2006 started with some trepidation. The Bush White House had just experienced the worst year any president had seen since 1972, the midterm elections were looming but unpredictable, congressional scandals were brewing and unresolved, and everyone hoped it would be a “year of significant transition” in Iraq, though no one was quite sure what that […]
Long time readers may recall a story I first started following three years ago, in January 2004, about a controversial religious book approved for sale at the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the issue still isn’t resolved. First, a little background. In August 2003, the National Park Service approved a creationist text, “Grand Canyon: A Different View,” […]
If I didn’t know better, I might just think the Bush administration is a little too cozy with the oil industry. The Justice Department is investigating whether the director of a multibillion-dollar oil-trading program at the Interior Department has been paid as a consultant for oil companies hoping for contracts. The director of the program […]
From the AP report on Saddam’s execution: U.S. troops cheered as news of Saddam’s execution appeared on television at the mess hall at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in eastern Baghdad. But some soldiers expressed doubt that Saddam’s death would be a significant turning point for Iraq. “First it was weapons of mass destruction. Then when […]
Stuart Varney, filling on for Neil Cavuto yesterday on Fox News, did his level best to come up with “something positive” about conditions in Iraq. You won’t believe what he came up with. “Well, let me put out something positive about Iraq, if I may for a second. Look, we took the fight to the […]
A couple of days ago, the AP reported on dozens of interviews with soldiers of the Army’s 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, which patrols the streets of eastern Baghdad, and learned that most of those seeing the conflict up close are discouraged, dejected, and ready to leave. As informative as the piece was, it was […]
No one will miss the Butcher of Baghdad, and no tears will be shed for his death. In terms of political analysis, though, there are a couple of ways to consider Saddam Hussein’s execution. First, as Josh Marshall noted in an accurate and poignant piece, is the fact that “this whole endeavor, from the very […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson’s (D) 60th birthday is today, and while his condition is no longer front-page news, the latest updates are encouraging. Johnson’s office released a statement yesterday noting that while the senator remains in critical condition, he has improved. According to his neurosurgeon, Johnson is “gradually […]
With Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice having two years under her belt, now’s a good time to step back and consider her overall job performance. David Millikin makes the case that Rice has “few diplomatic successes to show for her efforts and fewer signs she plans to change course to improve the record.” The violence […]
Last week, Paul Krugman offered the incoming Democratic majority some advice: do not place deficit reduction at the top of the priority list. As Krugman explained, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin helped convince the party in the 1990s that deficit reduction was key to fiscal and budgetary policy. At the time, in the midst of […]