Today’s edition of quick hits. * I guess we won’t hear any more of the rhetoric about “the surge hasn’t even been fully implemented yet.” As of reports this morning, the “full contingent of new U.S. forces being sent to Iraq…was completed by Friday, with 28,500 additional troops now posted in the country.” * On […]
George W. Bush: He didn’t screw up on purpose
Salon’s Tim Grieve was listening to White House Counselor Dan Bartlett, who recently announced his departure, reflect on his experiences in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Bartlett’s perspective was so amazing, I initially thought he was kidding. “The good thing about this president — and I think this is the reason why he was […]
The speech Clinton didn’t give on Sept. 11
Drudge has been touting his latest Clinton “scandal,” this time accusing the former president of giving a for-profit speech for Asian investors on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Like far too many Drudge “scoops,” this one’s false. Drudge told readers: FORMS REVEAL: Bill Clinton commemorated the 5th anniversary of 9/11with a paid […]
‘The Quiet Gay Revolution’
The national status quo when it came to gays was so ingrained for so long, it’s easy to forget how spectacularly successful American society has been in progressing towards equality. It’s possible, as a straight white guy, my perspective is skewed, but as yesterday’s vote in the Massachusetts legislature reminds us, we’ve come a long […]
‘I’ve been told I’m done’
I noted yesterday that for all the conservative outrage in response to Harry Reid’s fairly mild criticism of outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace, the right neglected to realize that Pace had just been fired. All things being equal, if conservatives have formed a We Love Peter Pace Fan Club, […]
GOP ‘does not have a clue’ how it’s alienated Hispanic voters
This comes up from time to time, but Tom Edsall had a good piece today reminding us of the political consequences of the right’s rhetoric in the immigration debate. Republican opposition to liberalized immigration reform has put at risk the loyalty of a key constituency – evangelical Protestant Hispanics. The loss of this Hispanic support […]
‘Talk radio is running America’
Poor Trent Lott. Comments by Republican senators on Thursday suggested that they were feeling the heat from conservative critics of the bill, who object to provisions offering legal status. The Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who supports the bill, said: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” I see. […]
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: * The deadline for Wyoming Republicans who want to fill the late Sen. Craig Thomas’ (R) seat was yesterday, and 31 people submitted applications. Lynne Cheney, Dick’s wife, was not among them. Next […]
PBS to promote religious right-style history lesson
I know the conservative myth that PBS is some kind of hotbed for liberalism isn’t true, but to see the network go out of its way to prove its conservative bona fides is disconcerting. Two months ago, PBS gave Richard Perle a whole hour to repeat discredited neocon arguments about Iraq and the Middle East, […]
Leave the candidates’ church attendance (or lack thereof) alone
In the first presidential debate of 1984, Ronald Reagan was talking about his religious faith: “I don’t believe that I could carry on unless I had a belief in a higher authority and a belief that prayers are answered.” One of the reporters asking questions of Reagan and Mondale followed up by asking, “Given those […]