I realize that polls are hardly the most important thing to consider right now, but survey data does offer us some insight into the perceptions of the public and their concerns over how the Katrina disaster has been handled by their government. In light of the overwhelming and bipartisan criticism of the federal government’s response, […]
In the unlikely event you haven’t heard, John Roberts is no longer Bush’s nominee to replace Sandra Day O’Connor — now he’s Bush’s nominee to replace William Rehnquist. President Bush on Monday nominated Judge John Roberts to succeed the late William H. Rehnquist as chief justice of the United States. “It is fitting that a […]
On Friday, the president thanked FEMA director Michael Brown — whom he affectionately calls “Brownie” — and told the world that Brown is “doing a heck of a job.” The president, of course, seems to be the only one who thinks so. So, who is the man responsible for running FEMA during the worst natural […]
Yesterday, as part of a new White House strategy of shifting blame for the Katrina fiasco onto state and local officials, a “senior Bush administration official” told the Washington Post that “as of Saturday, [Louisiana Gov. Kathleen] Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency.” The claim, of course, was completely untrue. And yet, […]
At the end of the day, the Bush gang only knows how to run one play: shun responsibility and blame someone else. It’s about the only thing the administration seems to do well. Initially, the blame for the crisis in New Orleans was placed on the local citizens who didn’t have the resources to leave. […]
Kevin Drum, citing Laura Rozen, pointed yesterday to a potentially stunning observation. There was a striking discrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone, yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV. ZDF News reported that the president’s visit was a completely staged event. Their […]
Chief Justice William Rehnquist died last night. William Hubbs Rehnquist, the 16th chief justice of the United States, died last night at his home in Arlington. He was 80. Rehnquist, who had been suffering from thyroid cancer since last October, had managed to lead the court through its last term, which ended in June. But […]
Guest Post by Morbo It took me three days to track down my nephew and his family, residents of suburban New Orleans who had fled the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. They left with $200 and a few overnight bags, figuring they would be back in two or three days — then the levee broke. I […]
Guest Post by Morbo I’ve often suspected that one of the reasons the right wing opposes national health care is that people might use it. Americans might like it and get accustomed to the idea that government programs can be pretty cool. In other words, people might start treating national health care like Social Security. […]
Guest Post by Morbo Of all the arguments creationists and backers of “intelligent design” dredge up, the one that annoys me most is the argument from personal ignorance. A scientist’s job is to look for answers. When something doesn’t make sense, you keep digging. If pieces of the puzzle are missing, you look for them. […]