A few weeks ago, many conservatives claimed the “wave” that propelled Democrats in the 2006 elections was over. In Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district, Nikki Tsongas, wife of the late Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas, narrowly defeated Republican Jim Ogonowski, 51% to 45%. Given the district and the state, observers expected a less competitive contest. When it […]
Tuesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Crisis continues to grip Pakistan: “Baton-wielding police fought with lawyers outside courthouses in Islamabad and Lahore again Tuesday, arresting dozens more as they enforced Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s crackdown on judicial activism. Three days after Musharraf suspended the constitution and declared a state of emergency, Pakistan’s judicial system is […]
Obama vs. Clinton (no, not that one)
One of the trickiest aspects of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is what, if anything, the candidates who aren’t named Clinton do about the Big Dog. Dems can’t praise him too much without helping Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and they can’t criticize him too much without alienating much of the party. Indeed, by most […]
Lieberman thinks ‘the tide has turned’ in Iraq
It seems a memo went out to war supporters everywhere, issuing a collective call for the “stay the course” crowd to declare victory. Joe Lieberman is the latest to jump on the bandwagon that’s traveling in the wrong direction. “I’m proud to say that the tide has turned in Iraq and we’re winning that war,” […]
The serial exaggerator just can’t help himself
One should generally be cautious about throwing around words such as “pathological,” but Rudy Giuliani’s inability to describe his record without ridiculous exaggerations is becoming increasingly problematic. The poor guy is apparently convinced that his record is too weak to stand on its own, so constant (and comical) embellishments become necessary. The latest is Giuliani’s […]
Would MSNBC air a left-leaning lineup?
When MSNBC added Tucker Carlson to its prime-time lineup two years ago, the network appeared anxious to capitalize on Fox News’ success as a Republican network. If cable-news viewers were flocking to a conservative, partisan network, MSNBC seemed to believe, then the answer was to keep up by putting more conservatives on the air. The […]
Bush’s scheme to stack the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
We’ve known for quite some time that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights — for a half-century, the government’s chief watchdog for racism and discrimination — has been undermined and politicized by the Bush administration. The commission has gone from a stalwart defender of integration and affirmative action to criticizing school desegregation and looking the […]
Tuesday’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: * I don’t imagine anyone could have expected this: “On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the […]
Meet Daniel Levin
Daniel Levin, a former top official in Bush’s Justice Department, isn’t exactly a household name, but his story is worth considering. As the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 2004, Levin recognized interrogation techniques approved by the Bush administration were pushing the legal envelope, and became so concerned about waterboarding […]
Voting is still underway
Just a reminder, I still need a small, effortless favor from readers. It literally only takes a few seconds. The Carpetbagger Report has been nominated in the 2007 Weblog Awards. If readers could click on this link and vote, I’d appreciate it. People can vote once a day, so even if you voted yesterday — […]