CAIR files lawsuit against Cass Ballenger

One of the House’s most notorious bigots, North Carolina Rep. Cass Ballenger (R), is being sued for defamation by a Muslim civil rights group the lawmaker accused of having terrorist ties. Ballenger and his wife had been living across the street from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). When the lawmaker’s marriage fell apart, he […]

Dean’s sealed-records flap — Day 3

Yesterday, we talked about Howard Dean’s decision to hide his gubernatorial records from public view and his admission that this was done for political considerations. Today we see reports that the Dean campaign is still trying to figure out what in the world to do about this up-and-coming controversy. At first, I was a little […]

Wesley Clark to testify at The Hague — behind Bush-imposed secrecy

Wesley Clark will be testifying at a war crimes trial against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in two weeks, but thanks to the Bush administration, he’ll be doing so under heavy secrecy. On Meet the Press last month, Clark explained that he had been called to testify in Milosevic’s tribunal and will take a few […]

Even in the winter, the mercury is rising

I’ve heard rumors that the White House realizes that it’s political vulnerable to charges of being anti-environment and is prepared to vigorously defend Bush’s environmental policies during the ’04 campaign. I just can’t figure out how they’ll be able to defend this record. The latest in a long line of attacks on the environment made […]

White House ‘faith-based’ official explains administration’s discriminatory policy

When considering the flaws in Bush’s so-called “faith-based” initiative, it’s hard to know where to start. There’s the obvious inconsistency with the First Amendment, plus the fact that it would lead to federally-funded employment discrimination, plus the very real possibility that religion could be forced on those who receive benefits, plus the inevitable government regulation […]

Dean’s multiple references to the Soviet Union

Several conservative outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times, are abuzz with word that Howard Dean mistakenly referred to Russia as the “Soviet Union” on MSNBC’s Hardball this week. As far as I can tell, Dean did mess up, but I think there’s a little more to this. On Monday, Dean enjoyed […]

Thanks for seatbelts, Mr. Nader, now please go away

Not satisfied having ruined one presidential election, Ralph Nader is planning a return to the scene next year. Nader has created an exploratory committee and is beginning to raise money for yet another attempt to help the Republican Party control the White House. Theresa Amato, Nader’s 2000 campaign manager and a director of his new […]

Republican arm-twisting over Medicare bill may have crossed a legal line

If you’re easily disgusted by the legislative process, you probably won’t want to read about the Republicans’ behind-the-scenes wrangling on the recent vote on the GOP Medicare bill. It wasn’t pretty and the party leadership had to break just about every rule in the book to secure a victory. As Bob Novak reported in the […]

Krugman on voting machines and the biggest scandal that no one talks about

Many of the blogs I read (see blogroll to the left) have covered the controversy surrounding electronic voting machines for several months now. I’ve never had much to add to the subject, so I rarely mention it. That said, if you’re not familiar with the controversy, be sure to check out Paul Krugman’s column in […]

Howard Dean’s sealed-records flap

A popular governor with a reputation for arrogance decides he’s going to run for president. He says he’s proud of his accomplishments as governor, but is nevertheless concerned about how political opponents may use some of his gubernatorial decisions against him, not to mention reporters, with whom he has never really gotten along. So, the […]