One of the more irresponsible moments of the president’s press conference last night came during a discussion over North Korea and the threat posed by Kim Jung Il’s alleged nuclear arsenal. “[A]s you know, I have instructed Secretary Rumsfeld — and I work with Congress — Secretary Rumsfeld has worked with Congress to set up […]
The ongoing fight over judicial nominations continues to dominate discussions on the Hill, but Bush only dealt with the issue briefly in last night’s press conference. But when the president did receive a question on it, the response was rather odd. “I think people are opposing my nominees because they don’t like the judicial philosophy […]
It’s getting harder and harder for me to accept the conventional wisdom about the brilliant political minds at the Bush White House. Karl Rove & Co. are touted as visionary strategists who can navigate any political waters with their special blend of vision, acuity, and shrewdness. But if these geniuses are so smart, how do […]
The Dems’ approach to the abortion issue is, for better or for worse, in flux. The party is recruiting candidates, some of whom oppose abortion rights, to run in major statewide campaigns. DNC Chairman Howard Dean is making unequivocal statements about the need to reach out to “pro-life” voters. Party language now emphasizes progressive solutions […]
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has never enjoyed a warm and cooperative relationship with the national media, but as Think Progress noted this morning, there’s apparently still more room to make the relationship worse. Government restrictions on media access can, in limited circumstances, be justifiable. If reporters’ lives are in jeopardy in a combat area, for […]
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: * California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s poll numbers have reached an all-time low and his approval rating has now dropped below the magical 50% threshhold. The latest data from Public Policy Institute of California […]
Much to my chagrin, White House reporters haven’t shown much interest in the controversy surrounding three law-abiding, ticket-holding citizens getting thrown out of a public presidential event because of a bumper sticker. Yesterday, however, during Scott McClellan’s press briefing, the issue finally came up again. We didn’t get much of an answer, but it’s encouraging […]
Can anyone remember the last time a seemingly-obscure policy issue went from isolated regional dust-ups to national policy debate as quickly as the “pharmacists’ rights” issue has? One month ago today, the Washington Post ran a front-page article on the issue of pharmacists, in an unknown number of cases, refusing to fill prescriptions when medications […]
So, we now have the House ethics rules restored and soon we’ll have a functioning Ethics Committee, ready to go to work. The first order of business will be dealing with Tom DeLay’s multiple peccadilloes, but what’s the second? To hear some GOP lawmakers tell it, they’re looking for a full-blown “ethics war.” Republican lawmakers […]
Yesterday, after the House voted to restore the chamber’s ethics rules — the same rules that Tom DeLay has been caught breaking on five separate occasions — the beleaguered House Majority Leader put on a brave face. “I look forward to providing the facts to the committee, once it’s up and running,” DeLay told reporters. […]