One interesting side angle to the Abramoff affair is how sensitive congressional Republicans have become. At least this week, they don’t want to see, talk to, acknowledge, or even pretend to know some of the same high-profile lobbyists who were helping write their legislation in 2005. And what does this mean for Tom DeLay? Nothing […]
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: * While most consider Rick Santorum the Senate’s most vulnerable Republican incumbent this year, but let’s not lose sight of the key race in Missouri. According to a new Rasmussen poll, incumbent Sen. […]
The details about who Jack Abramoff will implicate in his web of corruption will be fleshed out in the coming weeks, but I thought it might be worthwhile to take a step back and look at what’s become of the Republican establishment. * GOP uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff has pled guilty to fraud, tax evasion, and […]
After the 2004 election, the religious right took credit for Republican gains and was ready to cash in their chips. Especially in light of the GOP’s 55-45 majority in the Senate, 2005 was going to be the watershed year in which they could finally score the legislative victories they’ve wanted for years. James Dobson and […]
Around this time of year, it’s pretty common for pundits and writers to look ahead and make predictions about what to expect in the year to come. Fortunately, Pat Robertson doesn’t need to speculate about what 2006 has in store for the world — God personally tells him what’s going to happen. TV preacher Pat […]
When the president put his signature on a bill that included a prohibition on torture, it seemed like a serious concession by the Bush White House. After all, this was a provision Bush had threatened to veto just a couple of weeks prior. Unfortunately, a “signing statement” suggested that the president left himself some wiggle […]
Late last week, the Justice Department announced that it was launching a criminal investigation, not into Bush’s warrantless-search program, but into the leak that exposed the program. The president’s allies raised a predictable refrain: Dems wanted a leak investigation when it came to Valerie Plame, so what’s wrong with a leak investigation now? I wrote […]
I hate to criticize Scott McClellan two posts in a row — oh, who am I kidding — but there was another exchange in today’s briefing that’s important. Indeed, it gave us a hint as to how the White House will deal with questions surrounding Bush’s warrantless-search program whenever queries get uncomfortable. Q: A number […]
Sidestepping questions about polls isn’t just a habit for Scott McClellan, it’s a pastime. Every question that references a poll is just another opportunity for the White House press secretary to talk about how insignificant the entire polling industry is to him, the president, and his administration colleagues. In November, the day after Dems scored […]
Kudos of the Day to syndicated columnist Norman Solomon for having the nerve to call out Bill O’Reilly in a big way in this week’s column, titled “Media New Year’s Resolutions for 2006.” Solomon advised O’Reilly: “Carefully listen to the archival footage in [the movie] ‘Good Night, and Good Luck.’ If you don’t notice your […]