Today’s edition of quick hits. * The House failed to pass its so-called “fetal pain” bill yesterday, though it won surprisingly strong support. In fact, a 250 to 162 majority backed the legislation, though it was short of the two-thirds majority required under rules in place at the time. The American College of Obstetricians and […]
When John Kerry mentioned in passing during a 2004 presidential debate that Dick Cheney has a lesbian daughter, it was considered scandalous. Lynne Cheney questioned Kerry’s character and said “he is not a good man.” If Kerry’s an awful person for simply acknowledging the Cheneys’ gay daughter, I’m anxious to know what Dick and Lynne […]
Just 10 days ago, the president participated in a joint press conference with Estonia President Ilves. Asked about Iraq, the president blamed al Qaeda. “There’s a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because of these attacks by, by al Qaeda, causing people to seek reprisal,” Bush said. Except it was the […]
There were a few interesting moments in today’s joint Bush-Blair press conference, but there was one exchange that stood out. Q: Mr. President, the Iraq Study Group described the situation in Iraq as “grave and deteriorating.” You said that the increase in attacks is “unsettling.” That won’t convince many people that you’re still in denial […]
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell hasn’t exactly been sticking to the White House’s talking points lately, as evidenced by his acknowledgement that Iraq’s violence meets the standard of a civil war. But last night in Pittsburgh, Powell went a little further — and got a little more personal. (thanks to R.S. for the tip) […]
Even by the admittedly low standards of the Bush administration, this seems unusually low. (thanks to several readers for the heads-up) The Bush administration is considering doing away with health standards that cut lead from gasoline, widely regarded as one of the nation’s biggest clean-air accomplishments. Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners all have lobbied the […]
In 2000, [tag]John McCain[/tag] was deeply offended when Bush’s ruthless attack dogs launched a vicious attack on him. Apparently hoping to have the same kind of success Bush did, McCain has decided to hire one of those attack dogs to lead his own campaign. Later today, Sen. John McCain’s exploratory committee plans to announce veteran […]
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 Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), a likely 2008 aspirant, “took a swipe at the new Democratic congressional majority for not consulting the nation’s Democratic governors more,” an ABC News report explained. […]
When the Military Commissions Act, which among other things suspended habeas corpus for suspected terrorists, went to the Senate floor in September, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) voiced some relatively passive concerns. He offered an amendment that would have protected habeas, which was defeated. Specter didn’t seem terribly concerned about the lack of his amendment — […]
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad employs 1,000 people, of which 33 speak Arabic. And only six of them speak Arabic fluently. Throughout the intelligence community, the pressure to quickly translate intercepted Arabic messages is intense, but agencies and the military lack qualified and well-trained linguists. With this in mind, one of the more obvious recommendations […]