As if it weren’t offensive enough that a constitutional amendment on flag burning was seriously considered by the House Rules Committee last night, Republican lawmakers will soon have another culture war amendment to consider exploit this year. Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) is expected to introduce a constitutional amendment to protect religious expression in schools and […]
Tom DeLay seems to have the impression that Nancy Pelosi made a dramatic error in criticizing the war yesterday. Unfortunately, DeLay’s a little confused. Pelosi argued from the House floor yesterday that “each passing day confirms the Iraq War has been a grotesque mistake.” DeLay pounced. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today called on […]
Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) seems intent to win the “Congress’ nuttiest lawmaker” award. It’s stiff competition, but Hostettler has made real strides. Less than a year ago, Hostettler made headlined for attempting to bring a loaded handgun onto a commercial airplane. More recently, Hostettler backed a House measure to prevent the federal judiciary from enforcing […]
It was another surprisingly good day in the Senate yesterday when Dems, once again, blocked John Bolton’s nomination to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The Senate voted 54 to 38 to end debate on Bolton’s nomination. That was six votes short of the 60 needed to stop filibusters in the 100-member chamber. It […]
I think we can fairly characterize the Bush presidency as being in a “slump.” Polls, Iraq, Social Security, Congress deciding it’s an independent branch of government, the list of factors contributing to the president’s recent decline goes on and on. The question then becomes what Bush is going to do about it. According to an […]
You may have heard that a bi-partisan group of lawmakers has unveiled legislation to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution, which, in turn, would allow presidents to run as many times as they wish for re-election. The truth is, the bill isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be fun to talk […]
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: * Surprising the political establishment in DC and Texas, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) announced late last week that she will run for a third term and bypass the Texas gubernatorial race. Most […]
Though it’s not exactly my beat, I can appreciate that the Paris Air Show is a very big deal in transportation, aviation, and military circles. Boeing and Airbus go a few rounds, government officials from around the world do some bragging and browsing, Wall Street analysts hunt for tips, while plane makers, buyers, and traders […]
Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (D) had a good op-ed today in the New York Times on the fatal flaws on Bush’s policy on stem-cell research. There was one paragraph, however, that stood out as particularly noteworthy. To extricate himself from an untenable position, the president should start by following the successful pattern established […]
I’m glad to know the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has agreed to investigate whether political interference influenced the government’s decision to ask the tobacco industry to pay $10 billion, instead of the $130 billion previously recommended by a government expert witness. There are a lot of questions here that deserve answers. For example, […]