In January, when the president unveiled his “surge” policy, Bush vowed to the nation that he had specific goals in mind for Iraq, and expected them to be met. “America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced,” the president said. We’ve known for a while now that the president’s promise was […]
Just two short months ago, the WaPo’s Chris Cillizza reported on John McCain’s “inner circle,” the “core” group of advisors who shape the senator’s campaign. At the top of the list were campaign manager Terry Nelson, strategist John Weaver, and longtime advisor Mark Salter. As of this afternoon, all three are gone. As are deputy […]
Dr. Richard Carmona, Bush’s first appointed Surgeon General, never quite fit in as the rigid right-wing ideologue the president likes to have around. He disagreed with the White House on a variety of public health issues (stem-cell research, sexual health), and even suggested he’d like to see all tobacco products banned in the United States. […]
In case you missed it, this was an unusually lively discussion on CNN yesterday afternoon. To offer a little context, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta had just done a report criticizing Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” accusing Moore of being sloppy with some of the data included in the film. Wolf Blitzer had Moore on to respond. So, […]
There are basically two ways to look at the David Vitter/DC Madam story: shame (senator cheats on spouse) and hypocrisy (moralistic blowhard champions sanctity of marriage, gets caught as an adulterer). CBS News’ Brian Montopoli reports today that the mainstream media is focusing on the prior, while the blogs care about the latter. The blogs […]
Quite a while ago, I vowed not to do regular posts noting the president’s declining poll numbers. After a while, there just wasn’t any point — he’s unpopular; we get it. But today marks an interesting milestone in the annals of Bush’s declining political fortunes. Chris Bowers explains. His current disapproval rating in the latest […]
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: * What do you know, McCain’s campaign can get worse: “Sen. John McCain’s top political strategists Tuesday resigned from their posts with the Arizona Republican’s presidential campaign. Campaign Manager Terry Nelson and Chief […]
Over the weekend, the LAT reported that Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) had joined the growing chorus of Senate Republicans no longer willing to support the president’s war policy. “It should be clear to the president that there needs to be a new strategy,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. “Our policy in Iraq is drifting.” […]
Earlier this year, as his presidential campaign was just getting off the ground, Rudy Giuliani needed a far-right senator, preferably from the South, who could give his campaign a boost. Such a person could help bolster Giuliani’s conservative bona fides, prove that he could garner institutional support on McCain’s turf, and point to Giuliani’s potential […]
Yesterday, after a flurry of unexpected announcements from Republican senators about their dissatisfaction with the president’s war policy, there were several reports about the White House scrambling to change course. In reality, the president’s team, reportedly in the midst of heated debate, is desperate to figure out a way to rally support for the status […]