Much of the president’s press conference today was devoted to discussion of the administration’s policy towards Iran, which was not at all encouraging. Q: But you definitively believe Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon? BUSH: I think so long — until they suspend and/or make it clear that they — that their statements aren’t […]
It doesn’t happen often, but whenever a Bush administration official is quoted anywhere, saying anything that undermines the White House line on important policy matters, many of us stop and think, “That guy just put his job on the line.” After all, administration officials are supposed to be “loyal Bushies,” not objective professionals. With that […]
With Congress poised to vote tomorrow on an effort to override the president’s veto on healthcare for low-income children, the president used part of his White House press conference today to explain why he rejected the bipartisan measure. “Six or seven — in six or seven states they spend more money on adults than children. […]
In April 1995, President Clinton hosted a primetime press conference in the midst of a difficult time. Republicans had just taken the majorities of the House and Senate, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich had taken to thinking he was some kind of Prime Minister, setting the national political agenda. A reporter asked the president if […]
There were a few interesting exchanges at this morning’s White House press conference, which the president apparently called to chastise Congress for not following his orders, but I was struck by a question about Iraq, which Bush didn’t quite know how to answer. A reporter noted that al Qaeda in Iraq is apparently losing strength, […]
The NYT’s Janet Elder notes today that much of the public is still, even now, confused about questions such as Iraq’s involvement in 9/11. Elder suggests this creates an environment in which war supporters try to exploit this confusion to advance their agenda. One of the most striking poll findings is the number of people […]
Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearings got underway this morning, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) explored Mukasey’s position on administration torture policies. His response was surprising. Not only did Michael Mukasey repudiate the so-called 2002 “torture memo” signed by Office of Legal Counsel chief Jay Bybee — which appears to have […]
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 special election in Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district, Nikki Tsongas, wife of the late Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas, narrowly defeated Republican Jim Ogonowski, 51% to 45%. Why was the race so […]
We’ve seen the pattern play out a more than a few times this year. House Dems take up a bill, pass it, and send it to the Senate. Senate Dems take up the bill, Republicans block the vote, and the bill goes away. Republicans then complain that congressional Dems aren’t doing enough to pass bills. […]
It’s hard to muster the will to mock Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) anymore. His story has been repeated, scrutinized, and pilloried in every possible way since the details of his bathroom arrest surfaced in August. But now that Craig sat down with NBC’s Matt Lauer for an hour-long interview, aired last night, we get a […]