Yesterday, in response to a question from a reporter suspicious of why he wasn’t wearing an American flag pin on his lapel, Barack Obama explained his belief that for some, the pins became a substitute for “true patriotism.” The senator said he would instead “try to tell the American people what I believe will make […]
So, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) announced yesterday that we should forget all that stuff he said about resigning as of Sept. 30, and all that other stuff he said about stepping down if he’s unable to change his misdemeanor guilty plea in Minnesota. He’s decided to stick around for the next 15 months or so. […]
The debate over U.S. torture policy erupted yesterday on the Hill, in the wake of yesterday’s NYT blockbuster, highlighting secret legal opinions from the Bush administration, which endorsed “the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.” After insisting publicly that “torture is abhorrent,” Bush officials “provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * AP: “The House passed a bill on Wednesday that would make all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by U.S. courts. It was the first major legislation of its kind to pass since a deadly shootout last month involving Blackwater employees. Democrats called […]
Maybe it was the polls that showed him slipping further behind. Maybe it was the lackluster performance at the last debate. Maybe it was seeing Hillary Clinton raise more money than him in the last quarter. Whatever it was, I think Barack Obama is having a really good week. He’s starting to act like the […]
The writing has been on the wall for a couple of weeks, but today Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) officially reversed his pledge to resign and announced he would stay in the Senate. Following today’s defeat in Minneapolis in undoing his guilty plea, Craig released a press statement: “I am extremely disappointed with the ruling issued […]
After a rigorous 12-step program, I was able to stop writing blog posts about right-wing clown Ann Coulter, who goes out of her way to say stupid things in exchange for media attention. Alas, I’m off the wagon. Telling the New York Observer that women shouldn’t vote is too good not to mention. “If we […]
One of the Democratic tendencies that seem to bother the netroots and progressive activists more than anything is “deals” congressional leaders strike with Republicans. Invariably, these “compromises” tend to concede far too much to the GOP, and worse, lead to a problematic result that could have been avoided. Take Hans von Spakovsky, for example. He […]
Most legal experts agreed that Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) had little chance of withdrawing his guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges in Minneapolis, but his legal team believed it was worth a try. Today, the judge in the case rejected Craig’s request. A Minnesota judge has denied Sen. Larry Craig’s request to withdraw his guilty […]
The New York Times reported this morning that in two separate, secret legal opinions signed by the Attorney General, the Bush administration quietly contradicted its official line and endorsed “the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.” After insisting publicly that “torture is abhorrent,” Bush officials “provided explicit authorization to barrage terror […]