The latest WaPo/ABC poll includes plenty of the usual questions, but the numbers on Iraq were particularly noteworthy. Most Americans see President Bush as intransigent on Iraq and prefer that the Democratic-controlled Congress make decisions about a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. As the president and Congress […]
I watch debates — so you don’t have to
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a debate featuring questions exclusively from regular folks appearing via YouTube clips. I assumed CNN wouldn’t pick ridiculous questions from the 3,000 submissions, but it remained to be seen whether this novel approach would produce a more engaging event. On the whole, I thought it was a […]
Monday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * TPMM: “Despite the administration’s statements that a U.S. attorney would not be permitted to enforce a contempt citation from Congress, the House Judiciary Committee will vote Wednesday on whether to cite Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten with statutory contempt, according to a senior committee aide.” * How might things […]
Too shrill to be ‘respectable’
The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol caused a bit of a stir over the weekend when he appeared on Fox News (where else?) and attacked Democratic presidential candidates for agreeing to appear at the YearlyKos convention. “Every Democratic presidential nominee is going to the DailyKos convention,” Kristol said. “That’s the left-wing blogger who was not respectable […]
Why your Internet connection is too slow
In 2001, after the explosive growth of the Internet and online businesses in the 1990s, the United States had taken the lead online. In terms of percentage of the population with high-speed access, countries like Japan and Germany had half the penetration we did. France had less than a quarter. Now, all three of those […]
It’s not government; it’s conservative government
I remember hearing this argument a bit in 2005, but it may be poised for a comeback. “Barack Obama said we’re going to have to have the government take over health care. He at least had the integrity to say he wants to raise your taxes,” Romney said. “The right answer is not a government […]
Gonzales to Senate: I’m not leaving
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee again tomorrow, where he’ll no doubt face questions about the U.S. Attorney scandal. To help lay the groundwork for his defense, Gonzales submitted 26 pages of prepared testimony. Apparently, he’s going to do what he’s been doing. [Gonzales] says he’s staying at […]
Jeff Jacoby’s assault on reason
Jim Henley recently pronounced this Anne Applebaum piece “the stupidest column anyone has ever written for any venue.” Given how maddening I found Applebaum’s column, I wasn’t prepared to argue with Henley’s conclusion. However, that was before I read Jeff Jacoby’s latest in yesterday’s Boston Globe. Jacoby, the Globe’s worst columnist, makes the least persuasive […]
‘A lousy salesman’
It’s a necessary evil tucked into the president’s job description: the chief executive is supposed to also be a good salesman. Presidents have a unique megaphone and bully pulpit, which they have to use effectively if they plan on getting what they want. With that in mind, McClatchy’s Steven Thomma makes a good observation: Bush […]
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: * The fourth debate for the Democratic presidential candidates — the first “official” debate sanctioned by the DNC — will be tonight in Charleston, S.C. As you may have heard, the questions are […]