The Carpetbagger Report

In the very first sentence of his latest column, Charles Krauthammer explains, “After months of surreality, the Iraq debate has quite abruptly acquired a relationship to reality.” Given that we’re talking about Krauthammer, whose appreciation for “surreality” is practically limitless, the reader knows immediately that this column is going to be painful. The latest report […]

Last year, Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Iraq was deteriorating, said the war was going “very, very well.” It was a telling reminder that Pace was towing the Bush administration line, no matter how foolish it appeared. Now, Pace is on his way out, and he’s no longer […]

Earlier this week, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was answering questions from the Austin American-Statesman about a variety of issues, when the paper brought up Cornyn’s upcoming re-election campaign. “Will you ask the president to appear with you on the campaign trail?” the paper asked. “I will probably ask the president to help me do some […]

For the last several days, those who take reality seriously have been mystified by the president’s incoherent comparison between the wars in Iraq and Vietnam. Bush, who was not exactly well grounded before this week, has managed to humiliate himself to a jaw-dropping degree. But I’ve been curious ever since the president made the bewildering […]

Today’s edition of quick hits. * The White House is already downplaying Sen. John Warner’s (R-Va.) suggestion of a small drawdown by Christmas. Asked whether Bush would leave the door open to setting a timetable, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, “I don’t think the president feels any differently about setting a specific timetable for […]

Well, this has the potential to at least shake up the debate a little. One of the Senate’s top Republicans has called on President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Christmas, telling reporters Thursday that a pullout was needed to spur Iraqi leaders to action. Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the […]

For reasons that I’ve never fully understood, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute ignored concerns and decided to partner with the Fox News Channel for a Democratic presidential candidates’ debate. The consequences were swift — five candidates (Clinton, Edwards, Obama, Dodd, and Richardson) all announced they would skip the event to avoid legitimizing a partisan propaganda […]

There are have been a variety of indications that former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is making a power play, in the hopes of replacing Maliki. Some of Allawi’s strategy has been behind the scenes, while some of it is more overt. A powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House […]

I find it rather bizarre that this is not only on the national AP wire, but is listed among the top political wire stories of the day. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Wednesday his wife was not taking a swipe at Hillary Rodham Clinton when she said, “If you can’t run your own house, you […]

So, how are things in Iraq? Civilian casualties remain high, sectarian groups can’t get along, al Qaeda in Iraq is still pulling off high-profile attacks and “to date, Iraqi leaders remain unable to govern effectively,” said the declassified version of the National Intelligence Estimate released Thursday. The intelligence community briefed the media on the assessment […]