It looks like the political world no longer needs to debate who’s writing next week’s report on the administration’s war policy and conditions in Iraq. ThinkProgress noticed this Washington Times piece that highlighted a minor detail: there is no report. A senior military officer said there will be no written presentation to the president on […]
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: * John Edwards and Hillary Clinton continue to pick up union endorsements, with each earning the support of a major transportation union yesterday. The 200,000-strong Transport Union Workers threw its weight behind Edwards’ […]
Upon arriving in Australia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum earlier this week, the president set a dispiriting tone. Asked about progress in Iraq, Bush said, “We’re kicking ass.” Oddly enough, the president’s visit appears to have gone downhill from there. Take this morning’s events in the Sydney Opera House, for example, when it took […]
I’ve seen the polls, watched the debates, and read the fundraising reports. Rudy Giuliani, for reasons that continue to escape me, is at or near the front of the Republican presidential field, based almost entirely on the belief the former mayor is strong on counter-terrorism policy based on the events of Sept. 11. About a […]
At this point, I simply have no idea what Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) is going to do. On Wednesday, it looked like Craig was moving forward aggressively with a plan to salvage his career. On Thursday, his spokesperson said the senator would almost certainly resign by the end of the month, and that the door […]
At first blush, it may seem encouraging that Gen. David Petraeus is suddenly open to the idea of withdrawing about 4,000 troops from Iraq in January. The news, however, isn’t nearly as heartening as it may appear. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus has indicated a willingness to consider a drawdown of one brigade of between […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The story surrounding Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) sure is tough to keep up with: “Republican senators expressed relief Thursday that embattled Sen. Larry Craig has signaled he is highly likely to surrender his seat within a few weeks rather than fight to complete his term…. Craig spokesman Dan Whiting […]
One of the principal knocks on actor/lobbyist/senator Fred Thompson’s presidential aspirations is that he’s kind of lazy and unwilling to go beyond the pleasantries and soundbites. He’s an all-hat, no-cattle candidate who doesn’t even take his own policy priorities seriously. After one day as a candidate, Thompson is already reinforcing the conventional wisdom. Fred Thompson […]
The new report from the Government Accountability Office is obviously a thorn in the side of the Bush administration and supporters of its Iraq policy. They have a lot of non-existent progress to point to, and the GAO has produced a detailed, objective, and well-researched document highlighting the failures of the president’s “surge.” So, naturally, […]
It looks like Robert Draper’s Dead Certain is just a wealth of information. Kevin Drum noted this excerpt, published earlier this week in Slate, which had me laughing out loud. Bush, as always, bridled at the request to navel-gaze. “You’re the observer,” he said as he worked the cheese in his mouth. “I’m not. I […]