Posted by Morbo If you live in the United States and plan to grow old, you must read Roger Lowenstein’s piece on Social Security in last week’s New York Times Magazine. (Also read the Time magazine piece that Carpetbagger wrote about on Wednesday.) Lowenstein’s piece is not light reading for the beach. It will take […]
I don’t mean to be poli sci geek every day, but I have to admit being fascinated by Dick Cheney’s views on the power of the presidency. It says a great deal about this White House, but it also hints at a problem that Cheney seems unaware of. Bob Woodward apparently got Cheney to talk […]
Members of Congress are already deeply divided over nearly everything, but before you think it can’t get any worse… Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) wasted little time before introducing two bills that would require the Ten Commandments to be posted in both the Capitol and the Senate and House chambers. Stearns introduced the bill Jan. 4, […]
To oversimplify the situation a bit, the Iraqi security forces — or lack thereof — are the primary element to national stability that keeps American forces on the ground. With this mind, it’d be nice if someone had a clue how many people are actually in said security force and ready to serve. We already […]
This may be a little off-topic for me, but I’m a big fan of Arrested Development and Jon Chait explained today why there’s an important political angle to the show. In one episode, a photograph emerges that the authorities believe shows secret bunkers in Iraq. The Army — whose manpower shortages have forced it to […]
The Senate Republicans’ plan to kill the chamber’s filibuster rules — the “nuclear option” that would stop Dems from blocking the worst of Bush’s judicial nominees — has been in the works for over a year. Bill Frist has given several hints that he’d be willing to try the approach — consequences be damned — […]
More than simply acknowledging that Bush’s second inaugural failed, it’s worth considering why. It wasn’t the writing; Gerson’s prose was once again poetic, and it wasn’t the delivery; Bush, despite his limitations, has become quite adept at reading the words others prepare for him. The problem, however, rested in the speech’s message. It outlined an […]
For months, reporters seem to have keyed in on a little parlor game: if you ask White House officials to name a mistake they’ve made, particularly in Iraq, they hem and haw, pretending not to understand the question. It’s become quite entertaining. Dick “Go F— Yourself” Cheney, meanwhile, seems to have learned to expect the […]
Bush’s inaugural speech today was effective enough in hammering away at its point (Bush thinks “freedom” is good for the world, so he used the word 27 times this afternoon) and emphasizing the president’s faith (allusions to God were frequent). And to be sure, Mike Gerson wrote a well-worded, if not altogether memorable, speech. But […]
Throughout Bush’s first term, the president was surrounded by officials who refused to admit mistakes and were loath to share information with anyone. In his second term, he’ll be surrounded by different officials who’ll do the same thing. President Bush and his Cabinet nominees have been sending a firm message as they kick off a […]