Given the reports lately about the Bush administration neglecting injured troops and sending additional soldiers into combat without the necessary equipment, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the two narratives were combined — sending injured troops into battle without the protection they need. In Salon today, Mark Benjamin has the painful […]
Political office and atheism tend not to mix. Gallup released a poll just a few weeks ago in which Americans were asked which group they’d be least likely to vote for. Atheists finished last, behind Catholic, African American, Jewish, Mormon, women, Hispanic, and gay candidates. Indeed, atheists were the only group in which a majority […]
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: * Sen. [tag]Chuck Hagel[/tag] (R-Neb.) announced this morning that he had nothing new to announce. He told reporters that he will decide “later this year” on a potential presidential run. “In making this […]
When the president nominated Sam Fox, a major right-wing donor who gave $50,000 to the Swiftboat Vets, to be ambassador to Belgium, it raised a few eyebrows. When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Fox’s nomination, Sen. John Kerry, as one might imagine, wasn’t pleased to see him. Kerry was hardly alone. […]
Last week, the prosecutor purge scandal picked up considerably when we learned that Michael Elston, the chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, told one of the fired U.S. attorneys that if the purged prosecutors “continued to criticize the administration for their ousters, previously undisclosed details about the reasons they were fired might […]
After meeting with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last week, Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, told Reuters, “One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather than later.” It seems to be an increasingly common perspective. Gonzales’ decisions and conduct have managed to do the impossible — […]
At a certain level, it was hardly a mystery who was helping pull the strings on the [tag]prosecutor[/tag] [tag]purge[/tag]. Last fall, stripped of his policy responsibilities, [tag]Karl Rove[/tag] was focused exclusively on improving Republicans’ chances in the midterm elections. So, when we learn that U.S. Attorneys have been fired for maintaining the integrity of their […]