Two weeks ago, on this very weblog, I noted how furious religious right groups were when they learned that Republican National Committee chairman Marc Racicot had spoken to a national gay rights group, at which time he emphasized the GOP’s commitment to “inclusion.” I proposed, jokingly, that the aggrieved groups “break off from the GOP […]
During the 2000 campaign, Bob Jones University in South Carolina became a lightening rod for controversy when George W. Bush kicked off his campaign in the state by visiting the campus and delivering a speech to the student body. Bush’s appearance became extremely contentious because BJU, a rigidly Christian fundamentalist school, has a record for […]
A month or so ago, I mentioned that the Senate had passed a radically scaled-back version of the Bush faith-based initiative, essentially passing legislation that alters the tax code to spur charitable donations but failing to give Bush what he really wanted — federal funds going directly to religious ministries. The broader faith-based initiative may […]
While I realize there are significant differences between American and British law, I have to admit I was taken aback by word that the British Independent Television Commission is investigating the rabidly right wing Fox News Channel for violating England’s “media impartiality” rules. In the U.S., of course, we know full well that the FNC […]
The fight between Senate Democrats, the White House, and Senate Republicans over Bush’s most conservative judicial nominees is making the GOP, well, a little nutty. If you’re just joining us, Bush has worked diligently to nominate several right-wing conservatives to the federal bench. Democrats, during their brief tenure in the majority in 2002, blocked many […]
Once in a great while, an internal strategy memo or top-secret email will come to public light and give everyone a behind-the-scenes look at how political insiders operate. Recently, staffers for Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) uncovered just such a document prepared by Washington GOP operatives planning to “destroy” the mild-mannered lawmaker in […]
I really wasn’t going to mention this anymore after writing about it twice last week, but if the White House is still talking about it, I figure I can too. To review, Bush took a Navy fighter jet to the USS Abraham Lincoln to deliver a speech from the aircraft carrier’s flight deck about the […]
Former senator and two-time presidential candidate Gary Hart decided not to run for the Democratic nomination in 2004. It’s a little surprising to see Hart choose not to enter the race since every indication for the last four months has been he would announce his candidacy any day now. Hart told reporters, “I’ve concluded that […]
This is a political blog, and I really wasn’t going to mention this, but as a personal favor to my best friend Maverick, I’m throwing it in as the last post of the day. (Mav, this is your official Carpetbagger birthday present) As the headline explains, the long-awaited DVD set for the Indiana Jones trilogy […]
I’ve marveled, on more than a few instances, at the Bush administration’s disinterest in and occasional outright hostility for diplomacy. No modern president has done more to alienate so many U.S. allies in such a short period of time. During the buildup towards war in Iraq, the Bush administration worked to bully its way through […]