The prosecutor purge scandal is now cooking with gas. There’s no way around it: these guys are busted. Given what we’ve learned this morning, the house of cards White House and Justice Department officials built is crumbling. The White House was deeply involved in the decision late last year to dismiss federal prosecutors, including some […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Last week, the White House agreed to support a Democratic bill that would require Senate confirmation for U.S. Attorney replacements. Apparently, Senate Republicans didn’t get the memo — Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) still “intends to object” to the bill. Whether that means he’ll filibuster the measure remains to be […]
About a year ago, [tag]Media Matters[/tag] released a fascinating report called, “If It’s Sunday, It’s Conservative.” MM found that the Sunday-morning [tag]talk shows[/tag] on ABC, CBS, and NBC, which play a huge role in shaping the conventional wisdom and prevailing political opinions, feature more conservative voices than liberal, “in some cases, dramatically so.” What’s more, […]
Six weeks ago, Sen. Chuck [tag]Schumer[/tag] (D-N.Y.) seemed to immediately appreciate the significance of the prosecutor purge scandal. He told reporters, “What happened here doesn’t sound like business as usual,” Schumer said. “Even the hiring and firing of our top federal prosecutors has become infused and corrupted with political, rather than prudent, considerations.” He vowed […]
The NYT’s David Brooks seems to have caused a bit of a stir with his latest column, which laments what he sees as the death of neoliberalism, “a movement which, at least temporarily, remade the Democratic Party, redefined American journalism and didn’t really die until now.” As Brooks sees it, neoliberals changed politics, apparently in […]
You did a heckuva job, Kiley. The Army forced its surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, to retire, officials said Monday, making him the third high-level official to lose his job over poor outpatient treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Kiley, who headed Walter Reed from 2002 to 2004, submitted […]
Given the reports lately about the Bush administration neglecting injured troops and sending additional soldiers into combat without the necessary equipment, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the two narratives were combined — sending injured troops into battle without the protection they need. In Salon today, Mark Benjamin has the painful […]
Political office and atheism tend not to mix. Gallup released a poll just a few weeks ago in which Americans were asked which group they’d be least likely to vote for. Atheists finished last, behind Catholic, African American, Jewish, Mormon, women, Hispanic, and gay candidates. Indeed, atheists were the only group in which a majority […]
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: * Sen. [tag]Chuck Hagel[/tag] (R-Neb.) announced this morning that he had nothing new to announce. He told reporters that he will decide “later this year” on a potential presidential run. “In making this […]
When the president nominated Sam Fox, a major right-wing donor who gave $50,000 to the Swiftboat Vets, to be ambassador to Belgium, it raised a few eyebrows. When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Fox’s nomination, Sen. John Kerry, as one might imagine, wasn’t pleased to see him. Kerry was hardly alone. […]