Several reporters praised [tag]Tony Snow[/tag]’s first [tag]White House[/tag] press briefing, but there was one comment that might need some clarification. A reporter asked [tag]Snow[/tag] about why the White House was reluctant to talk about the NSA’s phone-record database program. Snow said: “I don’t want to hug the [tag]tar baby[/tag] of trying to comment on the […]
Today was Tony Snow’s first day behind the briefing room podium. How’d it go? Well, after Helen Thomas asked about the NSA monitoring millions of Americans’ phone calls, possibly illegally, Snow gave a rather predictable response. “What’s interesting is, there seems to be a notion that because the president has talked a little bit about […]
We haven’t heard much from the burgeoning “[tag]religious left[/tag]” in the context of the midterm elections, but there’s at least one group that hopes to change this — starting tomorrow. A conference geared to help [tag]Democrats[/tag] infuse [tag]God[/tag] into their politics begins tomorrow at All Souls Unitarian Church in [DC] with the unveiling of a […]
Last month, [tag]Americans United for Change[/tag], a liberal group with increasing significance, unveiled a pretty tough TV ad on the security of U.S. ports. According to a report in Roll Call, this month, Americans United is going after Bush on national security. As [tag]Americans United[/tag] waits with bated breath to see whether President Bush’s brain, […]
About once a month now, [tag]SurveyUSA[/tag] releases a 50-state [tag]poll[/tag] on the [tag]president[/tag]’s support in the states. Not surprisingly, this week’s results are the worst to date. [tag]Bush[/tag] is down to just three states in which his support is 50% or better ([tag]Idaho[/tag], [tag]Wyoming[/tag], and [tag]Utah[/tag]). He has fallen into the 30s in 37 [tag]states[/tag] […]
I’ll readily admit I’m confused by this. BellSouth Corp. yesterday denied it gave customer calling records to the National Security Agency en masse, contradicting a newspaper report that said it did so along with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to help the government track suspected terrorists. “As a result of media reports that BellSouth […]
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: * Rep. [tag]William Jefferson[/tag] (D-La.) denied bribery charges yesterday, but acknowledged that he expects to be indicted. As for how this might affect his political career, Jefferson vowed to stay in office and […]
OK, everyone switch sides! For nearly two years, [tag]Senate[/tag] [tag]Republicans[/tag] have been itching to execute the “[tag]nuclear option[/tag],” which would, in effect, change the chamber’s filibuster rules by cheating. Senate [tag]Democrats[/tag], worried about losing their last tool to keep far-right ideologues off the federal bench, have said the right to filibuster is sacrosanct. Now, with […]
Right on cue. For weeks, Sen. [tag]Arlen Specter[/tag] (R-Pa.) has talked tough in response to revelations about Bush’s legally dubious [tag]surveillance[/tag] efforts. Over the weekend, Specter even complained publicly, “[T]here really has to be in our system of law and government, checks and balance, separation of powers, congressional oversight and bob, there has been no […]
Given his comments yesterday on the [tag]president[/tag]’s national support, I think [tag]Karl Rove[/tag] has climbed into [tag]Bush[/tag]’s bubble. Despite low approval ratings, “I’m sanguine,” [tag]Rove[/tag] said. “I know our own polls.” He said that Bush’s likeability, his [tag]personal[/tag] [tag]approval ratings[/tag], were in the 60s in some polls. “Job approval is lower. And what that says […]