In response to Joe Lieberman’s assertions about all the terrific progress the U.S. is making in Iraq, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told CNN yesterday, “I don’t know where Sen. Lieberman gets his opinions about how well we’re doing.” In the same afternoon, on the same network, CNN’s Michael Ware was even more blunt. (thanks to […]
Stephen Biddle probably isn’t a household name, but he’s a pretty serious player on foreign policy. Biddle is not only a senior defense policy analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, but he’s also served as an advisor to Gen. David Petraeus. Today, in an important Washington Post op-ed, Biddle argues that lawmakers should stop […]
Of all the Democratic amendments to the Defense appropriations bill, the measure championed by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was the most obvious no-brainer. The amendment, which was co-sponsored by another decorated war hero, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), didn’t have a direct impact on troop withdrawal or timelines, so it should have been easier for Republicans […]
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: * The exodus from John McCain’s staff continued late last night, when Mary Kate Johnson, the finance director for the senator’s presidential campaign, joined the stampede. As Chris Cillizza noted, “With Johnson gone, […]
We talked a bit yesterday about how former Surgeon General Richard Carmona was disgusted by the politicization of his office by the White House. He told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he wanted to use his stature as the “nation’s doctor” to speak out on public healthy issues, but the Bush gang […]
The Department of Homeland Security has been subjected to quite a bit of ridicule in recent years, particularly when it comes to its color-coded threat level chart. Of course, the alert levels are clear and concise when compared to the insights of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff (or, as the president called him, “Homeland guy“), […]
Yesterday, the WaPo had quite a damaging scoop about our embattled Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales. In 2005, the FBI prepared a series of reports for Gonzales, detailing multiple instances in which the agency illegally obtained personal information about Americans that agents were not entitled to have. Six days later, Gonzales testified to a Senate committee […]
I’ve heard about young schoolchildren playing something called “Opposite Day,” in which those playing the game are expected to say and do things that are the polar opposite of what they should be saying and doing. It’s an awkward, hard-to-define exercise, which quickly grows tiresome. Nevertheless, watching the White House yesterday, one gets the sense […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * According to Larry Flynt, Hustler magazine was behind the Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) revelations, following a “multi-pronged investigation launched” by the porn mogul. * Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy heard about Alberto Gonzales’ latest trouble with the truth and he’s not happy: “This inconsistency is a disturbing addition […]
Newsweek recently reported, “As Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign rolls along, there are more and more voices protesting that he’s not the 9/11 hero America considers him to be. First among them: some firefighters.” That’s an understatement. First, it’s not just “some”; it’s the nation’s largest firefighters’ union. Second, they’re doing more than just protesting. The […]