Sunday Discussion Group

[tag]Seymour Hersh[/tag] argues in the latest issue of the New Yorker that a war with [tag]Iran[/tag] is quickly become a top priority for the Bush administration. The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible […]

The Scott McClellan Dictionary

During yesterday’s [tag]White House[/tag] press briefing, [tag]Scott McClellan[/tag], facing a barrage of confrontational questions, preferred to answer questions that weren’t being asked. At one point, he told a reporter, “I think we’re talking past each other a little bit.” [tag]McClellan[/tag] made the comment with a bit of smirk — he knew he was stonewalling, and […]

Connecting the dots

Well, at least Knight Ridder gets it. The revelation that President Bush authorized former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to divulge classified information about Iraq fits a pattern of selective leaks of secret intelligence to further the administration’s political agenda. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other top officials have reacted angrily at […]

WaPo takes Josh Marshall’s advice

Remember the Ben Domenech brouhaha from a few weeks ago? The Washington Post decided it could achieve some kind of journalistic “balance” by hiring a 24-year-old Republican activist to write a blog that promotes conservative ideas to counter a professional journalist who’s written for several newspapers over the course of a sterling 18-year career. Josh […]

This Week in God

First up from the [tag]God [/tag]machine this week is a follow-up from last week, about a progressive Christian denomination that’s not only having a little trouble reaching the public airwaves, but also staking out ground in trying to reclaim [tag]Christianity[/tag] from far-right conservatives. After years of turning the other cheek, the [tag]United Church of Christ[/tag], […]

The ongoing saga of the cartoons that were not worth banning in the first place

Guest Post by Morbo Occasionally I read a journal published by Secular Humanists titled Free Inquiry. Circulation-wise, it’s no TV Guide. However, you can buy it at some Borders stores. But you can’t buy the recent April/May issue at any Borders. The chain will not carry it. Why not? Those damn Mohammed cartoons. Free Inquiry, […]

Memo to Tom DeLay: Jesus wants you to work in a soup kitchen

Guest Post by Morbo The national disgrace that is Tom DeLay is awfully interested in religion lately, as the Carpetbagger has noted. OK, Tom, you want the redemption your faith promises? Earn it. I have a model for you: In 1963, a British politician named John D. “Jack” Profumo became embroiled in a scandal when […]

If McClellan wasn’t ready to quit before…

The rumors were rampant earlier this week that new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten was going to make some staff changes, starting in Scott [tag]McClellan[/tag]’s office. Nothing’s happened yet, but after the grilling he received at today’s briefing, McClellan probably wishes he’d been fired days ago. President [tag]Bush[/tag]’s chief spokesman said today the […]

A different kind of ‘CEO President’

The administration has been relatively tight-lipped on the leak revelations since the story broke yesterday morning, but the stray official, here and there, has stepped up as part of the [tag]White House[/tag] defense. Political questions swirl around the recent grand jury testimony by a former vice-presidential aide that Bush authorized the release of sensitive intelligence […]

A White House defense develops — but it’s hardly compelling

OK, so the [tag]president[/tag] authorized a top aide to [tag]leak[/tag] [tag]classified[/tag] information to a New York Times reporter. It’s getting pretty serious play in the media. Dems are on the offensive, and Bloomberg reports today that “even some Republicans said they were concerned about the effect of the new disclosures.” The next step is crafting […]