I enjoy political theater as much as the next guy, and the pomp and circumstance of a State of the Union is a great annual fix for grandeur. Bush’s speech last night was even topped by one of the more touching and emotional moments one will ever see in such an address. But as soon […]
All things being equal, Bush could probably think of better circumstances going into tonight’s State of the Union address. He won a second term by the narrowest amount for an incumbent in American history. Bush’s inaugural address confused the world, and the White House spent the week after the speech trying to explain what the […]
The relationship between the religious right movement and Republicans in DC hasn’t been going particularly well since Election Day. It’s reached a point in which religious right leaders like James Dobson have taken to threatening the White House with reprisals unless the movement starts seeing some progress. Why would Bush & Co. risk alienating the […]
In a painful waste of time, Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) is engaged in negotiations, which his staff calls “very delicate,” with some moderate Dems to sign on to his constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and other Republicans are courting several Democrats the GOP believes can be persuaded to support an amendment […]
There’s certainly nothing wrong with the Senate considering a measure to formally apologize for the Senate’s role in blocking anti-lynching legislation for decades as African Americans were being murdered across the south. The problem, however, lies in the senator who’s leading the way on this — Virginia’s George Allen (R). “I have come to believe […]
The White House insists it’s going to keep bringing back the president’s most offensive judicial nominees, Senate Dems insist they’re going to keep blocking them from confirmation, and Senate Republicans insist they’re going to invite full-blown partisan warfare by enacting the “nuclear option,” which would prohibit filibusters on judicial nominees. In response, Harry Reid has […]
To follow up for a moment on yesterday’s post about Bush embracing some of the Dems’ proposal to increase death and survivor benefits for American troops, there were two quick additions. First, some correspondents reminded me that I neglected to mention that the last time the “death benefit” was raised — from $6,000 to $12,000 […]
The problem is not just that the Bush White House is run by people who act like thugs, it’s that they’re thuggish about everything, including petty trivia. Consider the recent lessons for new Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The new cabinet secretary invited only one non-Bush administration official to join him at Commerce, a gentleman named […]
At the outset, let me acknowledge that I wrote direct mail letters for nearly 10 years. I’ve written them for candidates at almost every level and for a non-profit organization. With this experience comes an appreciation that coming up with topics for these letters is not always easy. Unfortunately, all available evidence suggests direct mail […]
Howard Dean’s rival with the most institutional support, former Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas), has dropped out, effectively wrapping up the race for the DNC chair. Howard Dean emerged Tuesday as the almost assured new leader of the Democratic National Committee, as one of his main rivals quit the race and Democrats streamed to announce their […]