Yesterday: Iran is supplying Iraqi militias with a variety of powerful weapons including Katyusha rockets, the No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq said Tuesday. “We have weapons that we know through serial numbers … that trace back to Iran,” Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said in an interview with USA TODAY. His comments came as the […]
Now he tells us
In an otherwise unremarkable interview with the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, the president explained a bit about how he came to realize his strategy in Iraq wasn’t working. WSJ: Was there a moment in the war when you said we have to make a major change in the way we’re doing things in Iraq? […]
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: * Comedian, writer, and talk-shot host Al Franken has apparently decided to launch a U.S. Senate campaign, and will seek the Dem nomination to take on Sen. Norm Coleman (R) next year. Franken […]
‘Income inequality is real’
If the president isn’t careful, Sean Hannity might accuse him of waging “class warfare.” After all, that’s the smear d’jour for anyone who mentions income inequality, right? President Bush acknowledged Wednesday that there is growing income inequality in the United States, addressing for the first time a subject that has long concerned Democrats and liberal […]
Bush, Libby, Plame, and a suspicious note
Patrick Fitzgerald introduced an interesting, hand-written note into evidence in Scooter Libby’s criminal trial this week, written by Dick Cheney — and implicating his boss. The VP noted that Scott McClellan had told the White House press corps that Karl Rove was not responsible for the Valerie Plame Leak. For Cheney, the denial wasn’t quite […]
Kissinger on Bush’s ‘secret plan’
Oh my. Henry Kissinger, who as Richard Nixon’s secretary of state learned something about secret plans, went before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday to argue that Bush, too, has such a proposal. “I am convinced, but I cannot base it on any necessary evidence right now,” Kissinger told the senators, “that the president will […]
Senators strike deal, craft bi-partisan resolution on Iraq
For all the recent speculation and anguish over a non-binding Senate resolution against the president’s latest Iraq policy, it looked likely that nothing would pass. The Biden-Hagel-Levin measure had Democratic support, but most Republicans were hesitant, and a threatened veto was likely to work. A weaker Warner-Collins-Nelson resolution was seen as being overly tepid by […]
Wednesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * I was slightly taken aback by Sen. Biden’s comments this morning, particularly about Obama, but I didn’t realize it would capture the political world’s attention so thoroughly. Hoping to put out the fire quickly, Biden held a conference call about two hours ago in which he explained, “I believe […]
Lieberman’s fake ID
Raw Story reports today on the general media confusion over how, exactly, to characterize Joe Lieberman’s party affiliation. His office told Raw Story today that he prefers the rendering “ID” for “Independent Democrat”, but said there’s “not particularly” been any effort by his office to convince newspapers one way or another. Lieberman’s website also refers […]
Bush blames war for poor economic numbers
The president chatted with ABC News business reporter Betsy Stark yesterday as the White House tries to shift public attention away from the war and onto the economy. (via D. Froomkin) Stark: “You’ve . . . been frustrated. You haven’t gotten more credit for this good economy. Can that be summed up in one word? […]