Following up on a post from Saturday, Congressional Quarterly national security editor Jeff Stein asked Rep. [tag]Silvestre Reyes[/tag] (D-Texas), soon to be the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, a series of questions about the religio-political dynamics of the Middle East, most of which Reyes answered well. Then, he stumbled. [tag]Al Qaeda[/tag] is what, I […]
A month ago, the AP took an odd interest in Nancy Pelosi’s attire. Yesterday, CNN’s [tag]Jeff Greenfield[/tag] continued in this vein by critiquing Barack Obama’s clothing in New Hampshire on Sunday, and comparing it to the style choices of Bush, Kerry, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “The senator was in New Hampshire over the weekend, […]
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. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has been a steadfast supporter of John Kerry’s presidential ambitions, but yesterday began to hedge, saying that he won’t wait “indefinitely” for Kerry to declare his intentions while […]
The scuttlebutt over the last several days is whether the Bush brothers are split in their 2008 presidential preferences. George W. seems to be favoring John McCain’s candidacy, as evidenced by several top aides moving into the senator’s camp. Jeb, meanwhile, seems to prefer Gov. Mitt Romney, with many of the Florida governor’s team signing […]
Denial is such a sad emotional state for a presidential administration to be in. Bush says we’re “absolutely” winning in Iraq; Cheney says the general situation in Iraq is going “remarkably well“; and Condoleezza Rice is “very proud” to have been a part of this mission. “I’m sure there are many, many things that we […]
In May, Time magazine reported that [tag]Al Gore[/tag] has been “quietly telephoning some of his biggest fund raisers and telling them to feel free to sign on with other potential candidates.” Gore asked these donors to get the word out, instructing, “Tell everybody I’m not running.” A week later, [tag]Gore[/tag] told the NYT’s Adam Nagourney, […]
The president is in the midst of his “carefully choreographed” meetings on Iraq policy with experts who apparently are already inclined to agree with him. In the Bush White House, it’s what passes for “listening mode.” At yesterday’s White House press briefing, a reporter raised an interesting question about how the president interacts with those […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Over the weekend, outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made what will presumably be his last “surprise trip” to Iraq, this time to say goodbye to the troops and thankthem for their service. One odd twist — instead of his usual complement of reporters, Rumsfeld brought only one media personality […]
Like a villain in a horror movie, [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] refuses to fade away quietly. Former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) announced the launch of an Internet-based grassroots organization aimed at raising money and uniting Republican activists to take back and hold the GOP majority in Congress, according to a release today. The new organization, […]
As far as the Bush White House is concerned, the two words of the day are “listen” and “advice.” Given what we know, and what we’re hearing, both appear disingenuous. President Bush on Monday opened three days of intensive consultations on Iraq, saying the United States and countries across the Middle East have a vital […]