Considering how very little work Congress did in 2005 and 2006, I was a little surprised to see so many people raise a fuss about the House not working yesterday. The official reason the chamber was in recess was that freshman lawmakers needed more time to return from an orientation retreat. The real reason was […]
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: * The Tampa Tribune, citing “GOP insiders,” reports that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has sought to recruit former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) as his running mate, in part because of […]
There seems to be some lingering confusion at the White House about public opinion, so for Tony Snow’s benefit, let’s take a moment to consider the extent to which Bush has lost the public. President Bush will outline his “new way forward” in Iraq on Wednesday to a nation that overwhelmingly opposes sending more U.S. […]
Every weeknight, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann names a “Worst Person In The World.” It’s obviously satirical — Olbermann uses the segment to poke fun at some high-profile political personality, usually on the right, who’s said or done something offensive. It’s not to be taken literally; Olbermann does not actually believe this person is factually the worst […]
During Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) metamorphosis from independent-minded rebel to right-wing hack, the GOP presidential hopeful has said and done a lot of offensive things. This may be the worst. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked by Al Hunt whether he would support raising taxes on the very wealthy […]
There seems to be no shortage of confusion about what Congress can and should do about the president’s intention to escalate the war in Iraq. Dems being Dems, there are no shortages of opinions, most of them contradictory, and plenty of internal squabbling over just how much power the new congressional majority really has. The […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Nancy Pelosi seems supportive of a “special committee in the House to deal with climate change and global warming.” Sounds like a good idea to me. * The White House was reluctant to cooperate with a congressional review of the Hurricane Katrina panel last year, but Dems are prepared […]
At last week’s American Enterprise Institute McCain-Lieberman Neocon Fest 2007, at which the two senators explained how great troop escalation in Iraq will be, Lieberman concluded with an appeal to stand behind the president as he unveils so called “surge” policy. “He needs our support,” Lieberman said, adding, “He needs the support of the people […]
Harriet Miers wasn’t enough of a “street fighter” to keep her job as White House counsel, so who will the Bush gang tap as her replacement? Meet Fred Fielding. (via Paul Kiel) In a signal that he could be open to working more closely with congressional Democrats rather than stonewalling, President Bush plans to name […]
I often find the White House’s thinking on Iraq to be totally lacking in logic and coherence, but this one is just odd, even for the Bush gang. With his big speech on Iraq expected this week, President Bush’s strategists say he has a lot more latitude in setting a new policy than his antiwar […]