The great anti-carbon dioxide conspiracy

In all seriousness, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a [tag]parody[/tag]. The [tag]Competitive Enterprise Institute[/tag], a front-group funded by the oil industry, has unveiled a new TV [tag]ad[/tag] that hopes to convince Americans not to worry about [tag]global warming[/tag]. The pitch — I swear I’m not making this up — is that [tag]carbon dioxide[/tag] […]

Anti-gay amendment already making waves

Over a year ago, the [tag]president[/tag] said that he had no interest in encouraging the Senate to approve a [tag]constitutional[/tag] [tag]amendment[/tag] to [tag]ban[/tag] [tag]gay marriage[/tag]. More recently, [tag]Laura Bush[/tag] weighed in on the subject, stating her belief that Republicans should not politicize the issue, while [tag]Mary Cheney[/tag] explained that she nearly quit working on the […]

‘No Rush to Impeachment’

[tag]Republicans[/tag] have decided that the key to rallying the party’s base is to shout, as often as possible, that [tag]Democrats[/tag] will hold [tag]Bush[/tag] accountable if they take back [tag]Congress[/tag] in November. The media seems particularly fascinated by the argument, and have reported at length on Rep. [tag]John Conyers[/tag] (D-Mich.), ranking Dem on the House Judiciary […]

Da Vinci Code concerns slowly take hold in political world

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see the political world take The [tag]Da Vinci Code[/tag] a little too seriously, but with the movie opening tomorrow, it seems some people just can’t help themselves. The Wall Street Journal’s [tag]Peggy Noonan[/tag], for example, went on quite a tirade today. Speaking of the detachment of the elites, […]

Thursday’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: * New York Attorney General [tag]Eliot Spitzer[/tag]’s (D) lead in the state’s gubernatorial race just keeps growing. In a new Quinnipiac poll, Spitzer led former Massachusetts Gov. [tag]William Weld[/tag] (R) 66% to 17%, […]

Barney Frank’s questions for John Snow

[tag]Treasury[/tag] Secretary [tag]John Snow[/tag] was having a delightful time testifying on the Hill yesterday. He took particular pleasure in telling lawmakers, “Average hourly earnings are picking up. We learned from this month’s jobs report that average hourly earnings have risen 3.8% over the past 12 months — their largest increase in nearly five years.” Rep. […]

Haditha

This is just breathtaking. A [tag]Pentagon[/tag] probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of [tag]Haditha[/tag] will show that U.S. [tag]Marines[/tag] “[tag]killed[/tag] [tag]innocent[/tag] [tag]civilians[/tag] in [tag]cold blood[/tag],” a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday. From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, […]

It’s only freedom of the press

It was probably just an innocent mistake, but I found this funny. A set of flashcards designed to help applicants for U.S. citizenship learn basic civics has become one of the most popular items sold by the Government Printing Office. But the $8.50 [tag]flashcards[/tag] — which contain questions and answers from the actual citizenship exam […]

Reports of the Ethics Committee’s death have only been partially exaggerated

For nearly a year and a half, the [tag]House[/tag] [tag]Ethics Committee[/tag] literally did not function. It did not meet, it did not consider controversies, and it did not appear to be capable of ever working again. No matter how serious a House lawmaker’s scandal, the panel simply would not lift a finger. That is, until […]

At least someone is sticking up for ‘the white Christians who hold power’

Last week, [tag]Fox News[/tag]’ [tag]John Gibson[/tag] urged white people to “get busy” and “make babies.” This week, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly took a firm stand in defense of the “[tag]white[/tag] [tag]Christians[/tag] who hold power” in this country. During the May 16 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly claimed that The New […]