When the Taguba report was released earlier this year, it noted that prisoners were sometimes hidden from international observers, a practice which the report described as “deceptive, contrary to Army doctrine, and in violation of international law.” Taguba, however, did not identify who was responsible for the policy, only that it occurred in Iraq. This […]
Let’s stipulate from the outset that the perfect running mate for John Kerry doesn’t exist. All of the rumored possibilities on the short list have strengths and some weaknesses; the trick is finding the one with the fewest and least damaging flaws. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D), who appears to be one of the leading […]
By any reasonable standard, this is a tricky one to get out of. Dick Cheney lied about Iraq-al Queda ties on Monday and got caught. George W. Bush backed up Cheney’s lie on Tuesday. The 9/11 Commission made them both look ridiculous on Wednesday by debunking this persistent myth. So, what happens next? Republicans, at […]
By all indications, moderate Republicans are already an endangered species on Capitol Hill, but it appears there are a few new efforts underway to make them completely extinct. House Republicans, for example, are looking at the upper chamber’s alleged moderation with disdain. They’re even plotting to remake the Senate in their image. Dismayed at what […]
Occasionally, Bush will talk a good game about gang violence. In 2001, he touted ATF programs aimed at “youth violence reduction.” In fact, just a week after his inauguration, Bush highlighted gang violence as a problem that persists “in the shadow of America’s affluence.” That, of course, was before Bush needed more money for wars […]
The GOP must be hurting for anti-Kerry arguments if this is the best they can come up with right now. As part of a coordinated attack by the Bush campaign, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey called yesterday for US Senator John F. Kerry to resign immediately, saying that he had missed so many roll call votes […]
We still aren’t viewed as “liberators.” A U.S.-sponsored poll shows Iraqis have lost confidence in the occupying authorities–and that the vast majority of Iraqis want Coalition troops out of the country ‘immediately.’ The first survey of Iraqis sponsored by the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal shows that most say they […]
There was no aircraft carrier, no flight suit, and certainly no embarrassing banners hanging overhead, but yesterday, Bush effectively declared “mission accomplished” in Afghanistan. President Bush on Tuesday claimed victory in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and announced what he called five new initiatives to strengthen the links between that country and the United […]
Just to close this chapter once and for all, I wanted to mention that the GOP plan to let churches work on behalf of political candidates died in committee yesterday. In fact, the vote against the proposal was unanimous. The House Ways and Means Committee has killed a proposal that was intended to give clergy […]
The 9/11 Commission is stating what we’ve already known, but it’s nice to see it in big bold print. There is “no credible evidence” that Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq collaborated with the al Qaeda terrorist network on any attacks on the United States, including the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackings, according to a new staff […]