There are some terrific analyses available of yesterday’s Trustees’ report on Social Security, but I wanted to bring attention to something more mundane: the press conference held to release the report. As it happens, two of the five trustees weren’t there, in large part because their conclusions were different from the administration’s line. The two […]
Here’s a pretty accurate description of one facet of the White House’s ineffective Social Security privatization pitch. Take a guess as to who said it. [This lawmaker] criticized the White House for “tactical mistakes” in not taking time to enlist Democratic support, dating back to the president’s first term and his 2001 Commission to Strengthen […]
My new daily feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Not content to withdraw himself from consideration from Rhode Island’s Senate race, Rep. Jim Langevin (D) also urged secretary of state and fellow Democrat Matt Brown to drop out as […]
The Supreme Court has had an unusually busy week. First there was the announcement that the justices would not consider terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui’s attempt to question al Queda prisoners as part of his defense. Today the high court, as expected, turned down the Schiavo case. But I was hoping, perhaps naively, that I could […]
Though the picture was ultimately changed, this is what MSNBC’s homepage showed visitors this morning: That darn liberal media strikes again. Un…be…lievable.
One of the stranger political fights of the year has to be the growing feud between U.S. Sen. Kay Baily Hutchison (R-Texas) and Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas), both of whom, apparently, plan to be the Republican candidate for governor next year. They’ve been taking pot shots at each other for months, but this week, it […]
I don’t have anything special to add to the subject, but I do recommend Jeff Zeleny’s piece in the Chicago Tribune this week profiling Barack Obama’s transition from rock-star candidate to hard-working freshman senator. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look. As Zeleny notes, Obama is in a unique position among his colleagues, rivaled only, perhaps, by […]
Long-time readers know that I’ve been fascinated by the White House’s crowd control efforts for about a year now. There’s just something incredible about a president who’ll only attend public events at which audience members are pre-screened sycophants. During the presidential campaign, most observers were content to just marvel with disgust at the practice. Since […]
The other day, in his best New York Times column ever, David Brooks chastised Republicans for their ethical lapses, noting the seriousness and widespread duplicity tied to the Jack Abramoff scandal. In passing, Brooks mentioned that even James Dobson, a self-proclaimed paragon of virtue, was implicated. “Only a giant like Abramoff would have the guts […]
The DCCC’s Jesse Lee raised an excellent point yesterday about John McCain’s interest in the ever-escalating Jack Abramoff scandal. Namely, that McCain will pursue the matter, but only insomuch as it lets Republican lawmakers off the hook. Senate Indian Affairs Chairman John McCain is walking a tightrope. He has promised an aggressive investigation of lobbyist […]