It’s been a rough couple of years for military chaplains. For reasons that defy comprehension, several congressional Republicans seem anxious to make things worse. The problems seemed to bottom out two years ago when we learned that the Navy had punished dozens of military chaplains for offenses ranging from sexual abuse to fraud. The Navy […]
Conventional wisdom has held that Harriet Miers’ nomination is contentious, and an embarrassing distraction for the White House, but ultimately, she’ll be confirmed. Dems probably won’t filibuster and there’s little chance six Republicans would vote against her. Slowly but surely, the conventional wisdom is changing and confirmation is no longer assumed. Miers has gone from […]
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: * Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) had an interesting message this week while talking to the George Washington University College Republicans about the midterm cycle: “It’s OK if the Republicans lose control, for our […]
Uber-activist Grover Norquist has driven the right-wing agenda for many years, all the while pushing legal and ethical envelopes, enraging Democrats with some of the most inflammatory rhetoric imaginable, and viciously attacking anyone who gets in his way. In many Republican circles, this makes Norquist a hero. But Norquist is not untouchable. In fact, some […]
Think Progress compiled a terrific list this week on the right’s myths regarding the Plame scandal. Point by point, the list explains what conservatives say to dismiss the seriousness of the scandal and why they’re wrong. It’s a handy resource. But even the clever folks at Think Progress couldn’t have anticipated what Roll Call’s Mort […]
A few months ago, Jonathan Chait wrote an interesting column explaining that those who work in the Bush administration, but later work up the courage to criticize it, inevitably (and mysteriously) reverse course. “Most presidents have to face betrayal sooner or later,” Chait said. “What’s uncanny about the Bush administration is that its dissidents invariably […]
To appreciate the Plame-inspired desperation in the West Wing, look no further than the way in which (and the speed with which) White House aides are turning on one another. The long knives are out for Andy Card, top officials in Cheney’s office are cooperating with Patrick Fitzgerald, and Karl Rove’s lawyers are frantically pointing […]
In her initial response to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Harriet Miers acknowledged that her law license in the District of Columbia was suspended this year after she failed to pay dues to the DC Bar Association. For someone who was serving as White House counsel at the time, it’s not encouraging sign. Making […]
Few outside Patrick Fitzgerald’s office know what’s going to happen next, but in the meantime, experiencing schadenfreude from watching the once-arrogant Bush gang cringe is almost inevitable. The Chicago Tribune quoted one senior administration official saying the reports about possible indictments have been “like Novocain,” apparently because of their numbing effect on the White House. […]
If Bush’s drive to privatize Social Security was a fiasco because no one liked it, just wait until American start hearing Bush’s ideas about “tax reform.” President Bush’s tax advisory commission agreed on Tuesday to recommend two alternative plans, both of which would limit or eliminate almost all existing tax deductions, including those for state […]