Tapped’s Sam Rosenfeld suggested yesterday that Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), who is currently vying to replace Tom DeLay as the House Majority Leader, isn’t receiving nearly enough ridicule for his “For a Majority that Matters” platform (.pdf). If you read it, you’ll see why. Many GOP caucus members suggested that Boehner and his rival for […]
It hardly came as a surprise that the Bush administration announced yesterday that it expects the federal budget deficit to soar in 2006, topping $400 billion again after dipping into the $300-billion range in the fiscal year that ended in September 2005. Officials blamed the high costs associated with hurricane relief, which could have been […]
OK, just one more post about Pat Robertson and his comments arguing that Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke was divine punishment for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip. Now that the infamous TV preacher has put a serious business deal in Israel at risk with his lunacy, Robertson wants everyone to know he’s really sorry. […]
It seems like a pretty big deal. The Washington Times, a far-right newspaper created by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, reported yesterday that a Justice Department investigation into congressional corruption, stemming from Jack Abramoff, is focusing on a “first tier” of lawmakers and staffers. Specifically, five lawmakers, the Times said, are under scrutiny: Sens. Conrad […]
This may be the rumor of the day, but I’m a little skeptical. To summarize the buzz, Joe Lieberman met with some activists from Democracy for America yesterday, and when the subject of the Alito nomination came up, Lieberman “said that a filibuster was on the table for him.” (The quote reflects the DFA rep’s […]
About four months ago, William J. Stuntz, a professor at Harvard Law School, wrote an item for The New Republic arguing that Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominees should be scrapped. If the Senate Judiciary Committee insisted on discussion, Stuntz argued, the nominee shouldn’t be forced to be there. That sounds crazy, and it’s politically […]
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: * New York Republicans, running out of options in their drive to take on Eliot Spitzer in the state’s gubernatorial race, have a new idea: back a Democrat. The New York Post reported […]
Even now, nearly three years after the war in Iraq began, 41% of Americas Saddam Hussein had “strong links” with Al Qaeda. Why? Because even now, nearly three years after the war in Iraq began, people like Dick Cheney are repeating discredited talking points. Cheney: …I hark back to testimony by George Tenet when he […]
Bush defended his warrantless-search program yesterday and touched on one of the White House’s key talking points: congressional oversight. “We have briefed the leadership of the United States Congress, both Republican and Democrat, as well as the leaders of the intelligence committees, both Republicans and Democrats, about the nature of this program. We gave them […]
It’s making the rounds, but Tom Edsall’s WaPo piece on the role of lobbyists in the GOP machine is definitely worth reading. It dovetails nicely with the seminal pieces on the K Street Project, but further highlights the fact that the distinction between lawmaker and lobbyist over the past few years has all but disappeared. […]