Yesterday afternoon, the AP reported that Bush administration officials were poised to meet to discuss the future of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. By all indications, there was reason for optimism — the AP said that “for the first time, it appears a consensus is developing” for finally closing the facility. Shortly after the AP […]
Would you believe there’s a large contingent of the House GOP caucus that still wants to make an issue of Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Syria in March? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not be permitted to use State Department funds to travel to nations that are known to have sponsored terrorism if a Republican […]
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’ presidential campaign seems to be struggling in second quarter fundraising — or is at least doing a masterful job lowering expectations. In an email to supporters, Joe Trippi, a top […]
Shortly after Dems reclaimed the congressional majority, the White House said it was hard at work on a “big, big” policy agenda for the president’s final two years in office. “There will be no cruise control,” one Bush aide said. “These are big, big ideas and we will be pushing them with all our might […]
The fact that Dick Cheney considers his office exempt from executive-branch rules seems to have captured the political world’s attention over the last 24 hours, thanks to a report issued by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman. Rahm Emanuel is hammering the VP over the argument, and the media has picked up […]
Yesterday, The Note mentioned the revelations that Rudy Giuliani was effectively forced to quit the Iraq Study Group, but downplayed the significance of the story. As far as the political world was concerned, The Note said, the disclosure “land[ed] with a thud.” I’m not quite sure what that means. The media blew off an important […]
For all the recent talk about stalemates, vetoes, filibusters, and gridlock in Washington, last night the Senate passed an impressive and important energy bill. The Senate passed a sweeping energy legislation package last night that would mandate the first substantial change in the nation’s vehicle fuel-efficiency law since 1975 despite opposition from auto companies and […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * AP: “Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a $32 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy that would have been financed mostly by new taxes on major oil companies.” More on this tomorrow. * I’ll have more on Paul McNulty’s testimony tomorrow, but in the meantime, Jesse Lee has […]
We all got a good laugh recently when a CBS affiliate in California discovered that the Pentagon considered building a “gay bomb,” which could purportedly turn enemy soldiers gay. (The Defense Department weighed just such a plan in the 1990s, but subsequently rejected it.) Apparently, however, that’s not the only wacky idea on which Pentagon […]
Matt Yglesias and I are on the same page when it comes to Bush’s policy on stem-cell research. (Yes, another stem-cell post, but this one’s important.) If the cells are sacred human life, then surely it’s not okay to kill them in a privately financed manner. The nonsensical nature of Bush’s position on this issue […]