CNN goes where even the RNC will not

As a rule, the little “quick vote” features on major news outlets’ websites are easy to ignore. After all, the “polls” — I use the word loosely — are intended to be just for fun. The results are unscientific, the methodology doesn’t include a random sample, and the whole thing is generally just a way […]

The railroading of Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman

Back in October, a nationally known print journalist told Harpers’ Scott Horton, “I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Everything I’ve been told by the convicted defendants checks out as the gospel truth. And everything I’m told by federal prosecutors who pushed the case turns out either to be an outrageous lie or at least […]

Five years and counting

Over the weekend, we officially passed the fifth anniversary of the creation of The Carpetbagger Report, so I thought I’d take a moment to offer a quick note of thanks to readers. (I generally avoid navel-gazing posts; consider it a once-a-year-indulgence. Besides, as far as the blogosphere goes, five years seems like a fairly significant […]

When the right balks at pursuing al Qaeda

I have to admit, I didn’t see this one coming. I’d long assumed that if there were one thing the left and right could agree on, especially when it comes to foreign policy and counter-terrorism, it’s the pursuit of al Qaeda terrorists. With this in mind, Barack Obama’s pronouncement in August hardly seemed controversial. He […]

Bush admin: Never mind, the sky isn’t falling

Since the expiration of the poorly-named Protect America Act, the White House and its allies have gone to great lengths to argue that we should be absolutely terrified. Those mean ol’ Democrats in Congress have refused to give the president everything he wants, and the consequences, they’ve claimed, will likely be catastrophic. Congressional Republicans even […]