So, what have we heard over the last 12 hours? Plenty. * The LA Times reported that federal prosecutors “returned their attention to White House advisor Karl Rove on Tuesday, questioning a former West Wing colleague about contacts Rove had with reporters in the days leading to the naming of the covert operative.” * The […]
In case you haven’t already heard, tomorrow should be a fairly interesting day. Steve Clemons has an “uber-insider source” — and believe me, Clemons knows a lot of key people in DC — who’s informed him that between one and five indictments are being issued in the Plame scandal, though his source believes it will […]
In terms of media interest, the Plame scandal drives itself; Democrats don’t actually have to do anything. When reporters stake out Karl Rove and Scooter Libby at their homes, it’s not as if a tip from a Dem put them there. In fact, looking back over the last two years, Dems have been largely irrelevant […]
At an October 2003 press briefing, a reporter reminded McClellan that he personally went to Karl Rove and Scooter Libby to ask if they were involved with the Plame scandal. McClellan said he’d been given every assurance that they were not responsible. “They’re good individuals, they’re important members of our White House team, and that’s […]
In 2004, there was speculation in some circles that Bush might drop Dick Cheney from the ticket in order to sure up broader support in advance of the presidential election. On April 27, 2004, a reporter at a White House press briefing asked Scott McClellan, “just for the record,” whether the president “continues to have […]
To help prepare Harriet Miers for her confirmation hearings, the White House has arranged rehearsals in which Bush’s Supreme Court nominee faces practice questions so she’ll be prepared for the real thing. Is Miers ready? Not so much. Behind the scenes, however, the comfort level is very low. Some White House officials are already worried […]
Roll Call reported today that James Dobson continues to be the subject of great interest to the Senate Judiciary Committee when it comes to what confidential information he was told about Harriet Miers. In fact, it’s not just Dobson, religious right sidekick Gary Bauer is also facing questions from Judiciary Committee investigators in advance 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: * Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) will formally enter the Senate race today, but starts off trailing his most likely challenger. In a poll conducted by Gonzales Research & Marketing, Rep. Benjamin […]
Shortly after the presidential inauguration in 2001, Dick Cheney vowed, “The days of the so-called war room and the permanent campaign are over.” That, of course, was before the White House was engulfed in scandal. President Bush’s damage-control handlers are plotting a sophisticated war room offensive to fight back against possible indictments in the CIA […]
I have no strong feelings about Ben Bernanke’s nomination to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve. I’ve seen several trusted sources say positive things about him — including Prof. DeLong, Max Sawicki, and Angry Bear — so I’m inclined to say he’s a good choice. I am, however, intrigued by the timing […]