Today’s [tag]Supreme Court[/tag] ruling in the [tag]Hamdan[/tag] case was an encouraging development for a couple of reasons. One is the obvious limit on the president’s desire to expand his war powers; the other is a setback for court stripping. It may even have implications on torture. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped […]
In recent weeks, we’ve seen a series of disconcerting items about the widespread data-security breach now encompassing nearly all active-duty military, Guard, and Reserve members, and millions of veterans. While Bush’s Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson initially said personal information for 50,000 military personnel was stolen in May, it turns out the theft affected over […]
Some Democratic candidates, particularly in the South, are reluctant to oppose a constitutional [tag]amendment[/tag] on [tag]flag burning[/tag] for fear of being called unpatriotic. Then again, when you’re a Marine who’s won the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts, the charges apparently don’t worry you too much, especially […]
The House Republicans’ “American Values Agenda,” a sop to the party’s far-right base, includes some unusually vapid ideas, including a uniquely pernicious proposal called the “[tag]Pledge Protection Act[/tag].” Here’s the idea: some people believe Congress violated the separation of church and state when it changed the Pledge in 1954, adding the phrase “[tag]under God[/tag].” Worried […]
I know I’m a day late on this one, but it’s too funny not to share. A caravan of jeeps and heavy equipment crawls across the [tag]Iraq[/tag]i desert, headed for a secret location on the banks of the Euphrates River. Their mission: to dig 25 feet down into the riverbed and unearth concrete bunkers filled […]
I’d like to read the text of the entire speech before saying for sure whether I think he’s right or wrong, but [tag]Barack Obama[/tag] offered his party some provocative [tag]advice[/tag] today. Sen. Barack [tag]Obama[/tag] chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to “acknowledge the power of [tag]faith[/tag] in the lives of the American people,” and […]
At times, I almost feel sorry for Senate Majority Leader [tag]Bill Frist[/tag]. Watching him I’m reminded about that old joke about seeing a turtle on top of a post: You wonder how it got there, what it was doing there, you know it doesn’t belong there, and you just want to help get the poor […]
I’ve heard the argument from those who want to legalize prostitution that the “industry” could produce quite a bit of revenue for government treasuries: if [tag]prostitution[/tag] were legal, it could be [tag]taxed[/tag]. Apparently, at least one Republican senator has heard this, too. Republican Sen. Charles [tag]Grassley[/tag] of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex […]
For months, nearly every national poll has shown Democrats with pretty sizable leads over Republicans on generic ballot questions and on issues of national significance. Now that the GOP believes it has “so much good news popping out these days I don’t know where to start,” has the party made any gains with the public? […]
A couple of years ago, [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] orchestrated a massive re-[tag]redistricting[/tag] scheme in Texas in which state Republican lawmakers, doing DeLay’s bidding, redrew congressional boundaries. The scheme worked and six new [tag]Republicans[/tag] were elected. Today, the [tag]Supreme Court[/tag] approved nearly the entire thing. Justices agreed that one of the newly-drawn districts, District 23, was illegal […]