Bush believes we should be ‘considerate’ of different points of view

In his speech to the [tag]National Restaurant Association[/tag] yesterday, [tag]Bush[/tag] was asked about his brother’s possible political future (Jeb, not Neil). The president said he’d let others speak for themselves, but added that he wished the political environment in DC didn’t discourage participation. “[T]here’s too much [tag]politics[/tag] in [tag]Washington[/tag] these days. There really is. And […]

Censuring the president — no not that president

Republicans were apoplectic a few months ago when Sen. Russ [tag]Feingold[/tag] (D-Wis.) suggested a [tag]congressional[/tag] [tag]censure[/tag] is warranted for George W. [tag]Bush[/tag]. Some have even used the censure resolution in a campaign context, arguing that Dems will push the measure if they take back the congressional majority. As conservatives see it, one would have to […]

One Jefferson does not a scandal make

When it comes to Rep. [tag]William Jefferson[/tag] (D-La.), there are two angles to consider: his individual [tag]criminal[/tag] [tag]scandal[/tag] and how (or whether) it fits into a broader system of [tag]corruption[/tag] in [tag]Congress[/tag]. On the prior, there isn’t much doubt that [tag]Jefferson[/tag] has to go. It takes a particular kind of nerve to be filmed taking […]

Apparently, we’re ‘under attack’ from ‘invaders’ who want to ‘colonize’ the U.S.

The conservative [tag]Washington Times[/tag] ran a short item today, noting a recent floor speech from Rep. [tag]Ted Poe[/tag], a [tag]Texas[/tag] [tag]Republican[/tag], on the issue of [tag]immigration[/tag]. It’s a doozy. “Mr. Speaker, the United States is [tag]under attack[/tag],” Mr. Poe declared in recent days. “And like December 7, 1941, we are asleep on a Sunday morning. […]

The NYT rediscovers its fascination with the Clintons’ love life

I’m having a hard time understanding why the [tag]New York Times[/tag] ran a 2,000-word article on its front page today on the frequency with which [tag]Bill[/tag] and [tag]Hillary[/tag] [tag]Clinton[/tag] spend evenings and weekends together. The piece seems to have pulled off a rare feat: it is equal parts [tag]salacious[/tag] and [tag]pointless[/tag]. Bill and Hillary Clinton […]

Let’s not quibble about who caused which environmental catastrophe…

[tag]Bush[/tag] was in [tag]Chicago[/tag] today for a speech to the National Restaurant Association. As part of the [tag]president[/tag]’s new-found interest in Q&A, Bush took questions from the rather-friendly audience for about 45 minutes. There was plenty of boilerplate rhetoric, but one exchange stood out. Someone from Arlington, Texas, asked Bush, “Will you see [tag]Al Gore[/tag]’s […]

A man and his legacy

Just the other day I was chatting with a Carpetbagger regular via email about [tag]Bush[/tag] and his concern for his “[tag]legacy[/tag].” It’s a word that the media liked to associate with [tag]Clinton[/tag] — who reportedly spent much of his second term concerned about how [tag]history[/tag] would remember him — but my friend and I agreed […]

‘At the very least, conservatives must stop funding the Republican National Committee’

If you missed it, [tag]Richard Viguerie[/tag]’s op-ed over the weekend was as thorough a take-down as I’ve seen to explain why the conservative base is fed up with their Republican Party. If nothing else, it offers a fairly comprehensive list of grievances — No Child Left Behind Act, Medicare Plan D, huge spending increases, McCain-Feingold, […]

An almost Bush-like tolerance for dissent

As you probably heard, Sen. [tag]John McCain[/tag] delivered the commencement address at [tag]New School[/tag]’s graduation ceremony in NYC over the weekend. He was not well received. And while the audience made its displeasure with McCain clear, the key moment during the event was when undergraduate keynote speaker [tag]Jean Sara Rohe[/tag], who decide to forgo her […]

Clarence Thomas thinks Bush is in ‘real trouble’

Apparently, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas keeps up with political news. Just how bad are things for President Bush? Pretty bad, I’d say, if even [tag]Clarence Thomas[/tag] is worried about him. The other night at a Washington book party for the President’s [tag]sister[/tag], [tag]Doro[/tag] [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]Koch[/tag], the Supreme Court justice arrived with his wife, Ginny, […]