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: * For the first time this year, Bill Clinton campaigned alongside Hillary Clinton yesterday, with a joint appearance at a rally in Iowa. The former president went so far as to tell the […]
One of the overlooked tidbits from Peter Baker’s interesting look at the president’s state of mind right now is that the White House is actually quite divided. Bush is summoning “leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House” for some odd bull sessions, but the president’s team isn’t exactly reading from the same […]
Sure, the president made Scooter Libby happy by trampling on the rule of law, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Bush has scored points with his far-right base. The conventional wisdom insists that Bush had nothing to lose with yesterday’s commutation. Those who care about justice and democratic institutions are already repulsed by Bush’s presidency, so […]
Realistically, the 2008 presidential campaign will unfold slowly over the next year, and there will be no shortage of the number of issues, controversies, and personalities that will shape the contest. Chances are, by October 2008, the name Scooter Libby will probably not be leading the evening newscasts’ coverage of the campaign. But in the […]
The day after Bush gave Scooter Libby his get-out-of-jail-free card, I’m still disgusted. It’s one thing to expect the worst from those who have no shame and know no limits; it’s another to actually get it. Yes, this president has probably done more offensive things during his reign of error, but commuting Libby’s sentence has […]
George W. Bush was once asked, after presiding over the executions of over 152 Texans, about his reluctance to issue pardons and/or commute sentences. “I don’t believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own,” Bush said, “unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware.” […]
Breaking: President Bush commuted the sentence of former aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak case. Bush left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for Libby, according to a senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * British officials continue to make arrests as part of the investigation into the weekend’s terrorist incidents: “Doctors from Iraq and Jordan were among the eight suspects arrested in the failed car bombings in London and at Glasgow’s airport, officials said Monday. A witness said police were closing in on […]
There have been a handful of historic, quintessential Bushisms, but one of the head-shaking classics was offered exactly four years ago today. “There are some who feel like — that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring ’em on. We’ve got the force necessary to deal with the […]
Just how close did Karl Rove come to being indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald? Surprisingly close. The AP reported that several interesting documents related to the Plame leak investigation were unsealed late on Friday, and among the revelations are insights on Fitzgerald targeting Rove. As one judge wrote, “Regarding [Time reporter Matthew] Cooper, the special counsel […]