Last week’s edition of this idea blatantly stolen inspired by The Daily Show seemed to be fairly well received, so it’s back for another installment. Let’s see what the ol’ “God Machine” kicks up this week…. First up is the bizarre tale of a Navy chaplain who’s been on a hunger strike by the White […]
In Maryland, there are four private employers with more than 10,000 workers. Three of the four spent at least 8% of their payroll on health insurance. The fourth is Wal-Mart. With this in mind, state lawmakers passed a law that didn’t mention the behemoth by name, but would have required any company with exactly these […]
Earlier this week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said, in surprisingly candid language, that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would have to testify on the legality of Bush’s warrantless-search program. As Specter said, in reference to Gonzales, “Well, I didn’t ask him if he had agreed…. I don’t think he has a whole lot of […]
Last week, as the Republican establishment grew increasingly nervous about the Jack Abramoff affair, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist leaked word that the Senate GOP would “get ahead of” the scandal by promoting a reform measure that would change the way lobbying is done on the Hill. Frist tapped one member to take the lead […]
More and more, I understand why the president doesn’t like press conferences. For example, here was an exchange from today’s joint event with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Q: Thank you, sir. If I could just follow up on that. China’s U.N. Ambassador says referring Iran to the Security Council might complicate the issue. How hard […]
For the past couple of weeks, too many Bush supporters have defended the president’s warrantless-search program by replying, “Clinton did it too.” The claim is wrong, but it’s been surprisingly common. Today, the Big Dog himself addressed the approach his administration took. When asked if the president should have constitutional authority to order domestic surveillance […]
I have to admit, as a Dem watching the leadership races among House Republicans, I’m a little disappointed that there hasn’t been more viciousness. This was supposed to be a time for GOP fissures to surface as members attacked one another for personal gain. And yet, there are two top contenders for the Majority Leader […]
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: * This year’s gubernatorial race in Iowa is shaping up to be one of the more competitive in the country. A new Rasmussen poll shows U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle (R), the likely GOP […]
USA Today ran a lengthy piece today about one of the stranger culture-war lawsuits in the country. To quickly summarize, a Christian high school and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) are suing the University of California system, because it won’t accept credits from private high school courses that don’t “adequately teach the subject […]
The similarities between Republican officials in DC and the mob are unkind, but nevertheless noticeable. Operating in secret, punishing enemies, circumventing the law, demanding for total loyalty, striking shady and corrupt deals … Tom DeLay hasn’t shot anyone, but there is a resemblance. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) knows a little something about organized […]