I think I can hear Karl Rove removing Chuck Hagel from the White House Christmas-card list right about … now. Hagel also got in a gibe at Vice President Dick Cheney’s accidental shooting of a hunting partner last weekend. Referring to Cheney’s repeated draft deferrals during the Vietnam War, Hagel said, “If he’d been in […]
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 if Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) didn’t have enough to worry about with a possible Abramoff-related indictment looming, now he has a new problem: a primary challenger back home. James Brodbelt Harris, […]
I imagine it’s difficult for Dick Cheney’s allies and staffers to defend the Vice President’s penchant for secrecy, but when responding to criticism of Cheney’s proclivity to hide information, they really shouldn’t make things up. Yes, Mary Matalin, I’m looking at you. Matalin appeared on NBC’s Today show yesterday to defend Cheney when Katie Kouric […]
SurveyUSA has another one of those interesting 50-state polls out this week, breaking down Bush’s approval rating on a state-by-state basis. For the White House, there isn’t much in the way of good news. * Bush has dropped below the 50% threshold in 47 states. He’s at 40% or lower in 23 states. He’s at […]
Here’s an odd question that I’ve never been able to figure out: how does the media decide which trials become the next Trial of the Century? Celebrity trials I sort of understand. News outlets lose all sense of perspective, but reporters know that readers, for some reason, care about famous people who are on trial […]
For a while there, it looked like Congress was poised to take the president’s warrantless-search program seriously. Senate Republicans acted as if they believed the White House circumvented the law; some House Republicans wanted a thorough investigation; and even conservative scholars and activists were willing to acknowledge that Bush had gone too far. And yet, […]
If you listen closely, you can almost hear the Cheney-shoots-a-guy balloon lose its air. Going over today’s papers, it reads like a wrap-up on a controversy that won’t make any headlines at all next week. For one thing, the local law enforcement investigation is now officially over. The sheriff’s department responsible for investigating Vice President […]
When the vice president sat down with Fox News’ Brit Hume yesterday, the political world waited to see what, exactly, Dick Cheney might say about having shot a man last weekend. Looking forward, however, the most interesting exchange may have come near the end, on a subject that has nothing to do with Harry Whittington. […]
Dick Cheney has routinely enjoyed scrutiny-free weekend hunting trips, with reporters having shown little interest in covering the VP’s occasional recreational breaks. First, unlike the president, Cheney refuses to release a schedule. Second, pictures of Cheney shooting a quail hardly make for interesting journalism. As a result, Cheney can usually come and go without much […]
While reviewing the administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, members of Congress were particularly interested in Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff’s emails. When and how was he notified about the storm and the subsequent crisis? Lawmakers, however, never got to see the documents. It wasn’t because they were kept hidden — it’s because they didn’t exist. […]