(My internet connection went down four hours ago. Sorry for the paucity of posts this afternoon.) With [tag]North Korea[/tag] raising the possibility of some provocative missile tests, the United States has responded by turning our “missile defense system” on. Amid concerns over an expected North Korean missile launch, the [tag]United States[/tag] has moved its ground-based […]
I’m pleased to report that the upcoming issue of the Washington Monthly will feature an article from yours truly, and as of today, the article is available online. (You all should go pick up the issue from newsstands anyway. For that matter, subscribe.) The topic is an issue that I haven’t overtly mentioned online before […]
Usually when [tag]Republicans[/tag] criticize calls for troop-withdrawal plans, they call it a “[tag]cut and run[/tag]” policy. To counter, Dems haven’t come up with an equally compelling quip. On Meet the Press the other day, [tag]Jack Murtha[/tag] mentioned “[tag]stay and pay[/tag]” a couple of times, but that’s not a great retort — the financial cost of […]
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 Wisconsin Gov. [tag]Tommy Thompson[/tag] (R) announced yesterday that he will not run for the Senate against Democratic incumbent [tag]Herb Kohl[/tag]. State and national GOP leaders had held out hope that Thompson […]
The New York Times had a must-read item today on [tag]Ron Suskind[/tag]’s new book, “[tag]The One Percent Doctrine[/tag],” that suggests that the book will have the kind of fascinating insights Suskind’s previous work on the [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]White House[/tag] has had. Just in today’s NYT piece there was a lot to chew on, but there was […]
One of the unfortunate parts of Bush’s presidency is that people with strong reputations and impressive records went into the administration only to watch their standing fall. Colin Powell used to be a respected statesman. Condi Rice was considered a serious expert on foreign policy. John Snow was a business executive held in high esteem. […]
It hasn’t generated a great deal of attention, but congressional Dems are keeping [tag]Republicans[/tag] on the defensive over a [tag]minimum-wage[/tag] [tag]increase[/tag]. At this point, the GOP leadership looks a little flustered. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved a $2.10-an-hour increase to the minimum wage, despite the demands of Republican leaders, when the committee took […]
One of the aspects to the “[tag]Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell[/tag]” policy that’s always bothered me, aside from the transparent bigotry, is the Pentagon’s inability to explain the purpose of the rule. Physically-fit, well-trained Americans, who want to volunteer for military service during a time of war, and who have conducted themselves as military personnel should, […]
The Bush White House has every reason to expect the press to fall for the same publicity stunts over and over again because they always work. The president takes part in a choreographed event so it’ll look good on TV, and TV news outlets never fail to disappoint. Ever wonder why sophisticated journalists who know […]
I can appreciate the fact that [tag]Dick Cheney[/tag] finds it embarrassing, but a year ago, he really did say that the insurgency in Iraq was in its “[tag]last throes[/tag].” “I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time,” Cheney said. “The level of activity that we see today […]