Latest GOP affirmative action plan: Racism for all

Guest Post by Morbo Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed into law what is believed to be the most punitive anti-illegal immigration law in the country. Rallies, both pro and con, were held at the state capitol just before Perdue inked the bill. The Associated Press reported that at one of them, state Rep. Melvin […]

The call of the wild comes to your back yard

Guest Post by Morbo Here’s an idea: Let’s take a wooded area in the [tag]suburbs[/tag], flatten it to stick up garish [tag]McMansions[/tag], and then complain because the animals we displaced won’t leave. This seems to be the thinking of some people in Rockville, Md., who are appalled because (gasp) coyotes have been seen in their […]

People are beginning to notice the new McCain

There have been volumes of blog posts, op-ed columns, and news items of late about [tag]John McCain[/tag]’s efforts to impress the Republicans’ far-right base, but I’ve been wondering: are we the only ones who’ve noticed? By that I mean, political observers have no doubt watched with some interest as [tag]McCain[/tag] has cozied up to [tag]Jerry […]

A ‘Host of Indignities’

It was almost as if the Bush [tag]White House[/tag] wanted to offend Chinese President [tag]Hu Jintao[/tag] (via Atrios). Chinese President Hu Jintao got almost everything he wanted out of yesterday’s visit to the White House. […] If only the White House hadn’t given press credentials to a Falun Gong activist who five years ago heckled […]

Fighting over judicial nominees again

A couple of weeks ago, the National Review’s Rich Lowry sketched out a seven-point comeback plan for Bush and the GOP. Among the suggestions was for the president to “push for the [tag]confirmation[/tag] of his circuit [tag]judges[/tag] that are pending. Talk about them by name. The [tag]GOP[/tag] wins [tag]judiciary[/tag] fights.” Apparently, some Republicans in DC […]

Bible courses take hold in Georgia public schools

To follow up on an item from last month, Gov. [tag]Sonny Perdue[/tag] (R) yesterday made [tag]Georgia[/tag] the first state in the country to offer government-sanctioned [tag]elective[/tag] [tag]class[/tag]es on the Bible. The Bible is already incorporated into classes in Georgia and other states, and some local school districts have passed measures permitting classes devoted solely to […]

Friday’s political round-up

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: * With former House Majority Leader [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] resigning from Congress one of these days, the race is on among Republicans in Texas’ 22nd to replace him. Yesterday, Harris County Judge [tag]Robert Eckels[/tag], […]

From Supreme Court nominee to the chopping block

How far will [tag]White House[/tag] Chief of Staff [tag]Josh Bolten[/tag] go in adjusting [tag]Bush[/tag]’s staff? Far enough to take a good, long look at [tag]Harriet Miers[/tag]. Joshua B. Bolten, the new White House chief of staff, has raised the possibility of moving [tag]Harriet E. Miers[/tag] from her job as President Bush’s counsel as part of […]

Bush’s war on science continues — this time on marijuana research

This story from the New York Times is a terrific case study on why the [tag]Bush administration[/tag]’s approach to [tag]science[/tag] and academic [tag]research[/tag] is so painful. As the article explains, a panel of “highly regarded scientists” conducted thorough research on using [tag]marijuana[/tag] in some [tag]medical[/tag] [tag]treatment[/tag]s and found that the drug can benefit certain patients. […]

Tony Snow ‘in negotiations’ to replace Scott McClellan

When reports first surfaced on Tuesday that [tag]Fox News[/tag] anchor [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] has been approached about becoming the [tag]White House[/tag] [tag]press secretary[/tag], I thought it might just be a trial balloon to see how hard people laughed. As it turns out, Snow now appears to be the frontrunner for the gig — and the New […]