Over the summer, Dick Cheney solidified his legendary reputation for lunacy when he and the OVP aides rationalized his opposition to executive-branch oversight rules by deciding that he’s not really part of the executive branch. It stemmed from a bizarre fight the White House had with the National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office, a fairly […]
Military families have little use for Bush, Iraq policy — redux
A few weeks ago, at a debate for Republican presidential candidates, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) made the ridiculous claim that U.S. troops and their families are, by their very nature, conservative. “[M]ost Americans, most kids who leave that — that breakfast table and go and serve in the military and make that corporate decision with […]
Wednesday’s political round-up
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: * Christian conservatives have catapulted Mike Huckabee to the top of the polls in Iowa, but he has apparently not yet sealed the deal: “Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee would seem to be the […]
Who’s wrong on race?
In one of the more transparently ridiculous campaign ads of the 2006 cycle, the National Black Republican Association ran radio ads in Baltimore insisting that Democrats were responsible for Jim Crow laws, the KKK, and releasing vicious dogs and fire hoses on civil-rights activists. The ad told its African-American audience, “Republicans freed us from slavery […]
Giuliani’s Cheney-like penchant for secrecy
When it comes to secrecy, it’s hard to match Dick Cheney. Man-size safes, used elsewhere in government for classified secrets, store the workaday business in Cheney’s office. No one is allowed to know who works in his office. The VP has even created his own classified designation for all of his documents — materials are […]
Cheney’s handiwork on California’s greenhouse-gas plan
Last week, the Bush administration, predictably, balked at California’s request to impose greenhouse-gas regulations beyond federal requirements, and in the process, officials ignored the evidence completely. The EPA had been using the same standards for four decades on waivers for states, and in this case, California met them all. It didn’t matter. Better yet, Bush’s […]
Do Clinton’s First Lady years count?
Hillary Clinton offers voters a very compelling pitch about her years of service in public life, which invariably leads to poll results showing her with large leads over her competitors on the issue of experience. But part of this, of course, includes her eight years as First Lady, which historically has been far more of […]
Breaking up the consultancy racket
It’s one of those conflict-of-interest dynamics that’s so obvious, it’s hard to understand how and why political leaders ever tolerated it in the first place. For a few decades now, Democratic presidential candidates hire media advisors who make millions encouraging their clients to follow campaign strategies that make them even more money. John Kerry’s 2004 […]
A Christmas story and the gift it gives us
Guest Post by Morbo It’s Christmas, so there may not be a lot of people visiting blogs today. But if you’ve happened to stop by, the Carpetbagger and I appreciate that. If you celebrate Christmas, we hope you have a merry one. If not, then just have a great day. Isn’t it nice to have […]
Housekeeping note
First, my warmest holiday wishes to everyone. No matter what you’re celebrating, or whether you’re celebrating anything at all, I hope you’re enjoying the season. Second, a quick scheduling note. Posting will probably be very light today, in large part because it’s the slowest news day of the year. There will, however, be some content […]