Long-time readers know that I have an odd sort of fascination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here’s a good example why. In 2005, when government scientists tested 60 soft, vinyl lunchboxes, they found that one in five contained amounts of lead that medical experts consider unsafe — and several had more than 10 times […]
We learned this week that two Army combat brigades, which were supposed to have been trained for the war in Iraq at the Army’s premier training range in California, don’t have time anymore. The National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., had been “outfitted to simulate conditions in Iraq for units that are heading there […]
For a Republican frontrunner, [tag]John McCain[/tag] sure can be careless. Republican presidential contender John McCain, a staunch backer of the Iraq war but critic of how President Bush has waged it, said U.S. lives had been “wasted” in the four-year-old conflict. Democrats demand the Arizona senator apologize for the comment as Sen. Barack Obama did […]
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 McCain (R-Ariz.) kinda sorta made his presidential campaign official last night, during an appearance on David Letterman’s talk show. “The last time we were on this program — I’m sure […]
It seemed everyone, regardless of ideology, was stunned and outraged by revelations about U.S. war veterans, recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, living in deplorable conditions and being ignored by a callous bureaucracy. Well, not quite everyone — some already knew about it. Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army’s […]
In my heart of hearts, I find it impossible to believe that Bush is some kind of Manchurian President, intentionally screwing up American foreign policy and deliberately making the United States less safe. But once in a while, one really has to wonder. Last October, the North Koreans tested their first nuclear device, the fruition […]
Tuesday’s stock market decline clearly caused some anxiety among investors and those who monitor the financial markets, and leave it Fox News to step in to exploit that anxiety to advance a Republican agenda. [Yesterday] on Your World w/Neil Cavuto, substitute host David Asman aired three segments linking [Tuesday’s] plunge in the Dow to either […]
There’s some interesting follow-up in today’s WaPo to the prosecutor purge story we discussed yesterday, highlighting David Iglesias’ allegations that he was fired for political reasons. Of particular interest, of course, is the fact that Iglesias may have been contacted by two members of Congress, who allegedly pressured him to speed up a probe of […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Dick Cheney finally agreed to speak to the pool of reporters who followed him through seven countries, but as Dan Froomkin explained, he insisted on one thing: “The reporters would have to agree not to tell anyone that the person they talked to was him. Cheney’s insistence on being […]
Hillary Clinton is ahead in the polls, Bill Clinton is the most popular political figure in the country, and Gallup reports today that Americans overwhelmingly believe the former president would be a helpful asset if his wife wins the presidency. And yet there’s Chris Matthews, with his unhealthy fixation. MSNBC host Chris Matthews is obsessed […]