This may be my single favorite Bush quote of all time. From a presidential event in Virginia this morning: “I take great comfort in having people around who can walk in my office and tell me what’s on their mind. Part of my job is — they say, ‘what’s your job?’ My job is decision-maker. […]
USA Today, in a fine piece of investigative journalism, ran a damning front-page article today on Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) who was involved in a dubious scheme to push though a $160 million Navy project that no one wanted. One day after a New York investment group raised $110,000 for Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis, the […]
I really didn’t think Dems were this lucky. President Bush’s State of the Union address will attempt to shift focus from the polarizing war in Iraq to a more popular domestic priority: taming health care costs. Facing congressional elections in November that could end Republican control on Capitol Hill, Bush is hoping his agenda will […]
With Tom DeLay out of the picture, there are three House Republicans vying to become the next House Majority Leader: John Boehner (Ohio), John Shadegg (Ariz.), and the frontrunner, Roy Blunt (Mo.). Listening to the competing pitches, the rhetoric is similar — all three are anxious to “reform” the way Congress operates, undercut lobbyists’ power, […]
I won’t pretend to be an expert, but I kind of thought Osama bin Laden wasn’t terribly interested in the notion of negotiations. That’s why this confuses me. Al-Jazeera on Thursday aired an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden, who says al-Qaida is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a truce […]
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: * A poll conducted by the University of Virginia Center for Survey Research asked Virginians who they’d prefer for president: Gov. Mark Warner (D) or Sen. George Allen (R). Virginia may be a […]
From the beginning of the controversy, the White House has defended its warrantless-search program with a series of equally unpersuasive arguments, usually focusing on two central points: Congress’ 9/11 resolution empowered Bush to do this and Congress was briefed so oversight requirements had been met. Two weeks ago, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service rejected the […]
As scandals go, the investigation into former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros was always pretty weak. In case you’ve forgotten, Cisneros, during an FBI background check, acknowledged an extramarital relationship he had years prior, and admitted to having paid the woman, but misled investigators about how much he gave her. An independent investigator, David Barrett, began […]
I noted earlier this week that several religious leaders in Ohio filed a complaint with the IRS against some conservative churches that have been helping Republican candidates, specifically Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R), despite legal restrictions on intervening in political campaigns. Yesterday, as Sarah Posner noted, Blackwell encouraged the churches to keep doing […]
On Tuesday, House Republicans unveiled their lobbying “reform” proposal, which, oddly enough, makes it easier for lawmakers to accept campaign contributions while enjoying lobbyist-paid perks. Yesterday, Dems from both chambers unveiled a plan with more teeth. Rather than limiting the value of a gift to $20, as House Republicans are considering, Democrats would prohibit all […]