In early 2003, literally just a few weeks before the president would launch a war with Iraq, Bush met with TV preacher Pat Robertson to discuss the conflict. The president reportedly told the televangelist that he believed there’d be minimal casualties, and soon after, began the invasion. With this background in mind, I was not […]
Long-time readers know that I have an odd sort of fascination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s just one of those unsung agencies that does important work for the public — which Bush has undermined through cronyism and hackery. When Clinton was president, he appointed Ann Brown to chair the CPSC, which is responsible […]
I’m not entirely surprised the measure lost, but the margin was disappointing. The Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would cut off money for combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008. The vote was a loss for Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., and other Democrats who want to end the war. But the effort picked […]
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: * In a move intended to help Barack Obama, and improve Illinois’ standing on the presidential campaign calendar, the Illinois state Senate “gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that advances the state’s 2008 […]
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey seems to have raised eyebrows throughout the political world with his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony yesterday. While the prosecutor purge was supposed to be the key topic of the hearing, Comey’s story about the 2004 reathorization of the NSA warrantless-search program turned out to be the big news. As […]
Last week, Rasmussen Reports released a poll that quickly worked its way through conservative media outlets, particularly far-right blogs, because it offered proof of just how nutty Bush critics really are. I understand the concerns, but the poll the right is relying on isn’t particularly helpful. Here’s what Rasmussen found: Overall, 22% of all voters […]
About five weeks ago, the Washington Post had a fascinating scoop: the White House was looking (unsuccessfully) for a “high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The person would apparently be the new Commander in Chief — coordinating military policy and having the power to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State […]
If the first Republican presidential debate was a chance for the candidates to size up their rivals, and honor Reagan’s 11th Commandment, the second debate was a chance to forget the pleasantries and start throwing punches. Gilmore accused some of his rivals of being “very liberal in characterizing themselves as conservatives, particularly on the issues […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The big question in the Senate is how the Democratic presidential hopefuls — particularly Clinton and Obama — will vote on the Feingold-Reid measure to cut off funding for the war. Today, Obama announced he will vote for it. Shortly thereafter, Clinton followed suit. * The search for a […]
As part of the NSA’s warrantless-search program, which allowed domestic surveillance without court approval, the Justice Department had to sign off on the program every 45 days. Over a year ago, the NYT reported on a fascinating development that occurred in early 2004 — then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was in the hospital with pancreatitis and […]