For the last couple of weeks, as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been more forceful in his demands for tens of thousands of additional troops in Iraq, his messages have started to conflict a bit. Over the weekend, for example, McCain acknowledged that if his own plan was implemented, “it would be terrible.” He added […]
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: * The race is over in New Mexico’s 1st congressional district and Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R) hung on to beat state Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D) by just 875 votes. Madrid conceded […]
It was almost as if the Bush administration was trying to find the most offensive choice possible to be the new chief of family-planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The Bush gang found Dr. Eric Keroack, who’ll oversee HHS’s $283 million reproductive-health program, a $30 million program that encourages abstinence among […]
During any election season, responsible voters have a tough job — they have to weigh the information they receive from often-misleading campaign commercials with what they learn from often-incomplete media coverage. Of course, that’d be a lot easier if one wasn’t getting a lot more airtime than the other (.pdf). In the month leading up […]
The president’s trip to Vietnam wrapped up a couple of days ago, but an alert reader sent me a heads-up on this report, from the International Herald Tribune, about the “connection” Bush made with the Vietnamese people. On Saturday, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, conceded that the president had not come into […]
Perhaps the biggest flaw of Republican rule of Congress wasn’t the misguided legislation, unhinged rhetoric, or dictatorial style; it was the GOP’s inability to actually govern. Even when lawmakers have no real policy agenda to pursue, there are certain measures Congress needs to pass — such as a federal budget. In this respect, 2006 Republicans […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Keith Olbermann had another one of his special commentaries last night, this time on the president, his trip to Vietnam, and the lessons Bush hasn’t yet learned. “There are dozens central lessons to be learned from our nightmare in Vietnam,” Olbermann said, “but ‘we’ll succeed unless we quit’ is […]
Criticizing Richard Cohen columns has become something of a parlor game, and most of the time, I don’t partake — because I’ve found it easier just to skip most of Cohen’s pieces. But I noticed Hilzoy’s take of Cohen’s latest piece and I have to say, she’s quite right; this new column is “pretty extraordinary.” […]
The president’s father has been in the news quite a bit lately, due in large part to the fact that many of his old aides (Baker, Gates, et al) seem to be running to Washington to give the current president a desperately needed hand. But the rescues notwithstanding, Bush 41 seems to be taking a […]
I can appreciate the fact that military recruiting in the midst of an unpopular war is difficult. I can even appreciate the need to alter minimum standards in order to make it easier to fill the ranks. But “moral waivers“? (thanks to K.Z. for the tip) A CBS4 investigation shows how the U.S. Army is […]