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: * Facing a new round of questions for her faltering Senate campaign, Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) beat back rumors of her demise and said yesterday she doesn’t plan to drop out of the […]
I found the argument between those who prefer the phrase “global war on terror” vs. those who like “global struggle against violent extremists” as relatively interesting, at least as far as intra-administration semantics debates go. But it’s worth remembering that some top administration officials have a new label for the ongoing conflict, and it’s far […]
One of the few parts of the president’s recent State of the Union address that I liked was his emphasis on the importance of science education. “[T]o keep America competitive, one commitment is necessary above all: We must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity. Our greatest advantage in the world has […]
As far as Republicans in DC are concerned, the timing for this couldn’t be worse. Just this week, Senate Republicans decided that it wouldn’t investigate the president’s warrantless-search program and agreed to a plan that would allow the administration to continue to circumvent FISA. We also learned this week that ongoing domestic surveillance, which is […]
George W. Bush has never been above triangulation, but yesterday’s comments in New Orleans seemed like a particularly tough shot across the Republican Congress’ bow. President Bush, on a Gulf Coast inspection tour that included his first visit to this city’s storm-shattered Lower Ninth Ward, bluntly accused Congress on Wednesday of underfunding the repairs and […]
Just over a month ago, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), embarrassed and confused about his leadership role in the Republicans’ “K Street Project,” said he would no longer participate in the meetings with lobbyists. It was a promise that didn’t last long. After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. […]
By any reasonable standard, Vice President Dick Cheney is not a popular guy. A recent CBS News poll pegged his favorability rating at a stunning 18%, and his approval rating is mired in the same doldrums as the president. For that matter, Cheney will soon retire from politics altogether, he’s been involved in multiple scandals […]
Think Progress got an advance look at an in-depth interview (.pdf) Vanity Fair did with the man of the hour, Jack Abramoff. There are some fascinating insights in the piece, with Abramoff describing his relationships with practically all of the Republican establishment, “including some not typically associated with the Abramoff scandals like Ken Mehlman and […]
The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t enjoyed much success lately. There were the high-profile disasters such as DHS’s handling of Hurricane Katrina, but there have been a series of lesser fiascos, including the department’s inability to secure its own headquarters, its inability to set up a list serve, and a Washington Post series explaining in […]
Two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced that the Senate will vote in June on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. It doesn’t have the votes to pass, and Senate Dems don’t see the point in wasting time on a measure that will simply help a few far-right groups’ fundraising efforts, but we’ll […]