The Carpetbagger Report

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: * Former President Bill Clinton has been very assertive the last few days, arguing that it’s “just not fair” to characterize Hillary Clinton as a war supporter. “This dichotomy that’s been set up […]

Maybe MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell should read Salon and the LA Times. She might learn something about giving [tag]Karl Rove[/tag] the benefit of the doubt. This morning, O’Donnell badgered Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) about why the White House’s purge-scandal offer — “interviews” with Rove with no oath and no transcript — isn’t good […]

Remember the debacle at Al Qaqaa? In 2004, we learned that the administration was given warnings about a massive ammunitions site, which Bush officials decided to ignore. About a dozen U.S. troops guarded the sprawling facility. As a result, Iraqi looters loaded powerful explosives into pickup trucks and drove away with about 380 tons of […]

This week, a Senate Republican aide said of the White House, “We just hope they leave without doing any more damage.” If the aide was referring to damage to the Republican Party, it’s too late. Public allegiance to the Republican Party has plunged during George W. Bush’s presidency, as attitudes have edged away from some […]

With the House and Senate Judiciary Committees already having authorized subpoenas for White House officials in the prosecutor purge scandal, it’s worth noting that we’re not quite at the brink yet. [M]embers of Congress said they would not issue any subpoenas for at least a week, a move that allows time for negotiations in what […]

Today’s edition of quick hits. * AP: “A Senate committee approved a $122 billion measure Thursday financing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also defies President Bush by calling on him to pull combat troops out of Iraq by next spring. The bill, approved by a voice vote, is similar to one the House began […]

Yesterday, the House [tag]Judiciary Committee[/tag] empowered Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) to subpoena White House aides in the [tag]prosecutor[/tag] [tag]purge[/tag] [tag]scandal[/tag]. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee followed suit, but this time, Dems picked up a Republican vote. A Senate panel, following the House’s lead, authorized subpoenas Thursday for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other […]

Forgive the redundancy after having just mentioned this, but it’s worth paying special attention to the new White House talking point. Tony Snow on ABC: “The executive branch is under no compulsion to testify to Congress, because Congress in fact doesn’t have oversight ability.” Snow on CBS: “The legislative branch has no oversight responsibility over […]

The White House appears to be trying to seize the offensive today, hitting the airwaves to push back against the prosecutor purge scandal. There’s just one minor problem: the Bush gang can’t answer the basic questions they’ve had eight weeks to prepare for. This morning, for example, Tony Snow appeared on ABC. Asked whether White […]

It’s a shame it’s only available online to subscribers, but Roll Call has a fascinating item today about congressional Republicans and their growing frustration with the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Apparently, GOP lawmakers are anxious to advance their own agenda (pushing conservative bills, prodding Dems, presenting new ideas), but something keeps getting in the […]