The controversies surrounding Blackwater and other private security forces in Iraq are hardly a secret, but how is it that we’ve reached the point in which the State Department’s private army finds itself facing this fiasco? It stems from a decision made nearly four years ago. When the U.S. military invaded and occupied Iraq in […]
Did Giuliani privately endorse a marriage amendment?
Rudy Giuliani has a tough enough time dealing with abortion rights — he offers the convoluted pitch of being a pro-choice candidate who will oppose his own beliefs once in office — but he generally stays away from gay marriage altogether. Privately, however, his pandering may have reached jaw-dropping levels. Tony Perkins, head of the […]
Huckabee likens abortion to ‘holocaust’
Following up on an item from a few days ago, it’s worth remembering that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee may be a favorite of the religious right, and media figures like David Broder and David Brooks, but he’s still unhinged. Speaking before a gathering of Christian conservative voters, GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said legalized […]
Bush administration politicizes prosecutions — Pentagon edition
On the painfully long list of Bush administration scandals, the politicization of the Justice Department and federal prosecutors has to be right up there near the top. It’s one of those controversies that not only points to widespread corruption, but it actually undermines our system of government, attacks the rule of law, and weakens public […]
Was the fix in?
The first clue that there was something odd about the results of the straw poll at the “Values Voter Summit” was Ron Paul’s strong, third-place showing. Paul emphasized his opposition to abortion rights during his speech on Friday, but he also garnered a smattering of boos when describing his libertarian worldview. When the results were […]
Romney, Huckabee excel in religious right straw poll
With Sam Brownback out of the race, and Fred Thompson unable to deliver an effective speech, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have risen to the top of the religious right’s list. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and a late-comer to the anti-abortion cause, claimed a narrow victory today in a straw poll of Christian […]
When bad comparisons go horribly awry
This week, the DC political media has ignored a fairly transparent lie from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) about his office’s role in spreading the Frost family smear. On Wednesday, Digby explained why. [A]fter watching them for the past two decades very closely, I think it’s obvious that what interests the media more than […]
A symbol of hate making an unwelcome comeback
For a while, it seemed as if the most notable example of a public noose was the one that used to be in George “Macaca” Allen’s office. Now, apparently, in the wake of the painful developments in Jena, La., they’ve become increasingly common. When he reached his third-story workstation at a construction site near Pittsburgh […]
Judging Giuliani by the company he keeps
Last week, after Bernie Kerik’s legal troubles got worse, Rudy Giuliani vowed to “check more carefully” into the background of his associates from now on. How’s that working out? Not too well. The man named yesterday by the Giuliani campaign to a law enforcement outreach campaign post in Minnesota was forced to resign a government […]
Paycheck to paycheck in Bush’s America
There’s a dispiriting AP story today about the economic pressures facing American families who live paycheck to paycheck. (thanks to R.K.) The calculus of living paycheck to paycheck in America is getting harder. What used to last four days might last half that long now. Pay the gas bill, but skip breakfast. Eat less for […]