Today’s edition of quick hits. * Dick Cheney finally agreed to speak to the pool of reporters who followed him through seven countries, but as Dan Froomkin explained, he insisted on one thing: “The reporters would have to agree not to tell anyone that the person they talked to was him. Cheney’s insistence on being […]
Hillary Clinton is ahead in the polls, Bill Clinton is the most popular political figure in the country, and Gallup reports today that Americans overwhelmingly believe the former president would be a helpful asset if his wife wins the presidency. And yet there’s Chris Matthews, with his unhealthy fixation. MSNBC host Chris Matthews is obsessed […]
One of the overlooked angles to the story in recent weeks is how the U.S. Attorneys themselves have been responding to the controversy. The administration has repeatedly insisted — to the press, under oath to lawmakers — that the fired prosecutors were replaced for their on-the-job performance. In other words, the Bush gang has argued […]
In just a couple of minutes, Rep. [tag]Marty Meehan[/tag] (D-Mass.) is going to hold a press conference to unveil legislation to repeal the military’s “[tag]Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell[/tag]” ban on gay soldiers in the military. The first U.S. Marine seriously wounded in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, lost his leg when he stepped on a […]
Right-wing talking points are known for making the rounds quickly, but “slow bleed” seemed to break new speed records. Rep. [tag]John Murtha[/tag] (D-Pa.) recently came up with a policy proposal, which he called the “readiness strategy,” which would insist that only troops with adequate training and equipment be sent to Iraq. Republicans have a different […]
Given the recent focus on troops wounded in Iraq, it was encouraging to see ABC’s Bob Woodruff explore the burdens on military families on a news special last night. It was discouraging, however, to hear Jim Nicholson, the secretary of the Veterans Administration, downplay the problem. While the Department of Defense reports that there have […]
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: * According to the WaPo, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) is being “courted by national Democrats to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by John W. Warner (R-Va.) and is […]
Dana Milbank noted today that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as recently as a month ago, told senators that “those who talk about engagement with Syria and Iran” are all wet. “That’s not diplomacy — that’s extortion,” she said. It’s been the (entirely ineffectual) key to the Bush administration’s policy towards the Middle East for […]
Late last week, Defense Secretary said he was “grateful” to reporters for exposing the problems facing outpatients at Walter Reed Medical Center. Gates said he is “very disappointed we did not identify it ourselves,” but praised media reports for exposing a problem in need of attention. To its credit, the Defense Department is responding quickly […]
Long-time readers may recall a report from way back in 2005 about Bush’s [tag]Justice Department[/tag] taking [tag]pornography[/tag] prosecutions seriously. After several far-right groups complained that the administration failed to take on porn aggressively in its first term, Alberto Gonzales announced that the DoJ would devote considerable resources to a war on smut, described at the […]