I’m delighted to see that Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and I are on the same page about reaching out to the government-trained military linguists, removed from duty because of their sexual orientation. (Carpetbagger regular Michael W already mentioned this in comments, but I wanted to give it a post of its own.) Condoleezza Rice got […]
It’s Jonah Goldberg Day
Try as I might to resist, I just can’t help but enjoy Jonah Goldberg Day. It’s possible you haven’t heard why it’s Jonah Goldberg Day, so let’s review. On Feb. 8, 2005 — exactly two years ago today — Goldberg was engaged in one his pointless arguments, this time with professor Juan Cole. Goldberg told […]
Edwards gives Marcotte and McEwen a ‘fair shot’
John Edwards’ presidential campaign issued a press release a short while ago on work Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwen did as “independent bloggers before joining the Edwards campaign.” Edwards said: “The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte’s and Melissa McEwen’s posts personally offended me. It’s not how I talk to people, and […]
Thursday’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: * Barack Obama is taking a unique approach to campaign financing. On the one hand, he’s joined Edwards and Clinton in opting out of the public financing system and rejecting federal matching funds […]
Bush gives useless anti-drug ads a budget bump
I’ve been reluctant to go into too much detail in criticizing Bush’s latest federal budget, in large part because it’s too ridiculous to take seriously. It became irrelevant a few minutes after White House officials dropped off a copy at the Senate Budget Committee’s office. The document is helpful, however, in highlighting the president’s misguided […]
Copter crashes in Iraq worsen the nightmare
A neighbor of mine is a pilot who’s done two tours in Iraq. Both times, when we chatted before he left, there was an awkward truth that we were hesitant to say out loud: of all the U.S. soldiers in Iraq, the safest ones were in the sky, where there are no IEDs or snipers. […]
‘I was ordered to resign’
The more we learn about the Bush administration’s prosecutor purge, the more disconcerting it looks. Bud Cummins’ dismissal was suspicious in Arkansas, Carol Lam’s removal was odd in San Diego, and now we’re learning more about John McKay’s dismissal in Seattle. Former U.S. Attorney John McKay told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his resignation […]
Seven GOP senators reverse course, want war debate
The White House seemed quite pleased with itself. After weeks of private arm-twisting and public demagoguery, the Bush gang appeared to get exactly what it wanted on Monday: the complete absence of any anti-escalation resolutions in the Senate. Newsweek highlighted the president’s “notable triumph,” and said Bush “found a way to win, or at least […]
Wednesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The so-called “surge” is underway. * John McCain is, officially, the biggest hack in the Senate. * For all of the things that makes Joe Lieberman popular amongst Republicans, they probably won’t care for this: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who has been a staunch supporter of the […]
Intemperate allies for me, but not for thee
There’s no official word yet on whether John Edwards’ presidential campaign has fired Pandagon’s Amanda Marcotte and Shakespeare’s Sister’s Melissa McEwan yet. Salon reported that the dismissal has already happened, but Edwards’ spokesperson cautioned Salon against reporting that they have been fired and said, “We will have something to say later.” Presumably, the internal debate […]