‘We will win this conflict. We will win it easily’

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, reading a Think Progress post nearly word for word last night, reminded me that it’s time to update the list of John McCain’s flip-flops. From last night’s Countdown: The winner [of the daily Worst Person in the World] is Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, [who] told us today that he knew […]

‘They turned him into a martyr’

I guess this goes under the “unintended consequences” category. In the week since Saddam Hussein was hanged in an execution steeped in sectarian overtones, his public image in the Arab world, formerly that of a convicted dictator, has undergone a resurgence of admiration and awe. On the streets, in newspapers and over the Internet, Mr. […]

The hackocracy continues

I realize that the [tag]Consumer Product Safety Commission[/tag] is not exactly the most well known agency in the federal government, but has some fairly important responsibilities, and how Bush has decided to staff the Commission says a lot about his administration. When Clinton was president, he appointed Ann Brown to chair the CPSC, which is […]

Adding insult to injury

I can only imagine how painful and insulting it was for these families to receive these letters. The Army said Friday it would apologize to the families of about 275 officers killed or wounded in action who were mistakenly sent letters urging them to return to active duty. The letters were sent a few days […]

Conservatives go after Shalikashvili’s stroke

As I noted earlier this week, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Shalikashvili, wrote a New York Times op-ed calling for the end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. It was a strong piece, especially for someone who has defended the policy in the past, saying the end of the […]

This Week in God

Kicking off the first “This Week in God” of 2007, it seems appropriate to consider Americans’ expectations for the year with regards to matters of faith. As it turns out, a stunningly large amount of people expect 2007 to be remarkably noteworthy. [A]n Associated Press-AOL News poll that asked Americans to gaze into their crystal […]

Pardon me, but I say Ford blew it

Guest Post by Morbo I was out of town last week and missed the opportunity to comment on the death of former President Gerald R. Ford. I know this is late, but I wanted to add my two cents. The media line seemed uniformly to be one of thanks to Ford for sparing the nation […]

Friday’s Mini-Report

Today’s edition of quick hits. * For many years, records identifying visitors to the White House were open to the public, inasmuch as they were subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Last year, the Bush gang quietly changed the rules — all entry and exit data on White House visitors belongs […]

Some senators enjoy the benefits of hindsight

Looking back, it’s a little hard to believe, but in October 2002, 77 our of 100 senators voted for the Iraq war resolution. With this number in mind, ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported on an interesting survey — how do those 77 feel now? ABC asked each of them and, after acknowledging the obvious difficulties […]

Lieberman historical analogies run amuck

Looking back over the last couple of years, the president and his allies have struggled mightily to draw a helpful historical comparison between Iraq and other major military campaigns. At different times, the Bush gang has referenced Korea, the Revolutionary War, WWI, and the Civil War. By mid-2005, the president had settled on World War […]