In light of Scooter Libby’s scandalous commutation this week, here’s an apples-to-apples comparison that the White House may struggle to spin. [I]n a case decided two weeks ago by the United States Supreme Court and widely discussed by legal specialists in light of the Libby case, the Justice Department persuaded the court to affirm the […]
I had an item earlier this week on Democratic presidential candidates’ fundraising in the second quarter, so it seems only fair to note the Republicans’ fundraising efforts as well. For the GOP, the results are less than encouraging. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who led the Republican field in money raised in the first […]
Guest Post by Morbo This is the time of year when we rhapsodize about what makes America special. Lots of things make America special, but this Fourth of July I’d like to focus on one thing that I believe is unique: the way we deal with religion and government. I write about church-state issues a […]
Just so readers know, I’ll be posting today — there are a handful of surprisingly important items in the news — though I’ll probably have far less content than a typical weekday. Also, as a special treat, Saturday contributor Morbo will be stopping by this morning with a special Wednesday post. I hope everyone has […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Dan Froomkin: “Bush’s decision yesterday to commute Libby’s prison sentence isn’t just a matter of unequal justice. It is also a potentially self-serving and corrupt act. Was there a quid pro quo at work? Was Libby being repaid for falling on his sword and protecting his bosses from further […]
One of the curious ambiguities of the commutation controversy is what role, if any, Dick Cheney played in the process. As the recent WaPo series made clear, not much happens in this White House without the VP’s direct involvement (i.e., dictation), but what did Cheney do about keeping his former chief of staff out of […]
We’ve been talking quite a bit, obviously, about Bush commuting Scooter Libby’s sentence, but I wanted to take a moment to step back and consider a basic point that isn’t getting a lot of attention. The president this morning said he took this action because the sentence (30 months behind bars) was “severe.” Yesterday, in […]
I noticed this morning that Andrew Sullivan said, “David Brooks’ column today can only be described as an embarrassment.” How bad could it be, I thought. Then I read it. Now I think Sullivan was understating the case. It’s hard to tell exactly what Brooks’ point is, other than to express satisfaction at yesterday’s commutation […]
Tony Snow told reporters this morning that the president, in consultation with top White House aides, mulled over what to do about Scooter Libby for “weeks and weeks.” With all those smart people considering a case for so long, you’d think they wouldn’t sound so spectacularly dumb in explaining what happened yesterday. The president, for […]
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has caved to White House demands on a wide variety of issues, but when it comes to presidential signing statements, the Pennsylvania senator has actually been pretty good. A year ago, he even tried to introduce legislation that would allow Congress to sue the president over his use of these legally […]