The White House has had almost a week to come up with some semblance of a rationale for Dick Cheney arguing that he’s not part of the executive branch. There are some clever spin doctors in the vaunted White House communications office and some creative lawyers in the WH counsel’s office; surely someone will come […]
For quite a while, much of the DC establishment has wondered whether a respected “elder statesman” in the Republican Party would step up to challenge the president’s war policy in a forceful way. Apparently, Chuck Hagel doesn’t count, because he broke with the party line years ago, and Gordon Smith doesn’t count, because his criticism […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * If the Justice Department is telling the truth, it is still weighing a decision on whether Dick Cheney is part of the executive branch. Today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step aside from the Justice Department’s internal debates on the matter. “It’s clear […]
A lot of people forget this, but in 2005, the Center for American Progress was way ahead of the curve on shaping a responsible Iraq policy. They mapped out something called “Strategic Redeployment,” through which U.S. forces would begin a phased withdrawal, keeping forces on the periphery, while redirecting the focus of a smaller special-operations […]
The far-right Washington Times noted the ongoing hostility between the White House and congressional Republicans over immigration policy today, and touched on a point that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Conservative leaders among House Republicans say that President Bush’s upcoming showdown with them on immigration could threaten support for the Iraq war as well as for […]
I know I’ve been picking on David Broder quite a bit — perhaps too much — the past several months, but part of me singles him out because I expect better from him. I could pick on Sean Hannity, but what would be the point? Hannity commands no respect and isn’t taken seriously; Broder is […]
As part of its cover story on “what you need to know now,” Newsweek conducted a broad poll on a variety of political and cultural affairs. There were plenty of interesting results, but one section was particularly noteworthy. Even today, more than four years into the war in Iraq, as many as four in ten […]
Kevin Drum offers a challenge: “Today’s op-ed in the Washington Post by Emily Yoffe is literally so inane I’m speechless. The last sentence, in particular, deserves an award of some kind. Can someone please give it the mockery it so richly deserves?” Well, mockery isn’t exactly my specialty, but I’m more than happy to point […]
This is a disappointing setback, but some of the reports about the Supreme Court’s ruling have been misleading. The Supreme Court on Monday said ordinary taxpayers don’t have the legal standing to challenge a White House initiative helping religious charities get a share of federal money. The 5-4 decision dealt with a suit by a […]
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: * Fred Thompson will unveil his presidential campaign headquarters tomorrow in Nashville, followed by quick trips to South Carolina and New Hampshire. Maybe now ABC will stop paying him to broadcast his political […]