For better or worse, media narratives have a huge role in influencing the outcome of political debates. When news reports talk about one side being “on the offensive” and “building support,” it affects public opinion, influences lawmakers, and casts that side’s goal in a more positive light. When a side is “reeling” and “on the […]
Here are two sentences that capture so much about the Bush administration, including the way it thinks, governs, treats unwelcome news, considers the public’s safety, and respects science, to name a few. The Environmental Protection Agency ignored scientific evidence and agency protocols in order to set limits on mercury pollution that would line up with […]
Bush said we’d have 125,000 by the end of December, which was absurd. Condi Rice argues 120,000 are now trained, equipped, and ready to provide security, while Joe Biden says there’s no more than 14,000. Yesterday, two top Pentagon officials tried to settle the matter of exactly how many Iraqis are serving in the country’s […]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one… Dick Cheney’s Halliburton gets a lucrative contract, breaks the rules, but gets paid anyway. Yep, it’s happened again. In a departure from normal policy, the Army said yesterday it will not withhold future payments to Halliburton Co., despite audit reports last summer that said the giant logistical contractor […]
I’m not so coldhearted as to deny the beauty of the embrace between Janet Norwood and Safia Taleb al-Suhail at the State of the Union the other night. It was an emotional moment; no doubt about it. That said, there are a few things about Safia Taleb al-Suhail that Bush left out of his speech […]
Bush mentioned early on in the State of the Union that immigration reform will be a high priority for his domestic agenda. “America’s immigration system is also outdated — unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country…. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers […]
Just when it seemed like the Bush administration’s support for abstinence-only “education” couldn’t look any worse, we learn of yet another embarrassment. A couple of months ago, reports surfaced that federally-funded abstinence programs offer wildly incorrect information to students, while advancing a neo-puritan approach to gender roles. Making matters worse, we learned this week that […]
Bush in the State of the Union: “We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing, and end its support for terror.” Condi Rice, less than 24 hours later: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the […]
Bush, in the State of the Union: “I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer…. [W]e have to move ahead with courage and honesty, because our children’s retirement security is more important than partisan politics.” Bush’s […]
A couple of internal housekeeping notes to mention: First, hopefully regular readers now know that a Carpetbagger guest-poster, whom I fondly call “Morbo,” is now offering words of wisdom every Saturday. Be sure to swing by. Second, I’ll be offering a special, one-time post on Sunday in honor of the Super Bowl. I’ve never offered […]