The latest stop on Bush’s Social Security campaign was before an adoring crowd in New Jersey on Friday, where the president played up the virtues of his private accounts, which, according to every word we’ve heard from the White House, would be financed through payroll taxes and replace the existing Social Security system. With that […]
It’s bad enough that Bush has named John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. It’s worse when you realize that Bolton doesn’t even believe the United Nations should exist. In 1994, for example, he charged, “There’s no such thing as the United Nations,” saying that “If the U.N. secretary building in […]
This Bush quote was delivered in July 2003, but one might have heard it anytime over the last couple of years. “Anytime this nation puts one of our youngsters into harm’s way, we’d better — and we will — make sure they get the best training, the best equipment, the best possible support.” Indeed, this […]
I can appreciate the fact that the federal budget is a complicated document that almost no one actually reads, but the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), which has produced several fascinating reports of late on public opinion, posed an interesting question for its latest study: how would regular people divide up the budget if […]
Pulling together much of what we’ve already heard, the AP reported over the weekend on Bush’s Social Security “war room.” A new Social Security war room inside the Treasury Department is pumping out information to sell President Bush’s plan, much like any political campaign might do. It’s part of a coordinated effort by the Bush […]
In a bizarre twist, the Bush White House released good news on a Friday afternoon, announcing that Stephen L. Johnson will be the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency. In an even more bizarre twist, environmental advocates are actually pleased with the choice. In fact, Johnson, poised to become the first professional scientist to […]
As I mentioned in an item on Friday, I’m introducing a new feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers. * Betty Castor, who lost a tough Senate race to Mel Martinez five months ago, announced Friday she won’t run for […]
The developments in Ukraine, as it’s struggled with rigged elections, poisoned presidents, and foreign interference, have been fascinating for political observers around the world. One report over the weekend, however, stood out in its peculiarity. Ukraine’s former interior minister was found dead Friday morning in an apparent suicide just hours before he was to meet […]
The White House’s decision to dramatically curtail support for the Community Development Block Grant program has raised the ire of many lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, who recognize the significance the program has on low-income families nationwide. Apparently, though, Sen. George Allen will not be among those criticizing Bush’s callous budget cut. A […]
Well, it took nearly a full week of kvetching, but the AP finally got around to running a national story on Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) and his stated desire to launch an unprovoked nuclear attack on Syria. A congressman who raised eyebrows with recent remarks about personally wanting to drop a nuclear bomb on Syria […]