This has to be one of my favorite metaphors of all time. Mr. Bush proposed an array of savings in domestic programs, including big reductions or cuts in 141 programs. Critics asserted those reductions would do little to ease the deficit even as they imposed real hardship on some people, constituting pain for little gain. […]
Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua Bolten held a relatively uneventful press briefing yesterday on the new White House budget, but one sharp reporter asked a question that needed to be asked. Q: Several years ago, [Former Army Gen. and Chief of Staff Eric] Shinseki was chastised for suggesting that the war in Iraq […]
I’ve been trying to figure why John McCain was so infuriated by Barack Obama, but I’m afraid I’m lost. Given what we know, it looks like McCain just lost his cool, and leveled a classless attack, for no good reason. An outraged Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) today called Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) insincere and partisan, […]
To hear Alberto Gonzales tell it yesterday, the fact that we’re even talking about warrantless domestic searches is literally dangerous. “Our enemy is listening. And I cannot help but wonder if they aren’t shaking their heads in amazement at the thought that anyone would imperil such a sensitive program by leaking its existence in the […]
The frustrating part of watching today’s hearings on Bush’s warrantless-search program is how little reality seems to matter. Over the last seven weeks or so, various legal and policy arguments about Bush’s domestic surveillance have been offered as part of a defense. Some are questionable, some are in dubious gray areas, and some are just […]
I’m listening to the warrantless-search program hearings — I’d live-blog if I could figure out how to listen, analyze, write, and publish at the same time — and there haven’t been too many surprises. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) has been particularly strong following up on some of Gonzales’ previous comments, while Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) […]
It’s almost amusing to hear the president’s allies credit tax cuts for job creation; you’d like to think they’d know better by now. But not the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, which did a fine job summarizing a poor argument. Yesterday’s report of 193,000 new jobs in January (and a revision of 80,000 […]
The debate over whether the Dems would unveil a policy agenda in advance of the 2006 elections has been frustrating, but we seem to be making progress. At first, there was considerable debate among congressional Dems about whether to craft a national agenda at all. Some insisted we unveil a Contract with America-like document to […]
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: * Over the weekend, New York gubernatorial candidate William Weld’s (R) campaign was caught manipulating news accounts before publishing them on the campaign’s website. Without notifying readers, Weld’s campaign removed anything negative relating […]
When the nation’s governors visit DC later this month for the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association, many want to speak with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Unfortunately, Rummy doesn’t want to return their phone calls. The governors want to talk to Rumsfeld about his plans for National Guard troop reduction. The Pentagon’s response […]