Unprompted, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow responded this afternoon to Sen. Feingold’s measure to cut off money for combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008. I’ve seen just about every press briefing Snow has done, and this has to rank right up there among the craziest arguments he’s made. Q: On the war […]
I wonder what would have happened…
At the risk of writing too much about the incident James Comey described yesterday, regarding events in John Ashcroft’s hospital room in 2004, there’s one angle to this that’s been bugging me all day. Mr. Comey said that when a top aide to Mr. Ashcroft alerted him about the pending visit [from Card and Gonzales], […]
Even Tony Snow can’t explain the ‘war czar’
The White House has finally found its “war czar” — Bush reportedly offered Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute the job, which Lute accepted. As a matter of policy, it’s not at all clear what the “czar” is going to do — or even be able to do — especially given that Lute appears to disagree with […]
Bush’s Dobson meeting is not a good sign
In early 2003, literally just a few weeks before the president would launch a war with Iraq, Bush met with TV preacher Pat Robertson to discuss the conflict. The president reportedly told the televangelist that he believed there’d be minimal casualties, and soon after, began the invasion. With this background in mind, I was not […]
The hackocracy strikes again
Long-time readers know that I have an odd sort of fascination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s just one of those unsung agencies that does important work for the public — which Bush has undermined through cronyism and hackery. When Clinton was president, he appointed Ann Brown to chair the CPSC, which is responsible […]
Feingold Amendment goes down, garners only 29 votes
I’m not entirely surprised the measure lost, but the margin was disappointing. The Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would cut off money for combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008. The vote was a loss for Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., and other Democrats who want to end the war. But the effort picked […]
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: * In a move intended to help Barack Obama, and improve Illinois’ standing on the presidential campaign calendar, the Illinois state Senate “gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that advances the state’s 2008 […]
What Comey’s revelations mean for Gonzales
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey seems to have raised eyebrows throughout the political world with his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony yesterday. While the prosecutor purge was supposed to be the key topic of the hearing, Comey’s story about the 2004 reathorization of the NSA warrantless-search program turned out to be the big news. As […]
We’re not that crazy
Last week, Rasmussen Reports released a poll that quickly worked its way through conservative media outlets, particularly far-right blogs, because it offered proof of just how nutty Bush critics really are. I understand the concerns, but the poll the right is relying on isn’t particularly helpful. Here’s what Rasmussen found: Overall, 22% of all voters […]
Meet our new ‘war czar’
About five weeks ago, the Washington Post had a fascinating scoop: the White House was looking (unsuccessfully) for a “high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The person would apparently be the new Commander in Chief — coordinating military policy and having the power to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State […]