Now that Bush’s Social Security plan is officially dead, it’s time to start rewarding those who helped kill it. At the top of the list has to be Americans United to Protect Social Security, which led the drive to stop privatization, organize opponents, advertise, and run a surprisingly effective rapid-response “war room.” Apparently, some Dems […]
As far as companies firmly in the middle of conspiracy theories go, the Carlyle Group is a perennial favorite. The investment firm, which was featured prominently in Fahrenheit 9/11, is heavily invested in defense and aerospace contracts, became a major player after former Reagan and Bush administration officials with close ties to the national security […]
I know some readers are in the DC area, so I wanted to help get the word out about a rally scheduled for tomorrow to pressure the White House and Congress to follow through on its Hurricane Katrina commitments. The goal: to remind the nation’s leaders that the New Orleans diaspora is still out there, […]
As planned, Bush traveled to Philadelphia today to deliver the third of four speeches on Iraq in advance of Iraq’s upcoming elections. Unlike every other presidential speech over the last several years, Bush opened the floor to questions after his address — and according to several news accounts, the questions were not scripted or asked […]
For what may be the first time in five years, Bush responded to a question about why he keeps himself in a bubble, shielded from criticism, pointed questions, and bad news he’d prefer not to hear. Unfortunately, the response was not altogether satisfying. NBC’s Brian Williams is getting a special opportunity with Bush today, with […]
Looking back at the 2005 State of the Union address, the speech was a little thin in the “new ideas” category. A lot about the war, a lot about Social Security, a few words about tax cuts, and that’s about it. The 2004 SOTU was even worse — it included the infamous “weapons of mass […]
Newsweek’s Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe wrote a terrific cover story this week on my favorite subject, Bush’s “bubble.” There’s fodder here for a half-dozen blog posts, but I was struck by the article’s historical comparisons. Sen. Richard Lugar, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for example, has been in the Senate for […]
It’s been a while since the political world considered the “nuclear option,” but in case anyone’s forgotten, Bill Frist reminded everyone yesterday that he’s still ready to move ahead with the tactic. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) threatened yesterday to strip Democrats of the power to filibuster if they block the vote on Supreme […]
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: * Bob Novak has heard rumors that Katherine Harris may soon be forced to abandon her Senate campaign in Florida due to fundraising troubles, among other problems. If she does quit, Novak hears […]
I’ll delve into Newsweek’s 4,000-word cover story on my favorite subject — “Bush in the Bubble” — in more detail later, but I wanted to do a separate post on one telling anecdote from the article. What Bush actually hears and takes in, however, is not clear. And whether his advisers are quite as frank […]