Today, [tag]Murray Waas[/tag] has the latest in a fantastic series of National Journal articles about pre-war intelligence, this one focusing specifically on the [tag]aluminum-tubes[/tag] debacle. Apparently, this specific breakdown was uniquely important to the Bush White House in advance of the presidential election because there was ample evidence that the president and his team repeated […]
What’s the latest on Sen. [tag]Russ Feingold[/tag]’s (D-Wis.) [tag]censure[/tag] resolution? For one thing, it’s stuck at three co-sponsors (Feingold, Boxer, and Harkin), which is where it’s been for a couple of weeks. Regardless, Senate Judiciary Chairman [tag]Arlen Specter[/tag] (R-Pa.) said yesterday that he’s moving forward with a scheduled hearing on the resolution, in advance of […]
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: * Rep. [tag]Katherine Harris[/tag] (R-Fla.) received some mildly encouraging news yesterday when [tag]Tom Rooney[/tag], nephew of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, announced he will not take on Harris in a Senate primary. Rooney […]
Responding to a question about Iraq’s future, the president suggested he’s getting a little impatient with the progress — or lack thereof — in establishing a government in Iraq. His comments are in desperate need of a follow-up question. “[T]here also has to be tangible benefits on the street. I try to speak to the […]
Roll Call reported today that the president was scheduled to deliver his latest speech on his Iraq policy at 1:30 yesterday afternoon, but made a last-minute switch. The White House decided it preferred that the speech “begin just minutes before the planned Democratic rollout of their security agenda.” Democrats interpreted the timing of Bush’s speech […]
[tag]Dick Cheney[/tag] sat down with [tag]Fox News[/tag]’ Tony Snow yesterday, as part of the conservative pushback against the Dems’ new national security strategy. I realize there’s no real point anymore to fact-checking the Vice President’s remarks — he’s dishonest, we get it — but I was nevertheless struck by how well Cheney can interweave fact […]
The good news is the federal government established new fuel standards for small and large trucks yesterday, including SUVs. The bad news is the new standards are terribly weak. The Bush administration will require auto makers to build more [tag]fuel-efficient[/tag] sport-utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks, but standards finalized yesterday are no stricter than proposed […]
I really have to wonder when these guys will ever learn. You can’t get away with anything online anymore. A Republican congressional candidate in California posted a tranquil street scene he said he snapped in [tag]Baghdad[/tag] to prove the media are exaggerating the violence in Iraq. Trouble is, the photo was taken in [tag]Turkey[/tag]. Millionaire […]
As Atrios noted, Bush’s rehashed rhetoric got blanket coverage for nearly two hours this afternoon, while the Dems unveiling a new national security strategy was barely a blip, but on the whole, I think today was a positive development for the party. [tag]Democrats[/tag] on Wednesday proposed a wide-ranging strategy for protecting Americans at home and […]
[tag]Jack Abramoff[/tag] is going to jail, but thanks to his cooperation in the federal [tag]corruption[/tag] investigation, his sentence in Florida was the minimum penalty. Jack A. Abramoff, the once-powerful Republican lobbyist at the center of a major corruption scandal, was sentenced in Miami today to five years and 10 months in prison for his role […]