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: * We’ve long known that the Florida Republican establishment is less-than thrilled with Rep. [tag]Katherine Harris[/tag]’ (R) Senate campaign, but it’s apparently worse than we knew. About three months ago, the Florida Republican […]
The timing paints a twisted image. First we learn that the Bush administration is targeting the working poor with audits, checking to see if they qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Then we learn that the Bush administration is eliminating half the IRS lawyers who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, […]
Of all of [tag]Bush[/tag]’s misstatements from the 2000 presidential election, one of the most obviously-false attacks was on military readiness. Indeed, then-Gov. Bush blamed Clinton and Gore directly for “hollowing out” the military. “If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have to report, ‘[tag]Not ready for duty[/tag], sir.’” […]
Nearly two years ago, an FDA advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to approve over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception. One FDA panel member called it the “safest drug that we have seen brought before us.” The scientific evidence was overwhelming and access to Plan B would curtail abortion and unwanted pregnancies. This was […]
When it comes to [tag]Republicans[/tag] who are willing to break ranks and denounce the [tag]president[/tag]’s foreign policy mistakes, it’s rarely the self-described centrists (Chafee, Snowe, Collins) who step up; it’s Sen. [tag]Chuck Hagel[/tag] (R-Neb.). [Hagel] said that in the previous 48 hours, he had received three telephone calls from four-star generals who were “beside themselves” […]
Some of the president’s best friends are Cuban-Americans. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), at the White House this spring for a meeting with other senators to discuss immigration with President Bush, was surprised when Bush approached him as the meeting broke up and observed: “Senator Martinez, you’ve been very quiet.” “That’s Martinez,” Menendez said, pointing to […]