Job growth stalls

Karl Rove really wants people to believe that the economy is great. Don’t believe your lying eyes, he says, the president’s economic policies are working wonders. I imagine news like this doesn’t help with the sales pitch. Employers added fewer workers to payrolls in May as the government’s latest reading on labor market strength came […]

‘When you least expect it’

ABC News’ John Cochran reports, just in case the political world has forgotten, you-know-who may still get indicted for you-know-what. (via Froomkin) Thermometers have finally hit the 90’s, and Washington is getting the lazy, sultry look that comes as May dissolves into June. We Washingtonians tend to slow down, but the news doesn’t. And it […]

Harriet Miers redux?

When [tag]Bush[/tag] tapped [tag]Henry Paulson[/tag] to be the next [tag]Treasury[/tag] [tag]Secretary[/tag], the political world seemed to offer a collective cheer. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is not exactly a reliable Bush ally, pledged his full support for the Paulson nomination, saying, “His experience, intelligence, and deep understanding of national and global economic issues make him […]

It’s not freedom that’s on the march

The tragedies and the incidents of violence against civilians in [tag]Iraq[/tag] are nothing short of breathtaking. Consider these news items, just from the last 48 hours: [tag]Ishaqi[/tag]: “The BBC has uncovered new video evidence that US forces may have been responsible for the deliberate killing of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians…. According to the Americans, the […]

Friday’s political round-up

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: * Colorado’s gubernatorial race got a lot clearer yesterday when the Secretary of State’s office said that that Republican [tag]Marc Holtzman[/tag] did not collect the necessary petition signatures to get on the August […]

Bush’s new-found interest in the marriage amendment

How desperate is the [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]White House[/tag]? The president is actually giving in to James [tag]Dobson[/tag]’s demands, and will publicly promote a [tag]constitutional amendment[/tag] to [tag]ban[/tag] [tag]gay marriage[/tag]. [tag]President[/tag] Bush will promote a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on Monday, the eve of a scheduled [tag]Senate[/tag] vote on the cause that is dear to his […]

Letting God know who to vote for

I’ve heard about awkward combinations of religion and politics, but this is ridiculous. The [tag]Republican[/tag] state convention in Hempstead, L.I., opened, as many do, with a prayer. But the [tag]invocation[/tag] from Msgr. [tag]Jim Lisante[/tag], a Long Island pastor and Fox News commentator, cut right to the chase. Lisante opened with a call to Republicans “to […]

Sometimes, virginity pledgers lie about sex

We’ve known for a while that [tag]abstinence[/tag]-only policies are costly, inaccurate, and ineffective. But in case those minor details weren’t enough, it’s also worth remembering that teenagers [tag]lie[/tag] about their [tag]sexual[/tag] history. Teenagers who take pledges to remain [tag]virgins[/tag] until marriage are likely to deny having taken the pledge if they later become sexually active. […]

Tracy Henke’s 15 minutes of infamy

Long-time readers may recall [tag]Tracy Henke[/tag], the Executive Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness at the [tag]Department of Homeland Security[/tag], was one of 17 Bush cronies to receive controversial recess appointments in January. The Bush White House insisted she had to be on the job immediately, and the Senate […]

Frist gets a slap on the wrist for dubious campaign loan

Roll Call reported late yesterday that one of [tag]Bill Frist[/tag]’s many fiscal faults drew a modest fine from the [tag]Federal Election Commission[/tag]. The Federal Election Commission levied an $11,000 fine on the [tag]campaign[/tag] [tag]committee[/tag] of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) for its failure to properly report a $1.44 million [tag]loan[/tag] taken out more than […]