A couple of weeks ago, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), announced their support for a system of public financing of federal elections. It seemed like the kind of proposal that would move the conversation in a helpful and productive way, but would never generate any support on the other […]
It’s stuck behind an annoying pay wall, but the New York Times’ John Tierney wrote a very annoying column about private school vouchers yesterday that warrants a little fact checking. Tierney makes two broad assertions about Milwaukee’s 15-year-old voucher program: that the system has been a sterling success and that African-American families everywhere love vouchers. […]
Yesterday, in defending his port deal with the United Arab Emirates, the president was unequivocal. “They ought to listen to what I have to say about this. They ought to look at the facts, and understand the consequences of what they’re going to do. But if they pass a law, I’ll deal with it, with […]
The more I read about the Bush administration’s Dubai port deal, the less clear the details seem to be. But to understand the uproar, it’s probably best to separate two things: the substance (which is murky) and the politics (which isn’t). Substantively, Kevin Drum notes that Bush’s defense may not be as far-fetched as it […]
The controversy surrounding the Bush administration’s port deal with a United Arab Emirates company drew an interesting rebuke directly from the president today. After mounting opposition by lawmakers, President Bush said Tuesday that the deal allowing an Arab company to take over six major U.S. seaports should go forward and that he would veto any […]
It had all the makings of a debacle. The president spent the night in Denver so he could deliver a speech at the National Renewable Energy Lab this morning, as part of the White House push to tout the administration’s energy initiatives this week. There was, however, one fairly significant problem. The Bush administration, almost […]
It’s a controversy that didn’t go “straight to 10” on the scandal-meter, but the Bush administration’s decision to hire a United Arab Emirates company to run six American ports (Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia) seems to be a controversy that’s getting worse for the White House every day. Fox News […]
I find it hard to believe, nearly three years after the start of the war in Iraq, any serious person would try and use the Saddam-al Queda link to justify the invasion. Of course, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is not a serious person. (via ThinkProgres) “[W]e’ve stopped a mass murderer in Saddam Hussein. Nobody denies […]
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: * As recently as a couple of months ago, the Republican field of gubernatorial candidates in Iowa was wide open and crowded. Now, it’s over. Yesterday, businessman Bob Vander Plaats (R) announced that […]
For months, national news outlets have gone to great lengths to point out that not all Dems agree on how best to deal with the war in Iraq. I’ve never fully understood the criticism — not only do top Republicans disagree on Iraq, but Dem unanimity seems unnecessary — but party leaders have responded by […]