The AP has published the details of the “new way forward” in Iraq, and it’s very much in line with everything that’s been leaked over the last couple of weeks. As for the centerpiece of the strategy — the troop escalation — it looks like we’re looking at 21,500 U.S. soldiers. — Bush will commit […]
Long-time readers will probably recall Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. For those just joining us, eyebrows were raised around the world when NBC discovered that Bush had asked a man to coordinate our military intelligence in the war on terror who also happened to be an anti-Muslim religious […]
I’ll post the transcript when it’s available, and link to the video if someone posts it, but Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was part of a bizarre interview on MSNBC this afternoon with Tim Russert that might come back to haunt him. The topic, of course, was Iraq. To his credit, Russert was asking the right […]
The cost in human lives will no doubt be great, but we now have a sense of what Bush’s troop escalation plan will cost U.S. taxpayers. President George W. Bush’s plan for Iraq includes a $6.8 billion budget request to pay for a 20,000 troop increase as well as jobs and reconstruction programs aimed at […]
I realize that the Bush White House looked at the Iraq Study Group with some disdain. So-called “elder statesman,” mostly friends of Bush’s dad, weren’t going to come in and tell the president how to wage his war, no siree. Within a few minutes of Bush thanking ISG members for their work, Bush made the […]
For about six years now, it’s looked as if Fox News received its on-air scripts directly from the White House communications staff. Apparently, as of this morning, Fox News is even a little too shrill for the Bush gang. This morning on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) a “hostile enemy” […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * John McCain isn’t the only GOP presidential hopeful backing troop escalation. Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), who’s been reluctant to comment either way on Bush’s so-called “surge,” told reporters this morning, “In […]
There is no shortage of ideas for how best Congress can take on the White House over the war in Iraq, but according to the New York Times, Dem leaders in both chambers seem to believe a non-binding resolution is the way to go. Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they intended to hold symbolic votes […]
The fact that the president and military leaders are divided on how best to proceed in Iraq would be noteworthy under any circumstances, but it’s particularly striking given that Bush has sworn for years that he would not second guess the top military brass. “It’s important to trust the judgment of the military when they’re […]
Just to follow up briefly on the previous post, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow also had a gem yesterday about one of the more ridiculous photo-ops of recent memory. Q: Tony, this goes to your previous acknowledgment that the President is aware of public anxiety about the situation in Iraq. What would your guidance […]