The Department of Homeland Security has been subjected to quite a bit of ridicule in recent years, particularly when it comes to its color-coded threat level chart. Of course, the alert levels are clear and concise when compared to the insights of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff (or, as the president called him, “Homeland guy“), […]
Yesterday, the WaPo had quite a damaging scoop about our embattled Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales. In 2005, the FBI prepared a series of reports for Gonzales, detailing multiple instances in which the agency illegally obtained personal information about Americans that agents were not entitled to have. Six days later, Gonzales testified to a Senate committee […]
I’ve heard about young schoolchildren playing something called “Opposite Day,” in which those playing the game are expected to say and do things that are the polar opposite of what they should be saying and doing. It’s an awkward, hard-to-define exercise, which quickly grows tiresome. Nevertheless, watching the White House yesterday, one gets the sense […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * According to Larry Flynt, Hustler magazine was behind the Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) revelations, following a “multi-pronged investigation launched” by the porn mogul. * Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy heard about Alberto Gonzales’ latest trouble with the truth and he’s not happy: “This inconsistency is a disturbing addition […]
Newsweek recently reported, “As Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign rolls along, there are more and more voices protesting that he’s not the 9/11 hero America considers him to be. First among them: some firefighters.” That’s an understatement. First, it’s not just “some”; it’s the nation’s largest firefighters’ union. Second, they’re doing more than just protesting. The […]
In January, when the president unveiled his “surge” policy, Bush vowed to the nation that he had specific goals in mind for Iraq, and expected them to be met. “America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced,” the president said. We’ve known for a while now that the president’s promise was […]
Just two short months ago, the WaPo’s Chris Cillizza reported on John McCain’s “inner circle,” the “core” group of advisors who shape the senator’s campaign. At the top of the list were campaign manager Terry Nelson, strategist John Weaver, and longtime advisor Mark Salter. As of this afternoon, all three are gone. As are deputy […]
Dr. Richard Carmona, Bush’s first appointed Surgeon General, never quite fit in as the rigid right-wing ideologue the president likes to have around. He disagreed with the White House on a variety of public health issues (stem-cell research, sexual health), and even suggested he’d like to see all tobacco products banned in the United States. […]
In case you missed it, this was an unusually lively discussion on CNN yesterday afternoon. To offer a little context, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta had just done a report criticizing Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” accusing Moore of being sloppy with some of the data included in the film. Wolf Blitzer had Moore on to respond. So, […]
There are basically two ways to look at the David Vitter/DC Madam story: shame (senator cheats on spouse) and hypocrisy (moralistic blowhard champions sanctity of marriage, gets caught as an adulterer). CBS News’ Brian Montopoli reports today that the mainstream media is focusing on the prior, while the blogs care about the latter. The blogs […]