The LA Times had a fascinating article today on the audiotape played during Scooter Libby’s trial, in which jurors heard about Cheney and Libby crafting their own secret plan to leak previously classified intelligence — but wouldn’t tell other senior White House officials. As Libby sat silently in the courtroom, jurors heard his recorded voice […]
The ‘F’ word
No, not that one; I’m referring to “filibuster.” According to a report in Roll Call today, the latest Republican effort to block the Senate agenda is going to be over the budget. Senate Democrats and Republicans are headed for a classic game of chicken this week over the nine remaining fiscal 2007 appropriations bills. Senate […]
The five-day work week whine
There was plenty of grumbling in December when the new Democratic congressional leadership announced that lawmakers could forget about the two- and three-day work weeks they enjoyed during the GOP’s reign; from now on, Congress would work five days a week. Most of the complaining happened before the new schedule was even implemented. Now that […]
The company the candidates keep
Following up on an earlier post on the pseudo-scandal about John Edwards’ official bloggers, an emailer who wishes to remain anonymous suggests I’m being hypocritical. I’ve made a big deal about who Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has brought onto his campaign staff, so I “shouldn’t be surprised” when there’s similar scrutiny applied to a Democrat’s […]
It’s quite a family
Let’s see, Dick Cheney is the most controversial Vice President since Spiro Agnew was forced to resign in disgrace. Lynne Cheney is a controversial, far-right activist and author of some very racy novels. Mary Cheney is controversial in far-right circles because she’s a pregnant lesbian. And then there’s Philip Perry, the Department of Homeland Security’s […]
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: * Mitt Romney will make if official on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when he formally kicks off his presidential campaign. Romney’s announcement speech will be delivered in his original home state of Michigan, instead […]
‘I prayed in school every time I took a math test’
I don’t plan to make a habit out of praising Republican presidential candidates, but as my friend Ron Chusid noted, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) is being downright sensible when it comes to one of the staples of the GOP’s culture war: state-sponsored school prayer. The family that prays together doesn’t have to worry […]
Targeting John Edwards’ bloggers
Most of the presidential campaigns, on both sides of the aisle, have engaged in some fairly aggressive blog outreach lately, including having hired some high-profile bloggers as part of the campaign team. John Edwards hired two — Pandagon’s Amanda Marcotte and Shakespeare’s Sister’s Melissa McEwan. (As far as disclosure is concerned, I’ve talked to Melissa […]
Prosecutor purge percolates
Why did the Bush administration purge 10 U.S. Attorneys before the scheduled end of their appointment? The more we learn about this, the more suspicious it looks. Fortunately, there’s a Democratic Senate now, and the story has caught lawmakers’ attention. We learned last week that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is “transforming the ranks of the […]
Yet another setback for the right on race relations
Stephen Colbert has a funny bit he’s been doing for a long while about his only “black friend.” He had one, but they had a falling out (the friend attended an anti-war protest), which led Colbert to encourage black people in his audience to contact him, auditioning for the role of being his new black […]