Over the weekend, we learned of a devastating new report prepared by Human Rights Watch documenting widespread and systematic abuse of detainees in Iraq. We’re not talking about “isolated incidents” by a few “bad apples.” HRW’s report was prompted by three former soldiers with the 82nd Airborne, who felt compelled to come forward and explain […]
To his credit, Scott McClellan said yesterday that the White House would practice what it preaches when it comes to conservation, including turning down the air-conditioning, scaling back nonessential travel, turning off electrical equipment at night, forming carpools, and using public transportation. There’s some blending of fuel and electrical conservation here, and a smaller motorcade […]
Almost exactly one month ago, the nation received some discouraging news about Americans in poverty. The nation’s poverty rate rose to 12.7 percent of the population last year, the fourth consecutive annual increase, the Census Bureau said Tuesday…. Overall, there were 37 million people living in poverty, up 1.1 million people from 2003. (emphasis added) […]
The “intelligent-design” creationism case is underway in Dover, Pa., with several parents and teachers testifying yesterday that there was an atmosphere of “intimidation and anger” when the community’s school board members voted last year to require biology teachers to read a statement in class that casts doubt on the theory of evolution. While the classroom […]
On Capitol Hill, getting a celebrity to appear at a committee hearing is usually a big deal. Lawmakers know that reporters will cover an event with a popular entertainer or athlete, which in turn generates interest in whatever it is the committee wants to talk about. The point, of course, is to use the celebrity’s […]
It seemed, for about a week or so, that Hurricane Katrina had completely changed the political landscape. Apparently, it didn’t take too long for DC to start operating again as it always has. As fiscal hawks surrendered, would-be government contractors were meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building to figure out how to get a […]
Remember earlier this year, when Tom DeLay allowed the GOP caucus to reverse course on the “DeLay Rule”? It led Congress to keep its rule mandating that lawmakers in leadership roles give up their posts if indicted. Right about now, I think DeLay might have some second thoughts about the move. A Texas grand jury’s […]
At first blush, I can understand why it might be tempting to believe the federal government should reimburse private religious charities for their post-Katrina work. But in a situation like this one, if you’ll pardon the expression, the devil is unfortunately in the details. After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red […]
When the mainstream media discarded its usual passivity and got surprisingly aggressive in its Katrina coverage, the public responded positively. In fact, the industry has apparently even gotten a boost in the polls. Widely hailed for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the American news media appears to be regaining the trust of the American people. […]
National Journal’s Charlie Cook, probably the best non-partisan election analyst in the country, had an interesting subscriber-only column today about the Dems’ chances of taking back the Senate next year. It’s surprisingly encouraging. The House, for a variety of reasons, may be just out of reach. But Cook said the notion that it would take […]