award winners stands out. Comedy Central’s spoof news show won its second Peabody Award for election coverage Thursday, with many of the other broadcasting awards going to overseas […]
Bush’s very expensive bubble, which carefully shields the president from any kind of dissent, is pretty tough to pop. Nevertheless, the top two Dems in Congress are doing their level best to lure our shy president out of his shell to deal with Americans who aren’t pre-screened sycophants. In fact, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi […]
Just when it seemed Bill Frist was trying to distance himself from some of the loonier, anti-judicial branch segments of his party, he reverses course. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) will host a private tour of the Capitol next week led by a controversial Republican religious operative who advocates the impeachment of “activist” federal […]
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), in his most detailed response yet to his self-generated controversy, sat down with the Houston Chronicle yesterday. Was it finally time for the senator to concede that he had crossed a line of decency and accept responsibility for his lapse in judgment? Of course not. Sen. John Cornyn admitted Wednesday that […]
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: * Working under the assumption that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) will run for governor next year, Rep. Henry Bonilla (R) has been laying the ground work for his Senate campaign. So far, […]
The Republicans have seemed a bit more indecisive than usual when it comes to the “nuclear option.” Some weeks, their rhetoric is all bravado; other weeks they emphasize compromise. Some weeks, they talk about having votes to spare to pass the change to the filibuster rules; other weeks they’re scrambling to get to 50. Some […]
In general, I get a little uncomfortable when lawmakers, on either side of the aisle, start playing doctor. That said, a Colorado bill, mandating that health care facilities let rape victims know about their emergency contraception options, didn’t seem terribly intrusive. In fact, it seemed to be a common-sense part of the overall Dem drive […]
Earlier this week, a Justice Department official told the Washington Post that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as part of his effort to get the Patriot Act renewed, would support some minor revisions, including changes to access to library data. This was, to be sure, welcome news. There have been reports of FBI investigators visiting dozens […]
The latest Gallup poll showed widespread discontent among the populace over the Republican agenda. But even more interesting is a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showing that rank-and-file Republicans aren’t all that impressed with their elected leaders either. Almost three months into President Bush’s second term, a raft of economic and social issues — Social […]