It’s certainly possible that House Speaker [tag]Dennis Hastert[/tag] will survive the fallout of the [tag]Mark Foley[/tag] sex [tag]scandal[/tag], but it won’t be easy. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said, “Inattention to a sick, sick, sick activity is not something someone wants in a [tag]speaker[/tag]. I’ll be surprised if he lasts the week.” That seems […]
Today’s edition of quick-hits. * ABC News is reporting: “Foley bombshell coming … Former congressman’s attorney to hold news conference in West Palm Beach, Fla.” I’m not sure what any of this means, but “bombshell” sounds interesting, doesn’t it? (It’s supposed to start in about 10 minutes or so. Someone should feel free to mention […]
In November 1998, Dems had just shocked the political establishment by gaining seats in the midterm elections; Clinton was impeached; then-Speaker Newt Gingrich was forced to resign; and Bob Livingston was about to become Speaker, but a sex scandal forced him to resign, too. All of this unfolded in the course of a few weeks. […]
The right has blamed the [tag]Mark Foley[/tag] scandal on pro-gay political correctness, “tolerance and diversity,” and the left in general, because, well, just because. Some liberal blogs and the MSM also, apparently, share some responsibility. No one seems to find these defenses particularly compelling, so the right has latched onto to a new favorite: there’s […]
When CBS News added Katie Couric as the anchor of the CBS Evening News, the network also revamped the entire program, adding a “Free Speech” segment at the end of every broadcast. I’ve never been entirely clear on the point of the shtick, other than to give random people a minute-long monologue after the news. […]
For all of House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s problems in the Mark Foley sex scandal, Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, is having some trouble too. For one thing, Reynolds learned about Foley’s emails (though there was no real reason for him to know about it) and didn’t do much. He […]
Last Thursday, the president made some headlines by lashing out at Democrats with some unusually bitter rhetoric. “We know the enemy wants to attack us again,” Bush said, whereas Democrats “offer nothing but criticism and obstruction and endless second-guessing.” It was an odd time for the president to question Dems on national security — we […]
It’s hard to execute the rare flip-flop-flip, but House Majority Leader [tag]John Boehner[/tag] (R-Ohio), when discussing House Speaker [tag]Dennis Hastert[/tag] and the [tag]Mark Foley[/tag] scandal, seem anxious to pull it off. You may recall that Boehner, whom Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) spoke to directly about Foley’s emails to a 16-year-old page, initially said he spoke […]
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 Tennessee, the latest Rasmussen poll shows Rep. Harold Ford (D) surging against Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R), with the Dem now up by five, 48% to 43%. Ford has an edge […]
I haven’t the foggiest idea what Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was thinking when he suggested we stop trying to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, and start trying to legitimize them. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday that the Afghan war against Taliban guerrillas can never be won militarily and urged support for […]