Perhaps I was hasty in my praise for incoming House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes. Of the finalists for the post considered by Nancy Pelosi, Reyes was the one candidate who was not only saying all the right things about accountability moving forward, he was also the one who consistently made the right call on […]
I think most Americans would be well served to keep a few simple rules in mind: don’t challenge LeBron James to play one-on-one, don’t expect to beat Tiger Woods at golf, and don’t debate economics with Paul Krugman. Especially if you’re Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. Princeton economist […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Paid sick days — an idea whose time has come? (Our friends on the right are not only experiencing apoplexy, they’re trotting out a new “red” scare.) * Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) believes the president should be “terrified” of his subpoena power. Unlike “some in […]
I knew it was too good to last. Answering lawmakers questions during his confirmation hearing, Defense secretary nominee Robert Gates was doing quite well. Incoming committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) asked a simple question, “Are we winning the war in Iraq?” Gates responded with a simple answer, “No, sir.” Since the president and other White […]
Mississippi is home to one of the more successful anti-smoking programs in the country. Between 1999 and 2004, the program reduced smoking by 48% among public middle school students (from 23% to 12%) and by 32% among public high school students (from 32.5% to 22.1%). Naturally, Mississippi’s Republican governor, Haley Barbour, who happens to be […]
The far-right base is gearing up for the next presidential race, but they’re looking at the field and noticing something disconcerting: the leading candidates aren’t nearly right-wing enough for their tastes. A year ago, few could have predicted that the three front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination would be a U.S. senator who favors embryonic […]
Paul Mirengoff at Powerline recently admitted to having a poor memory. “I may be missing someone,” Mirengoff said, “but the only high-profile administration offical [sic] I can think of who has faced criminal charges or had to resign in the face of scandal is Scooter Libby, who worked for the Vice President and who is […]
It’s been a week since we learned about the president and Sen.-elect Jim Webb (D-Va.) having a little dust-up over the war in Iraq. If you’re just joining us, Bush approached Webb at a White House reception and asked, “How’s your boy?” (Webb’s son is a Marine serving in Iraq.) Webb said, “I’d like to […]
Defense Secretary nominee [tag]Robert Gates[/tag], this morning. Asked if he thought the United States was winning the war in Iraq, Defense secretary nominee Robert Gates answered with a simple “no.” Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D- Michigan, asked the question during Gates’ Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. George W. [tag]Bush[/tag], six weeks ago: […]
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: * According to The Des Moines Register, “Sen. Hillary Clinton began making calls Monday to Iowa Democrats about the state’s political landscape with an eye toward its 2008 presidential nominating caucuses…. ‘She’s begun […]