Today’s edition of quick hits. * In a very silly Presidents’ Day poll, Gallup found that Americans believe Abraham Lincoln was the country’s best president. Coming in a close second, for reasons that defy comprehension, is Ronald Reagan. JFK came in third, followed by Bill Clinton, then FDR. * WaPo: “Efforts are intensifying in Congress […]
Way back in November 2005, when Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) first started talking publicly about the need for troop redeployment from Iraq, Republicans were momentarily stunned. Murtha was a fairly conservative Dem, a leading congressional voice on military matters, and a decorated war hero. He had experience, stature, and bi-partisan cred. Rod Dreher, responding to […]
This struck me as unusually annoying. At a ceremony honoring America’s first president at his Mount Vernon estate, President Bush praised George Washington’s leadership in the American Revolution and drew parallels between that war and the war in Iraq. […] In his official proclamation of Washington’s 275th Birthday, Bush said the first president would see […]
John McCain raised a few eyebrows over the weekend when he told a large South Carolina audience, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.” Now, as Carpetbagger regulars know, McCain has been all over the map on this one. During his first presidential campaign, in 2000, McCain told reporters that “in […]
The Examiner’s Bill Sammon raised an idea that hadn’t occurred to me: “If Hillary Rodham Clinton wins the presidency, some top Democrats would like to see her husband, former President Bill Clinton, appointed to serve out Hillary’s unexpired Senate term.” Such a scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility now that the governor’s mansion […]
When it comes to combating global terrorism, going after al Qaeda with as much aggression and tenacity as possible is an obvious no-brainer. The terrorist network was directly responsible for the attacks of 9/11, among others, and has reportedly been a top administration target for the last five years. Except, like the rest of the […]
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: * Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), whose 2008 support would be a coup for any GOP contender, seems to favor Mitt Romney and has been steering some of his closest advisers to […]
Matt Stoller caused a bit of a stir over the weekend with a provocative post about Senate Dems and opposition to the war in Iraq. After the latest GOP obstructionism blocked consideration of an anti-escalation resolution on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed the chamber to go into recess, which it had been scheduled […]
The incident started off in one, fairly benign, direction. Former Massachusetts Gov. and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (R) was campaigning at the Lake Miona Regional Recreation Center in The Villages, Florida, generally considered a GOP stronghold. An anti-Mormon loud mouth blasted Romney for his faith. “You, sir, are a pretender,” the guy said. “You don’t […]
Following up on the last post, the WaPo’s Anne Hull and Dana Priest added the second of their two-part series today on the outrageous way in which wounded veterans are treated as outpatients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Alas, the second was as disheartening as the first. Dell McLeod’s injury was utterly banal. […]