It’s difficult to say how maddening it is to see the White House manipulating support for our troops to justify a reckless political agenda. I’m going to give it a try anyway. Earlier today I noted the success Senate Democrats and a handful of GOP moderates had in reducing the size of Bush’s proposed $726 […]
I saw a disappointing quote in the Washington Post last night from a Baghdad resident who appreciated a harsh sandstorm that was keeping U.S. military forces from the city. The resident, Imad Mohammed, saw the storm as divine intervention. God, he thought, was keeping the Americans at bay. “The storm is from God,” Mohammed said. […]
Late last week, the Senate appeared poised to take a dramatic swipe at President Bush’s tax cut plan. Led by a series of moderate Dems and Republicans, the coalition of centrists had nearly garnered the votes to cut the size of the tax cut from $726 billion to $350 billion. The move was undercut, however, […]
I usually don’t draw inspiration for commentary from the comics page of the paper, but Doonesbury isn’t really a cartoon, so it’s okay. Without going into too much detail, today’s Doonesbury features a character, Ray Hightower, serving in Iraq. He mentions to his commanding officer, “A year ago, it hadn’t even occurred to anyone we […]
David Frum wants Democrats to like President Bush. In fact, in an op-ed in today’s Los Angeles Times, Frum expresses bewilderment that Democrats strongly oppose the president and his agenda, saying that Democrats’ hostility to Bush “makes no sense at all” and that the president’s “symbolic and substantive bipartisanship” should make him at least palatable […]
For those of you who know me personally, you’re well aware of my disdain for television news. I read a few things over the weekend to only intensify my loathing, this time regarding coverage of the war. Much has been written about Fox News and its shameless conservative tilt (some have even taken to calling […]
If you think conservatives are mean to liberals who have voiced opposition to war in Iraq, you should see how mean they are to other conservatives. The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz notes in his column today that there’s a bit of an “uncivil war” going on among several right-wing journalists who disagree about the wisdom […]
Alabama has always been a place of special interest for me. Though I’ve never actually stepped foot in the state, I’ve been fascinated by Alabama’s unwavering consistency when it comes to the most right-wing, reactionary politics imaginable. From Roy Moore, to Fob James, to Jeff Sessions, Alabama really knows how to pick ’em. With this […]
Carpetbagger’s only Republican friend in DC, let’s call him Anakin, said a couple of months ago, “Saddam claims not to have biological or chemical weapons, but we consistently hear veiled threats that if there’s war, he’ll use the weapons he says he doesn’t have.” Anakin’s right, of course, and it’s been a persuasive argument. Saddam […]
The Republicans’ reaction to Democratic criticism of the war is sad but predictable. Lawmakers and their conservative allies in the media are questioning Democrats’ patriotism, support for the military, toughness, and general approach to foreign policy. My favorite is when Republicans try to score cheap partisan points with voters by accusing Democrats of trying to […]