Conservative activist/writer Dinesh D’Souza has, for some reason, apparently been criticized for blaming the left for the terrorists’ hatred of the United States in general, and 9/11 in specific. Apparently, it’s all about the culture. As D’Souza explains it, Osama bin Laden and other dangerous Islamic radicals believe the U.S. is too secular, too permissive, […]
Lieberman endorses GOP on defense, says he may vote Republican in ’08
If it weren’t a 51-49 Senate, Democrats would have to take away Joe Lieberman’s committee chairmanship, block him from attending caucus meetings, and tell him he can forget ever putting a “D” after his name again. It is, however, a 51-49 Senate, so there are no consequences for Lieberman saying things like this. Connecticut Sen. […]
‘Emboldening’ the enemy
The conservative case in support of the president’s escalation policy in Iraq appears to be premised on five central myths. The first is the notion that opposition to escalation “undermines” the troops. This, on its face, is absurd — Bush is overstretching the military and sending thousands more soldiers into the middle of a civil […]
Newsweek poll: ‘Bush Hits New Low’
The NYT’s Thomas Friedman wrote the other day that the State of the Union was almost unnecessary. “[T]he American people basically fired George Bush in the last election,” Friedman said. “We’re now just watching him clean out his desk.” The latest Newsweek poll, released yesterday, suggests Friedman’s analysis is about right. President George W. Bush […]
Sunday Discussion Group
The presidential fields, on both sides of the aisle, are slowly taking shape. Exploratory committees are in place; fundraising is underway; the race for staffers is fairly intense; and we’re already seeing early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. Voters, activists, reporters, and establishment types are starting to decide what, exactly, is the most important […]
Giuliani compares Bush to Lincoln. Seriously.
Rudy Giuliani has been reluctant to talk too much about the war in Iraq, in large part because he apparently realizes how incredibly unpopular it is, and the extent to which the crisis has brought nothing but ruin to Bush’s presidency. But now that Giuliani is getting closer to launching his presidential campaign in earnest, […]
Agriculture has a well known liberal bias
Take a look at this map, and notice how the climate zones have changed over the last 17 years. For those concerned with gardening, landscaping, and agriculture, it’s pretty obvious that areas that were once too cold for certain kinds of plants are suddenly warm enough to find themselves in an entirely new zone. Warmer […]
The U.S. Attorney purge — redux
Perhaps naively, I still hold out hope that the Bush administration’s purge of U.S. Attorneys is a controversy that could turn into a real political problem for the White House. A quick review, for those just joining us. Across the country, United States Attorneys are sometimes described as local attorneys general — each U.S. Attorney […]
Will Rove testify?
It’s only been a week, but the Plame trial has already become a bad dream for the Bush gang from which they can’t wake up. And it’s likely to get worse. White House anxiety is mounting over the prospect that top officials — including deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and counselor Dan Bartlett-may be […]
This Week in God
First up from the God Machine is an invitation members of the Senate received from a religious leader offering prayers on their behalf. Considering the religious leader in question, one can only hope lawmakers have the good sense to decline. “On January 30th and 31st, Robert Gray will be in Washington, D.C., to introduce Pastor […]