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: * The president will offer a prime-time address tonight on Iraq and troop deployments, but John Edwards’ campaign has a clever way of responding: it’s purchased two minutes of advertising time on MSNBC […]
There’s rumored to be an ancient Chinese curse that says, “May you live in interesting times.” In a great piece the other day, Ed Kilgore notes just how interesting the times have been over the last decade. (via Yglesias) Think about it. Since 1998, we’ve witnessed the first presidential impeachment since the 1860s, the first […]
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), who still wants to salvage his career and public standing after his infamous bathroom arrest, is clearly running out of time. He’s working on the criminal charges in Minneapolis, he’s petitioning the Senate Ethics Committee, but if Craig is serious about keeping his seat and serving the rest of his term, […]
Democratic hopes of expanding its majority in the U.S. Senate got a boost this morning, when former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) announced in a web video that he will run to succeed retiring Sen. John Warner (R-no relation). Warner’s campaign website is now online, though at this early date, it’s rather sparse. Watching the […]
This week, Amb. Ryan Crocker pointed to progress on Iraqi oil-revenue sharing as a sign of increasing political stability and progress. Alas, this success story has failed, too. A carefully constructed compromise on a draft law governing Iraq’s rich oil fields, agreed to in February after months of arduous talks among Iraqi political groups, appears […]
On Monday, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on recent changes to the FISA law, which the Bush administration has insisted were necessary to keep Americans safe. In defending the law, McConnell seems to have lied to the Senate. Badly. Joe Lieberman asked whether the […]
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), whose bizarre comments on Iraq have stirred controversy before, went off the deep end yesterday with remarks that undermine any shred of credibility he claims to have on the war. First, he connected Iraq and 9/11. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), in a conference call from Iraq, told […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said at a Capitol Hill news conference today that Bush’s plan to withdraw 30,000 U.S. troops home by next summer is “unacceptable.” He added that the White House approach “is neither a drawdown or a change in mission that we need. His plan […]
I’ve been really anxious to see how traditional media outlets respond to the new Media Matters report, which documents the way nation’s op-ed pages skew heavily to the right. Something is clearly amiss, and I’ve been curious to see how news outlets respond. The Chicago Tribune’s Frank James offers a response, suggesting this may have […]
Following up on an item from this morning, the White House has indicated that the president will announce tomorrow night his intention to withdraw up to 30,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next summer. He’s making the announcement because he has to, but he’s characterizing it as some kind of breakthrough success for his Iraq […]