The AP, noting the president’s dwindling hopes of enacting any kind of agenda, described the landscape fairly well today: “[Bush’s] strength is sapped by an unpopular war, Democrats are running Congress, and the 2008 presidential election is in full roar, distracting attention from the president’s priorities. With dwindling options, Bush has decided he might get […]
I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why one-of-these-days presidential candidate Fred Thompson makes an appealing candidate. So far, the reasons I’ve heard are a little thin. In May, Rep. Zack Wamp (R-Tenn.) said Thompson is qualified for the presidency because he’s tall: “We need a president of the United States after the 2008 […]
For far too long, the right has been using some over-the-top rhetoric when it comes to the federal judiciary. Even conservative lawmakers have pushed the envelope pretty hard. Tom DeLay, as you’ll recall, made some veiled threats against judges after the Terri Schiavo controversy. Shortly thereafter, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said judges who are the […]
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: * Karl Rove is not leaving the White House quietly. As part of his farewell tour, the man the president affectionately calls “Turd Blossom” stopped by Rush Limbaugh’s show to take a few […]
Sometimes, I just have to shake my head at how dumb shows like Hardball are. Somehow, these programs manage to give viewers less news and information than if folks just watched a blank screen. This exchange, for example, is just mindless, ignorant drivel, offered by media figures who presumably know better. Here’s MSNBC’s Chris Matthews […]
Just stunning. Officials said Wednesday that as many as 500 people probably died in a series of coordinated truck bombings that devastated two northern Iraqi villages Tuesday and set a record for mass carnage in war-torn Iraq. Residents and rescue workers in Tal al Azizziyah and Sheikh Khadar, two villages near the Syrian border in […]
If you’ve been following the news, you’ve no doubt seen recent reports about the frustrating, and so far unsuccessful, search for six trapped miners at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Huntington, Utah. Rescue teams have been drilling where they hope the miners might be, but it’s largely been guesswork. It’s not a political issue, per […]
For weeks, all the talk out of the White House has been focused on Gen. David Petraeus’ report on conditions in Iraq. Petraeus will tell us everything we need to know; his report should be accepted as gospel; he is to Grant as Bush is to Lincoln. Except the narrative is hitting a few speed […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel had a great response to news that the Petraeus/Crocker report would be written by the White House: “After years of slogans and soundbites Americans deserve an even-handed assessment of conditions in Iraq. Sadly, we will only receive a snapshot from the same people […]
It seemed like such a good idea. Take The Daily Show, eliminate the quality writing, make it bitterly right-wing, add a laugh track to let the audience know when the content is supposed to be funny, put it on late at night on Fox News, and wait for the viewers to come rolling in. What […]