At a press conference in July, the president said Congress has one, and only one, role to play in shaping war policy: handing over big bags of money, with no questions asked and no strings attached. “Let me make sure you understand what I’m saying,” Bush said. “Congress has all the right in the world […]
Turkish military moves towards border, U.S. scrambles
The Kurdish region of Iraq, the one part of the country that’s been fairly stable and able to function in recent years, is on the brink of a new conflict, following an attack yesterday on Turkish troops. An audacious cross-border ambush by Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq killed at least 17 Turkish soldiers Sunday, […]
Worst. Threat. Ever?
In last night’s debate, Mike Huckabee, trying to explain why Hillary Clinton, under no circumstances, should even be considered for the presidency, said her election would mean “our military loses its morale, and I’m not sure we’ll have the courage and the will and the resolve to fight the greatest threat this country’s ever faced […]
Monday’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: * Rep. Bobby Jindal (R) won Louisiana’s gubernatorial election on Saturday, easily cruising past a wide-open field. In his second run for the office, Jindal garnered 54% of the vote, enough to avoid […]
GOP candidates endorse Bush’s failed Social Security plan
Republicans in general have been struggling lately with memory trouble, but I find it hard to imagine that the GOP presidential field has completely forgotten about 2005. It wasn’t that long ago. Shortly after his second inaugural, the president boasted of having “political capital,” which he intended to invest in privatizing Social Security. Bush figured […]
Hiding, rather than addressing, bad news
NASA conducted an unprecedented national survey, as part of an $8.5 million project, to gauge airline safety. The agency found problems such as near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized. In response, Bush administration officials are considering sweeping new safety regulations meant to inspire public confidence in air […]
The unmistakable message behind Cheney’s bluster
Just a few days after the president alluded to “World War III” with Iran, the vice president fleshed out the White House’s thinking on Iran in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “The Iranian regime’s efforts to destabilize the Middle East and to gain hegemonic power is a matter of record. […]
The focus of the Republicans’ attention
To get a sense of just how obsessed Republican presidential candidates were with Hillary Clinton during last night’s debate, consider a quick numerical comparison — the GOP presidential hopefuls mentioned the Democratic frontrunner 34 times. They mentioned George W. Bush twice. How one interprets this is a matter of perspective. If one is sympathetic to […]
I watch debates, so you don’t have to
It’s hard to overstate how awful the Republican Party looks when watching its would-be presidential nominees discuss their ideas for 90 minutes on Fox News. At one point during last night’s debate in Orlando, Rudy Giuliani literally blew kisses to the state of the Florida in order to thank the state for helping steal the […]
Purged U.S. Attorney: Gonzales may face charges
The news from two weeks ago… No sooner did Alberto Gonzales resign as attorney general last month than he retained a high-powered Washington criminal-defense lawyer to represent him in continuing inquiries by Congress and the Justice Department. […] The top concern for Gonzales, and now Terwilliger, is the expanding investigation by Glenn Fine, the Justice […]