James Hansen, the top climate scientist at NASA, recently explained that his superiors have tried to silence him because his commitment to reducing greenhouse gases linked to global warming is inconsistent with the Bush agenda. As the WaPo noted, it’s reached a point in which NASA officials won’t let Hansen speak to reporters unless his […]
Last July, rumor had it that conservative allies of the White House would begin a concerted effort to undermine Patrick Fitzgerald’s reputation and credibility. William Safire tried to get the ball rolling, blasting the Fitzgerald as a “runaway prosecutor.” Soon after, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page blasted the special prosecutor as a “loose cannon” […]
Less than a day after the president vowed in his State of the Union address to reduce America’s dependence on oil from the Middle East, Bush’s secretary and national economic adviser said the president didn’t really mean it. And as if that weren’t enough, when Bush said in the same speech that he’s committed to […]
When it comes to those missing emails from Dick Cheney’s office, this is exactly the kind of Plame-related conversation, on CNN no less, that the White House doesn’t want to hear. Wolf Blitzer: [W]hen I hear a story like this, it hearkens back, I remember, of course, some of those missing tapes during Watergate and […]
Before we talk about the results, this is hilarious. House Republicans are taking a mulligan on the first ballot for Majority Leader. The first count showed more votes cast than Republicans present at the Conference meeting. Republicans can’t even run their own elections in a fair and reliable way. No word on whether Katherine Harris […]
While the House was cutting spending yesterday for programs that benefit the poor, elderly, and students, the Senate was completing its work on a package of tax cuts and extension of expiring tax cuts that could cost up to $60 billion over five years. Today, a Dem senator thought of a clever name for all […]
About a month ago, Bush shifted gears on congressional hearings over his warrantless-search program. After the White House had resisted the very idea of hearings for about a month, Bush said he welcomed congressional oversight and said hearings would be “good for democracy.” There was, of course, a catch. “Just so long as the hearings, […]
The last time the CEOs of the major oil companies were on the Hill for a Senate hearing, it didn’t go well. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing over escalating energy prices, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) asked the five CEOs if their company, or any of its representatives, participated in Vice President Cheney’s energy task […]
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was thoroughly impressed with the president’s State of the Union, insisting that Bush was “at the top of his game,” and delivered “a very powerful speech.” Apparently, he got the wrong talking points — the rest of the leading conservative voices in the media aren’t happy at all. Fox News’ Bob Novak: […]
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: * For some reason, Condoleezza Rice’s non-existent presidential ambitions continue to be a matter of great interest. In an interview yesterday, Bush was peppered with questions about Rice’s plans, prompting the president to […]