International observers of American politics are sometimes afraid that the president is a war-mongering simpleton. Other times they’re afraid he worships Satan. President George W. Bush’s “Hook ’em, ‘horns” salute got lost in translation in Norway, where shocked people interpreted his hand gesture during his inauguration as a salute to Satan. That’s what it means […]
It’s been about four years since people were engaged on this story, so indulge me for a moment as I offer a quick review… Then-governor George W. Bush was called for jury duty in October 1996. Bush and his aides turned it into a minor public relations opportunity, showing how Bush was prepared to do […]
It should hardly come as a surprise to anyone, but Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman is hosting a party event today to salute opponents of abortion. In an email to party activists over a week ago, the party wrote: “Please join Ken Mehlman … as we honor those who march for the Right to […]
The entire range of Democratic opinions on Social Security seem, for a change, to be consistent: no privatizing. Realizing that some semblance of bi-partisanship will be necessary to gut Social Security, the GOP is showing its desperation. With their push to restructure Social Security off to a rocky start, Bush administration officials have begun citing […]
As the chorus of voices condemning the war in Iraq grows, perhaps the most important are those who’ve been asked to the fight the war — but now realize it was wrong and are willing to say so. For the first time since Vietnam, the number of soldiers-turned-protestors is growing and getting organized. The two […]
The White House wants to start the national discussion with Social Security, the president has already indicated he doesn’t intend to invest too much time in a constitutional amendment on gay marriage, but that doesn’t mean congressional Republicans are on the same page. The fight over same-sex marriage is about to vault to the top […]
I was going to write something like this up over the weekend, but it appears Dave Koehler beat me to it. It’s a great look at Bush “by the numbers.” Here are some highlights: Poverty Rate 2000: 11.3% or 31.6 million Americans 2003: 12.5% or 35.9 million Americans Stock market Dow Jones Industrial Average 1/19/01: […]
You may have seen in the New York Times today that Senate Republicans are unveiling an “ambitious” legislative agenda today, including, of course, privatizing Social Security. What you didn’t see was news that Senate Dems are unveiling an agenda of their own. In just a few minutes, Harry Reid and the Senate Dem leadership are […]
The immediate and furious spinning coming out of the White House in response to his second inaugural — Bush said we’d work to eradicate tyranny around the globe, but argued that’s not a policy shift — sounds eerily similar to one of my favorite Steven Wright jokes… Wright goes to his local convenience store to […]