When we last checked in with our friends in the Denver Three (yesterday), the Secret Service and U.S. Attorney in Denver explained that no criminal charges would be brought against the mystery man who pretended to be a Secret Service agent when forcibly removing the three because of their anti-war bumper sticker. Game over? Apparently […]
Imagine how hard it must be to the science advisor to a president who disdains science. Sure, if the White House found someone who shared Bush’s worldview and disregard for the “reality-based community,” it might not be too bad, but in this administration, the president actually has a competent science advisor. Too bad he’s ignored. […]
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: * America Coming Together, which was largely successful in 2004 in raising money and boosting Dem turnout, is scaling back operations dramatically. ACT began informing the group’s 28 staffers this week that their […]
The Hill has an interesting item today about conflicted Dem senators who are weighing presidential aspirations and looking ahead to a confirmation vote for John Roberts. Maybe I’m missing something, but this doesn’t seem like a terribly tough call. As new information emerges about Judge John Roberts’s conservative writing, Republicans are bracing for a more […]
We learned yesterday that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald called two top Karl Rove aides to testify before the Plame grand jury last week, making it painfully clear that the investigation continues to focus heavily on the deputy White House chief of staff. The New York Times added some interesting details to the story this morning. […]
Five years ago, Molly Ivins warned us. After watching George W. Bush serve as Texas’ governor for about six years, Ivins came to a fairly simple conclusion: “I can’t imagine why anyone would consider him for president. He’s not smart, he doesn’t know much, and he doesn’t work hard.” Particularly on that last point, Bush […]
In order for the United States to lessen its presence in Iraq, we’re told, Iraqi security forces have to grow in number, be trained, and be prepared to fight an insurgency. How’s that going? Remarkably badly. The reformed Iraqi Ministry of Defense, a crucial element of any American plan to withdraw troops, is riddled with […]
By now, everyone has probably heard that Democrat Paul Hackett came up just short in yesterday’s special election in Ohio’s 2nd congressional district, losing to Jean Schmidt (R) 52% to 48%. It’s worth taking a moment, however, to consider what an accomplishment this was. When Rob Portman was tapped to be Bush’s top representative, 12 […]
One of the several enduring questions of the Plame scandal is why, exactly, Bush has never bothered to ask any of his top aides, including Karl Rove, what happened with the Plame leak. The president has claimed to have an interest in who did the leaking — indeed, Scott McClellan has said no one wants […]
There were two seemingly disparate elements in this Knight Ridder story that are not only related, but help explain a great deal about how the president deals with the world. President Bush waded into the debate over evolution and “intelligent design” Monday, saying schools should teach both theories on the creation and complexity of life. […]