When it comes to shaping U.S. policy in Iraq, there are two principal camps — those who want to stay the course (Bush and the vast majority of congressional Republicans) and those who want to change the mission and start bringing the troops home (the vast majority of congressional Dems and most Americans). I’d heard […]
Giuliani cites 9/11 in explaining cell phone gaffe
Much of the political world arched an eyebrow last week when Rudy Giuliani interrupted a speech to the NRA to chat with his wife, a shtick he has pulled a couple of times on the campaign trail. In an interview posted today, Giuliani told TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network exactly why he answered […]
Right starts pushing back against Limbaugh’s ‘phony soldiers’ flap
If you’re just joining us, Media Matters reported yesterday that far-right radio host Rush Limbaugh dismissed U.S. troops who support a withdrawal policy in Iraq as “phony soldiers.” Veterans’ groups and sevearl leading Democrats, including the DNC and the DCCC, blasted Limbaugh for the comment, and urged Republicans to repudiate it. A variety of conservatives […]
Is Bush ‘reassessing’ his agenda?
It’s been a staple of political journalism for several years now — despite Bush’s intransigence, rigidity, and stubbornness, reporters insist on telling us intermittently that the president is “reassessing” his agenda. The latest is the WaPo’s Peter Baker. As he addresses a conference on climate change this morning, President Bush will face not only a […]
Friday’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: * After several months of lackluster fundraising, John Edwards’ presidential campaign will reverse itself and opt into the public finance system. The former senator insisted he made the decision out of a heartfelt […]
Dems to ram S-CHIP down the GOP’s throat
Earlier this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley, a conservative Republican from Iowa, offered Dems some advice. Grassley, one of the leading proponents of a bipartisan measure to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), said the majority party could keep bringing the children’s health legislation back up until Bush signed it or Republicans agreed to […]
California electoral scheme unravels
It seemed like a clever little scam. California Republicans, far-right activists, and Swiftboat financiers, under the guise of “fairness,” would split California’s 55 electoral votes by congressional district, as opposed to the current winner-take-all system. There’s no real mystery behind the effort — the goal is to deny Dems about 20 fairly reliable electoral votes, […]
O’Reilly makes the case for Dems avoiding Fox News
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino made her first visit to Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show this week, and the host suggested that White House officials shouldn’t even bother talking to news outlets they consider to be hostile. O’REILLY: OK. Now, I told Tony Snow — I mean, I know Snow. You know him pretty […]
GOP second-tier slams frontrunners for skipping debate
Last night, Morgan State University in Baltimore hosted a nationally televised debate for Republican presidential hopefuls, billed as the first ever tailored specifically to the concerns of the African-American community. As has been widely reported, all of the top four GOP candidates decided not to show up. Event organizers left podiums on the stage for […]
Dems unite to slam Limbaugh, GOP silent
As a rule, Democrats and their allies are a little slow when it comes to organized outrage. A high-profile Republican will say or do something that most decent Americans would find outrageous, progressive blogs will call him or her on it, and maybe we’ll see a press release or two from someone on the Hill. […]