White House counselor Dan Bartlett told Ron Brownstein that the 2002 vote on Congress’ Iraq resolution was not about campaign politics. “The president, during the run-up to the war, went out of his way not to make it political,” Bartlett said. That Bartlett, he has quite a sense of humor, doesn’t he? It was probably […]
It can be a challenge keeping track of all the Republican office-holders who are under investigation and/or facing criminal charges, but important to remember Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.). As you may recall, Cunningham sold his house to a military contractor with business before his committee for an inflated price, ultimately leading to a $700,000 […]
It’s a shame Sibel Edmonds’ concerns never really generated the national attention they deserved, but it’s an even bigger shame that her lawsuit won’t be considered. As a quick refresher, Edmonds is a former FBI translator who was fired because she complained about inadequate translation procedures at the agency, which she believes contributed to the […]
An alert reader noticed last week that Scott McClellan hasn’t held a press briefing since Nov. 9, which is an unusually long time. It seemed, at least at first, there was a reasonable explanation for the delay. Now, I’m not so sure. For example, Bush went on a tour of Asia. Reporters still received briefings, […]
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: * Confirming earlier reports, saxophone player Steven Greenfield told the AP over the weekend that he will challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton in a Dem primary next year. Greenfield has been a member of […]
The president has an annoying habit of taking credit for ideas that he initially opposed, but if Bush really wants praise for a Dem’s withdrawal plan, he’ll have to hope no one is paying any attention to reality. On Saturday, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in which he became […]
If you’re an experienced Republican economist willing to toe the party line on tax cuts, deficits, rewriting the tax code, and trade, pack your bags. You’re needed in Washington. The chairmanship of the Council of Economic Advisers will soon be vacant, and two spots on the Federal Reserve Board that were recently filled by academic […]
It’s tempting to think that the president is capable of learning from his mistakes. One wants to believe that Bush has seen his political fortunes deteriorate and is aware of some of the missteps that have led to his decline. But even now, after about five years in office, Bush hasn’t changed a bit. Even […]
Just 17 days ago, Karl Rove was acting and sounding like a man who had dodged a bullet. His colleague Scooter Libby had been indicted and forced from the White House, but Rove, who appeared to be in prosecutors’ sights for months, “escaped” with his career in tact. A GOP insider who has regular contact […]
There wasn’t a lot of vital political news over the Thanksgiving break, with one important exception — the Abramoff scandal keeps getting worse for the GOP. A Justice Department investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides […]