In 1999, I distinctly remember helping prep my then-boss for an episode of Crossfire on CNN. The topic was religion in schools, an issue I worked quite a bit on. But even I was a little surprised when Bob Novak insisted that the Columbine tragedy wouldn’t have happened if only the killers had been forced […]
‘Do not believe anyone who tells you that the situation is getting better’
When it comes to foreign policy, Lawrence J. Korb is unquestionably a credible expert. He was assistant Defense Secretary in the Reagan administration and is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Last year, when congressional Democrats began embracing a redeployment plan for Iraq, it was Korb who wrote the proposal and […]
White House to RNC: Let’s not be too cooperative, okay?
Last week, as congressional demands for White House emails sent using Republican National Committee addresses intensified, there was plenty of talk about “cooperation.” Everyone said they wanted to find the “lost” emails, and everyone agreed that some of the correspondence was directly relevant to the ongoing purge investigation. The RNC would recover as much as […]
Dems to Bush administration: You’re welcome
For the last several months, the White House and its allies have had a consistent message: debating the merit of the war in Iraq is an inherently bad idea. In February, when lawmakers were considering (and passing) a non-binding resolution criticizing the escalation strategy, Tony Snow went so far as to suggest that the debate […]
Tuesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * A variety of details have emerged in the wake of yesterday’s VT shootings, including the madman’s identity, background, and where he purchased his weapons. * The House Judiciary Committee will meet tomorrow morning to consider whether to offer former Justice Department official Monica Goodling immunity to prosecution. “As the […]
NRO’s John Derbyshire’s imaginary heroism
You’ve got to be kidding me. As NRO’s designated chickenhawk, let me be the one to ask: Where was the spirit of self-defense here? Setting aside the ludicrous campus ban on licensed conceals, why didn’t anyone rush the guy? It’s not like this was Rambo, hosing the place down with automatic weapons. He had two […]
Better sycophants, please
When it comes to the prosecutor purge scandal, there are a variety of important problems in search of a resolution. We have possible crimes, cover-ups, lies, contradictions, trumped up crises, and the systemic politicization of the Justice Department. But that’s not all. As Jonathan Chait notes today, “I have become rather alarmed at the low […]
A ‘bull-horn moment’?
Digby noted that CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux told viewers this morning that Bush’s yet-to-be-delivered comments today at Virginia Tech are comparable to the president’s remarks at Ground Zero, a few days after 9/11.: “You may recall that what was called the ‘bull-horn moment’ when the president shortly after 9/11 stood on that pile of rubble and […]
Eugene Robinson asks, ‘Are They Serious?’
The WaPo’s Eugene Robinson has one of those columns today that I wish I’d written. (via Norwegianity) Today’s topic is credibility — specifically, recent claims by certain high-ranking present, former and perhaps soon-to-be-former Bush administration officials. The aim is to answer a simple question: Should we believe these three Bush loyalists if they tell us […]
The inevitable attack on modern biology
In 1999, as the nation was still coming to grips with the tragedy at Columbine High School, then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) took to the floor to identify what he saw as the real culprit: science classes. “Our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who are evolutionized [sic] […]