Yesterday, Anne-Marie Slaughter, the dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and one of the most serious and centrist foreign policy players in the country, suggested it is entirely possible that the Bush administration will invade Iran in order to help the Republican Party win an election. The same day, Sen. […]
Another illegal GOP leak?
Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) may have inadvertently leaked classified information during a Fox News interview, disclosing an aspect of a FISA court’s decision regarding warrantless wiretapping. Today, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, may have unintentionally done the same thing. This time, the forum wasn’t Rupert […]
Dems want to boost GI Bill, ‘pro-military’ Bush doesn’t
Last month, congressional Dems and the Bush White House fought over whether to give U.S. troops a pay increase for 2008. Dems fought for a 3.5% raise, Bush insisted that was too generous. The “pro-military” president thought the troops could get by with less. This month, congressional Dems and the Bush White House are at […]
Let’s talk about ‘accountability’
If there’s one thing the president has made clear over the last six years, it’s that he doesn’t believe in the notion of accountability. At this morning’s surprise press conference, a reporter challenged Bush on this point rather directly. Q: Mr. President, I wanted to ask you about accountability. You’re a big believer in it, […]
McCain drops below Obama among Iowa Republicans
Less than a month ago, with his campaign in free-fall, John McCain’s presidential campaign circulated talking points to supporters, explaining the skeleton of the senator’s comeback plan. In a nutshell, the strategy was premised on McCain excelling in three early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Success in these three states would get McCain […]
Thursday’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: * Elizabeth Edwards had some curious comments in an interview this week about her husband generating less attention than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. “We can’t make John black, we can’t make him […]
‘I’m just glad I’m not out there running’
The president sat down with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto last night for a variety of softball sycophantic compelling questions about the political landscape, but I was struck by Bush’s take on the 2008 presidential race. He wouldn’t comment on candidates or predictions, of course, but he spoke more generally about the landscape. CAVUTO: But a […]
Democrats can praise military progress — but still support withdrawal
I’m a little surprised conservatives are all excited this morning about a CNN interview yesterday with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.). It looks like the AP has led the right to the wrong conclusion. One senator said U.S. troops are routing out al-Qaida in parts of Iraq. Another insisted President Bush’s plan […]
A ‘complicated father-son dynamic’
I tend not to dwell on the Oedipal complexities of the president’s relationship with his father — Maureen Dowd seems to have the beat pretty well covered — but the NYT had a noteworthy piece today on the complex family dynamic. There are times in the life of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president […]
A jukebox that only plays one song
The deficit is high, the debt is growing, the war’s financial costs are exorbitant, and the nation is just coming to grips with the need for a sizable investment in the nation’s bridges and infrastructure. Given this environment, the president has a plan: more tax cuts. President Bush said yesterday that he is considering a […]