Today’s edition of quick hits. * The plan to add two additional seats to the House of Representatives — one likely Dem from the District of Columbia, and one likely Republican from Utah — was unfortunately scuttled by congressional Republicans. It’s a shame; it was a good, common-sense bill. Expect congressional Dems to bring it […]
I know we’ve talked at length about ignoble exit of the 109th Congress, and the do-nothing Congress’ do-nothing lame-duck session, but it’s worth remembering it’s a problem with some layers. What offends me is not just that Congress hasn’t done its job, and not just that they’re complaining about feeling “tired,” and not just that […]
This has to be the funniest item of the day. From the Evans-Novak Political Report: Important Bush Administration officials are ready to leave the government rather than undergo two years of hell from Democratic committee chairmen in Congress. Leading the exodus are officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fearing investigation by two chairmen, Representatives […]
Today’s White House press briefing was a rather aggressive affair, with reporters trying to pin Press Secretary Tony Snow down on what, if anything, the White House is prepared to do in response to the new report from the Iraq Study Group. There were, of course, plenty of evasive and ambiguous answers, but this was […]
Over the last two weeks, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made separate trips to Vietnam. Let’s take a moment to compare and contrast, shall we? Clinton was in Hanoi today, where he was swarmed by throngs of admirers seeking autographs, handshakes and photographs. Clinton, in town to sign an agreement between his foundation and […]
Last week, the Iraq Study Group telegraphed the central point that could make their advice largely irrelevant. According to a WaPo report, the ISG isn’t calling for a withdrawal of most U.S. forces by 2008, only that it’d be a nice goal — which could easily be scrapped and is “predicated on the assumption that […]
I hesitate to make too much of the Iraq Study Group report because a) I believe the ISG lacked the political will to address the toughest questions; and b) the Bush White House will almost certainly ignore the report altogether. That said, the ISG’s report has captured the media’s attention, will draw both praise and […]
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: * Former Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.), the former House Majority Leader who retired from Congress in 2002, will reportedly help manage John Edwards presidential campaign in 2008. In the short term, Bonior will […]
Last week, right-wing talk-show host and writer [tag]Dennis Prager[/tag] became something of a laughing stock by arguing that Rep.-elect [tag]Kieth Ellison[/tag] (D-Minn.), Congress’ first Muslim, will literally “undermine American civilization” and “embolden Islamic extremists” if he takes the oath of office on a Koran instead of a Christian Bible. Prager’s Townhall piece, despite its historical […]
Over the last several years, under Republican rule, Congress’ schedule became shorter and shorter. The “work” week began late on Tuesday, and wrapped up early on Thursday. Single-day holidays for most of us (Memorial Day, for example), became an excuse to take off an entire week. Come adjournment, the 109th Congress will have worked just […]