Today’s edition of quick hits. * Former CIA Director George Tenet’s revelations about the Bush administration are interesting, but I was also struck by his near-admission on 60 Minutes that the United States has engaged in torture. After insisting several times that “we don’t torture people,” Tenet added, “Now, listen to me. Now, listen to […]
I distinctly remember a public service announcement that used to run all the time when I was in high school about avoiding drugs. An angry father would confront his drug-abusing son, asking where he learned to do drugs. “From you!” the son says. “I learned it from watching you.” I thought about that TV spot […]
Throughout 2006, the president’s bravado was never-ending. In January, Bush boasted that “we are winning” in Iraq. By October, as conditions deteriorated, the president remained confident. “Absolutely we’re winning,” he told reporters. By the end of the year, the president didn’t like the question anymore. Asked if we are winning the war, Bush told the […]
Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) charmed relationship with the national media is the stuff of legend. The Weekly Standard’s Fred Barnes recently noted, “In 2000, his aides joked that McCain’s base was the media. In truth, it was.” That’s clearly changing. Bob Novak reported over the weekend that McCain “complains to friends that he is getting […]
About three weeks ago, the Washington Post had a fascinating scoop: the White House was looking (unsuccessfully) for a “high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The person would apparently be the new Commander in Chief — coordinating military policy and having the power to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State […]
In 2004, New York magazine reported on a DC dinner party, at which Condoleezza Rice was reportedly overheard saying, “As I was telling my husb–” and then stopping herself abruptly, before saying, “As I was telling President Bush.” As the magazine explained it, those who heard her were quite surprised, though the slip seemed “more […]
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: * Rudy Giuliani is claiming endorsements in New Hampshire that he didn’t earn. Oops. * The LA Times reported over the weekend, “President Bush’s unpopularity and a string of political setbacks have created […]
At last week’s Democratic presidential debate, Barack Obama fielded a question about responding to a terrorist attack. The response struck me as reasonable at the time, and hardly worth scrutinizing, but since it got some attention on some of yesterday’s morning shows, let’s explore it a moment. Brian Williams asked Obama how he would “change […]
When it comes to the politics of the war in Iraq, the Republican approach seems entirely counter-intuitive. Conditions in Iraq are deteriorating (as they have been for years), the vast majority of the U.S. electorate believes it’s time to go, the president’s policy is a failure, and the percentage of the country that buys into […]
Back in December, Paul Mirengoff at Powerline admitted to having a poor memory. “I may be missing someone,” Mirengoff said, “but the only high-profile administration official I can think of who has faced criminal charges or had to resign in the face of scandal is Scooter Libby, who worked for the Vice President and who […]