They can’t even pass a budget?

Speaking of the GOP’s governing problems, you’d think a federal government completely dominated by the same political party — Republican House, Republican Senate, Republican White House — would be able to get together and pass a federal budget. Apparently not. They have tried sweet-talk and dire warnings, insults and bluffing tactics. None of it has […]

Tenet’s out

CIA Director George Tenet resigned this morning. It’s about time; I’m amazed he’s been able to keep his job this long. President Bush said Thursday that CIA director George Tenet has resigned “for personal reasons” and that his deputy will temporarily lead America’s premier spy agency until a successor is found. “He’s been a strong […]

GOP House leaders no longer on ‘speaking terms’

When things are going great, a team finds it easy to put aside their differences and get along. When things are falling apart, infighting rules the day. Dems may be in the minority (for now), but they’re getting along swimmingly. That’s a formula that the famously fractious Democratic caucus seems to have embraced. Though they […]

If all politics is local, Bush is in trouble

Bush may continue to enjoy strong support in his adopted home state of Texas, but John Kerry has picked up an endorsement from Bush’s own mayor. Crawford may be the heart of Bush country, but the town’s mayor says John Kerry is the best choice for president. “I don’t see where I’m better off than […]

Republican Governors ignored federal tax law for a couple of years

Stories like this one won’t exactly help the GOP’s talking points about being the morally superior political party. The Republican Governors Association (RGA), the largest 527 group allied with the GOP, has informed the IRS that it failed to report millions of dollars in receipts and expenditures last year. The errors misrepresented the organization’s fundraising […]

Bush gets outside counsel for Plame Game scandal

The Plame Game scandal just keeps percolating along, doesn’t it? The White House is apparently worried about just how high the federal investigation can go — Bush has hired an outside lawyer to represent him. President Bush has consulted an outside lawyer about representing him if he is questioned as part of the grand jury […]

Rethinking Schwarzenegger a bit

OK, maybe I’ve been a little harsh with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — four words that I still don’t think sound right together. I don’t think much of his agenda, intellect, Enron ties, experience, or abilities, but I’m beginning to think his ideology really isn’t half-bad. Newsweek reported this week, for example, that Schwarzenegger rejected […]

First Tinky Winky, now the bartender in Shrek

We all had a good laugh a few years ago when Jerry Falwell alerted Christian parents to the dangers posed by Tinky Winky the Teletubby. Falwell wanted families to know that the purple, triangle-headed one might be part of the “homosexual agenda.” But that was 1999. Surely, the religious right has given up on warning […]

Can Congress push Bush into flip-flopping on reimportation?

Bush has been doing plenty of flip-flopping lately, but there’s one issue Bush should flip on but hasn’t yet — reimportation of prescription medication. Dems are getting close, however, to forcing his hand. If things go according to plan, it will not only be fun to watch; it could offer Kerry a club to beat […]

The Cuban-American backlash begins

We knew this was only a matter of time. The White House figured it was giving the Cuban-American exile community in South Florida exactly what it wanted — harsh restrictions on American travel and remittances to Cuba. It seemed like a predictable election-year pander to a key group in the nation’s most important swing state. […]