Granted, the Alito hearings have been a little on the dull side from the very beginning. But this afternoon offered something a little different: a meaningful, heated conflict. Yesterday, the hearings touched on Alito’s membership in the controversial Concerned Alumni of Princeton, a group formed in 1972 to oppose the admission of women to Princeton, […]
Last week, TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine punishment. Yesterday, Robertson denied having said exactly what a video shows him saying. Today, we learn that Robertson’s lunacy sometimes has consequences. Israel won’t do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime […]
Campaign for America’s Future sought to capitalize on Tom DeLay’s close connections to Jack Abramoff by running a damaging TV commercial highlighting the relationship and calling on DeLay to resign from Congress. In Houston, however, the ad has been pulled, thanks to threats from DeLay’s lawyers. A day before a television ad linking Rep. Tom […]
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: * Former Connecticut Gov. Lowell Weicker (I) may be undecided about taking on Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) in November, but if he does, Lieberman will start with a huge lead. According to a […]
The controversy surrounding the administration’s warrantless-search program is percolating along nicely, with several items in the headlines today that move the ball forward. For example, a 20-year veteran of the NSA acknowledged yesterday that he was a source for the New York Times article that broke the story, and he’s anxious to tell lawmakers what […]
In his questioning of Samuel Alito yesterday, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who is pro-choice, mentioned Roe v Wade 14 times over the course of 30 minutes. Alito eventually pledged to have an “open mind.” Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. said yesterday that his 1985 assertion that the Constitution does not protect the right […]
Following up on my kvetching from last week, I was pleased to see the Washington Post do an editorial today on Bush’s stated intention to ignore the anti-torture measures recently passed by Congress. [Given the administration’s comments], it might be concluded that the Bush administration has committed itself to ending the use of practices falling […]
Alec Oveis raised a good point yesterday about the shake-up in the House GOP leadership ranks and an unusual geographic trend. With DeLay’s fall, southern Republicans have no other representation in the leadership, except maybe Eric Cantor of Virginia. Cantor, though, may not have such a firm hold on the majority whip spot, despite claims […]
On the surface, it’s offensive enough that the Bush White House and congressional Republicans have passed exorbitant tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy while simultaneously cutting already-modest funding for programs that aid the poor. But to literally add insult to injury, the IRS is also unfairly targeting the poor and freezing the refunds they […]
In late-November, a British newspaper reported that President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair met in April 2004 at the White House, at which time Bush raised the specter of bombing the headquarters of the Arabic television network al-Jazeera. The paper, The Daily Mirror, received a leaked, classified transcript of the Bush-Blair discussion, though there […]