Less than 24 hours ago, which suddenly seems like a long time ago, I noted that U.S. News ran with a rumor that Alberto Gonzales would soon be replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. I suggested that the president would “probably pick someone who stood a good chance of being confirmed,” and questioned whether […]
There will be plenty of analysis in the coming days and weeks about Alberto Gonzales’ tenure as Attorney General, but with the news still unfolding this morning, a few thoughts come to mind: * Gonzales was probably the worst Attorney General in American history. He viewed his responsibilities as those of the president’s lawyer, instead […]
In March, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said, “I’m not going to resign. I’m going to stay focused on protecting our kids.” In June, he said promised to “sprint to the finish line” to “accomplish all the goals that are important to me.” And now, Gonzales is walking away from the job he never should have […]
When Gen. David Petraeus looks to the future, and envisions the time commitment necessary to implement the president’s goals in Iraq, he’s picturing about another decade. [T]he real test came over a lunch with Gen. David H. Petraeus, who used charts and a laser pointer to show how security conditions were gradually improving — evidence, […]
Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, three days ago: “Let the president set the timetable; let’s not have the Congress set any timetable…. [T]he Congress has repeatedly tried to set timetables and a total plan by certain dates to have a withdrawal. I have voted against that, […]
U.S. News’ Paul Bedard often does a good job keeping his ear to the ground, but his latest rumor is an odd one. The buzz among top Bushies is that beleaguered Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally plans to depart and will be replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Why Chertoff? Officials say he’s got […]
Today is the fifth anniversary of Dick Cheney’s 2002 speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ national convention, which was the first instance of the White House making its case for a war with Iraq. Looking back, it’s quite an oration. “The case of Saddam Hussein, a sworn enemy of our country, requires a candid […]
When a rock band’s creativity grows stale, their songs become formulaic. They take an old hit, change the key, alter the lyrics a little, and voila. A new single. When a newspaper columnist’s creativity grows stale, the same problem emerges. Take David Broder, for example, who’s been having a rough year. The formula is surprisingly […]
Reading William Kristol’s latest screed in the Weekly Standard, one is tempted to pause and double-check the source. Is the content from a random right-wing blog, some nutty talk-radio show, or a leading DC establishment player in one of the most widely-read conservative political magazines in the country? I naively thought I could no longer […]
We learned this week that former Sen. Sam Nunn, a conservative Democrat from Georgia who voluntarily left politics more than a decade ago, is considering teaming up with Unity08 as a way of returning to the national stage. “My own thinking is, it may be a time for the country to say, ‘Timeout. The two-party […]