At yesterday’s White House press conference, the [tag]president[/tag] used one word 11 times in describing his proposal for interrogating detainees. See if you can spot it. “What I’m proposing is that there be [tag]clarity[/tag] in the law so that our professionals will have no doubt that that which they are doing is legal…. The professionals […]
Rumors surfaced a couple of months ago about New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s possible interest in a [tag]presidential[/tag] [tag]campaign[/tag] in [tag]2008[/tag]. Publicly, [tag]Bloomberg[/tag] has denied any interest and vowed not to run. Privately, he’s thinking about it — and talking to others about the possibility. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has always denied it, but […]
[tag]Tennessee[/tag]’s Democratic Senate hopeful, [tag]Harold Ford[/tag], has closed the gap against Bob Corker (R) and, in some polls, actually taken the lead in the race to replace Sen. Bill Frist (R). Ford’s [tag]advertising[/tag], in particular, has been effective in garnering support for his campaign, but the Democrat seems to have pushed the envelope a bit […]
First up from the God machine this week is a big-and-getting-bigger religious dispute between one of the world’s preeminent spiritual leaders and one of the world’s biggest religions. It started this week when Pope Benedict XVI began a lecture in Germany by quoting a 14th-century dialogue between the Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, and a […]
Guest Post by Morbo Had it been possible, I would have arranged to have been out of the country this past week — the farther away the better. Australian Outback? Sign me up. Expedition to the Galapagos Islands? I’m game. I’d have been happy to go almost anywhere to avoid the national round of media-driven […]
Guest Post by Morbo A few months ago, I noted that William Donald Schaefer, Maryland’s comptroller, had ogled a young female aide to Gov. Robert Ehrlich during a public meeting. I expressed my desire that this clown be booted from office during the primary election — but I was pessimistic that it would happen, as […]
Following up on an earlier item, I watched the president’s press conference this morning and jotted down a quick note every time I heard him say something that I knew to be false. Needless to say, I went through more than a couple of sheets of paper. * On the issue of military tribunals, Bush […]
I attended the Christian Coalition’s national conference in 2002 and saw then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) receive their heretofore unknown “Lifetime Champion of Family Values” award. In a short speech, Armey thanked the religious right movement for its support of him and the Republican Party, and then began crying while describing the sacrifice Armey […]
It sounded like progress. The House passed a measure yesterday that purports to improve transparency and accountability in federal spending by requiring lawmakers to attach their name to “[tag]earmarks[/tag]” contained in major [tag]spending[/tag] bills. Of all the Republican ethics-reform proposals unveiled earlier this year, this was the only measure to actually get a vote. It […]
The president’s Rose Garden press conference today featured a different Bush than we’re used to seeing. As Ezra noted, “Whereas Bush is generally petulant and unhappy at these events, he’s now snapping at reporters, straightforwardly insulting them, yelling from the podium, losing control, and generally evincing a combativeness and barely suppressed rage that I’ve never […]