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 shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday had led to several cancellations and postponements of political events scheduled for today. Perhaps most notably, Rudy Giuliani was scheduled to deliver a speech at Pat […]
Again with WMD?
For crying out loud, are war supporters still making the case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Forget shame, don’t these guys want to shy away from utter humiliation? Apparently not. Redstate ran an item yesterday, highlighting an article from the far-right Washington Times, which noted that U.S. troops found “31 barrels of nitric […]
‘His mouth is his own worst enemy’
When Bill Clinton was president, White House aides had a policy: when there was political trouble, and public support was on the wane, put the boss in front of people. Schedule a speech in front of a large audience; arrange for some high-profile television interviews, put together some kind of major White House event, etc. […]
Presidential candidates who obviously want to lose — Parts I and II
For a while, it looked like [tag]Rudy Giuliani[/tag] had a clear-but-dubious strategy in talking to GOP primary voters about his pro-choice views: insist it wouldn’t matter. Sure, he supports abortion rights, Giuliani would say, but his judicial nominees would be Scalia-like conservatives who would ultimately reject everything Giuliani believes in. Problem solved! Except, at some […]
Gonzales’ problems keeps getting worse
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today for his make-or-break testimony, but the hearing was postponed until Thursday in light of the shootings at Virginia Tech. With a couple of more days to prepare, Gonzales may want to come up with a coherent explanation for this. Attorney General […]
Monday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Here’s the latest update on today’s horrific massacre at Virginia Tech. It appears at least 31 people have been killed, in what some have described as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. * Asked whether horrifying crimes like this one might lead the president to reconsider his opposition […]
The Politico delivers another key political scoop
The truth is, I want to like The Politico. I like the idea of an online team of experienced political journalists breaking stories, updating developments, offering valuable insights, and doing it all in a quick, blog-like style of reporting. There was a niche and The Politico set out to fill it. I was vaguely optimistic […]
Bush cranks up the fear factor
The fourth time in nine days, the president delivered yet another speech on Congress’ spending bill for the war in Iraq. That Bush feels this is necessary is open to some interpretation, though I’m inclined to believe the White House thinks it’s losing this fight, so it’s trying to take the offensive, being aggressive on […]
Nightmare unfolds at Virginia Tech
An unbelievable tragedy. At least 29 people are dead in what may be the biggest mass shooting in American history — and the death toll may rise. At least 17 injured students were admitted to local hospitals. Police at Virginia Tech, in Blaksburg, Va., said that the shootings happened at a dormitory and a classroom […]
Is Regent embarrassed — or is Bush?
About a week ago, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick noted a tidbit that the rest of us missed: TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Regent University boasts that 150 of its graduates, including former top DoJ aide Monica Goodling, are serving in some capacity in the Bush administration. Lithwick noted that this is “a huge number for a 29-year-old […]