Nearly two years ago, an FDA advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to approve over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception. One FDA panel member called it the “safest drug that we have seen brought before us.” The scientific evidence was overwhelming and access to Plan B would curtail abortion and unwanted pregnancies. This was […]
When it comes to [tag]Republicans[/tag] who are willing to break ranks and denounce the [tag]president[/tag]’s foreign policy mistakes, it’s rarely the self-described centrists (Chafee, Snowe, Collins) who step up; it’s Sen. [tag]Chuck Hagel[/tag] (R-Neb.). [Hagel] said that in the previous 48 hours, he had received three telephone calls from four-star generals who were “beside themselves” […]
Some of the president’s best friends are Cuban-Americans. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), at the White House this spring for a meeting with other senators to discuss immigration with President Bush, was surprised when Bush approached him as the meeting broke up and observed: “Senator Martinez, you’ve been very quiet.” “That’s Martinez,” Menendez said, pointing to […]
The president gave a brief summary of his thoughts on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East during a speech at the Port of Miami today. I’ve been mulling over what he might have been trying to say, but it’s not altogether clear. “The current crisis is part of a larger struggle between the forces […]
Rumor has it, congressional Democrats can’t agree amongst themselves about a policy towards Iraq. They know Bush’s approach isn’t working, and they recognize the need for significant change, but getting Dems to nail down a unified, specific direction for the future of Iraq is tougher than it sounds. Or so the rumor goes. Today, to […]
In March, [tag]South Dakota[/tag] Gov. [tag]Mike Rounds[/tag] (R) signed legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a measure which generated an immediate lawsuit. But before the issue is decided in the courts, abortion-rights advocates turned in more than 37,000 signatures that asked voters to decide on whether to overturn the [tag]ban[/tag] through a [tag]ballot […]
Just to update an item from last week, the AP reported that the Army interrogated Bleu Copas, a decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist, about being gay before ultimately forcing him out of the military. As part of the questioning, Army officials asked Copas if he understood the military’s policy on homosexuals, if he had […]
Good news and bad news today on the [tag]global warming[/tag] front. First, the good news. Britain and California are preparing to sidestep the Bush administration and fight global warming together by creating a joint market for greenhouse gases. British Prime Minister [tag]Tony Blair[/tag] and California Gov. [tag]Arnold Schwarzenegger[/tag] plan to lay the groundwork for a […]
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: * With just over a week before the Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut, some major newspaper endorsements ran. The state’s two largest newspapers, the Hartford Courant and Connecticut Post both ran editorials backing […]
Every time I read about young conservative activists getting together at some organized event, I get a little less optimistic about the future. The New York Times took a fascinating look today at college-age conservatives who go to month-long retreats and conferences some attendees affectionately call “conservative boot camp.” The piece featured a retreat run […]