In yesterday’s debate for Republican presidential hopefuls, Fred Thompson was asked why two-thirds of the nation believes that we are either in a recession or headed toward one. Thompson rejected Americans’ perceptions, describing the economy as “rosy.” When CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo followed up, asking what explains the discontent in the public, Thompson said there were […]
The breathtaking right-wing attack on the Frost family, who dared to suggest publicly that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program deserved to be expanded to help more low-income children, is starting to get noticed. [W]hile the Frosts were helping a bipartisan majority in Congress sell a plan to expand the program, they were not prepared […]
Following up on the last item for a moment, Chris Matthews managed to ask one fairly interesting question at yesterday’s Republican debate, inquiring whether the candidates believe a president needs congressional authorization to take military action overseas, specifically in Iran. Mitt Romney, after saying a president has to act in the nation’s best interest, said, […]
Towards the end of yesterday’s debate for the Republican presidential field, Mitt Romney used one of his canned lines he’d obviously been waiting to use. In response to a question about supporting the eventual GOP nominee, no matter who it is, Romney said, “[I]n terms of supporting these guys, I’ve come to know these people […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * AP: “Two suicide car bombers targeted a local police chief and a prominent Sunni sheik working with U.S. forces against al-Qaida in Iraq in a northern city on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people, authorities said.” * The September leak of the Osama bin Laden video will continue to […]
Much of the right is in full-smear mode against 12-year-old Graeme Frost and his family, so I suppose it stands to reason that Rush Limbaugh would step out in front of the mob. So the bottom line for me is: They can’t rely on truth to make their case for their cause. They have to […]
For a presidential administration overwhelmed by humiliating mistakes, the Khaled el-Masri debacle is one of the most mortifying. Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, was taken into custody in 2003 in a case of mistaken identity — he just happens to have a name similar to a terrorist sought by American officials. Actually, “taken […]
Following up on an item from last week, the House recently took up a resolution recognizing the commencement of Ramadan and “demonstrat[ing] solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States” during this Muslim month of fasting. The measure passed without any opposition, as these resolutions nearly always do. […]
When Republicans in Georgia created a “voter-identification law” in 2005, they knew a key hurdle would be approval from Bush’s Justice Department. As written, the law forced Georgians without driver’s licenses (disproportionately poor, black and elderly citizens) to pay for a state ID card in order to vote. The city of Atlanta, with a large […]
Way back in June, Time’s David Von Drehle asked an interesting question: “How many alleged criminals can a law-and-order candidate be associated with before it starts to hurt?” The question, of course, was in reference to Rudy Giuliani, after Thomas Ravenel, the chairman of Giuliani’s presidential campaign in South Carolina, was indicted on cocaine distribution […]