There’s been some debate, here and elsewhere, about why exactly so many Republicans balked on the bipartisan effort to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). The president’s veto, and the GOP’s reluctance to override the veto, just don’t make a lot of sense. It couldn’t have been the spending, because the bill is […]
Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria recently had a terrific piece on the right’s foolish desire to attack Iran: “Iran has an economy the size of Finland’s and an annual defense budget of around $4.8 billion. It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century…. Israel and every Arab country (except Syria and Iraq) are quietly […]
Long-time readers know that I have an odd sort of fascination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s just one of those unsung agencies that does important work for the public — the CPSC is responsible for reviewing thousands of consumer products to see which, if any, pose a health risk and might need to […]
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: * Barack Obama yesterday became the third senator to announce his opposition to Michael Mukasey’s nomination as Attorney General. “We urgently need an Attorney General who will check the vast and unconstrained executive […]
It’s a genuine challenge to come up with adjectives, which haven’t been used thousands of times before, to describe the multitude of fiascos in Iraq. They each appear more painful than the last. Consider, for example, the story of the Mosul Dam. The largest dam in Iraq is in serious danger of an imminent collapse […]
Two weeks ago, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) made some intemperate comments about the president, which led to a major-league, far-right freakout (Stark later apologized). But as “edgy” as Stark’s comments were, they were no more unhinged than this. On Iran, Giuliani criticized Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., also a candidate for president, for saying […]
The Wall Street Journal editorial board argued today that waterboarding doesn’t necessarily constitute “cruel, inhuman or degrading” treatment of U.S. detainees. The paper’s editorial was dismissive of Congress’ concerns about the technique, chiding lawmakers who “want to denounce what they call ‘torture.’” This comes a day after National Review’s Rich Lowry scolded John McCain after […]
At this point, it appears Rudy Giuliani is just daring the national media. Following up on yesterday’s item, the candidate who can barely go a day without making a wildly misleading exaggeration, has unveiled a new radio ad with a truly audacious whopper, even by Giuliani’s low standards. OK, Rudy Giuliani has just released an […]
As outrageous as the incident at Nisour Square was in September, during which Blackwater guards opened fire on Iraqi civilians, the administration’s handling of the incident has been almost as offensive. Shortly after the shootings, the State Department launched its own investigation, through its Bureau of Diplomatic Security, apparently with the intent of whitewashing the […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Bloodshed in Baghdad: “A suicide bomber rode his bicycle into a crowd of police recruits in Baqouba on Monday, killing at least 29 people in a province that has become a battleground among U.S. forces, al-Qaida militants and Shiite radicals. A group of Shiite and Sunni clerics, meanwhile, were […]