Over the last couple of weeks, many Americans have come to see the president as uninformed and disengaged, even in the midst of the worst national disaster any of us have seen in the United States. In several instances, it seemed CNN and the major dailies were far more up to date on events on […]
CNN and ABC both report that Mike Brown has resigned as head of FEMA. More soon. Update: The AP makes it sound as if Brown’s resignation was voluntary. Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown said Monday he has resigned “in the best interest of the agency and best interest of the president,” three days […]
There have been a lot of big-picture stories over the last couple of days about the president, his administration, and the response to Hurricane Katrina. They all seemed to have one common thread, which wasn’t the one I was expecting. A must-read Time article, for example, quoted top presidential aides, who obviously did not want […]
The president finally visited New Orleans today — with its population evacuated, presumably there was less of a chance Bush might see someone with whom he disagreed — and was asked if he had been “misinformed” when he said that no one anticipated the breach of the city’s levees. He explained that he wasn’t misinformed, […]
If I might take a moment to add to the Al Gore adulation from July, I’d like to encourage readers to take a look at an excellent speech the former Vice President delivered on Friday, addressing the challenges and moral imperatives posed by Hurricane Katrina and global warming. Oddly enough, Gore’s speech, delivered in San […]
At face value, the Supplemental Terrorist Activity Relief Act (or STAR Act), passed shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, was a good idea. Countless businesses were badly hurt by the terrorist attacks, and the STAR Act was a federal loan program designed to help businesses avoid bankruptcy and recover. This same program is still in place […]
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: * With just two months to go before Virginia voters choose their next governor, former state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R) continues to hold a narrow lead over Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D), […]
Last week, the political world was abuzz with news that Joe Lieberman and the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs let FEMA Director Mike Brown cruise through an effortless 42-minute hearing before getting confirmed. To be sure, senators from both parties dropped the ball — they trusted the White House to pick someone competent and they […]
Roll Call reported today that National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) is feeling some anxiety about the 2006 election cycle. He’s confident that the Republicans will maintain their majority in the House — there just aren’t enough competitive seats to suggest otherwise — but he “conceded that he’d like to see current GOP […]
For some, every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. Exhibit A: the Republicans’ policy agenda and Hurricane Katrina. It didn’t take long for the GOP machine to see the possibilities. Almost immediately after the devastation became clear, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) suggested Congress might take up an “economic stimulus package,” with more tax […]