Bush, Iraq, and 9/11 — redux

Today’s hour-long [tag]White House[/tag] [tag]press conference[/tag] featured a treasure trove of bloggable tidbits, but the most interesting, at least to me, was an exchange about the connection between [tag]Iraq[/tag] and [tag]9/11[/tag], or lack thereof. After the president had just gone through a litany of the inevitable tragedies that would occur if the U.S. withdrew from […]

‘I wanted was witnesses who agree with me, not disagree with me’

As a rule, I’ve been largely ignoring the immigration “field hearings” congressional Republicans have been hosting across the country this summer, in large part because they’re ultimately pointless. It gives some lawmakers a chance to rail against “amnesty,” rally the GOP base, and pressure the White House to accept an immigration bill favored by House […]

I wish he’d make up his mind

For those keeping score at home, Sen. Joe [tag]Lieberman[/tag] (I) wanted Defense Secretary Donald [tag]Rumsfeld[/tag] to step aside, then he didn’t, and now he does again. It’s getting a little confusing. Yesterday, Lieberman walked a fine line between supporting the war and criticizing the administration. Sen. Joe Lieberman, attacked by fellow Democrats as being too […]

Monday’s political round-up

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: * Following the now-infamous “macaca” incident, Sen. [tag]George Allen[/tag] (R-Va.) has taken a bit of a hit in the polls. A new Rasmussen poll shows Allen now leads challenger [tag]James Webb[/tag] (D), 47% […]

Hagel takes over the Straight Talk Express

Last week, Arianna Huffington looked at the 2008 landscape and said the “race on the Republican side looks like it could turn out to be McCain vs the non-McCain … And the man looking more and more like the non-McCain is Chuck Hagel.” Oddly enough, that was before Hagel went on a tear on Iraq […]

Blair believes Bush ‘let him down badly’

I think it’s probably safe to say that the once-unwavering relationship between the Bush administration and [tag]Tony Blair[/tag]’s administration in Great Britain is not quite as strong as once was. Last week, British Deputy Prime Minister [tag]John Prescott[/tag] reportedly lost his patience and vented his personal beliefs about the Bush presidency, “summing up George Bush’s […]

Welcome to the party

As part of my ongoing fascination with Republicans-turned-Democrats this election year, I’m pleased to note that a prominent Nebraska official has given up on the GOP. Just days after the state auditor jumped the Republican ship, [Nebraska] state Democrats nominated her to run as their candidate for auditor in November. “I appreciate the Democratic Party’s […]

This…is CNN?

It’s not there right now, but this attention-getting graphic was featured prominently on CNN’s website all weekend (via Aravosis). I noted the other day that the “fear-mongering” label may be overused in a political context, but when it comes to playing on viewers fears, CNN’s recent coverage of a possible terrorist threat clearly qualifies. Indeed, […]