Appearing on Meet the Press last weekend, John McCain, who opposes abortion rights, said he doesn’t believe Roe v. Wade will be overturned, “at least not any time soon given the tenor of politics in America and the courts in America.” Apparently, some of McCain’s Republican colleagues take a slightly different approach to the issue. […]
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) may be slightly imbalanced, but when he campaigned as a fiscal tightwad intent on limiting government spending, he meant it. Senators, take heed: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) may have a “hold” on your bill. The freshman is using his power as a Senator to put a hold — or secret filibuster […]
It occurs to me that it might be helpful to consider this week’s flap over Karl Rove’s slander from Rove’s perspective. The White House’s top political strategist was in New York at a time when his boss’ approval ratings are tanking, the war in Iraq is failing, the president’s signature domestic policy initiative has become […]
Reasonable people throughout the political world are outraged at Karl Rove’s contemptible remarks from last night, which politicized 9/11 and slandered half the country. The calls for Rove to either apologize or resign his position at the White House are clearly justified. But what, exactly, did he say, and what was the full context? It […]
We learned this week that the Government Accountability Office (GAO), responding to a complaint filed by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.), has agreed to launch investigation into dubious contracts between Bush administration agencies and various media outlets. “I am pleased to see the GAO has decided to move forward with my request for an investigation,” […]
Karl Rove in April (via Froomkin): “Unless you have clear evidence to the contrary, commentators should answer arguments instead of impugning the motives of those with whom they disagree.” Rove, yesterday: “Let me just put this in fairly simple terms: Al Jazeera now broadcasts the words of Senator Durbin to the Mideast, certainly putting our […]
That didn’t take long. The newly-formed Christian Alliance for Progress (which I mentioned the other day) held a launch event at the National Press Club yesterday. A few hours later, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family was already taking shots at the group for trying to be politically liberal and Christian. Peter Brandt, senior director […]
The White House may struggle in defending Dick Cheney’s assertion that the insurgency in Iraq is in its “last throes,” but at least one leading military official doesn’t mind acknowledging the truth: Cheney’s wrong. The top American military commander in the Persian Gulf disputed a contention by Vice President Dick Cheney that the Iraqi insurgency […]
It’s a good letter, and I’m glad it’s generating some attention, but I’m not optimistic about its success. Senate Democrats are urging President Bush to consult with them on a possible Supreme Court nomination to help avoid the kind of controversy that engulfed his lower court picks. “The way to avoid the divisiveness and discord […]
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: * Randall Terry, who founded the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, announced yesterday that he is running for the state Senate in Florida. He’s taking on incumbent State Sen. Jim King in a […]