It seemed like a reasonable assumption. With all the talk in the Senate about Dems’ “obstructionism,” Bush’s renewed nominations for very controversial would-be judges, and daily speculation about the “nuclear option,” it seemed very encouraging when Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) took to the Senate floor to praise filibusters. “And even though the results of the […]
I realize that the military has a personnel problem, and I can understand why recruiting goals aren’t being met throughout the armed forces, but this is just embarrassing. The last time Dr. Floyd Baker served in the U.S. Army, Harry S. Truman was president, Dinah Shore’s “Buttons and Bows” topped the music charts, “The Treasure […]
Realizing that the Republican congressional majority had simply given up on the pretense of administrative oversight, Harry Reid and the Senate Dems crafted an idea in December whereby our party would pick up the slack. As Roll Call reported three months ago: Lacking the power to formally examine alleged corruption in the Bush administration, Senate […]
Now that Social Security privatization is on the front burner, the word of the season is “divided.” The public is divided over whether Bush’s scheme is a good idea, congressional Republicans are divided over whether this fight will cost them their majority status, and, in a new twist, even Bush’s Treasury Department is divided over […]
Usually, a Senate vote over the head of the FDA is unlikely to generate significant controversy. But considering the scandals surrounding Bush’s FDA, and his announcement yesterday to keep the acting commissioner on as the agency’s permanent chief, a political fight is inevitable. Lester M. Crawford, who has been running the Food and Drug Administration […]
In December, when then-HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson was announcing his retirement from the Bush cabinet, he said there’s only one fear that keeps him up at night. “For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do,” Thompson said as announced […]
As expected, the White House has picked yet another fight over judges with Senate Dems. Following through on a promise he has made repeatedly since his victory in November, President Bush yesterday renominated 12 candidates for federal appeals court seats whose confirmations were blocked by Senate Democrats during his first term. The renomination of the […]
Last week, during a lengthy gaggle, Scott McClellan responded to a few questions about when, exactly, he learned that James Guckert was using a fake name. Q: Were you aware that he had another name? McClellan: Was I aware? I had heard that. I had heard that, yes, recently. Q: But did you know during […]
The fact that wealthy political donors can buy their way into an ambassadorship is perhaps the worst kept secret in Washington. It’s bi-partisan, entirely commonplace, and the kind of casual corruption that hardly raises an eyebrow. That said, we rarely get a look at exactly how the process unfolds. Fortunately, one of Bush’s more enthusiastic […]
Following up on the New York Times’ revelation that Wal-Mart benefited from a secret, sweetheart deal with the Labor Department, widespread talk of investigating the arrangement has already begun. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and the Education & the Workforce Committee Dems have already contacted the Labor Department about the need for an internal review of […]