It was, predictably, soft-ball city when Dick Cheney sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity this week, but I have to admit, there was actually a good question in there. Hannity probably didn’t mean it to be, and the merit behind the question was purely accidental, but it’s a good question that deserves a good […]
The New York Times had a report last week on the CIA having to turn away large numbers of Arabic-language linguists, despite their critically important skills, because of security threats, specifically the fact that some of the specialists have relatives in Middle Eastern countries. Of course, this would be less of a problem if the […]
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: * In a hard-fought, multi-candidate primary in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District, Jean Schmidt, who lost an Ohio Senate primary last year, staged a big comeback to win the GOP nod. Hamilton County commissioner […]
I’m not looking to belabor the point, and I’m pleased that the Senate apology for its failures on lynching in the past was successful, but it’s still rather troubling that there was no roll-call vote, putting each senator on the record on the measure. It turns out, the Senate Majority Leader insisted that it be […]
As nearly everyone probably knows by now, SurveyUSA has published a massive new poll, ranking each U.S. senator by their approval and disapproval ratings in their home states. It’s the kind of data that poll junkies can chew on for weeks. There are more than a few ways to break down the numbers. Kevin Drum […]
The most comprehensive study ever done on adolescent health and sexuality was completed this year. Subsidized by 17 separate agencies of the federal government — to the tune of $45 million — investigators interviewed more than 20,000 young people. What did researchers learn? That abstinence only and “virginity pledges” don’t work. “Sex education doesn’t cause […]
Rep. Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham (R-Calif.) isn’t the only powerful Republican lawmaker on the Hill to have some dubious business deals of late. There’s also Alaska’s Sen. Ted Stevens (R). Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) made $822,000 last year from the sale of a controversial real estate investment with an Anchorage developer who had obtained a huge […]
Yesterday, I noted that Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) has a bit of a problem on his hands. In 2003, he sold his house to a military contractor with business before his committee for an inflated price, ultimately leading to a $700,000 gift for the lawmaker. Shortly thereafter, Cunningham helped direct tens of millions of […]
So much for wanting to spend more time with his family. Last week we learned that Philip Cooney, a former lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute but hired to be chief of staff of the president’s Council on Environmental Quality, was asked to re-write a government report on global warming, editing out scientific conclusions he […]
A Minnesota reader emailed me recently to note that the president will soon be in his area for one of Bush’s carefully-scripted events. The White House confirmed on Friday that President Bush will visit Maple Grove next week to talk about senior health and Medicare. Bush will travel next Friday to the Maple Grove Community […]