I’m not sure who thought Jim Nicholson was qualified to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the first place, but he’s been heading the cabinet agency since 2005. Today, to the great relief of veterans and their families, Nicholson announced his resignation. (thanks to tAiO for the tip) The department has been under intense […]
The NYT’s David Brooks was one of a handful of conservative journalists who were offered some quality time with the president late last week, and in his column today, Brooks describes his interaction with Bush as “like entering a different universe.” He apparently means that as a compliment. Far from being beleaguered, Bush was assertive […]
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: * One of the great dynamics of this year’s presidential race is how satisfied Dem voters are with their choices, and how dissatisfied Republicans are: “The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly […]
So, Senate Dems really are going to launch a very long debate over Iraq policy tonight, including a rare overnight session. Reading over the various articles and reports, I’ve quickly come to realize that I need to brush up on Senate procedure, because at this point, I’m more than a little confused about exactly what […]
Following up on an item from yesterday, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles was set to hear an 11th-hour appeal yesterday. I wasn’t optimistic, but the panel surprised a lot of people by granting a stay of execution. One day before he was to die by lethal injection, convicted cop killer Troy Davis received […]
A blog post from the Politico kicked off the John-Edwards-haircut frenzy a couple of months ago, but today, the Politico has a similar story that’s embarrassing for Mitt Romney. What kinds of things do you think of when you hear “communications consulting”? Speechwriting? Message strategy? Well, “communications consulting” is how presidential candidate Mitt Romney recorded […]
Tony Snow, yesterday: Q: [Some senators] are talking about leaving [Iraq], because they want to start redeploying troops by the end of this year. That’s leaving, isn’t it? SNOW: No, redeploying does not necessarily mean leaving. Tony Snow, in November 2006: SNOW: …If you’re talking about phased redeployment, it means we’re trying to get out. […]
As the ongoing debate in the Senate makes clear, there’s no shortage of ideas on how best to proceed in Iraq. The WaPo’s Anne Applebaum argues today the problem in Washington is that all these policy makers have imperfect solutions to an intractable problem. Out in the world, there are shades of gray. Here inside […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Well, this might shake up the Iraq debate a bit: “The U.S. military’s top general said Monday that the Joint Chiefs of Staff is weighing a range of possible new directions in Iraq, including, if President Bush deems it necessary, an even bigger troop buildup…. He mentioned no potential […]
Good heavens. The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned. The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the […]