When former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford suddenly and unexpectedly retired late last week, many observers were relieved. Crawford had developed a well-deserved reputation for following the Bush model of allowing ideology to dictate policy. In Crawford’s specific case, that meant disconcerting FDA policy on everything from emergency contraception to drug reimportation to regulation of the […]
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: * Adding further credence to months of rumors, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this week that Paul Hackett has “all but decided” to run for the Senate next year against incumbent Sen. Mike […]
The White House tried a new pitch yesterday in addressing gas conservation: wear a sweater drive less. With fears mounting that high energy costs will crimp economic growth, President Bush called on Americans yesterday to conserve gasoline by driving less. He also issued a directive for all federal agencies to cut their own energy use […]
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has been rather quiet since becoming the focus of SEC and Justice Department investigations. Yesterday, however, Frist finally emerged and started laying out a defense. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, facing federal inquiries into his sale of hospital company stock, said yesterday that he had no inside information about […]
I’m very much opposed to the suspension of Davis-Bacon Act, which led to a Gulf Coast Wage Cut. But if, in the aftermath of two massive hurricanes, Congress is willing to take a pay cut, it’s an idea I can get behind. Amid the debate over how to fund the hurricane recovery effort along the […]
There’s plenty of bizarre stories about Republican antics in DC, but to get to the real jaw-droppers you sometimes have to look at the state level. For example, consider this remarkable story of a Georgia lawmaker who wants immunity from a DUI charge because he’s a member of the state legislature. (thanks to Phil for […]
One of the secondary questions surrounding disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff is how, exactly, he managed to evade indictment for as long as he did. Sure, he was finally arrested a few weeks ago, but in light of all of Abramoff’s criminal activities, what took so long? As it turns out, he may have had […]
The last we heard from former FEMA Director Mike Brown, he was sending around his resume, looking for work. It didn’t seem to be going very well — one exec called him “radioactive.” And yet, as C&L discovered, Brown needn’t worry about finding a new employer; his old one will do just fine. Former FEMA […]
Since former FEMA Director Mike Brown’s background came to public light, there’s been considerable discussion about cronyism in the Bush administration — the only people who seem to get jobs are those who are reliable political allies, and they’re given jobs whether they deserve them or not. Since the Brown example, critics have not hurt […]
It doesn’t happen often, so when key Republican players express deep concerns about the party’s electoral fate, it’s worth paying attention to. For example, the Boston Globe had a piece today on Republicans targeting Michigan as a state where they hope to make some headway next year, thanks in part to high unemployment and luke-warm […]