Guest Post by Morbo The National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 1. I oppose it. I believe religious leaders should call people to prayer, not government officials. I believe religious services should take place in houses of worship, not government buildings. Alas, the federal courts do not agree with me. Thus, we have a […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * This isn’t good: “Consumer confidence fell for a third straight month in April, hitting its weakest in more than a quarter century on heightened worries over inflation and the sagging housing market, a survey showed on Friday.” * On a related note: “Hundreds of thousands of utility customers are […]
One of the biggest, and most disconcerting, angles to the U.S. Attorney purge scandal was the efforts of Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and his leaning on David Iglesias. Yesterday, the Senate Ethics Committee admonished the senator, sort of, for his inexcusable conduct. The Senate Ethics Committee admonished Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, […]
Rep. Rush Holt’s (D-N.J.) Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act seemed like the kind of bill that should sail through Congress. The legislation would help local governments pay for paper trails and audits for electronic voting machines, adding safeguards to potential recounts and a layer of integrity to the election process. Indeed, Holt’s bill was […]
Regular readers probably won’t be too surprised by the very good front-page WaPo piece today on John McCain offering “tax policies he once opposed.” As you know, the current McCain incarnation bears no resemblance to the 2001-2004 McCain, who at least pretended to care about fiscal sanity. But the article does note one detail that […]
The New York Times had quite a front-page scoop this past Sunday, when it reported on a Pentagon program that recruited retired military officers, who’ve since become lobbyists or consultants for military contractors, to become propaganda agents of the Bush administration. Throughout the war in Iraq, these retired officers — or “message multipliers,” as they […]
Back in November, when most of the Republican presidential candidates were taking cheap shots at Democratic candidates, John McCain said he was above such behavior. “I think people want a respectful debate and a respectful discussion. And if they don’t, then obviously, I’m not the person to be their candidate,” McCain said at the time. […]
When John McCain talks about the U.S. counter-terrorism efforts, he identifies “radical Islamic extremism” as the principal problem we face. When his buddy Joe Lieberman talks about the same issue, he condemns Democrats for neglecting to use phrases like “Islamist extremism” or “Islamist terrorism.” The Bush administration is weighing in on the rhetorical aspect of […]
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: * Polls out of Indiana continue to point to a close Democratic presidential primary. Selzer & Co., a regional pollster, has Obama leading Clinton by three, 41% to 38%. Research 2000 shows Obama […]
I know how tiresome it can get to play one of my favorite parlor games: “Imagine if a Democrat had said this.” But I’m trying to imagine what the response would be if, say, a host on Air America Radio told listeners how helpful it would be to Democrats if people started a riot at […]