Following up on an earlier item, the AP has finally done a story about Rudy Giuliani blowing off the Iraq Study Group. Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, whose tough talk on terrorism is the centerpiece of his campaign, said Wednesday that it was a mistake to join a bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which he later […]
‘The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio’
I knew talk radio in this country skewed heavily to the far-right, but I had no idea it was this bad. While progressive talk is making inroads on commercial stations, right-wing talk reigns supreme on America’s airwaves. Some key findings: * In the spring of 2007, of the 257 news/talk stations owned by the top […]
If Giuliani gets booted from the ISG in a forest….
Yesterday, Newsday broke a huge story that everyone else had missed: Rudy Giuliani was on the Iraq Study Group but blew off his responsibilities to give lucrative private speeches. Under pressure from the ISG leadership, Giuliani quit two months after committing to the panel. For that matter, the Giuliani campaign tried to spin the story, […]
Stem-cell shell game
The bad news is the president followed through on his threats and vetoed a bipartisan bill to expand funding of stem-cell research. The worse news is he’s trying to pull a stunt to lessen the blow. Pushing back against the Democratic-led Congress, President Bush vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have eased restraints on federally […]
Why obstructionism is slowing down the Senate
When Democrats reclaimed their congressional majorities, there were high expectations about legislative progress. A Republican Congress and Republican White House had effectively stopped governing, and Dems started the 110th Congress with a lengthy wish list, nearly all of which enjoyed strong pubic support. The question wasn’t whether things would get done, but rather, how fast […]
Arabic speakers at U.S. embassy go from six to 10
Last December, we learned that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad employs 1,000 people, of which six speak Arabic fluently. (One of the more obvious recommendations from the Iraq Study Group was the suggestion that the Bush administration “accord the highest possible priority” to language training. To which officials everywhere responded with a collective, “Duh.”) The […]
Wednesday’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: * If the ongoing Take Back America conference in DC this week is any indication, the progressives are as geared up for the 2008 cycle as at any point ever. “There’s enthusiasm and […]
PBS airs special it knows to be false
I noted last week that PBS is poised to broadcast a one-hour special on the separation of church and state, “The Wall of Separation.” By all appearances, it sounded like a propaganda piece for the religious right. Indeed, the program is a production of Boulevard Pictures, which is led by an evangelical Christian who believes […]
Media continues to emphasize what really matters
Last week, Chris Matthews got a little creepy in praising Fred Thompson, going so far as to compliment the former senator’s odor. “Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man’s shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of — […]
Clinton Derangement leads to some bizarre ideas
Last fall, conservative blogger and law professor Ann Althouse gained quite a bit of notoriety for criticizing my friend Jessica Valenti for, well, it wasn’t altogether clear what Althouse was saying. At a meeting in New York with Bill Clinton, which I attended, there was a group photo with bloggers and the former president. Althouse […]