It’s sometimes easy to forget just how big the scam known as the “[tag]K Street Project[/tag]” really is. As long-time readers know, we’re talking about, in effect, an affirmative-action program for the GOP, in which practically all lobbying jobs in DC were reserved for [tag]Republicans[/tag] — and firms, corporations, and trade associations that failed to […]
Hot off the wire… A [tag]federal[/tag] [tag]judge[/tag] ruled Thursday that the government’s [tag]warrantless[/tag] [tag]wiretapping[/tag] program is [tag]unconstitutional[/tag] and ordered an immediate halt to it. U.S. District Judge [tag]Anna Diggs Taylor[/tag] in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency’s program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy. […]
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: * A new Quinnipiac poll shows Sen. [tag]Joe Lieberman[/tag] (I) expanding on earlier general-election leads thanks to strong support from Connecticut Republicans. In a three-way race, the poll shows Lieberman leading [tag]Ned Lamont[/tag] […]
The conventional wisdom was so widely believed, there hardly seemed any point in questioning it. The alleged [tag]terrorist[/tag] plot would be a political boon for the [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]White House[/tag], the timing would hurt Democrats, and the story had the ability to completely reshape the last 12 weeks of the campaign cycle. Since the story captured […]
Whether you believe last week’s alleged terrorist plot was a serious threat or not, everything we know about the incident suggests law-enforcement efforts were key to disrupting the threat. It’s odd, therefore, for the Bush White House to continue to insist otherwise. Consider, for example, what the president told a friendly audience in Pennsylvania yesterday. […]
This front-page New York Times is the latest evidence that conditions in Iraq, which couldn’t get much worse, have definitely gotten worse. The number of roadside bombs planted in Iraq rose in July to the highest monthly total of the [tag]war[/tag], offering more evidence that the anti-American insurgency has continued to strengthen despite the killing […]
Following up on yesterday afternoon’s post, the alleged [tag]terrorist [/tag]plot disrupted in [tag]Britain[/tag] last week is looking weaker by the day. A week ago, Homeland Security Secretary Michael [tag]Chertoff[/tag] told reporters, “Certainly in terms of the complexity, the sophistication, the international dimension and the number of people involved, this plot has the hallmarks of an […]
When I first did an item about the thwarted terrorist hijacking plot six days ago, I received a flurry of emails from regulars encouraging me to be skeptical. Plenty of commenters expressed similar uncertainty, so much so that a far-right blogger compiled a list of your comments, ignored Drum’s law, and did a post about […]
In 1992, towards the end of the presidential campaign, then-VP Dan Quayle acknowledged what all the polls were saying: people were unsatisfied with the status quo. Responding to the public’s desire for something different, Quayle told reporters, “Republicans are the party of change.” It was a pretty weak sales pitch. The Reagan-Bush years had spanned […]
Sen. [tag]George Allen[/tag]’s (R-Va.) “[tag]macaca[/tag]” controversy is still going strong. In the latest twist, Allen campaign staffers have a new spin to explain the whole sordid mess. What does Macaca really mean? Three Virginia Republicans confirmed to the Hotline that several Allen campaign aides and advisers are telling allies that the word was a made-up, […]