Running to Bush’s right on the war

Over the past couple of months, the [tag]White House[/tag] seems to have gotten a little sensitive about overtly questioning critics’ patriotism. In almost every recent speech, top WH officials usually add some caveat about the motivations of congressional Dems. Last week, [tag]Bush[/tag] said Dems may disagree with him, but they are “fine, fine people,” who […]

‘What a difference a day makes’

On Tuesday, in a fairly significant speech before an American Legion post, the president offered a couple of sweeping criticisms of the Democrats’ policy towards the [tag]war[/tag]. The first insisted that the Dems’ approach may have an adverse impact on troop rotations. “Congress’s failure to fund our [tag]troops[/tag] will mean that some of our military […]

The fraudulent case over voter-fraud

Yesterday we learned that a panel of government experts prepared a detailed report examining instances of voter fraud in the U.S. and found, not surprisingly, that there is no systemic national problem. Bush administration officials didn’t care for those results — so they changed the report. Today, the NYT takes this one step further, documenting […]

‘This sounds like the administration’s version of the dog ate my homework’

There has to come a point at which the White House’s almost cartoonish corruption becomes so painfully ridiculous, even the most mild-tempered observers among us throw their arms up in disgust and say, “Impeach the whole gang.” We’ve learned in recent weeks about White House staffers, fearful of accountability, using an alternate communications system. On […]

Wednesday’s Mini-Report

Today’s edition of quick hits. * ABC: “The Pentagon will extend the tours of duty for every active-duty soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan…. Forget small extensions and trickles of National Guard troops. Under the plan, deployments for active-duty soldiers will be extended from the current 12 months to 15 months. This will apply to all […]

‘Do the American people know this trade-off has been made?’

Obviously, in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, it stands to reason that an administration that wasn’t taking the terrorist threat seriously would have to undergo a serious transformation. Particularly at an agency like the FBI, agents would have to be reassigned and be given new priorities to address the new national focus. […]

‘The administration hasn’t heard the last of this’

Last week’s recess appointments seem to have struck a chord among Senate Dems. Sure, they’re used to the president’s offensive behavior, but these appointments, especially Swiftboat Financier Sam Fox’s, were just so brazen. Dems seem to have gone from frustrated to insulted. The problem, of course, is that the Dems don’t appear to have a […]

‘The problem is this is a morally dubious man’

If there’s anywhere in the United States where Dick Cheney should be able to count on a warm welcome, it’s Utah. It’s the most solidly “red” state in the Union, with Republicans outnumbering Dems by nearly a three-to-one margin. Bush won Utah in 2004 with 71% support, easily the highest in the country. Similarly, if […]

You’ll honor Jeb Bush — whether you want to or not

A couple of weeks ago, the faculty Senate at the University of Florida voted to reject a proposal to give former Gov. Jeb Bush (R) an honorary degree, citing, in part, Bush’s education initiatives. The UF professors seemed to be sending a message. Yesterday, Republicans in the legislature sent one of their own. Upset by […]

Pot (Burton) calls the kettle (Waxman) black

Roll Call reported this week on one of my very favorite pet issues: oversight through the House Government Reform Committee. Apparently, Republicans on the committee are pursuing careers in comedy, because they’re worried about Democrats taking their responsibilities too seriously. Rep. Dan Burton — the Indiana Republican who showered subpoenas on the Clinton White House […]