CNN’s Michael Ware isn’t the only major network journalist denouncing John McCain’s recent nonsense about allegedly safe areas of Baghdad; CBS News foreign correspondent Allen Pizzey has been nearly as critical. Pizzey, who’s based out of Rome, talked to Brian Montopoli today, who asked whether the senator’s comments bothered journalists in Iraq. Yes. It’s disgraceful […]
In recent years, it’s often been assumed that the president could deliver a war-related speech on a military base and receive an enthusiastic response. It’s practically a foregone conclusion — men and women in uniform are going to give their commander in chief a boisterous response, especially when he’s trying to motivate them with encouraging […]
The right seems to have written some dishonest, hard-hitting talking points on Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Syria, but I’m beginning to think a few members of the team missed the memo. (thanks to L.M. for the heads-up) Commenting on Bush’s criticism, California Republican Darrell Issa said the president had failed to promote the necessary dialogue […]
About a month ago, former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and answered questions about the events that led to his unjustified dismissal. As Slate’s Emily Bazelon noted, “Perhaps the most astonishing moment of the hearings was when it came out that the Department of Justice was dumb enough […]
I continue to be amazed by what congressional Republicans choose to complain about. Democrats and Republicans are at odds on whether to use President Bush’s catchall phrase “global war on terrorism” when talking about the billions of dollars spent each year in Iraq and elsewhere. A new internal memo by a senior Democratic staff member […]
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 acknowledged yesterday that he still believes, as he’s said publicly before, that there should be public funding for some abortions. When asked directly Wednesday if he still agreed with his […]
The bipartisan congressional delegation House Speaker [tag]Nancy Pelosi[/tag] is leading in the Middle East this week has come under fire for a variety of reasons, all of them misguided. The right (and the White House) said Pelosi shouldn’t visit Syria, but didn’t criticize a Republican delegation that arrived in Syria shortly before the Speaker. The […]
The prosecutor purge scandal has offered an opportunity of sorts to congressional Republicans. Are they going to be serious lawmakers, concerned about accountability, or are they partisan hacks, unconcerned about the administration’s scandals? Some have been up to the challenge — many GOP lawmakers have called for Alberto Gonzales’ resignation, and during Kyle Sampson’s recent […]
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, accompanied Speaker [tag]Pelosi[/tag] and a bi-partisan House delegation to the Middle East this week. Asked about the administration’s criticism of their trip, Lantos said, “We have an alternative Democratic [tag]foreign policy[/tag]. I view my job as beginning with restoring overseas credibility and respect for […]
A week after the election, all the rhetoric from the White House was sweetness and light. The president pledged cooperation and bipartisanship. On Nov. 15, Dan Froomkin asked the right: “Is Bush’s claim that he wants to work in a bipartisan manner a genuine change — or a ruse? Watch what he says — but […]