All week long, congressional Republicans have been bad-mouthing the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and insisting that no one should pay any attention to reports the CBO releases this week. House Budget Committee Republicans are making a pre-emptive strike at a forthcoming Congressional Budget Office report that they fear will be used by the chamber’s Democrats […]
Those of us who already like him are well aware of this, but it’s nice to see it in print. Sen. John Kerry set his jaw, and even sighed at one point, as he confronted anew the confusion over his stand on the Iraq war, a fog that has enveloped his candidacy for months. “I […]
On Wednesday, Bush made it clear that you have to be prepared to stand up and take action if you’re going to lead a war on terrorism. “You cannot lead the war against terror if you wilt or waver when times get tough.” Sounds right to me. And yet, when things got tough the morning […]
No, not “liberal”; in this case, it’s “lie.” And in this campaign, it’s something John Kerry just won’t say. John Kerry says President Bush “failed to tell the truth” about Iraq and “misled the American people,” but that’s as far as he seems willing to take it. He stops just short of the “l-word” liar. […]
Too often, especially among reporters covering a presidential campaign, we first see “pack” journalism, followed at some point by “against the grain” journalism. When it comes to John Kerry’s prospects, we’re apparently just starting to see the latter. It couldn’t come at a better time. “Pack” journalism has reporters scrambling to be on the same […]
I suppose this was inevitable, but it’s painful nevertheless. The House passed legislation today that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words “under God” should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance. […] The bill, which the House approved, 247-173, would prohibit federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from hearing cases […]
The most disturbing piece of direct mail I’ve ever seen — which claims that “liberals” want to “ban” the Bible — was, in fact, a product of the Republican National Committee. The Republican Party acknowledged yesterday sending mass mailings to residents of two states warning that “liberals” seek to ban the Bible. It said the […]
Today’s must-read comes by way of the incomparable Dana Milbank, who noted that Republican arguments that Kerry and the Dems “are giving comfort to terrorists and undermining the war in Iraq” are pushing the boundaries of what has generally been considered acceptable political rhetoric. Appearing in the Rose Garden yesterday with Iraq’s interim prime minister, […]
I’ve heard the expression, “so easy, a child could do it,” but applying it to monkeys is a new one. Nevertheless, as several alert readers noted via email, monkeys have been able to manipulate touchscreen voting machines and manipulate vote totals. By all indications, this is not a joke. Critics of the Diebold touch-screen voting […]
John Kerry has been urging the Bush White House since March to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and start using its excess to help lower oil prices. The White House rejected the idea out of hand. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said…the administration opposed using supplies from the reserve because independent analysts have concluded […]