One should generally be cautious about throwing around words such as “pathological,” but Rudy Giuliani’s inability to describe his record without ridiculous exaggerations is becoming increasingly problematic. The poor guy is apparently convinced that his record is too weak to stand on its own, so constant (and comical) embellishments become necessary. The latest is Giuliani’s […]
When MSNBC added Tucker Carlson to its prime-time lineup two years ago, the network appeared anxious to capitalize on Fox News’ success as a Republican network. If cable-news viewers were flocking to a conservative, partisan network, MSNBC seemed to believe, then the answer was to keep up by putting more conservatives on the air. The […]
We’ve known for quite some time that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights — for a half-century, the government’s chief watchdog for racism and discrimination — has been undermined and politicized by the Bush administration. The commission has gone from a stalwart defender of integration and affirmative action to criticizing school desegregation and looking the […]
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: * I don’t imagine anyone could have expected this: “On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the […]
Daniel Levin, a former top official in Bush’s Justice Department, isn’t exactly a household name, but his story is worth considering. As the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 2004, Levin recognized interrogation techniques approved by the Bush administration were pushing the legal envelope, and became so concerned about waterboarding […]
Just a reminder, I still need a small, effortless favor from readers. It literally only takes a few seconds. The Carpetbagger Report has been nominated in the 2007 Weblog Awards. If readers could click on this link and vote, I’d appreciate it. People can vote once a day, so even if you voted yesterday — […]
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been running high for quite a while. With lingering questions about Iran’s intentions on the minds of U.S. officials, it stands to reason that intelligence agencies would be doing everything possible to acquire as much information as possible. But this very well might be the dumbest national-security […]
Listening to Rudy Giuliani’s blatantly dishonest radio ad about his bout with prostate cancer, the audience is led to believe that his access to the U.S. healthcare system saved his life. We don’t need to expand access to more Americans, he argues, because the system is fine the way it is. After all, countries that […]
To say that the White House’s policy towards Pakistan has left the United States in an awkward position right now would be a dramatic understatement. With Gen. Pervez Musharraf having suspended the constitution and stifling any semblance of freedom, Bush, once again, is left with bad and worse options. As Fred Kaplan explained, these conditions […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Crisis in Pakistan: “Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. Opposition groups put the number of arrests at 3,500, although the government reported half that.” […]