A friend of mine sent me a copy of a speech Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) delivered yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and I have to say, it’s quite good. I don’t agree with every word, just as I don’t agree with every vote Bayh has cast, but the sentiment and general […]
Gallup released a poll today showing that 53% of Americans believe the Bush administration “deliberately misled the American public about whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction,” with 46% disagreeing. A year ago, these numbers were reversed. Similarly, the latest WaPo/ABC poll found the same percentage (53%) said they do not consider the president trustworthy. […]
About a year ago, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (R) launched an unprecedented effort to subpoena medical records from state abortion clinics, insisting that harassing clinics and obtaining confidential records is necessary to combat statutory rape. The Kansas Supreme Court today blocked Kline’s plan. The state’s highest court on Friday temporarily stopped the state attorney […]
In August, TV preacher Pat Robertson became an international laughing stock (again) for announcing on his Christian evangelism program that he’d like to see Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez assassinated. Robertson eventually offered a half-hearted apology and the story went away. Last night, Robertson returned to the issue, and incomprehensively argued that Chavez still needs to […]
Bush knows his fight to privatize Social Security is over. He mentioned it briefly during his State of the Union — prompting the Dems to stand and applaud, much to Bush’s chagrin — and told an audience in Minnesota yesterday that it “appears that there will be no solution because there’s too much politics.” 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: * In Nevada’s competitive gubernatorial race, Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) is ahead, but his lead is hardly insurmountable. In a new Rasmussen poll, Gibbons leads Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson (D) 43% to 38%, […]
For the past few days, there’s been plenty of talk about the specific things Bush left out of his State of the Union address. There was no mention of Hurricane Katrina, his new Medicare prescription drug plan/debacle, or lobbying reform. Mars and steroids apparently didn’t make the cut either. But the WaPo’s E. J. Dionne […]
Ever since the Supreme Court kinda sorta said local governments can promote Ten Commandments displays on public property, religious right activists have made concerted efforts to get more “religion in the public square” with more religious monuments. But in one very interesting case in Utah, these same activists suddenly want less religion in public, not […]
James Hansen, the top climate scientist at NASA, recently explained that his superiors have tried to silence him because his commitment to reducing greenhouse gases linked to global warming is inconsistent with the Bush agenda. As the WaPo noted, it’s reached a point in which NASA officials won’t let Hansen speak to reporters unless his […]
Last July, rumor had it that conservative allies of the White House would begin a concerted effort to undermine Patrick Fitzgerald’s reputation and credibility. William Safire tried to get the ball rolling, blasting the Fitzgerald as a “runaway prosecutor.” Soon after, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page blasted the special prosecutor as a “loose cannon” […]