Last week, Bush issued a “signing statement” explaining how he interprets new anti-torture measures passed by Congress. In short, the president believes he can ignore the law when he believes he should. Friday, Bush signed the annual Defense authorization bill for the fiscal year. True to form, it came with another “signing statement.” There’s a […]
On Dec. 28, Rasmussen Reports released a poll on the controversy of the day: Bush’s warrantless-search program. It was, unfortunately, largely useless, since it failed to ask respondents about the most controversial aspects of the domestic spying program. Of course, that didn’t stop the White House and its allies from touting the poll as proof […]
The writing was all over the wall, but Tom DeLay insisted that he’d fight until he regained his post as House Major Leader. That was yesterday. Today, he gave up. Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay on Saturday abandoned his bid to remain as House majority leader, clearing the way for leadership elections among Republicans eager to […]
It’s horrifying to think about, but the Pentagon has determined that troop deaths in Iraq could have been prevented with body armor that was already available but not purchased. A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper […]
In the 2000 presidential race, John McCain saw the South Carolina primary as a key contest, following his big win over Bush in New Hampshire. To help boost his standing, McCain shamelessly abandoned his opposition to the Confederate battle flag and agreed with GOP primary voters that the flag was merely about honoring Southern heritage, […]
With a tip of the hat to one of my favorite features of The Daily Show, I thought I’d kick the ol’ “God Machine” into gear and highlight some of the more provocative stories of the week from the world of religion. First up is the Concerned Women for America, a leading religious right group, […]
In November, NBC released a poll showing that Americans preferred Dems take the majority in Congress, 48% to 37%. The 11-point gap is the widest enjoyed by either party on that question since the poll began asking it in 1994. It’s only gotten worse for Republicans since. In an ominous election-year sign for Republicans, Americans […]
Once former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) realized that prosecutors had him dead to rights, he agreed to cooperate with them, even before he publicly acknowledged his guilt. In fact, as it turns out, the ol’ Duke was wearing a wire. Washington’s power players have always bragged about being well-wired, but for disgraced former congressman […]
Just four days after news of Bush’s warrantless-search program broke, the administration relied on its lawyers to present its best defense. Facing mounting criticism over use of the National Security Agency to listen to phone calls of suspected al Qaeda contacts in the United States without court approval, the Bush administration went public [on December […]
I’ll give the media credit; when Congress and the White House were at odds over anti-torture language, the coverage was thorough and largely accurate. Considering the seriousness of the issue, it was encouraging to see reporters handle the story well. It’s why I’m confused there’s been so little coverage of the more recent developments. The […]