Nearly two weeks ago, in the midst of claiming executive privilege on documents relating to the U.S. Attorney purge, the Bush White House also told Congress that lawmakers would not be permitted to see documents relating to former political director Sara Taylor’s work on the matter. It was obviously disappointing (though not unexpected), especially given […]
All of a sudden, pollsters think enough of the impeachment question to start putting the question in the field. The latest comes by way of Rasmussen Reports. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Americans now believe that President Bush should be impeached and removed from office. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 49% disagree while […]
The president decided to lambaste the Democratic congressional majority this morning in his weekly radio address, accusing lawmakers of failing to do their duty when it comes to annual spending bills. “Democrats in Congress are also behind schedule passing the individual spending bills needed to keep the Federal government running. At their current pace, I […]
The discord among Republicans on the Hill over Iraq may be palpable, but Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) just returned from Baghdad, and wouldn’t you know it, he agrees wholeheartedly with Bush, Cheney, McCain, and Lieberman. In contrast with the stalled political progress, Graham said, the surge — the dispatch of 30,000 more U.S. troops that […]
On Tuesday, the National Review’s Iain Murray argued, “The socialization of medicine in the UK is responsible for a lot of problems. The importation of terrorists is just one of them.” On Thursday, Fox News’ Neil Cavuto and National Review’s Jerry Bowyer were more explicit about this painfully stupid argument, insisting that national healthcare systems […]
First up from The God Machine this week is a much-discussed opinion piece from Richard John Neuhaus, a conservative Catholic priest, in his far-right journal, First Things. The premise is surprisingly straightforward: Christians, Neuhaus argues, should hesitate before supporting Mitt Romney because Romney is a Mormon. It is not an unreasonable prejudice for people who, […]
A month ago, Fouad Ajami, a prominent neocon at Johns Hopkins, wrote a bizarre op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in Scooter Libby’s defense. “In ‘The Soldier’s Creed,’” Ajami wrote, “there is a particularly compelling principle: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’ … [Libby] can’t be left behind as a casualty of a war […]
Soon-to-be-presidential-hopeful Fred Thompson has struggled a bit to explain his position on abortion rights. On the one hand, he voted with the right during his Senate tenure. On the other, he’s also argued that he doesn’t want to see abortion “criminalized” and opposes a constitutional amendment on the issue. So far, the GOP’s far-right base […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The ACLU’s lawsuit on warrantless-search programs may have been booted by the 6th Circuit today, but the case isn’t necessarily dead: “We are currently reviewing all of our legal options, including taking this challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime it is now more important than ever […]
When it comes to U.S. losses in Iraq, obviously the top concern is the tragic rate of fatalities and casualties. Nothing else comes close. But if we’re going to consider the latter half of the “blood and treasure” equation, Noah Shachtman reminds us today that the financial cost of the war is soaring. It’s not […]