Tony Snow acknowledged a couple of weeks ago that his service to the White House would wrap up fairly soon, and sure enough, he made it official today. White House press secretary Tony Snow, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, will step down from his post September 14 and be replaced by deputy press secretary […]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: career Bush administration officials had an idea that would benefit the public; affected corporations balked and hired lobbyists, political appointees (“loyal Bushies”) scrapped the idea. In the latest instance, it was a public-service campaign on breast-feeding scuttled by the infant-formula industry. In an attempt to raise the nation’s […]
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: * Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) has scheduled a 2pm event today to announce whether he’ll seek re-election again. The 80-year-old incumbent has kept his plans close to his vest, but rumor has it […]
More than two dozen federal lawmakers have taken advantage of the August recess to travel to Iraq, hoping to see for themselves what conditions are like on the ground. But before they arrive, military officials are apparently letting the troops know in advance whether the lawmakers support the administration’s policy or not. Jonathan Weisman explained […]
Tony Snow had a fairly short press briefing yesterday, much of which was dominated by questions about the new GAO report documenting the failures in Iraq. It led to an interesting exchange: Q: Democrats are saying that this GAO report basically shows that President Bush’s Iraq strategy is not working. How do you respond to […]
CNN is reporting this morning, “Several well-placed GOP sources in Washington and Idaho have told CNN that embattled Republican Sen. Larry Craig is likely to resign soon, possibly as early as Friday. A GOP source with knowledge of the situation told CNN’s Dana Bash that the Republican National Committee was poised to take the extraordinary […]
The National Intelligence Estimate said Iraq is a bloody mess unlikely to improve anytime soon. The Government Accountability Office says Iraq is not making any political or military progress. And an independent examination of the Iraqi police shows a force that is so far gone, it might need to be scrapped altogether. An independent commission […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * MSNBC has obtained an audio recording of Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) being interviewed by police shortly after his arrest in Minneapolis in June. Investigative Sgt. Dave Karsnia, whose foot Craig touched between stalls, is heard telling Craig, “You are sitting here lying to a police officer. People vote for […]
Josh Marshall’s lighthearted headline read, “Iraqi WMD Finally Found! Democrats in Disgrace.” He added, “It’s been more than four years since the invasion of Iraq. And countless wingers have lost their sanity and dignity over the failed hunt from Iraqi stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. But vials of Iraqi WMD have now been found […]
Given Texas’ legal and political culture, and given Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) penchant for the death penalty, this is quite a surprise. Gov. Rick Perry accepted a parole board recommendation Thursday to spare condemned inmate Kenneth Foster, the getaway driver in a 1996 murder who had been scheduled for execution within hours. The sentence […]