One of the nation’s most notorious TV preachers, Jerry Falwell, died today in Lynchburg, Va. The Rev. Jerry Falwell — founder of the Moral Majority and the face of the religious right in the 1980s — died Tuesday after being found unconscious in his office, a Liberty University executive said. Ron Godwin, Liberty’s executive vice […]
By late March, panic and paralysis had taken over the Justice Department. “You have no idea,” said one Justice official, “how bad it is here.” By one news account, the DoJ faced “open warfare,” with officials taking sides between AG Gonzales and Deputy AG McNulty. With that in mind, I suppose it stands to reason […]
When Tom DeLay was forced to resign in disgrace, and the “culture of corruption” theme was just starting to catch on, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) sought the House Majority Leader post promising reform. He would end the K Street Project, pass ethics and lobbying reform measures, and show no tolerance for corruption. Then he actually […]
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 far-right Washington Times quotes inside sources today to report that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is “prepared to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.5 billion personal fortune for a […]
The White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has always been something of a joke. The panel was created on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, which encouraged the administration to have an internal panel to watch for civil liberties violations. Grudgingly, the White House agreed to establish the board, but then waited a […]
Just for a moment, put aside all the usual concerns about Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). Forget about his inexplicable position on the war, his triangulation, his right-wing talking points, his politics of fear, and his inability to stick to basic principles he claims to hold dear. Forget all of that, at least for a moment, […]
Since the early days of the Clinton administration, the Democratic Leadership Council’s “National Conversation,” the group’s major annual event, has been a key stop for Democrats who hoped to be party leaders, and in many cases, president. It was a place to be seen, to impress possible donors, and to solidify one’s place as a […]
The prosecutor purge scandal claimed its fourth resignation late yesterday when Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty stepped down, citing the financial burden of having two children in college. Of course, given the circumstances, we know there’s a lot more to it than that. The NYT reports that McNulty, who’d been rumored to have one foot […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * This ought to be interesting: “Harry Reid just spoke on the Senate floor, revealing that he’ll allow a vote this week on the Feingold-Reid amendment, which would cut off funding for the war by March 31, 2008. This is a big deal for war opponents — it’s the first […]
Given news accounts of this incident in Murfreesboro, Tenn., it sounds like an awful incident that terrorized some young kids. But part of me can’t help but wonder how much worse it could have been. Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it […]