[tag]George W. Bush[/tag] has had enough problems around [tag]open[/tag] [tag]microphone[/tag]s that you’d think he’d learn to be more careful. No such luck. It wasn’t meant to be overheard. Private luncheon conversations among world leaders, picked up by a microphone, provided a rare window into both banter and substance — including President Bush cursing Hezbollah’s attacks […]
Over the weekend, the [tag]New York Times[/tag]’ [tag]Anne Kornblut[/tag] wrote an item about a speech [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] delivered to a Democratic women’s group in Arkansas. There are a couple of key angles to the story, not the least of which was the fact that Kornblut got the entire thing wrong. Senator Hillary Rodham [tag]Clinton[/tag], returning […]
The [tag]Senate[/tag] begins debate today on three bills on [tag]stem-cell[/tag] [tag]research[/tag], all of which are expected to pass tomorrow, despite a veto threat from the Bush White House on the main proposal to undo the president’s 2001 restrictions. As the debate gets underway, be sure to look out for one of the right’s favorite talking […]
When a criminal indictment forced Tom DeLay to step aside as House Majority Leader, Rep. [tag]John Boehner[/tag] (R-Ohio) was, oddly enough, the “reformer” in the race to replace him. Boehner, despite a dubious record on congressional ethics, vowed to “lead the effort to bring about the kind of reforms the American people are expecting from […]
For all the political news we cover here, I’m generally not on the Middle East/escalating violence/regional war beat. But a) that doesn’t mean I’m not following developments with great interest; and b) that’s no reason why we can’t open the subject up to some discussion. So, how scary is the Middle East? Israel, after provocation, […]
Desperate for something fresh to complain about, congressional Republicans launched quite an offensive this week against the DCCC for an online video that that laments the crises that Republicans have mismanaged in recent years, and includes an image of caskets of U.S. soldiers coming home. The GOP called it “despicable.” Now there’s a new name […]
Maybe, just maybe, all the virulent and threatening conservative rhetoric about the New York Times lately drove one nut to pull a dangerous stunt. A mysterious white powder sent to The [tag]New York Times[/tag] [yesterday] was found by a mailroom employee and sparked an evacuation of the building’s eighth floor, while police determined if the […]
Given the circumstances, I’d expect [tag]private schools[/tag] to produce higher test scores than [tag]public schools[/tag]. I’m an ardent advocate of public education, but private schools have built-in advantages: they can accept and exclude students for any reason at all; use entrance exams; expel students on a whim; cap class sizes, and even mandate parental involvement. […]
First up from the God machine relates a bit to an item from yesterday about the right’s sudden obsession with “In God We Trust,” this time, in Ohio public schools. Despite constitutional concerns, Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill [this week] requiring all public and community schools to display any donated copies of the national […]
Guest Post by Morbo I shudder to think of the number of Americans sitting in prisons because of low-level drug offenses. Kids are locked up next to armed robbers, murderers and rapists because they bought and sold some dope. Mandatory sentences are draconian, and our prisons swell thanks to the right-wing obsession of fighting an […]