Back in August, we learned from former Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith that the president, shortly before he ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003, did not understand the religious differences at the heart of Iraqi society. As Galbraith explained, Bush met with three Iraqi Americans, who quickly realized that the president was unfamiliar with […]
The lengths white right-wing conservatives will go to try and play [tag]African-American[/tag] voters for fools is literally breathtaking. Last month, it was the Washington-based National Black Republican Association which started running radio ads in Maryland holding Democrats responsible for Jim Crow laws, the KKK, and releasing vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks during the […]
Perhaps no domestic issue riled Republicans in the Senate more than judicial nominees. The fact that Senate Democrats would dare to do exactly what they did when Clinton was president, and obstruct some of the president’s more controversial would-be judges, was, as far as the Senate GOP was concerned, a genuine threat to democracy. Every […]
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: * In Ohio, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) surging past incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R), 53% to 41%. It’s the biggest lead either candidate has seen all year. The […]
Over the weekend, the NYT’s Frank Rich practically taunted the religious right about an inconsequential event at the State Department. Dr. Mark Dybul, who is gay, was sworn in as the Bush administration’s new global AIDS coordinator. As Rich noted, Dybul was flanked by Laura Bush and Condi Rice. While taking the oath, however, Dybul’s […]
It’s fairly absurd that Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) is running for governor while serving in a position that allows him to make decisions as to who can vote in the gubernatorial race. He should have handed over those responsibilities months ago, but instead he issued absurd rules intended to curb voter-registration drives. […]
I’m pleasantly surprised that former White House special assistant [tag]David Kuo[/tag]’s new book, “[tag]Tempting Faith[/tag],” is generating considerable attention from the political world. I have not yet read the book, but the excerpts I’ve seen suggest that it’s filled with revelations that should give the president’s religious-right allies, and other supporters of the so-called [tag]faith-based […]
For reasons that have always alluded me, it’s considered tactless to explain why, exactly, today’s political environment is as toxic as it’s become. The conventional wisdom seems to suggest that this is just the way politics as always been, and will always be. For every observer who notes that congressional animosity is worse now than […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. (It’s a longer edition than usual, but there’s a lot of good stuff in here.) * In Connecticut, Joe Lieberman (I), Ned Lamont (D), and Alan Schlesinger (R) met for a three-way debate this afternoon. Rumor has it, Schlesinger surprised a lot of people with a strong performance. Right now, […]
I know this has come up more than once, but when [tag]Paul Krugman[/tag] tackles an issue, it adds a certain weight to the controversy at hand. And this week, with the elections just 22 days away, Krugman has a simple message: “[T]his is a [tag]one-letter[/tag] [tag]election[/tag]. [tag]D or R[/tag], that’s all that matters.” I can […]