The leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been waiting, patiently, for Alberto Gonzales to “clarify” his sworn testimony, and make some kind of acknowledgement of his deceptions. Without some kind of concession from the AG’s office, lawmakers are far more likely to pursue perjury charges. Yesterday, our embattled Attorney General threw up an air […]
I read (and re-read) Barack Obama’s major speech on terrorism — titled, “The War We Need to Win” — and was very impressed. I wouldn’t necessarily say it broke new policy ground, but it was as strong an articulation of the Democratic approach to counter-terrorism as I’ve seen in the last few years. It hit […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * I suspect this won’t surprise anyone: “President Bush is expected to claim executive privilege to prevent two more White House aides from testifying before Congress about the firings of federal prosecutors. Thursday is the deadline for Karl Rove, Bush’s top political adviser, to provide testimony and documents related to […]
Once in a great while, the right surprises me. On the July 30 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage reacted to news that Chief Justice John Roberts had suffered a seizure that day by raising the possibility that “his health was in some way tampered with by the Democrats.” Savage said, “Something’s […]
We hear plenty of talk about what the war in Iraq is costing us in “blood and treasure,” and given that dynamic, I always feel a twinge of caution before focusing on the latter half. Obviously, the lives of U.S. troops are more important than money. But financial costs do matter, and this war’s price […]
You may not remember the name Josh Rushing, but I suspect you’ve seen him. He’s the Marine Captain who served as the press officer for Centcom at the start of the war. He became nationally known after his appearance in Control Room, a documentary that featured Rushing answering questions in a candid, earnest way about […]
I find it almost amusing to see reports about Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of the Wall Street Journal asking “whether” he’ll ruin the respected newspaper. It’s funny, of course, because the answer should be obvious — of course he’ll ruin it; it’s a matter of “when,” not “if.” He’s turned every newspaper he’s ever owned into […]
U.S. troop casualties in Iraq declined slightly in July, dropping to 2006 levels for the month. There’s also some evidence that sectarian violence in Iraqi neighborhoods was vaguely less brutal in July than it was in previous months. Obviously, both of these trends are good news. But let’s not forget the point of the current […]
On top of everything else that’s going on this week, the Senate is practically rushing through an overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), at the president’s behest. Under pressure from President Bush, Democratic leaders in Congress are scrambling to pass legislation this week to expand the government’s electronic wiretapping powers. Democratic leaders have […]
Two years ago, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) raised more than a few eyebrows — here and around the world — when he publicly suggested bombing Mecca. On a talk show, the host asked Tancredo how the U.S. should respond to a domestic nuclear terrorist attack. “Well, what if you said something like – if this […]