Dick Cheney was on PBS’s NewsHour last night, responding to Jim Lehrer’s questions on the issues of the day. But Lehrer saved his best question for last. “Finally, Mr. Vice President, some of the things we’ve gone over, some of the things we haven’t. There’s an increasing thing — here, again, among Republicans as well […]
I’ve never fully understood the administration’s response to why their warrantless-search program only monitors calls if one end of the call lies outside the United States. Officials say they’re monitoring terrorists, protecting the country, and ignoring FISA because the threat is so great, and the surveillance is so valuable, that they have no choice but […]
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 Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton (R) ended his gubernatorial campaign yesterday, essentially clearing the field for former football player Lynn Swann. Technically, Swann still faces Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association executive James Panyard […]
Given the current circumstances, this probably isn’t a good time for career weapons experts to get pushed out of the State Department and replaced with Bush’s political appointees. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happening. State Department officials appointed by President Bush have sidelined key career weapons experts and replaced them with less experienced political operatives […]
In many communities nationwide, eminent domain is a very serious controversy. Courts have ruled that private property can be seized for public use, and more recently, in the now-infamous Kelo ruling, private property can be seized for private use. But here’s an interesting twist — how about seizing private property for religious use? A city […]
George Deutsch is a quintessential example of what’s wrong with the Bush administration’s cronyism. Deutsch, who is 24 years old, was an intern with the Bush presidential campaign in 2004. He was quickly promoted to an influential role in NASA’s public affairs office, where he put his campaign skills to good use, badgering the agency’s […]
Before this week’s Judiciary Committee hearing exploring Bush’s warrantless-search program, there were at least seven Senate Republicans who had expressed concerns about the program’s legality. During the hearing, the number seemed to expand to eight, with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) expressing reservations. Now, a key House Republican is also breaking ranks. A House Republican whose […]
I had hoped that the Obama v McCain dust-up would be a one-day story, but alas, there was some follow-up yesterday. Apparently, the two senators had a brief telephone conversation yesterday, which went far better than the unpleasant written correspondence. “We’re moving on,” McCain said a few hours after speaking to Obama. “We’re still colleagues. […]
I’ve seen a variety of news accounts since late yesterday that argue speakers at Coretta Scott King’s funeral “took jabs” at Bush. The president was “scolded,” headlines said. Eulogies included “bitter criticism” of Bush, another argued. Nonsense. Several speakers honored King, celebrated her life, and honored the values and principles to which she dedicated her […]
The New Republic’s Steven Groopman wrote a provocative piece today on “how liberals play into Karl Rove’s hands.” The Note suggested that Democratic members of Congress who didn’t “get it” before will “get it” after reading the piece, so my curiosity was piqued. After reading the piece, I’m not sure it’s Democrats who don’t “get […]