Bush at a press conference on Saturday: Q: And on the deadline [for Kosovo independence]? Bush: In terms of the deadline, there needs to be one. This needs to come — this needs to happen. Now it’s time, in our judgment, to move the Ahtisaari plan. There’s been a series of delays. You might remember […]
Lieberman unsatisfied with two faltering wars, wants a third
Just when it seemed Joe Lieberman’s neocon qualities couldn’t get any more offensive, he manages to kick things up a notch. This morning on CBS’s Face the Nation, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) strongly advocated preparing for a strike against Iran. “I think we have to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians […]
Confidence, schmonfidence
The Senate is scheduled to consider a no-confidence resolution condemning Alberto Gonzales tomorrow, but even if it passes, don’t expect too much of a reaction from the White House. Whether the Senate trusts the Attorney General or not is of no interest to the president. The White House on Sunday dismissed Senate plans to hold […]
Sunday Discussion Group
Pardon, or no pardon, that is the question. In this political climate, the Republican base is already angry with the president over immigration policy (among other things), and far-right voices are making clear that they not only want Bush to pardon Scooter Libby, they expect it. Already, major conservative and neoconservative organizations, magazines and Web […]
‘We have made a deal with the devil’
For a while, part of the administration’s war policy in Iraq was disarming sectarian militias. Now, U.S. forces are trying a different tack — the opposite tack. The worst month of Lt. Col. Dale Kuehl’s deployment in western Baghdad was finally drawing to a close. The insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq had unleashed bombings that […]
‘My English isn’t very good’
From the president’s press conference this morning in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Prodi: Q: And the deadline for the Kosovo independence — BUSH: What? Say that again? Q Deadline for the Kosovo independence? BUSH: A decline? Q Deadline, deadline. BUSH: Deadline. Beg your pardon. My English isn’t very good. (emphasis added) He said it; […]
How shallow do they think we are?
Rep. Zack Wamp (R-Tenn.), one of Fred Thompson’s boosters on the Hill, recently suggested the actor/senator/lobbyist would make a good president, in part because of his speaking voice. “He has a commanding voice,” Wamp said. “He has a commanding presence. He makes people feel secure. He makes us feel confident.” Sen. George “Macaca” Allen (remember […]
Dropping the pretense about Bush’s last two years
Just two weeks ago, U.S. News reported on how happy presidential aides were for a change. After having a rough time, Bush’s West Wing finally believed they’d turned a corner and were optimistic about the future. Relieved White House officials say President Bush has finally broken the cycle of bad news and political setbacks he […]
Judge Walton gets sarcastic
Emptywheel discovered a striking footnote in the court order Judge Reggie Walton issued allowing Scooter Libby’s powerful legal friends — 12 top-shelf lawyers, including Robert Bork — to issue briefs on Libby’s behalf. It is an impressive show of public service when twelve prominent and distinguished current and former law professors of well-respected schools are […]
Right message, wrong messenger
Take a wild guess who shared these words of wisdom during a recent commencement address (via Jonathan Schwarz): “While it’s wonderful to have the world literally at our fingertips, the tsunami of information at our beck and call has the potential to drown us and actually make us less informed…. Surfing the web may be […]