How did the hearing on warrantless searches begin this morning? With a fight over whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should testify under oath. Big surprise — every Republican on the Judiciary Committee agreed that he should not be sworn in, while every Dem argued he should be. Since Republicans outnumber the Dems, Gonzales is testifying […]
We’ll no doubt hear a lot today and this week about the president’s $2.7 trillion federal budget, which will be unveiled today. One angle that may not get the attention it deserves is one fairly important expenditure that the budget neglects. President Bush today will propose a $2.7-trillion budget that would take another slice out […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off its hearings on the president’s warrantless-search program just minutes ago, with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appearing as the only witness (so far). I’m cautiously optimistic that the session will be productive, but time will tell. Here are a few things to consider as the day gets started. * At […]
One of the more annoying angles to the Plame scandal has been the persistent claims by administration allies that Valerie Plame may have been in the CIA when the White House helped expose her identity, but she wasn’t undercover. The Bush gang exposed her work, conservatives say, but this would only be a big deal […]
A few items for your consideration: First, following up on a point I raised briefly last week, I wrote a full-length article for AlterNet on the “gap” between the launch of the Plame investigation and the notice given to White House staff to preserve relevant documents. Take a look. Second, I neglected to mention that […]
Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene and hold major hearings into Bush’s warrantless-search program, its legality, its protections for civil liberties, its challenge to the separation of powers, etc. The hearings will be the first substantive congressional response to a White House controversy since, well, since before Bush became president. The principal witness will […]
Almost exactly year ago, I did my one and only post ever on football in honor of last year’s Super Bowl. (Perhaps I should do more of these; it was the only individual post I’ve ever done to get nominated for a Koufax Award.) With today being Super Bowl Sunday again, I thought it best […]
I appreciate and agree with the pro-science sentiments the president shared during his State of the Union address, but the notion that George W. Bush has a real affinity for science is laughable. The president’s fascination with the gee-whiz breakthroughs of modern science may not be new, but it has certainly been more evident in […]
[Editor’s Note: Yes, Morbo sort of retired a few weeks ago, but he suggested he might come back on occasion, when he has something to contribute. Thankfully, today is one of those days. Enjoy. -CB] Guest Post by Morbo The Carpetbagger mentioned recently that TV preacher/assassination advocate/instrument of God’s wrath Pat Robertson’s American Center for […]
This week the “God Machine” offers a key update on one of the more entertaining recent stories from the world of religion. Last month, we learned that the Rev. Lonnie Latham, a far-right Oklahoma pastor and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee, was arrested after propositioning a male undercover police officer outside […]