One of the curious ambiguities of the commutation controversy is what role, if any, Dick Cheney played in the process. As the recent WaPo series made clear, not much happens in this White House without the VP’s direct involvement (i.e., dictation), but what did Cheney do about keeping his former chief of staff out of […]
We’ve been talking quite a bit, obviously, about Bush commuting Scooter Libby’s sentence, but I wanted to take a moment to step back and consider a basic point that isn’t getting a lot of attention. The president this morning said he took this action because the sentence (30 months behind bars) was “severe.” Yesterday, in […]
I noticed this morning that Andrew Sullivan said, “David Brooks’ column today can only be described as an embarrassment.” How bad could it be, I thought. Then I read it. Now I think Sullivan was understating the case. It’s hard to tell exactly what Brooks’ point is, other than to express satisfaction at yesterday’s commutation […]
Tony Snow told reporters this morning that the president, in consultation with top White House aides, mulled over what to do about Scooter Libby for “weeks and weeks.” With all those smart people considering a case for so long, you’d think they wouldn’t sound so spectacularly dumb in explaining what happened yesterday. The president, for […]
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has caved to White House demands on a wide variety of issues, but when it comes to presidential signing statements, the Pennsylvania senator has actually been pretty good. A year ago, he even tried to introduce legislation that would allow Congress to sue the president over his use of these legally […]
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: * For the first time this year, Bill Clinton campaigned alongside Hillary Clinton yesterday, with a joint appearance at a rally in Iowa. The former president went so far as to tell the […]
One of the overlooked tidbits from Peter Baker’s interesting look at the president’s state of mind right now is that the White House is actually quite divided. Bush is summoning “leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House” for some odd bull sessions, but the president’s team isn’t exactly reading from the same […]
Sure, the president made Scooter Libby happy by trampling on the rule of law, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Bush has scored points with his far-right base. The conventional wisdom insists that Bush had nothing to lose with yesterday’s commutation. Those who care about justice and democratic institutions are already repulsed by Bush’s presidency, so […]
Realistically, the 2008 presidential campaign will unfold slowly over the next year, and there will be no shortage of the number of issues, controversies, and personalities that will shape the contest. Chances are, by October 2008, the name Scooter Libby will probably not be leading the evening newscasts’ coverage of the campaign. But in the […]
The day after Bush gave Scooter Libby his get-out-of-jail-free card, I’m still disgusted. It’s one thing to expect the worst from those who have no shame and know no limits; it’s another to actually get it. Yes, this president has probably done more offensive things during his reign of error, but commuting Libby’s sentence has […]