I vaguely recall about a decade ago that congressional Republicans, desperate to find something damaging about the Clinton White House, had some kind of complaint about Chinese campaign contributions. There was never much to this, but the GOP was convinced that Democratic donors should be subject to the highest scrutiny, especially those with foreign ties. […]
A regular reader emailed me last night to suggest that it’s a mistake for me to emphasize the problems with John McCain and Mitt Romney, at the expense of Rudy Giuliani. The former NYC mayor, my emailer argued, is a “bigger force” than I realize, so I should spend some time taking him down a […]
For weeks, the White House and its allies have insisted, vehemently, that congressional Democrats and a handful of reasonable Republicans were sending a dangerous signal to the world through its criticism of the war. By even debating a resolution taking issue with the president’s escalation strategy, war opponents have undermined the troops and “emboldened the […]
The New York Times ran an interesting item the other day about some of the wealthy far-right players, who woke up every morning in the 1990s trying to figure out how to destroy the Clintons, who are looking at the 2008 race. Apparently, some of them are feeling a little burnt out and can’t quite […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * In a very silly Presidents’ Day poll, Gallup found that Americans believe Abraham Lincoln was the country’s best president. Coming in a close second, for reasons that defy comprehension, is Ronald Reagan. JFK came in third, followed by Bill Clinton, then FDR. * WaPo: “Efforts are intensifying in Congress […]
Way back in November 2005, when Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) first started talking publicly about the need for troop redeployment from Iraq, Republicans were momentarily stunned. Murtha was a fairly conservative Dem, a leading congressional voice on military matters, and a decorated war hero. He had experience, stature, and bi-partisan cred. Rod Dreher, responding to […]
This struck me as unusually annoying. At a ceremony honoring America’s first president at his Mount Vernon estate, President Bush praised George Washington’s leadership in the American Revolution and drew parallels between that war and the war in Iraq. […] In his official proclamation of Washington’s 275th Birthday, Bush said the first president would see […]
John McCain raised a few eyebrows over the weekend when he told a large South Carolina audience, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.” Now, as Carpetbagger regulars know, McCain has been all over the map on this one. During his first presidential campaign, in 2000, McCain told reporters that “in […]
The Examiner’s Bill Sammon raised an idea that hadn’t occurred to me: “If Hillary Rodham Clinton wins the presidency, some top Democrats would like to see her husband, former President Bill Clinton, appointed to serve out Hillary’s unexpired Senate term.” Such a scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility now that the governor’s mansion […]
When it comes to combating global terrorism, going after al Qaeda with as much aggression and tenacity as possible is an obvious no-brainer. The terrorist network was directly responsible for the attacks of 9/11, among others, and has reportedly been a top administration target for the last five years. Except, like the rest of the […]