Over the past couple of months, most of the rhetoric from top Bush administration officials about the public debate over Iraq has been fairly encouraging. Sure, far-right activists have said dissent is treasonous. And sure, in February, when lawmakers were passing a non-binding resolution criticizing the escalation strategy, Tony Snow went so far as to […]
Washington Post congressional reporter Lyndsey Layton was online yesterday for a Q&A with readers. Atrios noted this jaw-dropping exchange. Crestwood, N.Y.: Lyndsey, I like this Harry Reid strategy of late night theater to break the filibuster, because it underlines how many of the GOP Senators are making touchy-feely speeches about opposing the war, but refusing […]
This morning, in passing, I suggested Gen. Petraeus’ credibility “suffered a serious blow this week when he appeared on far-right activist Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, and stuck closely to the White House script.” In response, Hewitt responded that I am an “anti-intellectual screamer,” which may very well be the strangest, projection-like insult I’ve ever received. […]
Apparently, the White House press secretary we all know and tolerate is making a habit of writing mini-op-eds for USA Today. Two weeks ago, Tony Snow penned a spectacularly wrong piece on the Scooter Libby commutation, and today, he’s back at it, with an item disputing the National Intelligence Estimate and arguing in support of […]
An AP report this morning notes that the White House is continuing to lobby lawmakers on Iraq policy, in part by offering access to top officials responsible for implementing war policy. The White House is pushing hard to buy time for its Iraq strategy, offering Congress unusual access to President Bush’s top military and diplomatic […]
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 McCain’s patience is apparently running thin: “A frustrated Sen. John McCain snapped Wednesday when asked by CNN about his troubled presidential campaign and vowed he would no longer answer questions on […]
The media has gone after Democratic presidential candidates for some pretty silly things. John Edwards’ haircuts have drawn more attention than any other campaign-related story this year, and the coverage of his home sale was truly ridiculous. Barack Obama received unwarranted scrutiny on some harmless investments. A story about Hillary Clinton’s charitable family foundation sparked […]
Following up on an item from Monday, the president is going out of his way to aggressively state his opposition to expand healthcare access to 4 million kids through the popular, decade-old State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). Bush made his opinion clear during at event in Landover, Maryland, yesterday. “I believe government cannot provide […]
We recently learned that the pro-choice National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Assn. reportedly hired Thompson to lobby the H.W. Bush White House in 1991. Specifically, the group paid Thompson quite a bit of money to push the White House to ease restrictions that barred abortion counseling at clinics that received federal money. The Thompson […]
At yesterday’s White House press briefing, reporters peppered Tony Snow with questions about al Qaeda’s resurgence. Asked specifically about our vulnerabilities six years ago compared today, Snow said, “There’s no way to quantify, but we are significantly less vulnerable.” Asked how, Snow explained that the U.S. “didn’t have surveillance programs” before 9/11. Now, on its […]