Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who will be in New York next week for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, requested permission to visit Ground Zero to lay a wreath at the former site of the World Trade Center. After initially balking at the request, NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said yesterday that officials […]
The religious right has been looking ahead to 2008 with some trepidation. 2006 clearly didn’t work out well for the religio-political movement, and things have only worsened in 2007, with the deaths of some religious right powerhouses and waning influence in DC. The short-term task for the religious right is picking a credible GOP presidential […]
The contrast couldn’t be more illustrative. Yesterday afternoon, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) rejected a measure to give U.S. troops as much time at home as they spend in combat. Shortly thereafter, Cornyn introduced a resolution to condemn MoveOn.org, as a way of demonstrating his support for the troops. As Congress considers a series of bills […]
As the debate unfolded in the Senate yesterday, it was hard not to notice the disconnect between this week and the months leading up to it. We’ve heard, repeatedly, that everything would change in September. Republicans had grown weary of supporting a policy that doesn’t work. The GOP was this close to breaking ranks and […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The Senate is expected to vote on ending a GOP filibuster on the Webb troop-support amendment any second now. If someone could mention the final tally in comments, I’d appreciate it. * In the latest twist in the Blackwater controversy in Iraq, two injured Iraqis, one of whom is […]
Looking over today’s posts thus far, a trend emerges — Republican blocked a habeas corpus bill from coming to a vote. They also blocked a bill to give DC residents a voice in Congress from coming to a vote. Jim Webb’s amendment to give troops equal time off for the time they spend in combat […]
As serious as the controversy in Jena, La., is, there’s no reason for a veteran civil rights leader to accuse an African-American presidential candidate of “acting white” simply because he hasn’t emphasized the issue to the leader’s liking. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happened with Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama. The Rev. Jesse Jackson sharply […]
The Senate took up a measure yesterday to expand the House of Representatives by two, to 437. One seat, which would probably go to Republicans, would be awarded to Utah, which was arguably short-changed by the last census. The other seat, which would probably go to the Dems, would be for the District of Columbia, […]
In Augusta, Ga., a Republican Party official on the city housing authority board sent an email touting a plan to “make the downtown whiter.” The ensuing controversy forced the official to resign from the housing board — but his position with the GOP remains secure. (thanks to reader J.C.) A release from [Augusta Mayor Deke […]
By any reasonable measure, Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-Va.) amendment seems like a no-brainer. As he explained yesterday, “Traditionally, when American military units are sent overseas, they are allowed twice as much time at home as they spent deployed. Today, that ratio has gone below one-to-one. So, after four-and-a-half years of an occupation in Iraq, our […]