The Carpetbagger Report

In early 2006, when the scandal over the administration’s warrantless-search program was front-page news, one of the central questions of the debate was whether the president had violated FISA. During a press conference, a reporter asked Bush why he decided to “circumvent” the law. “[T]he FISA law was written in 1978,” the president said. “We’re […]

I’ve been a little tough on the WaPo’s David Broder lately. OK, more than a little. In column after column, the “dean” of the DC media establishment has been wildly off his game for months — with odd observations, silly predictions, and tired rehashes of far-right talking points. Yesterday, Broder wrote a relatively inoffensive piece […]

At the end of a fairly interesting debate on Iraq policy on Meet the Press yesterday, Tim Russert asked Newt Gingrich what would happen if the U.S. set a firm date for withdrawal of our troops in Iraq. The former House Speaker didn’t hesitate. “[W]atch what our enemies say. If this Congress passes a definitive […]

James Comey’s startling testimony earlier this week stunned much of the political world, but for many of us on the left, there was one point that was particularly hard to digest: in this dramatic tale, John Ashcroft was (gulp) something of a hero. Peter Baker and Susan Schmidt report today that the revelations are leading […]

Less than a week after Jerry Falwell’s death, Newt Gingrich appeared at Falwell’s college, Liberty University, yesterday to address the school’s 2007 graduating class. The former House Speaker and likely presidential candidate denounced the “growing culture of radical secularism.” In a speech heavy with religious allusions but devoid of hints about his presidential ambitions, Gingrich […]

In March, we started hearing about the panic and paralysis that had taken over the Justice Department in the wake of the prosecutor purge scandal. “You have no idea,” said one Justice official, “how bad it is here.” By one account, top DoJ officials — the ones who haven’t resigned — were turning on each […]

Rick Hasen alerted me to this Houston Chronicle piece from the other day, about legislation in Texas that would — in the interest of preventing non-existent “voter fraud” — require that registered voters present photo IDs proving their citizenship before voting. The measure is championed by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) and GOP lawmakers in […]

Sure, I realize that some Supreme Court justices are going to be less curious than others, and some prefer delving into briefs to quizzing counsel, but Clarence Thomas’ reticence is unnerving. Justice Clarence Thomas sat through 68 hours of oral arguments in the Supreme Court’s current term without uttering a word. In nearly 16 years […]

Political scientist Pete Moore wrote a fascinating item for Salon about his endeavor digging through the massive archive of Coalition Provisional Authority documents. As Moore acknowledged, he didn’t expect to find too many hidden gems — insightful personal letters may occasionally fall out of dusty old volumes in libraries, but the CPA’s archives are paperless. […]

As Eric Kleefeld noted, there’s a real gem towards the end of the latest Fox News poll (.pdf). “Recently Democratic Leader of the Senate Harry Reid said that the war ‘is lost’ in Iraq. Do you feel this was an acceptable thing or an unacceptable thing for Reid to say while U.S. troops are still […]