Today’s edition of quick hits. * The Clintons’ tax returns were released this afternoon: “Bill and Hillary Clinton earned a combined $109 million between 2000 and 2007, with the former president and first lady parlaying their White House years into hefty publishing paydays, and with his oratorical gifts bringing in more than $51 million from […]
Maj. Alan Rogers, an American serviceman, was killed in Iraq in January. The tragedy wouldn’t otherwise have any real political considerations, except for the fact that Rogers was gay. And someone at the Pentagon doesn’t want people to know that. The Washington Blade reports that someone deleted mention of Rogers being gay from his Wikipedia […]
When conservatives are successful in replacing comprehensive lessons on sexual health with abstinence-only, young people fill in the gaps with myths. (via Jessica and Amanda) Some Florida teens believe drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy and that swallowing a capful of bleach will prevent HIV/AIDS. One reason those dangerous myths have spread […]
I wanted to take a moment to let readers know about a couple of professional endeavors that may be of interest. First, much to my disappointment, Salon.com has decided to close down the Blog Report, which I’ve been editing for more than two years now, after inheriting the site from my friend Peter Daou. I’ve […]
Under the mandates of the Bush administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) blocks funding for non-governmental organizations that perform abortions or even acknowledge abortion as a legal option. Efforts to abide by the Bush policy lead to ridiculous situations like this one. (thanks to J.D. for the tip) A U.S. government-funded medical information […]
Hillary Clinton has done fairly well over the last month or so emphasizing populist economic themes and criticizing trade deals like NAFTA and the still pending negotiations with Colombia. With this in mind, it’s doesn’t help at all when Clinton’s pollster and strategist lobbies to help pass the Colombian trade deal. Hillary Clinton’s chief campaign […]
If there’s one common thread tying all of John McCain’s campaign videos together, it’s that they tend to be a little odd. About a month ago, the campaign’s first general-election video made an odd connection between McCain and Churchill, while interspersing images from the Hubble telescope. As Sam Boyd put it, the video “gives you […]
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: * The polls in Pennsylvania are all over the place, but taken together, it looks like an increasingly competitive contest. The latest InsiderAdvantage poll shows Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama by just two, […]
Updated – See below As a rule, insulting U.S. troops trying to keep you safe in Iraq doesn’t seem like an especially good idea. And yet, there was Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), one of Congress’ most right-wing members, reflecting on his recent visit to Baghdad, and calling one soldier he met a “two-bit security guard.” […]
Of all the journalists who’ve been reporting from Iraq for years now, CNN’s Michael Ware has been one of the standouts, in part because he’s been willing to call “b.s.” against supporters of the Bush administration’s policy. In October 2006, after Condi Rice gave an upbeat assessment of Iraq, Ware told viewers, “Secretary Rice is […]