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Author: Carpetbagger

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‘Yes, yes! Elvis and I assassinated JFK! Now will you please remove the electrodes from my scrotum?’

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Posted by Morbo Last week I ranted about Americans’ increasing inability to grasp a moral argument. Nowhere is this more in evidence lately than the debate over outsourcing torture (oops, I mean “aggressive interrogation.”) We should not even be having this debate. Terrorists blow children to bits and torture people, not great world powers that […]

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Obama speaks up

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Since being sworn in, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been doing what most freshman senators have always done: keeping a relatively low profile. For Obama, a national star whom the media keeps a close eye on, that’s been tricky, but he’s done well pulling it off. But yesterday, even the mild-mannered Obama couldn’t keep quiet. […]

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What the ‘nuclear option’ has to do with privatizing Social Security

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Far-right Republicans on the Hill are frustrated that Bush isn’t being dictatorial enough when it comes to privatizing Social Security. But don’t worry; they have a plan. Conservatives in and out of Congress say President Bush has been taking bad advice on Social Security, hurting his chance to win private investment accounts for younger workers. […]

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It depends on what the meaning of ‘fixing’ is

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Bush started his presidency with the largest budget surplus in American history and, in just one term, created the largest budget deficit in American history. This, after running for office supporting a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution and decrying deficits as damaging to the “economic prospects of all Americans.” Which is why it was downright […]

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Friday’s political round-up

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My new daily feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers: * Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D) will announce today that he is retiring at the end of this term, ending a 30-year career in the Senate. His departure is sure to […]

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Another whitewash, this time on torture

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Credit where credit is due: the Bush gang may display breathtaking incompetence at times, but they’re really good at whitewashing their problems away. It may be their single most effective skill. Last month, it was the Bush-appointed commission charged with identifying the massive intelligence failures over Saddam Hussein’s weapons capabilities. We learned that the commission […]

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In defense of close-mindedness

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Jonathan Chait is not open-minded about destroying Social Security — and he makes an excellent case today that there’s nothing wrong with that. In the Social Security debate, apparently the worst thing anybody can say about you is that you’ve made up your mind. A Washington Post editorial writer penned an Op-Ed article praising “the […]

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It’s been three months, and it’s already a long year

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Kevin Drum noted some of the recent activities on the Hill to explain why he’s been feeling grouchy. * Passed: A tort reform bill that makes it harder for ordinary citizens to sue corporations who harm them. * Coming soon: A bankruptcy bill that will make it harder for distressed workers to declare bankruptcy and […]

Read More: It’s been three months, and it’s already a long year