The political establishment has been clamoring for a major change in the [tag]White House[/tag] staff for weeks. This morning, it got one. White House chief of staff [tag]Andy Card[/tag] has resigned and will be replaced by budget director [tag]Josh Bolten[/tag], an administration official said Tuesday. President Bush was expected to announce the shake up during […]
There are several important angles to the New York Times’ report this morning on Bush’s behind-the-scenes meetings with Tony Blair in 2003, but the bottom line is that the president had, despite comments to the contrary, made up his mind about invading Iraq. We’ve known this for quite a while, but the NYT article offers […]
As the “War on Christians” conference gets underway in DC today, the religious right wants the GOP establishment to know that their movement won’t be taken for granted. Social-conservative groups have warned Republicans that their voters feel unappreciated and frustrated with Congress and that the party must get more aggressive on such values issues as […]
Roll Call’s Stuart Rothenberg was invited to do a TV segment last week, speculating on whether the Bush administration waged an aggressive diplomatic effort to assist Abdur Rahman in Afghanistan in order to satisfy the Republican base. Rothenberg not only turned the TV producer down, he was disappointed that the idea even occurred to anyone. […]
Media Matters and Peter Daou have done some terrific work lately highlighting the latest Iraq defense embraced by the Bush White House and its allies: it’s the media’s fault. To be sure, this isn’t exactly a new argument, but it now seems to be the principal defense for the deteriorating conditions in Iraq. The president […]
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: * Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell is still in a strong position to win the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, according to the first in a series of Columbus Dispatch polls leading […]
Shortly before the United States invaded Iraq, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) noticed something troubling about the congressional debate on this critical, world-changing issue: there wasn’t one. In a stirring speech from the Senate floor, Byrd asked, “Why is this chamber empty? Why are these halls silent?” What’s worse, the halls haven’t grown much noisier since. […]
I realize that Grover Norquist is a major player in DC, but this seems like the kind of thing that should be controversial but isn’t. While President Bush hits the road to build support, his spring offensive is bringing conservative activists and businessmen into the White House for briefings. “I’ve been in the White House […]
The award for the most bizarre policy connection of the day goes to Georgia State Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R), who connected immigration and abortion in a way I hadn’t thought possible. (thanks to Carpetbagger regular J.C. for the tip) “Guest-worker amnesty must be defeated in Washington, too. If it is not defeated, millions of illegal […]
Based on our judicial system, the Supreme Court’s unbiased jurists consider a case on its merits, approach constitutional questions with an open mind, and reserve judgment until after arguments have been made on both sides. On the other hand, there’s Antonin Scalia. The Supreme Court this week will hear arguments in a big case: whether […]