We’ll see your ‘no’ and raise you a subpoena

Nothing is quite as entertaining as watching House Dems, demoralized by their minority status and unfair treatment, playing political hardball. Dems on the House Ways and Means Committee have effectively been raising hell over the ongoing Medicare scandal. They even convinced the GOP to hold a hearing on the administration’s cover-up, which in and of […]

Bush learns that governing is harder than campaigning — Part MCXXVIII

On the campaign trail in 2000, Bush made it sound so easy. When gas prices are too high and OPEC is under producing, Bush said he would utilize his notorious charm and “jawbone” OPEC producers by getting “on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say, ‘We expect you to open your spigots.’” OPEC would […]

The Bush administration was asleep at the wheel

OK, a quick fill-in-the-blank quiz. On September 10, 2001, about 18 hours before terrorists used airplanes as missiles to kill 3,000 Americans, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld launched a sweeping new Pentagon initiative. He called it a “War on _________.” Was it: a) Terrorism b) Al Queda and Osama bin Laden c) The Ballistic Missile Threat […]

The single most ironic quote in the history of the world

Bill O’Reilly, talking about the new Air America radio network: O’Reilly said on his Fox News show that “this whole liberal network scheme is just plain stupid…. These pinheads backing the venture will lose millions of dollars because the propaganda network is simply tedious and tedious doesn’t sell.”

You never know what you’ll find at a DC Starbucks

Oh, this is a good one. As most of America slept early last Sunday morning, the Bush Administration hustled and bustled to prepare for the Sunday morning talk shows — among others Colin Powell was appearing on Face the Nation and Donald Rumsfeld was booked on Fox News Sunday. Condi Rice was not scheduled to […]

FactCheck makes a good catch in response to latest Bush ad

Gas prices are reaching all-time highs and OPEC is cutting output, so Bush is getting a little nervous. Naturally, this means it’s time for Bush’s campaign to roll out the latest attack ad against John Kerry. This one’s titled, “Wacky.” (Really, that’s the name the campaign gave it.) Some people have wacky ideas. Like taxing […]

Medicare scandal forces distance between White House, GOP Congress

If Bush is hoping for political cover from his buddies on Capitol Hill over the Medicare scandal, he can forget it. Congressional Republicans are going out of their way to distance themselves from the controversy. Republican lawmakers are distancing themselves from the still raging Medicare scoring controversy by chastising the Bush administration for withholding information […]

Let’s chip in and get Ron Hutcheson an award

As I may have mentioned before, one of the most frustrating features of political journalism, for me, is an unnecessary aversion to conclusions. Articles will note what the Dems said, then what the GOP said, but never tell readers who’s right (assuming there’s an objective truth available). Knight Ridder’s Ron Hutcheson, therefore, probably deserves a […]

Here’s a hint as to why West Virginia is in play this year

West Virginia, and its five electoral votes, went with Bush in 2000 by a surprisingly strong 6.3% margin. Yet, despite its cultural conservatism, Bush appears to be slipping badly in popularity in the state and one recent poll showed him tied with Kerry at 46% in a general election match-up. If you’re wondering why, look […]

I’m pretty sure this isn’t what the Treasury Department is for

Earlier this month, the GOP released talking points to its attack dogs, complete with specific data on how best to attack John Kerry’s economic plan. They felt comfortable with the fiscal analysis because they relied on Treasury Department officials to crunch the numbers. Which is precisely the problem. As the Wall Street Journal reported today, […]