I’ve received some terrific feedback thus far on my Washington Monthly article — thanks to everyone for all the support — and there’s one point in the piece that I wanted to flesh out in more detail. The article talks a bit about how the [tag]adultery[/tag] issue isn’t on the political world’s radar right now, […]
I knew it was coming, but it’s disappointing anyway. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday defeated a proposal pushed by Democrats to [tag]raise[/tag] the federal [tag]minimum wage[/tag] in increments from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour by January 1, 2009. Sen. Edward [tag]Kennedy[/tag], a Massachusetts Democrat, unsuccessfully tried to attach the proposal raising the wage for the […]
I’m tempted to think, hard as it may be to believe, that the White House wants to undermine the integrity of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Yesterday, President Bush announced his intent to nominate television producer and National Review Online (NRO) contributor [tag]Warren Bell[/tag] to the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public […]
At a [tag]press conference[/tag] in [tag]Vienna[/tag], [tag]Austria[/tag], this morning, a [tag]reporter[/tag], speaking to the [tag]president[/tag], noted that only 14% of Austrians believe the United States is good for peace and more British citizens see Bush’s policies as a destabilizing force in the world than Iran’s. The reporter asked Bush to explain why, from his perspective, […]
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: * In Pennsylvania, Sen. [tag]Rick Santorum[/tag] (R) isn’t closing the gap with [tag]Bob Casey[/tag]; he’s falling further behind. According to a new Quinnipiac poll, Casey now leads Santorum 52% to 34%. The 18-point […]
It’s been about a week since [tag]DSCC[/tag] Chairman [tag]Chuck Schumer[/tag] hinted that he’s likely support Sen. [tag]Joe Lieberman[/tag] in Connecticut, even if Lieberman loses a Democratic primary. The sort-of announcement prompted widespread criticism from Dem activists and the netroots, though Schumer didn’t back off (indeed, he didn’t follow up on the comments at all). So, […]
[tag]Republicans[/tag] on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue went to great lengths to put [tag]immigration[/tag] on top of the domestic policy agenda this year — and now they’re cutting and running. President Bush’s push for a sweeping overhaul of immigration laws was dealt a major blow Tuesday when [tag]House[/tag] Republican leaders announced they would hold public […]
[tag]Senate[/tag] [tag]Democrats[/tag] are, of course, still [tag]divided[/tag] over a policy for the future of [tag]Iraq[/tag], but instead of focusing on their differences, it’s worth taking a moment to note a point of agreement that has eluded them for a very long time. The debate in the Senate this week has pushed Dems in two camps: […]
I meant to get to this yesterday (damn internet connection), but if you haven’t seen the WaPo’s review of [tag]Ron Suskind[/tag]’s “[tag]The One Percent Doctrine[/tag],” there are some stunning observations that makes one wonder if Bush is merely incompetent or genuinely dangerous. The book’s opening anecdote tells of an unnamed [tag]CIA[/tag] briefer who flew to […]
Yesterday’s [tag]conviction[/tag] of former White House aide [tag]David Safavian[/tag] is clearly good news for the ongoing criminal probe of Jack Abramoff and his network of “friends.” As Paul Kiel put it, “Safavian tried wide-eyed innocence — let’s call it the Forest Gump defense — and it didn’t fly.” [tag]Safavian[/tag] lied and obstructed justice, and one […]