Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi, one of my favorite writers, has written one of my favorite pieces in recent memory. It’s both hilarious and poignant (and more than a little infuriating in its subject matter). Taibbi starts by noting something that probably bothers most of us: the media’s bizarre obsession with trivia. I’m not one of […]
Yesterday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the beginning of his troop withdrawal from Iraq, which on the surface seemed like a drastic development for the Bush war strategy. Britain was, of course, the only “coalition” partner with thousands of troops on the ground — and now they’re leaving. Not at all, said the White […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * In 2004, John McCain said Dick Cheney was one of the best Vice Presidents in American history. Last month, McCain reversed course, saying Bush has been “badly served by…the Vice President.” According to Cheney, McCain reversed course again, and apologized to the VP directly. * Reuters: “U.S. spending on […]
One of the selling points of the war in Iraq, at least once the “flypaper” theory came into play, was that the war would keep the terrorists busy in one place, preventing them from wreaking havoc around the globe. On a related note, some of these same war supporters argued that the conflict would stem […]
The jury in Scooter Libby’s criminal trial began deliberations a couple of hours ago, and no one has any idea what’s going to happen. While we wait, however, it’s worth taking a moment to consider some of the fascinating remarks prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald made in his closing remarks yesterday. As Dan Froomkin noted, by the […]
I mentioned this briefly earlier, but it seems to be the big political story of the day, so let’s flesh this out a bit. In her column today, the NYT’s Maureen Dowd quoted entertainment mogul David Geffen, who was a loyal Clinton supporter in the 1990s, saying all kinds of critical things about Hillary, while […]
We’re a ways off, but on August 14, the Nevada Democratic Party and the Western Majority Project are scheduled to host one of the season’s major Democratic presidential debates in Reno. The good news is, the event will be nationally televised. The bad news is, you’ll have to watch Fox News, which is co-sponsoring the […]
It’s not quite a firm and targeted withdrawal, but it looks like even Tony Blair has seen enough in Iraq. Britain will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months and aims to further cut its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the country’s south, Prime Minister Tony Blair […]
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: * The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is sponsoring the first presidential forum of the campaign season in Carson City, Nevada, today, at which eight candidates will appear. ABC’s George […]
For months, every credible national poll has said pretty much the same thing: Americans are dismayed at conditions in Iraq, they disapprove of Bush’s escalation strategy, they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war in general, they think the war was a mistake, and they want to see U.S. troops withdrawn within the next year, […]