The Bush administration? Undermining the independence of military lawyers with a dubious power grab? You don’t say. The Bush administration is pushing to take control of the promotions of military lawyers, escalating a conflict over the independence of uniformed attorneys who have repeatedly raised objections to the White House’s policies toward prisoners in the war […]
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has developed a certain reputation within the political establishment for being an independent-thinking “maverick.” By all indications, the credibility is hollow and meaningless — when push comes to shove, Graham has an annoying habit of dropping the facade and embracing a far-right agenda. The latest example […]
For most of the week, the U.N.’s global-warming conference in Bali wasn’t going well, in large part because of the Bush administration’s obstinacy. The good news is, delegations reached a compromise early this morning. The bad news is, it’s painful to realize what constitutes a climate-change “compromise” in Bush World. A U.N. climate conference adopted […]
First up from the God Machine this week is an unusually frivolous lawsuit, filed by a man who feels discriminated against because he’s a modern-biology denier. Apparently, at scientific institutions, officials want employees who believe in science. A Christian biologist is suing the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, claiming he was fired for […]
Guest Post by Morbo Here’s some news that’s really going to drive the Religious Right ape: Not only is evolution true, it may be happening faster than ever. The Guardian over in Great Britain reported recently on a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin. As the newspaper reported, the study found that […]
Guest Post by Morbo It has been fun watching the Republican presidential candidates savage one another. But eventually, enough GOP voters will cast ballots and settle on a candidate. That’s when the real fun will start. What will he run on? Continuing the smashing successes of the Bush administration? Um, no. The performance of the […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * In light of the Bush administration’s obstinacy, this is what passes for progress: “European and U.S. delegates on Friday agreed to move controversial emission targets to a document footnote, opening the way for the 189 nations at the U.N. climate change talks to approve a roadmap for international action…. […]
The other day, I suggested that it’s time for the Democratic leadership to give up on the status quo regarding filibusters and start forcing Republicans who want to block legislation to literally filibuster. I based this in part on several conversations with Hill staffers, who told me this is an option for Reid & Co. […]
About a year ago, Wonkette published an interesting picture: an industrial shredder from the Mid-Atlantic Shredding Services was delivered by truck to the Cheney compound at the Naval Observatory. (The company, apparently, was “contracted by the Secret Service for our Executive Branch’s record-not-keeping needs.”) Part of the problem with this, of course, is that Cheney […]
Maybe now, at long last, Bill O’Reilly will find something new to talk about. This week, the Fox News blowhard, who created the “war on Christmas” to boost seasonal ratings a few years ago, declared victory. From the transcript: “Hi, I’m Bill O’Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. No joy in SP ville, that […]