January 02, 2011
Tea Party activists are pissed at the politicians they helped elect for, well, acting like politicians. Lather, rinse, repeat....
December 18, 2010
Way to go Joe. Hardly there, and already an embarrassment....
December 07, 2010
Or at least the liars: 3.32pm: "This case is not about WikiLeaks," district judge Howard Riddle told the court, according to my colleague Sam Jones, who was there. No. Of course not. Sexual assault in Sweden is of the utmost...
May 04, 2010
The morning news is that the DSCC is spending $300,000 to help Sen. Specter (D) defeat Rep. Sestak (D) in the Pennsylvania primary coming up on the 18th. President Obama and former president Clinton have cut spots on behalf of...
April 10, 2010
It appears that the White House was gutless. And even though Specter is likely to win, and even though Sestak is supposedly personally unpleasant, this is another reminder that I hope the retired admiral takes down the five-term incumbent in...
April 05, 2010
They got a prime week for it, but what's up with their finalists? Tampa - hurricanes. Phoenix - hotter than the sun. Salt Lake City - awfully Mormon for them, no? I'd guess they'll go with the city in Florida...
April 02, 2010
So much for her being the ultimate Marin County liberal (though of course she has lived in DC for about three decades)....
March 30, 2010
Code Pink members seem to have too much time on their hands....
March 26, 2010
A lot of political commentators have said that the passage of health care reform has doomed Mitt Romney's presidential bid, since he'll be actively disavowing a policy that is similar to one of his most prominent accomplishments as governor of...
March 22, 2010
I suppose Mr. Arcuri of New York is the leading answer to that question. But really, given the make-up of their districts I'd think Mr. Barrow of Georgia and Mr. Lynch of Massacusetts could be more appealing targets. And of...
March 20, 2010
For the first time ever I have received two political robocalls on the same day. Guess something important is going down in DC.For the record, one was lefty, urging your basic activism. The other was from Tony Perkins/the FRC. The...
March 14, 2010
Their ads against the president and "liberals" are all over my tv this weekend. And apparently that's happening all over the country. If I was a political journalist I might think it's my job to look up who's paying for...
March 02, 2010
First Read's analysis of The Rahm RIft doesn't cut to the chase, which is odd given that such sites are typically about little more than who's up, who's down horse-race politics. Either Rahm is incredibly stupid (doubtful), some Rahm allies...
February 25, 2010
This is the greatest comedy in the history of comedy. I can no longer attempt teh funny anymore; everything else pales in the face of this: US Missile Defense Agency Changes Logo to Obama~Islamic Crescent Hybrid! Not even the Onion...
February 22, 2010
So do I have this straight? The Right, Big Media, and Big Right Media all thought CPAC merited coverage as a meeting of leaders of a movement they see on the rise. But when Ron Paul decisively wins their presidential...
February 20, 2010
Alexander Haig died. Pretty crazy guy ("I'm in charge here."), but colorful. One of the first people I remember as a political figure, and in that sense, memorable to me. Conor Friedersdorf put together a list of great journalism in...
February 16, 2010
I read the NYT's long report on the Tea Party Movement. Pretty damn frightening. Those people are really crazy. In my worst Randian/Libertarian days, I never believed what these nutballs do. Oh, and a brief note to Ms. Stout (first...
February 11, 2010
Three of Arkansas's four US House seats will be open this fall (districts 1-3) as the incumbents have chosen not to run for reelection. Among the Democrats seeking to replace Marion Berry in AR-1 is state senator Tim Woolridge. What's...
February 08, 2010
Pennsylvania's longest serving member of the US House has died. His death opens up the chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, which will presumably fall to Norm Dicks of Washington. The make-up of his district is a reminder of the...
As Ezra Klein notes here. I don't know what this nonsense thing is that the president is going to hold on the 26th. It's as if the White House and the press are totally ignoring the existence of something called...
February 07, 2010
Hmmm, wouldn't she consider another politician who was wearing the flag of a foreign country to be un-American?...
February 06, 2010
Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu....
February 04, 2010
The highest court in Illinois just declared the state's med-mal caps unconstitutional - and the decision has led to some justice-on-justice snark and posturing (though not quite as delicious as the recent tidal wave of derision unleashed on PA's newest...
February 01, 2010
That's how we should read this story, right? We've had/got the largest Democratic majorities we are likely to have for many years to come. A couple of Republicans are actually co-sponsors. But still there aren't 60 Democratic votes in favor...
January 24, 2010
Following up on armand... ...if the Supreme Court just said, essentially, that corporations/unions have as much free speech as individuals (and thus they can spend money to buy political adds) then either: 1. Like individuals, they are limited to spending...
January 23, 2010
Just now I got a call from the WV Democratic Party asking if they could count on my support for a donation of $100 or more. I laughed and said "no way." Then the caller said, "I know times are...
January 22, 2010
If I was Joe Sestak I'd be putting together an ad right now, combining this with clips of Specter questioning of Anita Hill. You know, if Sestak still has any interest in winning the primary....
January 21, 2010
There aren't the votes, Speaker Pelosi? 39 Democrats would have to vote against the party to block passage of the Senate bill. You really can't put a whip organization in place that passes it while still letting 38 members vote...
January 19, 2010
...And I say this as a newly-minted one, too. As of about 9:30PM, they seem to have lost Ted Kennedy's seat to a Republican. Perhaps Coakley will pull it out (she's behind by about 100,000 votes out of 1.5 million...
January 18, 2010
Daniel Drezner has a funny analysis of the Coakley versus Brown contest in Massachusetts....
January 06, 2010
Ummm, wow. 4 big or just-became-big statewide races just moved around a lot. And unusually, though the changes were four major Democratic politicians dropping out of races, in all likelihood that probably helps the Democrats overall. In order of the...
November 20, 2009
Ras has that would-be primary race tied. I wouldn't miss McCain, but Hayworth is a buffoon. I suppose we can expect McCain to vote hard-right as long as this threat remains, and if the clownish ex-sportscaster beats him, that'll be...
November 16, 2009
So former Gov. Palin of Alaska sat down with The Oprah last week, and today the gauzy canoodling (I mean interview) was aired. And it's got me wondering - do you honestly think she could win the Republican nomination? And...
November 11, 2009
So the Mormon Church has come out in favor of legislation banning discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered (yes, even the Ts) Americans when it comes to housing and employment, yet our Democratic-led national and state governments have declined to...
November 08, 2009
Here's the list. With 2 exceptions all came from Republican-leaning or marginal seats. The two exceptions are Dennis the Menace and Artur Davis of Alabama. Both represent hugely Democratic districts, but Dennis is Dennis and Mr. Davis is running for...
Two of the Republican party's most highly touted Senate candidates are Mike Castle and Mark Kirk. Both are often described as moderates and get a lot of positive press for that. This morning I'm wondering how their support for the...
November 07, 2009
So should this pass the government will be blocking private companies who want to participate in the exchanges from offering coverage for legal medical procedures. Somehow, much like the vast sums spent on the "military-industrial complex", I don't think the...
November 06, 2009
So the Senate voted on Tom Coburn's (R-OK) amendment meant to defund National Science Foundation grants for political science. It was a largely party line vote, 62-36 (Byrd and Landrieu didn't vote). However a few senators bucked their party. 9...
November 04, 2009
It's Republicans +2 among the nation's governors (New Jersey and Virginia). It's Democrats +1 in the US House seats that were contested (they gained NY-23 and held CA-10). Gay rights lost in Maine but won in Washington state. Democrats lost...
October 13, 2009
Fearing being denied the ranking member slot on a major committee strikes me as a pretty good reason to think Olympia Snowe might well vote against any Democratic health care reform proposal. If they were to pass over her you'd...
October 06, 2009
Champagne corks are no doubt popping at the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee today as Delaware's veteran congressman and former governor has announced that he'll seek what used to be Vice President Biden's seat in the US Senate. Not only does...
October 02, 2009
Look I'm not saying I want her replaced by a Southern Republican, but the senior senator from Wal-Mart (or should that be Arkansas?) is giving Democrats less and less reason to support her re-election. And given how she can't get...
If this amendment approved by the Finance Committee becomes law health care reform could vary widely by state - and get very interesting....
September 30, 2009
The same day they vote to block even a weak public option from being in the health care bill they vote to bring back part of the good old days of George W. Bush. It only passed in committee by...
September 29, 2009
Oopsie, I guess this means we need to push Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito off the Supreme Court, and revoke masses of legislation. You see in Nellie's world they are all illegitimate.Is there a more cowardly and easily cowed politician...
September 25, 2009
Here's a nice report from Kate Pickert on an amendment sponsored by Bill Nelson to scrap the deal between the White House and PhRMA being voted down in the Finance Committee, mostly because of Republican opposition. The top Republican on...
September 22, 2009
I didn't think the strategy and messaging side of that operation could look worse in retrospect. I was wrong. Though, really, it's also kind of funny....
September 21, 2009
Not surprising. But with a field that big it'll be interesting to see just how small a fraction of the vote the victor wins....
September 19, 2009
As I mentioned earlier this week, those who bemoan a lack of bipartisanship in this country are ignoring the actions overwhelmingly supported by politicians of both major parties against ACORN. The governor of Louisiana though has kicked this anti-ACORNism up...
September 15, 2009
By a vote of 83-7 the Senate voted today to ban ACORN from receiving housing grants. Look - bipartisanship! The 7 senators who would rain on FoxNews' parade were Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 6 Democrats - Leahy of Vermont,...
September 10, 2009
Daniel Ellsberg makes some interesting historical comparisons - and boy oh boy does Howard Kurtz appear appalled....
September 09, 2009
What is there to say? Is he trying to sell me a second-hand sofa? Or advertising a low-grade local seafood outlet? Yeesh this guy is terrible. I'm going back to watching Matthew Morrison....
Before this Congress there had never been more than two female committee chairs in in any session of the US Senate. Now that Tom Harkin will be taking over for the late Ted Kennedy on HELP, it appears likely that...
September 08, 2009
Well, I was busy actually having fun this weekend, and I missed the political highlight of the fall season here in West-by-God-Virginia. A concert! HOLDEN, W.Va. -- Thousands showed up to a free Labor Day rally at a reclaimed mine...
I guess this makes it official. The Republicans reliance on "Arabs are dangerous!" will be shelved in 2010 in favor of "you're gonna lose your doctor - and die!"...
September 07, 2009
Joe Kennedy II will not run to fill his late uncle's seat in the US Senate. Attorney General Martha Coakley is in the race, and Rep. Lynch looks set to run as well. With Kennedy choosing not to throw his...
September 03, 2009
I'd be running for the Senate, against Harry Reid, too. Well, maybe not me, but it's not shocking that a prominent Republican would choose to take on Reid, who looks to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the...
August 25, 2009
Because having to deal with a deficit that's about to balloon to that size as you begin office will likely doom the political fortunes of anyone seeking to use a stay in Sacramento as a stepping stone to other high...
An interesting historical overview....
I see that Obama just re-nominated Bernanke to head the Fed for another four years. This would be the same Bernanke that led the Fed through the worst recession in since the great depression. I'm certainly not convinced the guy...
August 24, 2009
In a notable switch, he now sees Republicans as slightly more likely to gain Senate seats than to lose them....
August 21, 2009
It's all about the run-off. Details here and here....
August 19, 2009
Today while on I68 headed towards my favorite local mountain biking spot, I passed a pickup hauling a trailer with one bumper sticker on it: Don't blame me, I voted for Palin! Well, now, of course you did....
Barney Franks isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he does have a good command of the english language: That....was awesome....
August 18, 2009
A great run-down on the race can be found here.Yeesh, I get that the Third Way/DLC/centrist crowd loves nominating moderates in tough districts, but couldn't they have chosen a registered Democrat? The only possible Democratic contender not in favor of...
August 17, 2009
Via The Daily Beast, we discover that not everybody is doing badly in this recession: Fox News is having a great year! Fox's viewership is up 11 percent over last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. CNN and MSNBC, which...
August 14, 2009
Krugman uses this chart to note that economic inequality continues to rise. But I think an as interesting point is that the share of national income made by the top 0.01% has increased notably (in terms of a % rise...
August 12, 2009
Via Sullivan, we get this: According to Public Policy Polling (PPP), a North Carolina polling firm, only 24% of self-identified Republican voters in the state believe Barack Obama was born in the United States. 47% do not believe that Obama...
August 06, 2009
This post is mostly about Susan Fiske's work and the growing diversity in people's perceptions of what I guess we could call "Black America". But I look at these numbers and mostly I remember yet another thing John Kerry didn't...
August 05, 2009
Here. I don't know what they are smoking, but I'd say it's fairly questionable stuff. Unless they've got pictures of some weird, wild stuff in Alexi's closet, there's no way Illinois should be #2 on this list....
August 04, 2009
There are all kinds of problems with the US Senate, but this is one I hadn't ever thought much about. You know, if one sees senators being dependent on corporate PAC money as a problem. The numbers are striking....
July 27, 2009
Mocking her irresponsibility, her arrogance, her presumptuousness (regarding what American soldiers want), her spending, her taxing, her reliance on the negative politics of greivances ... I know I knock CNN about (and true to form their right-wing morning anchor was...
July 26, 2009
I think this post is right on the money. I'd be very surprised to see Arlen Specter be as reliable a Democratic vote if/when he gets by Rep. Sestak. Every step of the way he's done what's in the best...
July 24, 2009
Interesting. When Sen. Graham (R-SC) announced his support for Judge Sotomayor's nomination I was thinking we might see double-digit support for the Supreme Court nominee among the Republican senators. But with the announcement by the former Judiciary Committee chairman that...
July 09, 2009
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. And the affair continued for 6 months, even after this exhortation to follow Him again. I think we definitely need both hands to count the number of forms of fraud going on in that...
July 06, 2009
Harsh. Not necessarily inaccurate of course, but harsh. And yes there are hundreds of ways they differ, but these seem on point when it comes to trying to find an upside to spending years in the wilderness....
July 04, 2009
Cutting to the point of Gov. Palin's explanation. Basically, the point was that Palin is quitting as governor because she’s not a quitter. Or a deceased salmon.And she recalled her visit with the troops in Kosovo, whose dedication and determination...
July 03, 2009
Sarah Palin resigns as Governor of Alaska (effective, end of July, 2009). I won't link to anything; you can find it everywhere. I'm listening to her press conference. It is, to be charitable, somewhat disconnected. I have no idea what...
July 02, 2009
Despite the fact that students who enroll in multicultural studies programs perform better, wingnuts in Arizona want to de-fund schools that teach "ethnic studies:" The law in question prohibits the teaching of classes that “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the...
June 27, 2009
The usual path to the White House is running against Washington. So as the chatter begins about future propsects for the Republican presidential nomination, it makes sense that people are turning to the Republican governors. With that in mind NPR's...
June 24, 2009
I realize one shouldn't expect Republicans to be logical, but isn't this freak-out sort of odd given that many Republicans consider the Fairness Doctrine to have been the work of the devil?...
June 23, 2009
TAPPED has a couple of good posts up. In one Bruce Cain and Daniel Tokaji "argue that states with low participation rates should be required to issue 'electoral impact statements,' which would discourage practices that suppress turnout among poor and...
June 08, 2009
What the hell just happened?Well the upper body of the New York legislature which had been run by Republicans seemingly since the Founding until this year, is now in Republican hands once more. Two senators (both of whom are under...
June 02, 2009
The current Secretary of the Army, President Bush's last, was a Democratic congressman. The new Secretary of the Army will be John McHugh, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. He represents the northernmost district in New York...
May 29, 2009
In a post noting that G. Gordon Liddy doesn't think women should be judges, Karen Tumulty reminds us that his old boss, Richard Nixon, didn't think women should be in any jobs. This reminds me of something that I'm surprised...
May 22, 2009
This story has been bubbling up for a few days now. The ethanol lobby apparently fears the bill - and if there is any industry that's used to government handouts and protection from free-market forces it's Big Agriculture. In other...
May 21, 2009
Right-wing, whore-bangin' (I mean no offense to whores, but right-wing zealots should be called out on their hypocrisy) Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) might face a semi-serious primary challenge after all next year. The woman who almost toppled Mary Landrieu in...
May 20, 2009
I just plain don't get the brain trust that runs the Democrats in Congress (if there is one). I mean, they have an overwhelming majority in the House, and have either 59 or 60 votes in the Senate (depending on...
May 15, 2009
I'm stunned. He appears to have a bright political future, and he takes a top diplomatic post in an administration run by the other party? That's a bold move....
May 14, 2009
Dahlia Lithick covers the law-respectin' (kinda, sorta) senator from South Carolina. Graham explains that the lawbreaking that happened with respect to torture: a) wasn't lawbreaking, b) was justifiable lawbreaking, c) was lawbreaking done with the complicity of congressional Democrats, d)...
There have been two recent torture related debates floating around that I have wanted to add my two-cents to. 1. Obama's U-turn on the photos of detainees. Look; I understand the "don't release" side of this argument. I see that...
May 13, 2009
I had no idea that paradise was this close....
May 08, 2009
Today Andrew Sullivan links to sparring between Gordon Brown and David Cameron as a way of explaining why he asks tough questions and expects tough debates. The British system certainly is different from the American one where the David Broders,...
May 05, 2009
So the New York Times thinks it should have another right-winger on its op-ed pages. Naturally said writer is interested in revitalizing the country's right-wing party. But exactly what does he want it to be? Well, not Rush. But also...
April 30, 2009
Adam Serwer notes the following after seeing that church-goers are more likely to approve of torture:I feel like I should be making some smart remark about how Jesus was tortured, but I'm really too horrified. Of course, that won't stop...
Taniel says not so fast. He has been running against Democrats since before we were born, and his early acts have included opposing the popular president's budget. And the nominally pro-choice Specter is against one of the president's key nominees,...
April 29, 2009
The US House today approved an extension of the Hate Crimes Act that will include gay and lesbian Americans. The vote was 249-175, largely along party lines, but with 17 Democrats and 18 Republicans going against the majority of their...
Dumbest question yet goes to Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times - What's surprised, troubled, enchanted, and humbled you the most about serving as president, over the last 100 days? Answering that's taken something like 10 minutes and told...
April 28, 2009
Via every news source known to mankind, it was just announced that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Losing) is now Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Not Losing By Quite So Much). Paging Al Franken....Paging Sen. Al Franken...Please report to the now-filibuster proof Senate immediately.......
April 27, 2009
Steve Chapman reminds us that many of the legal benefits of marriage are denied to gay couples married in Iowa, Vermont or any other state that legalizes gay marriage. Oh, Iowa can provide recognition to gay marriages under all its...
April 26, 2009
I continue to be confused by the right-wing assertions in this scandal. They've claimed everything from "the techniques we used were not torture" (wrong) to "the Democrats can't/shouldn't change the laws to criminalize acts of the previous administration" (wrong again:...
April 21, 2009
When was the last time a former president or vice president was so prominent in taking part in political debates? When was the last time one was so actively criticizing his successors? When was the last time it was done...
April 20, 2009
RUMINT (Rumor Intelligence) is always fun, if not necessarily accurate. So, we can wait a day or so for the actual truth to emerge here. That doesn't mean we can't start speculating, however. Via TMP (just cut and pasted in...
April 15, 2009
There was a teabag protest in town today. I needed to walk by, both because I had to get home and let the dogs out, and because, well, I needed to see this. There were about 250 or so gathered...
April 07, 2009
Ummm, it's April 2009, right? I thought it was a little odd when I saw Sen. Specter (R-PA) running ads several weeks ago trumpeting his support of President Obama's initiatives. Now I see he's running television ads blasting Republican Pat...
April 04, 2009
And no, when I'm talking about Glenn Beck, I am not talking about the nice rhyming bits by Hugo Weaving, but rather the crazy, spittle-flecked on-air personality....
Three Pittsburgh police officers were shot and killed today. The report suggests he was distraught over losing his job and "was worried that US President Barack Obama was about to ban guns."...
March 25, 2009
I didn't actually watch it last night, but have read some reviews this morning. He seemed to have done well (no major gaffes; came across as competent and knowledgeable). From reading the NYT, WaPo and then some bloggers (Sullivan, Cole,...
March 24, 2009
True, Bachmann seems crazier than White did. But regardless, her "I'm a foreign correspondent on enemy lines" take on Washington, and her call for getting armed and dangerous and staging a revolution ... that seems a wee bit unsettling, no?...
If this is indeed the reason behind that widely-publicized goof, I am shocked - just shocked....
March 23, 2009
An interesting map. Where McCain was strongest and Obama was weakest is right where many would have predicted in such a hypothetical match-up years ago - a line from Southside Virginia, skirting mostly South of Appalachia and ending in the...
March 18, 2009
He's putting the idea out there. I'm suddenly thinking of Jacob Javits in 1980....
I tend to think the Mayor of San Francisco has no chance of getting elected governor. He has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. He's married two minor celebrities, pretty, skinny young women. And when those things...
March 17, 2009
The Irish Irish actually invited her to march. Which she did, with her partner. The New York Irish don't want her within miles of Fifth Avenue if she happens to wear a pin they don't like. The first two paragrahs,...
March 10, 2009
Looks like there are some weebles (errr, senators) that don't only wobble, but who can also be pushed over. I don't think we should call them flip-floppers - that needlessly impugns the character of fish and implies a lack of...
I think that's a bad number for a Biden in Delaware - though of course the big question is will Castle run?In another closely watched race 5-term incumbent Chris Dodd is trailing potential Republican challenger Rob Simmons in Connecticut....
March 09, 2009
A new statewide, nonpartisan group dedicated to protecting the rights of the LGBT community in West Virginia has launched its website. If you are a Mountaineer who supports ending discriminatory practices in employment and housing in our fair state, go...
March 06, 2009
Toomey to enter the race....
March 03, 2009
President Obama campaigned on changing our interactions with Cuba. But Bob Menendez is doing is darndest to hold the line in favor of the old (failed) policies - even if it means blocking the heads of the White House Office...
February 28, 2009
Who is the right-wing base excited about at this point? Romney has a plurality. But I think the more interesting thing is how low the numbers are for Palin and Huckabee, two very well-known political commodities, in the wake of...
February 27, 2009
Who ever would have imagined?! The biggest consumer[of porn], Utah, averaged 5.47 adult content subscriptions per 1000 home broadband users; Montana bought the least with 1.92 per 1000. ... Eight of the top 10 pornography consuming states gave their electoral...
February 26, 2009
Is he the Republican who could be the biggest threat to Obama in 2012 - and more than that the Republican who could win more than a bare majority of the electorate?...
February 24, 2009
Basically he boxes 'em into a 2x2 typology. And that is fine as far as it goes. But looking at this I'm struck by how non-threatening those names look. It really does appear, albeit 3.7 years out or whatever it...
February 18, 2009
Because if this is the current situation, you'd think a young, rich, ambitious, statewide-elected official who wants the president's old Senate seat and who is close to the president wouldn't wait to long before announcing his candidacy. After all, the...
February 17, 2009
I'm not surprised by this. That I'm not says a lot about Gov. Palin and her ability to lead anything beyond a fringe movement. The day of the third debate, Palin refused to go onstage with New Hampshire GOP Sen....
Seriously, how do you vote "present" on the stimulus bill? The guy is arguably the biggest example of nepotism in Congress, a lousy vote on a host of Democratic issues, and this ... c'mon. C'MON....
February 16, 2009
Hopefully they will go the fuck back to whatever rock they crawled out from under with this nonsense. These are not West Virginia values. More here, here, here and here....
February 12, 2009
Another nominee for Commerce Secretary withdraws....
February 10, 2009
These are lousy numbers for any incumbent, much less a five-term incumbent....
February 09, 2009
I'm going to be interested to see how the tv talking heads deal with this. The typical Mr. Airhead and Ms. Blowdry knows nothing whatsoever about economics, and very little about the US political system. They live in a world...
February 08, 2009
This strikes me as both a good idea, and the kind of thing it's rather shocking hasn't been done before. Organizational maps within the government will be redrawn to ensure that all departments and agencies take the same regional approach...
February 07, 2009
Ben Nelson, sure. Nellie will always be on what looks like the moderate-conservative of a vote, regardless of the substance or merits of the proposal. Jon Tester, eh, he might see campaign ads being made on the issue, and he...
February 06, 2009
Whatever the merits of this office move, the symbolism of it is terrible....
February 04, 2009
Sebelius, Granholm, Kitzhaber? All great. Rendell? Oh please no.UPDATE: And please, not Phil Bredesen either....
February 03, 2009
And I think it's a pretty good case. The general rule in politics is that incumbents are reelected at higher rates than non-incumbents, and this removes a guy from high office less than 2 years before the next election for...
Richardson, Lynn, Daschle - and now Ms. Killefer is withdrawing her candidacy. These things are not being handled well....
February 01, 2009
So Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has been trying to wash away memories of his sexcapades that got in the news by running as far to the right as possible. Not a minor feat given that he was already on the...
Having minor problems with a complicated tax code shouldn't bar one from holding high office. But $128,000? That's something entirely different. And not disclosing the problem before you are nominated to high office? That's an even bigger problem (given that...
January 29, 2009
I assume this is going forward with coordination with Gov. Lynch's office. If so, the Democrats might reach that often-discussed milestone - 60 seats in the Senate....
January 28, 2009
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. Why? Check out who the possible future presidential candidate was praising as epitomizing the best of Utah: Huntsman praised several guests in the gallery who he said epitomized the best of the state, including University...
Which two Democratic senators voted for confirming John Ashcroft as Attorney General but against confirming Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary? The answer is below....
January 27, 2009
He's calling him a huge liar. Which given similar calls would seem to open the door even wider to a primary challenge from Andrew Cuomo. Won't it be odd if Paterson bad-mouthing a Kennedy leads to the ex-husband of a...
January 24, 2009
Actually that makes a lot of sense, though it isn't something I'd thought about. Mayor, governor, senator, the Secretary of Interior, he seems scandal-free, capable, well-liked, and his principles are those of a very conservative Republican, but his appearance and...
January 23, 2009
So which respected, inoffensive Republican senator may be primaried? Isakson? Grassley? Bennett?While Charlie Cook's point is a good one, the Republicans don't have a monopoly on making divisive choices when it comes to 2010 Senate races. The appointees from Illinois...
January 22, 2009
Except when it will.I should note that I think a blanket ban of this sort is silly and in some cases counterproductive (much like I view that gimmick about freezing the pay of the White House staff). But if you...
So it looks like last night Gov. Paterson kicked Caroline Kennedy to the curb. Who will the new nominee be then? Halperin has a list of possibilities. I'm betting it'll be Kirsten Gillibrand. Off Halperin's list, I'd rather it was...
January 20, 2009
...or did the air smell a bit sweeter just past noon today? And I swear the sky got a bit sunnier, too....
January 19, 2009
January 17, 2009
That's lower - 10% lower - than the number recorded for any other president in the history of the poll....
January 13, 2009
No doubt many find this frustrating. But it could well be a good thing in terms of securing the country's best interests. "Look, I think [Hillary Clinton] is loyal to a fault," he commented by e-mail. "She takes care of...
January 12, 2009
This is just too good. Rick Warren's been meddling in the Episcopal Church. He apparently thinks it's too gay-friendly, so he's been doing what he can to break it. Well guess who the president-elect has invited to deliver the invocation...
January 11, 2009
According to several news reports the senior senator from Ohio will announce tomorrow that he's not going to run for reelection in 2010. He'll be the fourth Republican incumber to announce that (following senators from Florida, Kansas and Missouri), and...
January 09, 2009
And over 90% of Republicans are voting against the bill. Sure, they'll whine about the rule and those scary, scary trial lawyers - but damn do they remain stupid politically. Apparently they want 2010 to look like 2006 and 2008....
Now there'll be a trial in the State Senate....
January 08, 2009
TPM Election Central has a report. Anyone know anything about Shapiro, Torsella or Wiessmann?...
January 06, 2009
I realize that Blago is either the dumbest or the most corrupt politician (or both!) in America these days. I follow that much. What I don't get is why the US Senate is refusing to seat Burris. Follow me here:...
This makes a lot of sense to me. He knows Washington. He knows the White House, and he knows how to serve the President, who is the CIA's main client. Lets not underestimate this kind of experience - most are...
January 04, 2009
Craddick has been an enormously influential figure in Texas politics. He's represented Midland in the Texas House since 1969. In 2003 he became Speaker of the House, the first Republican Speaker of the Texas House, and has ruled over that...
January 03, 2009
The alway controversial Speaker of the Texas House has a new challenger - an unexpected one. Maybe Democrats shouldn't support him, but unseating Craddick has been top goal of many for years....
January 02, 2009
An unexpected choice, and surely one that'll annoy the "but s/he's never won an election! and he's being appointed, not elected!" set that's howling over the possibility of Caroline Kennedy's appointment in New York. UPDATE: Here's a profile of his...
January 01, 2009
His own words, his supporters' words, his masoleum, pushing for the execution of an innocent man - it seems like every day there's some new story out there that will make it easier to marginalize and mock Roland Burris....
December 31, 2008
So the Chicago congressman thinks blocking the appointment of Roland Burris is akin to a lynching. And yet when he had the opportunity to support a black candidate for an open US Senate seat in 2004 he opted to oppose...
December 30, 2008
Will be interesting to see the reaction to this....
December 18, 2008
Uh, no, Ambinder's wrong. Politically active gays know who Rick Warren is. They don't know who Maxwell is. And even if they did, many wouldn't give a damn about who the Labor Secretary is, whereas a hell of a lot...
One of the last open seats in the cabinet has apparently been filled with a solid progressive....
December 17, 2008
It's not that I'm pro-dynasty or think Beau Biden should have his father's Senate seat, but how exactly is this a partisan thing? Last time I checked the Republican president's father was ... a Republican president. Mitt Romney, Sen. Gregg,...
December 16, 2008
Dianne Feinstein, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu and Jay Rockefeller have new jobs....
December 14, 2008
...as I see all the discussion about whether or not autoworkers make too much. It's a word I think of when I wonder about the supposed wisdom of planning to pay future pensions by hoping there will be enough money...
Now that would have been a fun band in the inauguration parade....
December 12, 2008
Dear Media: I have noticed a recent trend in calling Obama's incoming Cabinet by an old phrase - "The Best and The Brightest." You should note that this phrase refers to a good book, but the book uses the phrase...
December 09, 2008
Parties like famous candidates. It's established in the poli sci literature that celebrity candidates do better than average. But will PA Democrats, who voted heavily for Hillary Clinton, take to Chris Matthews who was a prominent antagonist of her candidacy?...
Wow. Some politicians are incredibly dumb, on top of being hugely unpopular. Suddently Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) becomes relevant. Who'd have expected that? And I'm betting this isn't going to help former Gov. George Ryan's (R) quest for...
December 07, 2008
The last two congressional races of the year were held yesterday in Louisiana. In LA-4, Morris' district, the candidate he liked, Dr. Fleming, appears to have eked out one of the narrowest wins in the country. That seat is a...
December 06, 2008
Might Gov. Paterson name Kennedy to replace Sen. Clinton? It is the Senate seat once held by her uncle Bobby....
December 03, 2008
Ambinder describes someone else (Gov. Granholm of Michigan) as the leading candidate, but apparently an out lesbian is a top contender to be the next Secretary of Labor. That would be a first that I was not expecting....
December 01, 2008
Ouch: In short, McCain entered this election season being the worst thing that anyone can be, in the eyes of the Rove-school Republicans: Different. Independent. His own man. He exited the campaign on his knees, all his dignity gone, having...
November 29, 2008
That's how some are reading this. To which I respond - No! No! No! No! No!...
November 25, 2008
It's a question that I've seen bouncing around. Here's one analysis....
November 21, 2008
So reports Andrea Mitchell. I'd say that's a very solid pair of picks....
November 20, 2008
John Dingell had been the top Democrat on Energy and Commerce since 1981, long before several dear friends of mine were born. Next Congress though he'll be without that gavel - he's lost it to Henry Waxman. Let the fight...
November 18, 2008
So if the rumors are right, Sen. Clinton will be Secretary of State, Eric Holder will be Attorney General, and Peter Orszag will be Budget Director. Of course we already know Rahm-bo will be Chief of Staff and Greg Craig...
Ugh. I wish Harry Reid didn't remind me of Kevin Bacon getting initiated in Animal House (I apologize for that visual)....
November 17, 2008
One more sign that Sen. Clinton may very well be the next Secretary of State. I'd think that Bill Clinton's ties may well be the only thing standing between her and the job....
November 14, 2008
Possible motives behind this press story/possibility, via Sullivan, are that a) it's a way for Obama to contain the damage the Clintons could otherwise inflict, or b) it's a way for Sen. Clinton to bloody and block two men who...
November 12, 2008
He is smart. Very smart. But the idea that not wanting to be a vice presidential nominee is a brilliant political move is freakin' nuts. Jack Kemp, Joe Lieberman, Lloyd Bentsen, John Edwards - none of these men were hurt...
November 11, 2008
Ezra Klein considers a number of interrelated questions tied to how voters make their choices....
November 10, 2008
I realize that financial news has dropped off most people's radar screens these days, but the crisis continues to roll through our markets (and most everyones). Today's news comes via a discussion on naked capitalism on the (continuing) AIG bailout....
November 09, 2008
November 07, 2008
Al Kamen runs down the history of it since the days of JFK, and notes that if Obama only names one or two Republicans he may be accused of simply behaving like his (supposedly more partisan) predecessors....
November 06, 2008
In the last day and a half the Republican Whip, Republican Conference Chair, and Republican Conference Vice Chairwoman have all announced that they are giving up their jobs. No doubt some of them feared they'd be tossed out if they...
Remember back in 2004 when Politics1 noted several members of Congress had bizarre ties to the Moonies - including taking part in ceremonies where some of them were crowned? Rep. Davis (D-IL) was one of those members. I understand the...
Sure the governor wants it and Republicans just lost control of the state Senate for the first time in decades - that doesn't mean the legislature is interested in making it a priority.UPDATE: 4 Democratic senators are working to block...
Alaska and Arizona, naturally, and Obama's Appalachian problem is well-known - but Arkansas and Oklahoma really stand out....
November 05, 2008
So by now everyone knows about the electoral crack of FiveThirtyEight and their scary accurate predictions. Through their site I also found excellent early vote stats. But I've also gotta throw some poli sci geek love to The Monkey Cage...
Shouldn't Monty Burns be presiding over this, at a remote castle?...
Feel free to use this as a thread to comment on the outcomes of yesterday's election.My initial take? Oooooooooo-BAMA! That was a superbly well-run campaign, a clear and substantial victory, and I'm looking forward to him taking office in two...
November 04, 2008
We're doing it. And I'm not going to jinx anything by saying what it's looking like, but hot motherfucking damn!...
Here's a list of state law about your ability to leave work to vote. Exercise your rights, people. Have a good voting day....
October 31, 2008
These ads against him are horrible, and his opponent's record in Tennessee politics the last few years has been horrible too, so maybe I'm not too invested in seeing him lose on Tuesday. He's a vastly superior politician when compared...
October 30, 2008
And they are spending about $700,000 to do it. They are also spending $400,000 to try to get Republican Beth Walker elected to the Supreme Court. These are the statewide races I'm going to be watching the most closely in...
October 29, 2008
I think Benen's right to ask - where do you start with an ad this deplorable?...
A good answer to a fifth grader, in my home county....
All those in favor of declaring this election over, raise your hands. One...four...seven...eleven...yup, I think that's everyone. Is this ever going to end?...
October 28, 2008
I've long assumed Tim Geithner was the favorite for the job, but here Robert Kuttner makes a good case for naming the Republican head of the FDIC....
Charlie Crist. If only McCain had picked him to run with - he would not be in the trouble he's in now....
The Democrats have been running it, with the slimmest possible margin, and the Democrats are forecase to keep running it, with a larger margin - but there could be notable changes at the top. Biden out at Foreign Relations? Byrd...
October 27, 2008
Assuming all goes as expected (from the polls) Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be the first Roman Catholic to serve as Vice President in the country's history. It's interesting that that "first" will happen 48 years after the first...
October 26, 2008
The Philadelphia Daily News blasts McCain-Palin for repeatedly saying that rural America is the best America. It's an elitist view that overlooks the many negative societal problems that are worse in small towns than in urban America. Plus of course...
October 25, 2008
Just throwing this out there on a slow, rainy Saturday afternoon. Yes, it's waaaay early. But since several of us like to speculate about such things ... This week, as it has started to look more and more like Sen....
Via Sullivan, this is interesting. Preditcably, Obama is winning more endorsements from the nation's bigger papers, And there are more papers that are endorsing Obama this year after endorsing George Bush in 2004 than there are papers that are endorsing...
October 24, 2008
Oy, so she's soft on people bombing American homes and buildings (guess those aren't part of "real" America)....
October 23, 2008
I don't have much time to post this afternoon, so I figured that this topic might be worth throwing out there for some quick responses. I see 3 people definitely running - Romney, Huckabee and Gingrich. Who else do you...
October 22, 2008
Jane Mayer's story on how the McCain campaign came to pick Sarah Palin is interesting. As to the pick itself, it appears to be pretty much what you'd expect. Some including Karl Rove favored Mitt Romney. But to McCain, "all...
I did not know that the former Georgia congressman, and now the Libertarian Party's candidate for the presidency, spent his formative years abroad, in places like Iraq, Panama and Peru. And he was a Young Democrat at USC - until...
I'd send 'em here. Think about the grandchildren....
October 21, 2008
And so it begins: Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last...
By Cafardi, Kaveny, and Kmiec: In part, we endorsed Senator Obama because his tax-reduction plan focuses on the betterment of average families and those living at the margins. Center for Disease Control statistics reveal that prosperity directly affects the abortion...
October 17, 2008
I don't know how she got like this. But whatever did it to her, you should avoid drinking/eating/snorting/seeing/reading/smelling/listening to it. On the other hand, this is awesome in so many ways that scientists haven't invented a number big enough: (These...
October 15, 2008
While reading over their live blog of the debate, I caught an entry (8:50 pm) that said they were in Morgantown. And we missed it! I just talked to one of our friends/colleagues in the English department who was telling...
I've got a great idea - McCain should dump Palin from the GOP ticket and pick up Joe the Plumber....
Sweet jesus. If this is how it goes, I will have a large knot on my forehead at the end. 2. Obama seems a little impatient. 3. Oooh.... "during the Depression we had..." And we ate squirrel soup too!...
October 14, 2008
Take a look at these projections of the outcome of today's national election in Canada - the vote totals, how they are dispersed, and the seats the parties are expected to win. It's a great example of how electoral systems,...
October 13, 2008
For both practical and theoretical reasons it needs to go. Most people don't understand it. It's anti-democratic. It leads to elections being fought in battleground states while the rest of the country is ignored. There is the faithless elector problem,...
October 12, 2008
Armand posted about polling a couple of days ago, but I just got back from a weekend in the deep country and what I have to report are ZERO bumper stickers for McCain and ONE for Obama. Also, there's this....
They find her ties to the Alaska Independence Party and the John Birchers were substantially. To sum it up: In general, we found that not only did Mrs. Palin have numerous associations with these extremists, she actively sought to empower...
October 10, 2008
So says the McCain campaign. This is quite simply a batshit crazy move. It would give the media free rein to write up stories on Todd Palin's treasonous political associations, and on the inappropriate role he played as a political...
October 08, 2008
It's not surprising, but it's still pretty sad. How dare Obama pronounce words correctly! Doesn't he know it's un-American? At least they don't go quite as far in their derision for his accuracy as Conservipedia (or whatever it's called) does...
October 07, 2008
The lying... it burns! First, McCain says that he suspended his campaign. Second, he said that two years ago he, McCain, warned about the oncoming crisis and said that Obama and his cronies in Washington were to blame. [smack smack...
She'd be back in the Wasilla already, charging the people of Alaska a per diem while staying in her own house, and not paying taxes on it. I mean, really, can you imagine? Can you imagine the reaction of the...
October 06, 2008
Via Balloon Juice, I see McCain would give the big F-U to other senior citizens who have neither entered Congress nor married heiresses. From the Wall Street Journal: John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to...
So basically the people are tv props and the questions are chosen by Tom Brokaw. And this no follow-ups stuff - why do supposedly self-respecting journalists take part in that nonsense?...
Nothing political here. Anyone interested in boning up on the massive problems (with, as best I can tell, more to come as Europe sorts its banks out) might like these primers. I'm not a econ-head, but these are reasonable enough...
Over the course of the last couple years I've had a lot of negative things to say about Pete Wentz in conversations with various young attorney/law student acquaintances of mine. Given this, I take it back (well, some of it)....
October 05, 2008
Bill Jefferson goes on trial in December, but evenso he topped a crowded field in the Democratic primary for LA-2. He'll face Helena Moreno, a young news anchor who was the only white candidate in the race, in a run-off...
Nice comment over at Sullly: The fact that so many other qualified women in the party, like Olympia Snowe (whom I admire greatly), Kay Baily Hutchinson, Christie Todd Whitman (my former governor) are able to communicate and connect with the...
October 04, 2008
The US is a key audience for the hundreds of millions they are throwing into propoganda operations? I think Marc Lynch's response is on target. Presenting American audiences as a key target for manipulation through the covert dissemination of propaganda...
October 03, 2008
So last night when the three of us were watching the debate at a mutual friend's house - with her totally awesome and completely fired up senior citizen who doesn't act like a senior citizen mom - as soon as...
Since jacflash noted the governor continually referring to her notes, I thought I'd link to this. Funny. And yet also not....
October 01, 2008
It appears the White House did it - with of course the assistance of various people in DoJ. I strongly support further investigations into this....
The debate in one minute....
Per the norm, Big Coal was acting in a contemptible way - but the miners stood up to them....
Ummm, why? What's unreasonable about calling for the disclosure of information that will have a direct effect on a candidate's ability to do his or her job? Of course that's especially true when you've got a candidate who is 72,...
September 30, 2008
I've just been informed that there is a certain someone who regularly reads our blog. An important someone. We're proud of the bloggingness that we do here, and we like it when readers (lurkers) become commenters. It keeps the blog...
I do not like him anywhere....
She's not a dumb woman. Surely she knows what's at issue isn't whether or not Palin would use a morning-after pill but whether she'd obstruct the rights of other women to use them. And how in the hell does she...
September 29, 2008
I get the idea, but I don't know that she quite pulls it off....
It's grossly overrated as a general matter, and today we've seen one more reason why. Working across party lines, especially between parties that don't trust each other, throws all sorts of uncertainty into the system, and creates more veto points...
Yglesias notes that predictable oddity, reacting to this Jeffrey Goldberg post noting that her answer is less distressing than the fact that she doesn't seem to understand the question. I think that "Dan Quayle was Metternich in comparison" line is...
Over at The Great Orange Satan Kagro X is keeping a tally of who in the House talking about the bailout, coming out either in support or opposition to it. Using who the "nay" votes are as a cue reinforces...
It will indeed be interesting to look carefully at the list of people who vote against the bailout bill....
September 27, 2008
McCain seems to believe that if we eliminate all the earmarks, we'll save just tons of money. This is incorrect: Earmarks are generally bad. I'm happy to do away with them. Eliminating them, however, isn't going to solve anything. (NOTE:...
September 26, 2008
Getting ready for the debates tonight, where the bloodless crew will assemble with friends to document the atrocities. Or try to, unless we have to start drinking massively. To prepare, I am watching the Flaming Lips from last year's Bonnaroo....
This week's "campaign suspension" and trip to the White House (a non-political trip to the White House?) isn't the first time John McCain has reminded me of Bart Simpson during his terrible twos (chanting "I am so great, I am...
September 25, 2008
So does anyone want to go on the record with their prediction for tomorrow night? Will John McCain take part the first debate? Will he send Sarah Palin? Will he stay in DC and play craps with Joe Lieberman? Is...
I'm speechless - and think she'd have been better off if she'd been speechless too....
Though of course she won't answer all their questions (2 of 5), and the answers she gives make her sound as substantive as a marshmallow....
September 24, 2008
That's where things stand according to the latest Time poll....
September 23, 2008
From the team which, as Sully notes, seems to clearly want the US to go to war with Iran: A McCain administration would discourage Israeli-Syrian peace talks and refrain from actively engaging in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Hmmm - why...
Ugh. And this is on top of his comments about AIG (which Obama had to personally, publicly criticize him for) and the Obama campaign's ad pointing out that McCain is an old man disconnected from much of our modern world....
September 22, 2008
The Righteous Path: And for my money, the song that best captures the economic anxieties and aspirations voters are feeling now - and the song of the 2008 cycle - is "The Righteous Path" by the Drive-By Truckers. Take a...
This is a bizarre idea - but it came right out of McCain's mouth, unprompted. A campaign staffed by lobbyists, Sarah Palin, Andrew Cuomo, likely Phil Gramm ... it's looking like the personnel running a McCain government would run the...
September 20, 2008
ABC is onto the news that it might not have been insubordination after all when Monegan went to Washington. UPDATE: Visuals from Alaska....
Get yours Here. A 50 state plus PR and DC project. Via Boing Boing...
September 19, 2008
September 18, 2008
Seriously, how in the world can someone vote for McCain-Palin in light of this?...
T-Bills traded at negative interest rates for a while this morning. Isn't this the equivalent of "I'll give you $50 today for $48 dollars in three months."? That can't be good for financial stability. Where is the bottom of this?...
September 17, 2008
So I tagged this under Latin America for fun, or maybe in solidarity with McCain, who has a little trouble remembering who are his friends and who are his enemies, and what continent they are from: We wanted to give...
A reminder of why we accept questionable competence in national leaders, and why it took over two centuries for a major political party to nominate a non-white man for the presidency....
September 16, 2008
For those who were waiting to see how the McCain campaign handled Troopergate: McCain campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan said, "I think it's fair to say that the governor is not going to cooperate with that investigation so long as it...
September 15, 2008
From Shakesville: So, Alaska has a pretty serious sexual assault and domestic violence program.How serious? "Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI, with a rate two and a half times the national average—a...
September 14, 2008
This is called "vetting" (here and here). You might want to try it out sometime. (This doesn't mean the stories are correct in their negative review of Palin's tenure as mayor and governor. However, if you vet people correctly, you...
September 12, 2008
ABC got the numbers and the interview, but this guy might have had the more important interview. Don't know when it was from, but it has to have been recent. (Moved below the fold because it would play automatically.)...
She knowingly lies right to your face, again and again, even when she probably knows there's proof to catch her in the lie. She just doesn't care, doesn't feel a need to defend herself, or to be honest with the...
September 11, 2008
Why don't people burst out laughing when the Republican nominee for the presidency says stuff like this? She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of AmericaSuuuure she does Sen. McCain. And if that wasn't...
Neato! A one-stop shop for the money and connections behind John McCain's lobbyists, errr, advisors. And it's got cute graphics....
September 10, 2008
CNN is advertising that they will have Chuck Norris on tonight to talk about politics. Presumably tomorrow they'll have on Colin Powell to discuss professional bass-fishing, and Friday will feature James Carville to discuss how the new IPod will influence...
I get sticking to McSame as a campaign theme, and think it will pay benefits in November. But why isn't Obama running ads 24/7 in FL, VA, MI, CO and NV touting his tax cuts and comparing them to what...
September 09, 2008
The 20 Questions We Would Ask Sarah Palin It's a pretty good list. I might skip some of the more factual questions ("Who leads China and India?") in favor of more questions about policy (if you are only limited to...
September 08, 2008
Not that I think this pick was ever about picking up independents and Clinton supporters. This ought to turn out the base though. McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be...
September 07, 2008
Tbogg's use of the Hold Steady takes my mind off of all the nonsense and reminds me that in the next month or so I am not only going to see the Hold Steady three times, but also the Drive...
Imagine that asked in my best Chandler Bing voice.It's hard to imagine anyone who better represents the Washington elite than McCain. He fits that bill in so many ways. And I learned a new one from Halperin today (yes, it's...
September 06, 2008
As a theoretical matter I agree with Sullivan. In a democracy it should not be acceptable for a major politician to hide from the press - especially in the weeks preceding a national election. It shows a contempt for the...
The GOP steals "rescues" flags from the democrats....
The one in my yard? It's been stolen. Along with all the other Obama signs on my block....
Here's a piece of US political trivia I didn't know - in the last 60 years how many governors have been vice presidential nominees on major party tickets? 2. Spiro Agnew and Sarah Palin. I didn't realize it was that...
September 04, 2008
Dick Cheney, being kept as far away from the Republican National Convention as is humanly possibly, has stated (publicly) that Georgia should join NATO: TBILISI, Georgia - Vice President Dick Cheney flew here on Thursday to deliver a forceful American...
Just sayin'. I hope that the thumping octogenarian Sen. Lautenberg gave him in the Senate primary kills him off as a statewide candidate for good....
If there comes a day when Sarah Palin drifts out of her no-questions cocoon and actually deigns to talk to the press, someone should really asks her what it is about this form of community service that she thought was...
September 03, 2008
So I watched Rudy and Palin. My thoughts: 1) Quite a diverse crowd there, eh? On tv it truly looks like a white business people and their spouses (and parents) party. 2) I'm wondering if Giuliani was so awful to...
She's one compassionate conservative. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need...
September 02, 2008
Following up on something Binky noted earlier - So the US of A isn't good enough for Mr. Palin? And maybe Governor Palin too?...
September 01, 2008
Via Kevin Drum, I see that the Bush Administration has won it's legal battle to prevent a private cattle producer from testing 100% of their cows for mad cow disease (short blurb). The company wanted to certify their beef as...
Speaking of that Kinsley column, it's pretty good. In light of the Palin nomination, just how does McCain defend the last several months of his own words about Obama?It's not about experience at all. It's about honesty. The question should...
I think that one thing that's often underestimated in terms of why national discourse, especially in the press, about national politics took such a right-leaning slant over the last few decades is the effect of The Almanac of American Politics....
I think Benen's right to bring this up. McCain's been in politics for decades - has he ever before acted like he's acting now? Did he do it post-Katrina? After all 2005 saw 3 of the biggest hurricanes on record,...
August 31, 2008
Nice line - and an interesting thing to add to discussions of this issue....
August 30, 2008
Cheeky of people, thinking they have rights....
Gosh, I have no idea what the VP does! Well, gosh, do you think she's the kind of person folks might want to have a beer with? Maybe she's make a great neighbor!...
August 29, 2008
One of the true delights of this election season has been watching how it's transformed Jack Cafferty - how the Republicans continue to push him around the bend, and how he quite forthrightly makes that clear to one and all....
So Palin supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" and she likes congressional earmarks generally. Hmmm, interesting that McCain said exactly the opposite regarding her views on those issues as he introduced her today.And she supported Pat Buchanan in 1999?UPDATE: Oh, I...
That's how I read this. They met at the NGA meeting in February. They talked on the phone on Sunday. And they met again on Thursday when he offerred her the job. I have no idea the last time a...
Andrew Sullivan has been throwing up some weird posts today. This one stands out as the wackiest. He so desperately wants to see Republicans and conservative embracing gay people that he sees it where it doesn't exist. He notes that...
Seriously? On the one hand it's an incredibly savvy choice in certain areas. She's got a great personal story and will thrill the Right and some PUMAs, and she'd be an historic choice. But a man, a 72 year-old man,...
August 28, 2008
This is their response to Obama's speech? In the first place, maybe they'll later add an "analysis" tag to the work and stop calling it a "news" piece, as they've done with McCain-cheerleader Fournier's work. But beyond that ... c'mon....
Given that the McCain campaign seems to be running on his POW past of late, am I the only one who finds it peculiar that no one in the media seems to ever mention that confession he wrote in prison?...
August 27, 2008
With flying colors. And I am counting the orange pantsuit....
Well golly McCain doesn't want to step on Obama's toes, really he doesn't, it's just you've got to let those darned advance people and the Secret Service know, and should the name come out, well, really, honest-to-golly-gee-shucks McCain will feel...
Which is cool, and it was nice of Sen. Clinton to go to the floor to propose that his nomination be made by acclimation during the roll call of states. But personally I'd say what really made that moment was...
So I just got a note from the convention on where the campaign is headed in West Virginia. The Obama team will staff 3-5 offices in the state. That'll include a big one in Charleston, one in Morgantown, one in...
Most of last night's political coverage was focused on the Democratic National Convention and the election results in Alaska (Sen. Stevens was easily renominated and Rep. Young appears to have just barely won - by about 150 votes). But they...
August 26, 2008
While I assume the new Gallup number will be the poll story of the day, scroll down to the congressional races. In the latest PPP poll Elizabeth Dole is behind challenger Kay Hagan. Dole's numbers appear to have plunged in...
The annual tradition of staff comments on members continues. Click to find out who's "meanest", "nicest", a "workhorse", a "fashion victim", and much more....
August 25, 2008
Everybody knows that the latest anti-Obama ads berating him for having a poor half-sibling (hmmm, who knew the Republicans favored intra-family handouts - I thought they were the party of personal responsibility) are really about implying that he's a furriner...
August 24, 2008
Oh, right, that one: Eight women currently are governors of states. Dem women governors: 5 GOP women governors: 3 I count 72 women in the House of Representatives Dem women representatives: 52 GOP women representatives: 20 There are 16 women...
August 23, 2008
So Obama has picked Biden. Yawn....
August 22, 2008
Hillary Clinton? Joe Biden? Chet Edwards? If those are finalists I suddenly find myself yearning for him to pick Evan Bayh (though really I still want Kathleen Sebelius)....
August 21, 2008
At the moment Mark Halperin is leading The Page with the suggestion that Obama's pick might be Indiana's other senator, Dick Lugar. Yes, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It's an interesting thought, but is this just...
Because he always merits it. She also nicely dings the concept of McCain-Lieberman....
August 20, 2008
So the blogosphere seems to largely approve of choosing Biden as vice president. To which I say, what about before he chaired Foreign Relations? He used to chair Judiciary. And back then he managed crime bills, and was a major...
August 18, 2008
So McCain is going to announce his running mate on the 29th in Ohio. Think that will lower or increase how often the press will mention that he turns 72 that day? I'm guessing it'll lessen the number of birthday...
You'd really think the press would at least go through the motions of asking him about that....
Couldn't you see this face and profile on our money? And yes, one could argue that's one of the pettiest things I'll ever post, but really folks - why not Sebelius? She fits with and reinforces all of Obama's best...
I strongly agree with Matt Yglesias. Let's ditch the Vice Presidency. True, we are unlikely to do that. But I'd much rather have new elections after a vacancy opens up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The current system is so anti-democratic...
August 17, 2008
Obviously a complicated relationship, the this finding of a "monetary-industrial complex" is rather interesting....
August 16, 2008
For the record, I'm glad it's back. It reminds us of the extent to which the chattering class' chattering is largely uninformed guess work. Plus, hey, it's entertaining....
August 15, 2008
Hilzoy has linked to this, which makes an excellent point. John McCain (and the Neocon war-war-war chorus) might not be besties with the president of Iran. But I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone who's doing more this month...
Andrew Sullivan nails Sen. McCain when it comes to war, conflict, and international affairs.And really, how many clueless IR comments is McCain going to get away with making? Everyone misspeaks now and again. But McCain sure does it a lot...
August 14, 2008
Yes, the McCain campaign either lacks any sense of irony or the candidate has such a lack of self-awareness that one wonders if he's conscious. It's hard to imagine behavior more "presumptuous", as the word was defined by McCain earlier...
August 13, 2008
So today some of the blogs are wondering if given the events in Georgia, and Wed. night being national security night at the convention, Joe Biden be be Obama's Veep choice. I hope not, for a number of reasons. But...
August 11, 2008
Seriously Howard, stop whining - especially when there's plenty of evidence that you are wrong. And giving the opportunity for the press to point out that you are wrong and that Sen. Clinton wouldn't have gotten most of those Edwards...
There's no need for that of course. One can certainly speak to security issues without being one. But that'll be today's Veepstakes chatter given the convention schedule. Of course none of the 4 people most often discussed as his running...
August 08, 2008
Am I missing something? Not being a Christianist voter, maybe I just don't get the big deal. Well, almost certainly I don't. But I do follow politics closely, and John Edwards' position as a national politician has been deader than...
August 07, 2008
No, it's not 1990 again, but apparently she's considering it. While older than John McCain and Carl Levin, the expectation is apparently that the job can be hers (in 2011) if she wants it....
Cohn makes the case here. On the merits I think he'd be a fine choice. But I don't know that it would work politically/as a matter of marketing. Though a reformer, he's older than McCain and has been in the...
August 06, 2008
US olympians are kowtowing before the Chinese, apologizing for wearing face masks (I was just talking to someone who was there last week - she was talking about how in Beijing you can't see the sun). And the chairman of...
Not that another one is needed, but having a woman on the ticket would appear to help Obama (or be more helpful to him than it would be for McCain).And as far as Bayh goes, I find this argument peculiar....
August 03, 2008
If any of you want to comment on the news that McCain's camp is vetting Eric Cantor, here's a thread for you. I think Cantor is, from McCain's perspective, one of the strongest picks he could make. Not as good...
August 01, 2008
The story doesn't come out and say it, but seems to hint at it pretty strongly. The guy worked at the US Army lab that researches and investigates anthrax, was being investigated, and committed suicide this week. There isn't any...
July 30, 2008
First he was elitist, then arrogant, then presumptuous, and now he's a celebrity. Josh Marshall considers how this (thoroughly lame, though sadly all too predictable) campaign theme looks when one considers the color of Obama's skin....
July 29, 2008
As you have likely seen, the senior Republican in the US Senate has been indicted. This means he'll have to step aside from the top GOP post on Commerce, Science and Transportation, a committee with powers over a hell of...
July 28, 2008
The McCain campaign is apparently floating the idea of picking Fred Smith. Since current reports seem to have the choice otherwise nailed down to one between Mitt Romney and T-Paw, well on the basis of his resume, Fred Smith would...
July 23, 2008
First Read is reporting a story that has his choices down to 3: Romney, Pawlenty and Jindal. That list is so predictable that Arizona's senior senator seems determined to bore us to death, as well as to charge on directly...
July 21, 2008
More evidence that Obama is the candidate of savvy members of the foreign policy establishment (which tends to be populated by George H.W. Bush Republicans). And for good reason.Obama rarely speaks in the moralistic tones of the current Bush administration....
July 20, 2008
I think Hilzoy is right here. And if the press is paying attention the larger trend, I think Maliki's comments could be even worse for McCain than they at first appear. First the Bush administration started appeasing negotiating with Iran,...
July 19, 2008
Every so often Novakula reports something interesting. And this definitely qualifies. Evangelicals and their allies, dominating last weekend's Iowa Republican state convention, dumped their critic, Sen. Chuck Grassley, from the state's delegation to the national convention in St. Paul, Minn....
So someone texted me a trivia question about a vice president last night, and it got me thinking about something. Unless I'm mistaken, and that's entirely possible, on January 20 of next year the US will see for the first...
One from a web savvy candidate in Kansas and one from Oklahoma depicting Satan frolicking with gay men in togas. Yes, it's that bad (PDF)....
July 18, 2008
Which sitting member of the US Senate has appeared (credited) in one of this summers blockbuster action movies (though he didn't do damage to anyone)?...
This is the worst Chris Cillizza can come up with? He's an ambitious, populist pol who's happy to twist his views to fit with McCain? When did that become a net minus? And Cillizza thinks the country wants national politicians...
July 16, 2008
Ugh. Talk about racial politics in its most identity-over-policy form: Among the other eye-raising contributions tallied by Tinker is a $5,000 one from the Congressional Black Caucus. That's the caucus the white Cohen tried to join - and was rejected...
July 15, 2008
Thought I'd link to this since we haven't had a Veepstakes post in a little bit. I'd say it's wise. Personally, my top choice at this point is Sebelius, followed by Napolitano, and then either Kaine or Reed....
July 12, 2008
Zimbabwe is a mess. Mugabe has clearly "stolen" the election via violence and intimidation. For whatever reason (likely related to past histories of colonialism and rejecting those former colonizers politics), the African states (especially South Africa) seem unwilling to put...
July 11, 2008
John Cole seems to want to throw the remote over what's been uncovered or undercovered. And we haven't even seen Friday's news yet - but somehow I imagine that's going to be just as disappointing....
July 10, 2008
Donald Cazayoux's win in the US House seat centered around Baton Rouge was one of 3 big wins the Democrats had in the House in the last year - wins where they picked up previously Republican seats in the South...
July 08, 2008
Thought Morris might be interested in this. I believe Obama is a poker player. I don't know if he bets the kind of money that McCain does.UPDATE: Here's an even better summary of the article....
July 06, 2008
But at the moment I'm having trouble thinking of a more malevolent member of Congress - much less one who served for 30 years (thank you Helms voters in North Carolina!). Hilzoy collects some of his finer moments here. President...
I know that a certain level of friendliness to Republicans runs in his family (his brother is President Bush's Ambassador to Japan), but this is ridiculous. Last week he pretty much creates the whole Wesley Clark "controversy" all by himself....
July 04, 2008
And this doesn't even get into the problems involved in having to get a mass of security clearances all at one time ... when obviously we don't have the staff to do those clearances in a short time period. It's...
On the one hand I find this remark quite troubling, partially because it suggest limitations over women's health care rights, and partially because it seems to take mental health less seriously than physical health. On the other hand I really...
Does this push him up to the first-tier of vice presidential possibilities? Perhaps not. But it can't hurt....
July 03, 2008
Personally I can think of few things more important to a president's success than his ability to manage his decision-making team. Hilzoy appears to similarly prioritze that attribute, and here discusses (drawing from the Rolling Stone article) what we know...
July 02, 2008
Or at least arguments - but probably a pretty effective one too....
I rarely have anything good to say about Carville, so I suppose I should give him credit for a good line: If being a fighter pilot qualifies you to be president, then somebody get Randy 'Duke' Cunningham out of jail,...
If the co-host of a big Obama fundraiser did this I think it's safe to say it'd be a story for weeks. I haven't heard a peep about this though in the "mainstream" press - or of course from Rush,...
July 01, 2008
I live in the most socially conservative state in the country. Goody for me....
So just to go on the record about it, of late I'm annoyed by the senator from Illinois (since I know some people, like my younger brother, sometimes accuse us of never saying negative things about leading Democrats). I'm annoyed...
June 30, 2008
Oh please. As if. That's what Andrew Sullivan is calling General Clark's patently obvious assertion that getting shot down during the Vietnam War doesn't qualify you for the presidency. The media has blasted Clark, similarly clueless and seemingly unable to...
Here. Romney's the favorite, though McCain doesn't like him. Also in the first tier are Portman and Thune (talk about your empty suit, though I guess he is a relatively hunky empty suit - and far right). Second tier? That'd...
From a story in today's WaPo: On the television in his living room, Peterman has watched enough news and campaign advertisements to hear the truth: Sen. Barack Obama, born in Hawaii, is a Christian family man with a track record...
June 29, 2008
So far this year 3 members of the House have lost their bids for renomination to another term in Congress (2 in Maryland, 1 in Utah). Here CQ runs down more intra-party campaigns that could derail the hopes of several...
June 27, 2008
I'm most of the way through Nixonland, and happened upon this paragraph: (Part of a section describing Nixon's non-public actions to help secure his re-election in 1972) "Meanwhile there were the broadcast networks to flay - four of them, now...
Gotta agree with Hilzoy here. Kicking Russia out would be dumb. Trying to kick Russia out when you can't even make good on your word adds a whole new layer of dumbness. When it would anger someone were you to...
June 26, 2008
His initial thoughts conclude with this observation: All in all, not a great day for those who believe, as I do, that "there is no good reason to allow disparities in wealth to be translated into disparities in political power....
June 24, 2008
This is a nice article on what goes into how a presidential campaign selects a vice presidential nominee. And if you read all the way to the end, there are some educated guesses about who seems to be on the...
New York's #1 obstructionist is out of office, apparently immediately. If you know anything about Albany you know the head of the Senate has enormous power, and Bruno has used it to block a lot of stuff progressives have sought...
June 22, 2008
Can you imagine the sheer amount of data? And how tempting it would be to crack the security? And the burden on small business? Washington, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd's 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping...
June 20, 2008
I'm partway through Nixonland, and am liking it. Perlstein is trying to wind together a bunch of different strands (social, political, economic, generational, foreign policy, etc.) into a cohesive telling of the seismic shifts in American politics between 1966 and...
June 19, 2008
Don't know if anyone else noticed this: the US Air Force is having a great deal of difficultly buying airplanes. The Air Force needs some new air-to-air tankers. These are the boring, unglamorous planes that are necessary. They are big...
June 18, 2008
I so like this guy, and he's a great face for the party. It's good to see him finally get some attention. And yes, he should be on the Veep short-list....
June 17, 2008
I hadn't thought of it as a battleground state for the fall, but 538 makes a good case. And I agree it'd make more sense to prioritize that state than it does to prioritize Georgia....
I noted earlier that the biggest bit of drama at the state's Democratic convention last week was the defeat of the state party's treasurer. That fight (which the incumbent treasurer lost decisively at in the state party's executive committee, though...
June 16, 2008
How else could you accumulate that much credit card debt? Senators John McCain and Barack Obama released their Senate financial disclosure statements on Friday, revealing that Mr. McCain and his wife had at least $225,000 in credit card debt and...
June 15, 2008
From the NYT: Four years after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay couples to marry, there have been blissful unions, painful divorces and everything in between. Some same-sex couples say being married has made a big difference, and...
June 14, 2008
So I am back from attending the state party convention in Charleston (my apologies for taking so long to approve the comments - didn't touch a computer while I was away). I might have more to say about it tomorrow....
Mark Hosenball notes that the 3 top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all former presidential candidates, are "running" for Secretary of State - John Kerry, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd. While Bill Richardson and others should certainly be...
June 12, 2008
From the NYT story on the Supreme Court rulings that struck down most of the Bush Administration's attempts to keep Al Qaeda out of our courts, comes this wonderful quote by our fearless Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: And...
So I see that the national press is picking up on this story. Will it be enough to knock the governor of Louisiana off the list of vice presidential prospects?...
June 11, 2008
Obviously those who want low turnout won't like it, but we really should vote on a Saturday.Well, we should probably vote by mail, or have the ability to vote over several days, but if there has to be an "election...
June 10, 2008
I'd just like to go on record as saying that whoever wins in November should keep Bob Gates around as SecDef. He's trying bring the Air Force in line, he's supported attempts to expand the Army, and he's making the...
MSNBC's Todd and Montanaro have this report on the long short list that has been discussed on Capitol Hill. They report 16 names have been discussed - Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, Evan Bayh, Kathleen Sebelius, Ted Strickland, Mark...
This is probably the best short piece Mark Halperin has put together in a long time. It's a short list, but there's a lot of truth in it....
This is dumb. E.J. Dionne makes the case for Joe Biden because he's a "happy warrior", who's "ready on day 1", and knows a ton about foreign policy.To which I respond - duh, what?How in the hell is Obama supposed...
June 05, 2008
I think this is an excellent strategy - and the name for it that Ben Smith uses is great too....
Ambinder runs down the pluses and minuses of Tom Ridge as a possible running-mate for John McCain. Personally, I think he's one of the strongest choices McCain could make....
Via Yglesias I ran across this, which would indeed seem to make an Obama-Clinton ticket extremely difficult. I mean Obama just banned the DNC from taking PAC money. Is he really going to cover for the Clintons on this stuff?...
June 04, 2008
Can the candidate of change put a Clinton on his ticket? Can a candidate who's going to have to argue judgment matters more than experience (especially on foreign policy) put a person who voted for the Iraq war on his...
June 03, 2008
Matt Stoller makes his case for the retired general. Mark Kleiman generally likes the idea, but he has a few concerns....
June 02, 2008
Poblano helps you figure it out, with a spread sheet in which you too can decide which votes count and which votes don't - just like the Clintons do!...
June 01, 2008
It will surprise no one that I agree with this: And yet, there's Terry McAuliffe bloviating on CNN about how this adds to Clinton's popular vote "victory" - a victory only if you count states that violated party rules (Florida),...
Lowell at Raising Kaine runs down the pros and cons of the 3 Virginians people mention as possible running mates for Sen. Obama. Mark Kleiman also touts Mark Warner, and has some questions about a Warner candidacy....
May 31, 2008
I think Publius is absolutely right. What the DNC decides today doesn't matter at all. How Sen. Clinton responds to it, that will be the important news of the day. And it could well reverberate all the way to November.In...
May 30, 2008
Our congressman has come out for the Illinois senator. That makes all 4 of the state's congressional Democrats for Obama - which of course stands in contrast to the preferences of the state's voters that were prominently displayed in the...
May 29, 2008
Well, of course it's a political stunt. But it's a damn clever one. Score one for the McCain campaign....
May 28, 2008
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Jim Webb should not be Sen. Obama's choice for Vice President. On the other hand, infuriating Bob Novak is often a good thing, so that's one more reason to put...
May 22, 2008
Ever since last summer I've been starting to think that Rhode Island might now have the best delegation in the US Senate. Today I noted more evidence supporting that thought. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse were the only two Democrats...
Ambinder also has a post up on the start of the Obama campaign's search for a vice presidential nominee. He hits on the basic political issues involved, and he has a list of possibilities. Some of them are appalling (Nunn,...
That's who he's quite publicly meeting with this weekend. I think Crist could be an excellent choice - Jindal (who's getting hammered in the Louisiana press of late, something the national press might want to look at) and Romney, not...
May 21, 2008
Kos notes something I was unaware of - Puerto Rico gets to send more delegates to the Democratic National Convention than 26 states (including those Appalachian areas that have been much discussed of late, Kentucky and West Virginia)....
May 20, 2008
So SUSA has polled Pennsylvania and shows that in a head-to-head Obama leads McCain 48-40. They also polled a variety of tickets involving the two senators. Is this really all that helpful? I mean I don't find it at all...
May 19, 2008
The country's top political donor promised the leaders of Young Democrats of America $1 million if they wouldn't back Sen. Obama. The Young Democrats though stood with their pro-Obama membership and turned down the $1 million. While this race looks...
May 14, 2008
Racially, educationally, in terms of its economy, in terms of the age of its population, it is an outlier. Something that you'd think more people might have brought up on tv last night when interpreting the supposed larger meanings of...
Seriously, is there anyone on tv who's more perfect for today's political media environment than Chris Matthews? It's like they popped him out of a network talking head machine.And, more broadly, why won't the networks say poor white people? That's...
May 13, 2008
The governor of Washington state took time out of her busy schedule today to write a diary on Daily Kos in which she attacks Sen. McCain for leading the fight that allowed for a major air tanker contract to be...
And happily some of them actually have a sense of humor (predictably, some don't).Ted Stevens: "No. I've got too many things that I still want to do as a senator. And I don't like the idea of a job where...
Marc Ambinder is arguing that today's important election isn't in West Virginia, it's in Mississippi. And indeed, if the Democrats manage to win a blood-red seat in the Deep South that President Bush won by 25 points in 2004 that'll...
May 11, 2008
So since earlier today I brought up the question of McCain's running-mate, I figure I might as well open a thread for any thoughts anyone has about who Sen. Obama should choose. My top choices? Gov. Bill Richardson of New...
He was at it again today in Mingo county. He told them his wife represented "people like you, in places like this", and urged voters to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday to send a message to the "higher-type...
It might be a little hard to imagine, but as recent polling shows Senators Smith (OR), Cornyn (TX) and Dole (NC) to be in trouble, it's starting to look possible. In contrast, the Republicans are really only contesting 1 Democratic...
So last night Ryan and I were once again talking about who McCain might run with. And I was having trouble thinking of many possibilities. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah seem like good possibilities,...
May 10, 2008
He makes a pretty good case....
May 08, 2008
I'm a lot less worried about the racial tinge to what she said than the fact that what she said flies in the face of reality. Over time Obama's been becoming more and more popular in those voting blocs that...
May 05, 2008
Some of these are repeating from comments, but these are the relevant stories covering the WVU Faculty Senate vote that recommended that WVU President Garrison resign: The basic news blurb from our local AM talk radio station. Commentary from one...
If Obama has to apologize for Ayers that is. The answer is of course abundantly obvious. The media likes McCain, has decided his character is not campaign issue, and has told the public how great McCain is for a good...
May 04, 2008
Yup, that headline is sure to piss some off, including perhaps some of the other members of the Coup. But when she insists on restating her threats against Iran and her call for a gas tax holiday ... well, c'mon....
Yup, that headline is sure to piss some off, including perhaps some of the other members of the Coup. But when she insists on restating her threats against Iran and her call for a gas tax holiday ... well, c'mon....
May 03, 2008
The least important contest of the primary cycle? Perhaps. But at this point both campaigns want every delegate they can get. There's still 1 precinct (out of 19) outstanding, but his lead should be secure as he's up by 6-7%...
Ari Berman investigates what it does, and how it connects Obama and Ayers (this link goes out to Morris, given his Ayers fixation - and to the Clinton campaign which keeps pushing the Obama-n-Ayers smears)....
Ari Berman investigates what it does, and how it connects Obama and Ayers (this link goes out to Morris, given his Ayers fixation - and to the Clinton campaign which keeps pushing the Obama-n-Ayers smears)....
Charles Blow points out some interesting data. Despite all the pundits' analysis and hyperbole, over the course of the presidential campaign (since last July) white Democrats' opinions of Barack Obama haven't changed much - both his favorables and his unfavorables...
Oh please. "The great divide in this country is not by race or even income, it's by those who think they are better than everyone else and think they should play by a different set of rules," he said. "In...
May 02, 2008
And Labour takes a beating all over....
Well, at least according to the Oklahoma Statutes on forcible sodomy, and forcible sodomy being what they have legislated. And given that they have just proposed to "[force] another person to engage in the detestable and abominable crime against nature"...
May 01, 2008
North Carolina is the most populous state voting on Tuesday, but the perception seems to be that Indiana is the swingiest. So with that in mind, FiveThirtyEight projects the likely outcome here....
Joe Andrew tears it to shreds, arguing it's cheap Rovian "old politics" that the country needs to rise above in this moving letter that explains why he's jumping ship and backing Sen. Obama.And also via Ben Smith, I see this...
April 30, 2008
Personally, this makes me happy.On a more serious campaign note, what's with the Democratic candidates facing their enemies and/or hacktacular assholes this week? Barack Obama went on Fox News and was interviewed by Chris Wallace last weekend. Hillary Clinton is...
I hadn't thought about the fact that it was an Indiana voter ID law that the Supreme Court just allowed to stand and that Indiana's presidential primary is next week. Given the usual demographics of who supports Obama and who...
April 29, 2008
Neat map. It might not tell us much about Obama vs. Clinton (Obama has won both more wine states and more beer states than Clinton has), but it does illustrate some other divides....
Ugh. Surfing around to matter related to the preceding post I found this. Predictable. And predictably ugly....
True, it's an influential one - Gov. Easley of North Carolina, whose state will vote next week. But talk about an ugly way to endorse: "I've been accused of being persistent, and down right aggravating…but this lady right here makes...
Weird. John Yarmuth had already endorsed him, and now the very popular Ben Chandler has. Kentucky's just a beyond terrible state for Obama against both Clinton and McCain. For these men to back him in what's his weakest state East...
Tumulty (who I think's been doing rather nice posts over on Swampland) offers her take on the proposed gas tax holiday (favored by Senators Clinton and McCain, opposed by President Bush and Senator Obama - and of course opposed by...
April 28, 2008
That's the message Ben Smith sees in these pieces by the Boston Globe (on Hillary Clinton and Iran) and Fareed Zakaria (on John McCain's call for "war" against Russia and China)....
April 26, 2008
Wtf?!? Now the premise of this piece, that Hillary Clinton very well might win the nomination and that somehow that'll get decided by Kentucky shows that Eleanor Clift knows just as little about national politics as ever (and yet for...
April 25, 2008
How weird is it that one of Clinton's top surrogates is making the argument that members of Congress from Indiana shouldn't make a public endorsement in the presidential nomination fight?...
April 24, 2008
Last week Steve Benen posted this handy list of John McCain flip-flops. You might want to save it away for later....
She needs 70% of the remaining elected delegates and over 60% of the remaining superdelegates. Given that, I don't see any way for her to win the nomination. But then I haven't seen much more than a faint glimmer of...
April 22, 2008
So what gives with the timing of this? Is it a talking point for Team Obama to use tonight (a bit of good news to mention during a night of a probable Clinton win)? And if it's not that ......
April 21, 2008
Looks like this piece in The New Republic has something for everyone. For those looking for a reason to back Obama, it charts the backstabbing world of the Clinton campaign (really, would anyone want a White House staff like this?)....
April 20, 2008
Nico Pitney analyzes the questions that've been asked in the 4 one-on-one debates, and finds that the ABC debate was in a class of its own with its focus on alleged personal scandals. And, interestingly, Obama has been the target...
Is it just me, or is that kind of funny? It's predictable, and probably doesn't matter at all in terms of the vote, but Mr. Vast Right Wing Conspiracy siding with the woman he long painted as a socialist dragon...
April 18, 2008
Larry Bartels had a column in yesterday's New York Times noting that it's not working-class people who vote at unusual levels on social issues - it's wealthier people. This holds internationally too right? The green revolution in Europe, or the...
April 17, 2008
So last night I went down to a local watering hole to watch the debate. I had a nice evening - as long as I didn't concentrate on the debate too deeply because, well, the whole spectacle was appalling. Josh...
April 16, 2008
Interesting. Maybe Moon or one of our usually silent readers could say if this was expected or not, but since I presume that Western PA should generally be strong for Clinton it's probably notable that its biggest paper is going...
April 15, 2008
Uh-huh. This hits a little close to home. And if you aren't reading DTWOF... get with it!...
April 14, 2008
It was much ado about nothing in terms of the basic idea, which is far from controversial. Along with many others, Bill Clinton's said much the same thing. And of course neither the Clintons, nor the Republican chorus denouncing the...
April 13, 2008
That's the way things look according to the reports at West Virginia Blue. And that was certainly the case here in Mon county. As West Virginia's delegates are alotted according to the outcome of the primary election it's not clear...
April 12, 2008
Given Baltar's connection to Vermont, and my favorable feelings about instant run-off voting, I thought I'd link to this story on gov. Douglas vetoing an IRV system in Vermont which Fruits and Votes described thusly: The governor of Vermont, with...
April 09, 2008
Here's a primer. It's complicated.Key dates to keep in mind in the near term are this coming Saturday, when the counties are holding their conventions to choose delegates for the state convention in June, and April 22, which is the...
The upcoming appropriations season has started some intraparty discussions about Byrd: Senior Democratic senators privately considered Tuesday Sen. Robert Byrd's capacity to handle his spot at the top of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, but the 90-year-old lawmaker won't be...
April 08, 2008
Seriously, how often does McCain get to make comments that imply he knows nothing about the region's people, or terrorist organizations, before the powers that be in the media start to question his understanding of foreign and national security policy?...
SUSA is having a good year when it comes to accurately predicting election outcomes. ARG is not. So I'd say ignore those numbers suggesting that Obama is cutting in to Clinton's lead in PA - because according to SUSA she's...
It's not the usual narrative on McCain, so it's worth considering. "For one, he's extremely undisciplined. With virtually no pressure on him at all, he's already offered a series of troubling gaffes. He's also prone to - as Kaus says...
Woo-hoo! As someone who loathed the Electoral College before that was cool, I'm happy to see that Illinois has joined Maryland and New Jersey. Together they have 47 electoral votes - states totaling 270 votes must join for it to...
April 06, 2008
John Cole runs down the details. She's continuing to tell a health care tale that doesn't fit with the facts of the case - facts her campaign has been alerted to. And of course she's continuing of the nonsense of...
April 05, 2008
The one who smelt it dealt it....
It's US House race run-off day in two special elections in the Bayou State. In LA-1 there's a race on the Republican side to choose the certain successor to Gov. Bobby Jindal. But in LA-6 (the district based around Baton...
Which really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but you never know if such news might affect some voters. Between this and Clinton telling a tall tale (lie?) in her stock health care speech she's likely in for a...
April 03, 2008
The Republicans may finally have found their candidate against veteran US senator Frank Lautenberg (D) of New Jersey. But the bigger news in this race is that long-time US Rep. Rob Andrews from South Jersey is going to challenge Launtenberg...
April 02, 2008
In this case he doesn't even know his own mind. Yesterday in one interview he described Sadr as a major player whose influence must be reduced. In a different interview yesterday he said Sadr's influence had been on the...
April 01, 2008
Krugman is talking about regulating financial markets: For example, there was a 2003 photo-op in which officials from multiple agencies used pruning shears and chainsaws to chop up stacks of banking regulations. The occasion symbolized the shared determination of Bush...
The latest numbers are up on Campaign Diaries. Obama's lead over Clinton among the pledged delegates has grown to 162 (1415.5 to 1253.5). I don't see any way Clinton can overcome that. And I still find it weird that people...
March 31, 2008
Via LGM and The Monkey Cage, a piece by a Stanford PhD candidate called Republican Vote Buying in the 2004 US Presidential Election (PDF). The abstract: In the aftermath of the summer 2004 Florida hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management...
So now that the break is over, we'll be getting back to posting. I'll start by noting a few things worth checking out from Sunday. Ezra Klein has a nice op-ed on our society's appalling views regarding prison rape. Hilzoy...
March 26, 2008
Ewwww. That's far beyond a cats and dogs living together moment. As Josh Marshall notes, that's just wrong on a hundred levels. Remember, this is the guy who spent millions of dollars puffing up wingnut fantasies about Hillary's having Vince...
March 24, 2008
Joshua Keating looks at the history of John McCain's commentary on foreign involvements over the last quarter century and notes he hasn't always held the views he does now.On Lebanon: The longer we stay in Lebanon, the harder it will...
Spencer Ackerman spends some time with Sen. Obama's foreign policy advisors in an attempt to determine the core of his foreign policy....
The Democratic race promises to go on and on and on - and the longer it goes on, the more different people are coming up with their own rules for deciding this thing. Yesterday Campaign Diaries noted that Sen. Johnson...
March 22, 2008
So in his widely-read weekend column Bob Novak (Novakula, the Prince of Darkness, what have you) is noting that a lot of people on the right are floating the name of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as a possible vice presidential...
Well, not quite - but political gun for hire and extremely skinny guy James Carville (to see him in tight jeans is a wee bit disconcerting) has likened New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Judas and is talking about "30...
March 21, 2008
Interesting. Today through my office building copies of a sheet of paper have been taped up and posted. The paper details Obama's supposed flip-flops on NAFTA (with a reference to the debunked AP/Canada story), supposed flip-flops on troop withdrawals (with...
This really is rather staggering. President Bush is not a stupid man. But there seem to be things he simply insists on believing, whether or not they have any connection to reality. This is bad enough when it comes to...
Now that she's campaigning in Coal Country (WV this week, and I presume she'll be in Kentucky soon given that both areas fit her base demographic perfectly) Senator Clinton has being sharing her views on coal. Sen. Obama, from the...
Unlike a lot of other screaming headlines of "OMG!11!! Sumonez aftr Obama!!1!" due to the reported security breaches, I'm not shocked, surprised or particularly appalled. This kind of stuff has always gone on, with medical records and everything else. Flunkies...
Now this makes me happy, mostly at the thought that Richardson could be considered for a VP or other major foreign policy spot in an Obama administration. As you know, I have been less willing than Armand to commit in...
Bitch PhD makes a list of some of the White, and from the Right, nuttiness in order to point out the double standard: Kotsko sums it up: white preachers obviously believe all kinds of crazy things -- for instance, that...
March 19, 2008
In one more step toward her coming big victory in the PA primary, Sen. Clinton has won the support of Rep. Jack Murtha, arguably the most influential member of PA's House delegation, and an influential Democrat in the Congress as...
March 17, 2008
So today Hillary Clinton is giving a speech explaining why she is better prepared to lead on security matters than is John McCain or Barack Obama. I find that laughable given that she voted for and supported going to war...
Yep. That's what you call it: The account that emerges from those interviews, and from access to previously unpublished documents, makes clear that Mr. Bremer’s decree reversed an earlier plan - one that would have relied on the Iraqi military...
March 14, 2008
Kos notes that Obama leads Clinton among: pledged delegates, primaries won, caucuses won, red states won, blue states won, overall contests won, and money raised....
This year is likely to see big wins for Democrats in both the House and Senate, and the news has been almost uniformly good for them when it comes to key races. But not today. Rep. Bud Cramer has announced...
March 13, 2008
I think Shugart is definitely on to something in describing the race that way. Seems surprisingly spot-on considering that it's comparing today's campaigns to a race that took place before some of my friends were born....
As I expect Clinton to win Pennsylvania by a lot, these endorsements might not be that surprising or that meaningful. But they are still noteworthy and a sign of Clinton's strengthen in the Pittsburgh area....
March 12, 2008
This is about the former president, not the junior senator from New York. But it's really rather striking, and is yet another reason why I find gay people's love for the Clinton's bizarre. "It's the economy, faggot" indeed....
I'd say Will Bunch is onto something here....
And they've got a chart to prove it. There's no way the Clinton campaign will come anywhere close to erasing that lead. They'll cut into it in Pennsylvania and some other states, but even if she gets revotes in Florida...
Was elected yesterday. The other Muslim member of Congress is Keith Ellison (D-MN). The new one is Andre Carson who won a special election yesterday in the US House district centered on Indianapolis. I actually had no idea he...
March 11, 2008
What the hell is she thinking? The Clinton campaign's response to all this (Obama's the racist because he's pointing out race-based language by our people!) is predictably tiresome, but it's also utterly predictable. But this ... please. I'd say save...
Sinbad thinks Hillary Clinton is being misleading in stating that her 1996 trip to Bosnia was dangerous and a sign that she's battled tested and ready for those 3am phone calls. He was on the trip, and didn't feel imperiled....
Could the man who brought us Stuart Smalley really be a US senator? Well, he just got a lot closer to the office....
March 10, 2008
To hear the press and Cilnton tell it, Obama's campaign is stalled and on ther verge of collapse. Weird. Since as Kos notes, Obama picked up more delegates than Clinton did last week. I really wish the press would report...
March 09, 2008
In 1974 there was a special House election to replace a long-time Republican House leader. And though Gerald Ford had held his Midwestern seat for 24 years, his replacement turned out to be a Democrat, Richard Vander Veen. In 2008...
March 08, 2008
Including the one up the road in Pittsburgh, according to an Oklahoma politician: More information on her, and Oklahoma politics at Okie Funk. Rep. Kern's page. In addition to freaking out about the gays, looks like she loves her some...
March 07, 2008
That certainly seems to be what she's implying. Someone should ask her to confirm that explicitly. And if she thinks that, why that's so....
March 06, 2008
I didn't even know these existed. They are yet reason it's hard to see Clinton winning the nomination....
So it seems like everyone and his mother has commented on this post of Drum's dealing with whether or not tough primary fights are harmful for a party's general election chances. He says, hey the 1968 primary was a mess,...
March 05, 2008
So since John McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination last night it's not surprising that there are pieces out there today focused on his potential running mates. Someone, I forget who, was touting Chris Cox. This piece is the Times...
February 27, 2008
What was already looking like a good year for the Democrats in the fall Senate races got better today. Anchorage mayor Mark Begich filed papers to form an exploratory committee. So it looks like he's going to take on Ted...
Ron Klain skewers Nader (in a much more polite way than you'd expect) here....
Oy. He spends a ton of time asking a factually incorrect question in which he seems to confirm that Obama being anti-Israel is an idea to be taken seriously and be troubled about, and, yeah, you do have to wonder...
February 26, 2008
Yay. I like Dodd a lot, so it's nice to see him join the Obama team. Now if only he could displace Harry Reid as Majority Leader ......
February 25, 2008
So Ambinder notes that in today's speech she said: We've seen the tragic results of having a president who didn't have neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security. We can't let...
Noted without comment (source): Two years and 142 cases have passed since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last spoke up at oral arguments. It is a period of unbroken silence that contrasts with the rest of the court's unceasing inquiries....
February 24, 2008
An ESTJ, an ESTP, and an ENFP. No wonder I like Obama best....
February 21, 2008
And if you are interested in his circle, they list several key people (though I'm surprised Mark Lippert's not on their list). But I'm a bit puzzled by their description of Greg Craig: "is a newcomer to foreign policy. At...
So the latest young darling of the righ-wing, who's even making it on some fantasy lists for Vice President, has worked to kill a couple of ethics reforms proposed in the state legislature. Because if there's something Louisiana doesn't need...
Matthew Yglesias has two insightful short posts up today on stories that could, down the road, bite the Clinton and McCain campaigns. As he notes, if a President Clinton is raising money to pay off a campaign debt she owes...
February 19, 2008
So Sen. McCain has pledged to not raise taxes, and in fact to pursue new tax cuts as well. Okay then Sen. McCain, as we are already running giant budget deficits, does that mean you are committed to carrying those...
Plagiarism? PLAGIARISM? That's the best you can do? (See here and here.) She's down in money, tied in delegates, doesn't know how the Texas primary works (here), and the best arrow she's got in her quiver (the night before a...
February 18, 2008
I'd think it unlikely that Sen. Obama would take him up on the suggestion, but I agree with Jonathan Zasloff that that this presents a certain sort of opportunity. Though of course the key thing is to make sure that...
February 17, 2008
I just read most of a hot discussion going on about whether Obama's words are being misinterpreted, or he was telegraphing an "emotional women don't belong in the White House" message. I'm not shocked and appalled that Obama's speech might...
February 16, 2008
There's a good deal of debate about whether or not newspaper endorsements really affect voters' choices. But on the chance that they do, the Obama campaign has to be happy that recently their candidate has picked up the endorsments of...
February 15, 2008
Yes. This is built on the assumption of Clinton winning the state by 8%, and due to gerrymandered state senate districts and traditionally low Hispanic turnout (so less delegates are awarded in districts where they comprise larger percentages of the...
February 14, 2008
Pretty funny. Gotta love YouTube....
These are topics where Clinton is regularly praised, but is her reputation built on that much? Just what is her "experience" that she says makes her vastly better prepared to be president than Barack Obama? Those 35 years of experience...
February 13, 2008
Today there are a lot of posts up saying that former Sen. Edwards (D-NC) is considering endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. These posts make some decent arguments (endorsing her would have more impact than endorsing Obama, presuming Edwards is looking...
February 12, 2008
So the polls just closed in what was supposed to be the toughest state of the night for him, and the networks have already called the race. Sen. Obama wins Virginia. According to the exits I've seen he won senior...
Look, I like talking politics more than most, but this? Just stop it. We don't know who's going to win in VA, MD, and DC yet. It's fun to make projections and everything - but since we don't know if...
February 11, 2008
Courtesy of Nick Beaudrot. Don't you love maps? Basically, in WA Obama won everywhere, while in LA the voting patterns, as in Alabama and Tennessee, showed a big racial divide. Who'd have guess that? But if Obama is weak in...
Okay, I rarely find this kind of thing all that impressive - but this really is pretty funny, and actually I'd love to see someone pay to put it on tv (where it'd surely get lots of free media attention)....
I'm sure you all read TPM anyway, but don't miss these posts on the counting of the Republican caucus vote in WA. It really does kind of defy belief - so much so that it's sort of hilarious as well...
February 10, 2008
So I can see a candidate making an argument against releasing her tax returns at all, and I can see a candidate releasing them early in order to show transperancy and a lack of corruption - but I'm really unclear...
February 09, 2008
So Sen. Obama won all of today's contests. He won by huge margins in Washington, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands, and with 78% in, he's leading in Louisiana 54-39. On the Republican side? Mike Huckabee trounced John McCain in Kansas,...
Are you kidding me? I won't be at all surprised if some of the rest of you disagree with this, but I find the Clinton campaign's outrage over David Schuster's "pimped out" comment to be something between weird, absurd and...
I guess we can check back in on Sunday night or Monday to see if they are right....
Considering what we know about the Republican party in Kansas, that's not that surprising. But it is a reminder that while John McCain is sure to be the Republican nominee, there are a lot of Republicans who aren't happy about...
February 08, 2008
Huh. I hadn't thought of that. But the governor of Utah makes this list (Ambinder's) of possible McCain running mates, and I've got to say it makes a certain sense, even if Pawlenty, Crist and Huckabee are the more obvious...
One of the next presidential contests will be held in Washington state. Sen. Obama has now secured the support of that state's governor, Christine Gregoire. Sen. Clinton has the support of the state's two senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell,...
This will be somewhat obscure, 'cause I don't want this to be public (this will make sense; just read on).I've been invited to have dinner with a gentleman being inducted to this august University's Alumni Hall of Fame (or whatever...
In a little-reported story yesterday, the Attorney General of the United States argued that if the Justice Department declares something to be legal, it cannot (later) be investigated to see if it is (in fact) legal or not: Testifying before...
February 07, 2008
Somebody gets very pissed off here. (It doesn't say anything new, but it does say it very angrily.)...
Now there are some celebrities who are actually deeply informed about politics. And then there are some who aren't. And then there are some who aren't who nonetheless feel the need to talk about it and the "reasoning" behind why...
So CNN is reporting the Romney campaign is over. So will we really see some McCain/Huckabee contests? Or is this thing done?...
Ezra Klein makes an excellent case for why Sen. Webb should stay in the Senate, and not be put on the national ticket....
February 06, 2008
Obama's raised $5 million since the polls closed yesterday!?! And the number keeps going up! I don't know how he's going to overcome her lead in super-delegates, but at this point I think I can honestly see him beating her...
Bradbury is appalling, and the kind of guy a lot of people would probably think might more appropriately be facing charges than running (seemingly in violation of the law - kind of funny in a sick way given his job)...
Obama seems to have a problem winning the votes of white Catholics, though it's not entirely clear why....
Look at that patch of green....
Ummm, so multiple networks called Missouri for Hillary Clinton. Now who "wins" the state is likely largely irrelevant given that that has little to do with delegate allocation. But it's still probably worth noting that now with 97% of precincts...
February 05, 2008
Well this is an exciting way to start the night. If Obama's numbers are right the size of his win in Georgia is enormous. Per Obama spokesman Bill Burton: Obama's victory in Georgia was achieved through a broad coalition of...
On the conclusions at least, and the feelings about Dodd. I don't share all the negatives he lists for Clinton, and my trust is not as high, but I do share the belief about generational politics. And I would love...
If these turn out to be right, McCain is not putting it away by the margins I expected....
In more West Virginia news, the closed Republican Caucus (down in Charleston, 200 miles from here in Morgantown) decided to support Huckabee. The first round of voting gave Romney 41%, but convention rules say you have to win with 50%,...
Obama could get the most delegates from Tennessee even if he doesn't win the state's popular vote, and it's possible that Huckabee could win the West Virginia caucuses in a bid by McCain forces to thwart Romney....
Today's election that I'm most interested in, other than the Democratic presidential contest, is the primary in Illinois-3. Dan Lipinski, a pro-life, pro-Bush, pro-war product of nepotism is being challenged in his bid for another term. I strongly hope Mark...
February 04, 2008
Tomorrow is the Republican state convention in West Virginia, so if anyone feels inclined to make a case for a particular Republican candidate, well, it seems an appropriate time to do it on this blog. I suppose being anti-evolution makes...
Apparently we're going to be waiting a few days to learn the Democratic delegate count from California....
As Emptywheel notes, this is a big deal, and definitely calls the commission's work into question, no matter what Isikoff says....
February 02, 2008
The LA Times has this great graphic explaining the process....
February 01, 2008
Now that it's a two-person race for both the Republicans and the Democrats, The Fix has decided to stop doing a Line on who'll win the presidential nominations - he's moved on to considering possibilities for the bottom half of...
McCain-Feingold is perhaps John McCain's signature achievement in the 20+ years he's been in the Senate. There aren't any top-rank conservative legal eagles who support it. So would a President McCain really appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court? The question...
January 31, 2008
The Washington media types love the National Journal rankings, so you know this'll be a story in the campaign if Obama wins the nomination. However, I'm highly dubious of any ranking system that says that Joe Biden is more liberal...
I'm not sure what I think of the analysis at the top of this post given that today's Rasmussen tracking numbers are good for Clinton. But the bulk of it, going through each of the Feb. 5th states, is some...
January 30, 2008
Since I don't expect Super-Duper Tuesday to settle the Democratic nomination, the contests just after it could be key to the press deciding who has the big mo'. One of the first contests after Feb. 5th are the caucuses in...
That's according to the AP.So, how do you think this will affect the rest of the race for the nomination?...
I'd much rather go back to the days when this thing wasn't a speech. Matthew Shugart nails some of the format's basic flaws. In this respect, the State of the Union is really the worst of both worlds. The head...
January 29, 2008
As of this time, several news sources are reporting that Guiliani will drop from the race tomorrow. At least the worst candidate for President won't win. That's gotta be worth something....
So what's been the most maddening thing about the election this year? Quite possibly it's been the media's obsession with who wins a state. Now for the Republican contests in Florida and New York that is indeed hugely important because...
January 28, 2008
Presuming the president is going to point to her in his speech tonight, well, the press needs to ask how she got here in the first place (to be used as a prop). Because she wasn't supposed to be admitted...
January 27, 2008
I really like the idea of an Obama-Sebelius ticket, and this would seem to help that along. And yeah, I know Obama has to win the nomination first and that's not even close to being secured, but you all know...
It's fairly late to be jumping into a congressional race, but with John Unger suddenly dropping out the race the Democrats needed a new candidate in WV-2, and they now have one with excellent political connections. Whether those will be...
January 26, 2008
Looks like West Virginia won't have a single interesting congressional race this year, now that state senator John Unger (D) has dropped his challenge to Rep. Shelley Capito (R)....
Well this endorsement might not matter quite as much as Gov. Crist's endorsement of Sen. McCain, but given that she's doing it on the pages of the New York Times, given her family's influence and her prominent role in the...
So is this belittling? Race-baiting? Delegitimizing? Or what? For more on this general area, Jack and Jill Politics has posts up on "The Clintons, Black Folk and America" and "The Media's Three-Fifths Compromise". The latter deals with the tendency in...
This isn't a huge surprise by any means but it could end up having lasting implications as: 1) at the moment the Republican race in Florida looks very tight, and 2) a fairly strong argument could be made that a...
And if this exit poll is accurate it's going to be by a giant margin - much bigger than the winning margins we saw reported in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada.UPDATE: With 75% of the results in he's crushing his...
January 25, 2008
The latest is Dave Weldon from Florida's Space Coast. He's the 25th Republican to announce he won't seek reelection in November. That's over 12% of their caucus, and there is every reason to think more retirement announcements are on the...
January 24, 2008
No wonder the Republican establishment hates Mike Huckabee. Sure the guy can give a speech, answer a question, or work a crowd better than anyone else in their field - but he also makes statements like this again and again...
Two legislators from Raleigh County have filed to run against Joe Manchin. Sen. Russ Weeks (R) and Del. Mel Kessler will both face very long odds given that Manchin is one of the most popular governors in the country....
We've known for some time that State's employees have major problems with how the Department is being run, and that many have lost faith in Secretary Rice's leadership. But I was unaware of how badly the Department was serving its...
This should definitely put another Democrat in Congress. Walsh, who has served in the House for 10 terms, almost lost to Dan Maffei last time. Maffei should win this seat now that it's open. The district, which includes Syracuse, leans...
January 23, 2008
Publius is definitely on to something in this post from Tuesday. It's something they do frequently - for example, in this attack ad playing in South Carolina. It's mendacious. It's thoroughly untrustworthy. It's horrible for political discourse in this country....
I tend to find voting records to be problematic measures of policy differences, but if you are inclined to use them, here's an examination of what they've differed on while in the Senate (it says something that a policy piece...
January 22, 2008
When I was looking over the blogs this morning and last night a lot of people seemed to think Hillary did a great job last night because it showed her to be the kind of street fighter that said bloggers...
January 21, 2008
The gloves are off, and there are cuts and bruises galore. Ben Smith's doing a great job of blogging this knockdown masquerading as a debate at The Politico. For a transcript of how it began, check here. And since then...
January 20, 2008
The man knows how to inspire, there's no question about that. He's probably too subtle on some of the points that could help him politically (the war), and he's surprisingly explicit on points that could hurt him politically (gays, immigrants)....
January 19, 2008
So the latest (that I can keep track of) inane brouhaha stirred up by the Edwards and Clinton campaigns over a comment by Senator Obama had to do with grossly misinterpreting something Obama said about President Reagan. Predictably, it was...
January 18, 2008
This Pew study that Kevin Drum (among others) has linked to is fascinating. Both Republicans and Democrats see the Republican presidential candidates in a strikingly similar way, ideologically speaking. But Republicans and Democrats have notably different perceptions of senators Obama...
Clinton is playing the "gambling card" against Obama. Will it help her in Nevada and California? Barack Obama has warned about the dangers of gambling - that it carries a "moral and social cost" that could "devastate" poor communities. As...
January 17, 2008
And I'd say this is one of them: "It would be wrong to discuss Mitt Romney's actual religious beliefs, but perfectly fine to discuss Barack Obama's fictitious ones."...
Shocking I know. Yesterday the former president was bloviating (aka, making shit up) to explain why forces aligned with Sen. Clinton's campaign were trying to make it harder for people who work at casinos to vote on Saturday. Now I...
January 16, 2008
Indeed. And that's why he's the Republicans best hope in Novmeber, whether they like him or not.It should also be noted that the underlying argument in the linked post is very peculiar - a 7% win in a caucus and...
January 15, 2008
Ezra Klein's posted a handy graphic from the Treasury. Mike Huckabee wants to stick it to the middle class, while lightening the tax bills of the rich and the destitute. I'm shocked. Just shocked....
Is it all about framing the South Carolina primary? David Weigel argues: The Clinton team doesn't expect to win South Carolina, and the best way of cushioning a blow right before Super Tuesday is to make the subliminal argument that...
January 14, 2008
I was appalled by the president's comments that were reported this weekend. Fred Kaplan was too.President George W. Bush hasn't accomplished much on his voyage to the Middle East, but he did take the time to inflict another wound on...
It looks very thin to me. But you can judge it for yourself....
January 13, 2008
Hilzoy raises two primary reasons she opposes Sen. Clinton. The second has to do with the tone of politics, and her argument on that merits being read in full. A thumbnail sketch of it would be incomplete. But her first...
Kevin Drum links to a post on the reaction to Hillary Clinton's ambition to be president, a post that suggests that it's damaging to women to look ambitious but not for men to look that way, and that the Clinton...
Josh Marshall thinks the number of them coming from red and purple state politicians is significant.Marc Ambinder thinks the Culinary Workers endorsement in Nevada isn't as helpful to the Obama campaign as the press has been playing it....
January 12, 2008
Are they undemocratic? Sure. But shouldn't we nonetheless expect a national frontrunner to be able to compete in them? Especially (big emphasis on especially) a national frontrunner who had an enormous influence over what the current election calendar looks like?...
January 11, 2008
Oy. I don't know if I can take it until February 5th. This continued refrain by the Clintons that Barack Obama is some kind of incompetent boob is going to drive me around the bend. And what exactly is this...
Keep this post by Kevin Drum in mind. We should be wary of the numbers for subgroups in exit polls if the subgroups are too small. Nonetheless, look at those numbers for Obama and Clinton among the 20-somethings and the...
January 10, 2008
Yeah, oral argument was earlier this week, but I'd feel a bad blogger if I didn't link to something on the oral argument in Crawford. As is always the case in election law matters, Hasen's blog is a great place...
Consider this an open thread on this topic. I'll start things out by noting three things. First, people made their choices late. According to the exit polls over a third of voters decided in the last 3 days. Secondly, the...
For a man who's running for president on his national security credentials you'd think John McCain would have a much better understanding of the chain of command. But sadly, he doesn't....
Now my opinion of New York AG Andrew Cuomo is only marginally more positive than my view of, say, Sean Hannity, but this is loathsome, even by the low low low standards I expect of him.And for whatever it's worth,...
January 07, 2008
This morning I was one of a throng of Obama supporters chanting outside the ABC set-up during Good Morning America. There were tons of us. I'm not good at counting crowds, but to the best I can, I'd say about...
This morning I was one of a throng of Obama supporters chanting outside the ABC set-up during Good Morning America. There were tons of us. I'm not good at counting crowds, but to the best I can, I'd say about...
January 06, 2008
Our very own Armand has bundled up and headed northeast to the primaries. In a brief call today, he reported that political celebrities were thick on the ground (Cokie borrowed his hotsauce) and that he's getting very little sleep. He...
January 02, 2008
Jeff Greenfield reminds us that it's a good thing most of our elections aren't conducted like the Iowa caucuses....
Michael C. Desch makes the case that a Giuliani administration would make the Bush administration look like sober, analytical, subtle peaceniks. If you want the chilling argument, click on his article in The American Conservative (which I found via TAPPED)....
December 31, 2007
There's something really wrong with journalism (hardly a shock, I know) when one of the top political reporters at what purports to be the paper of record implies that the Democratic nominee for president should be decided on a cold...
December 29, 2007
This list compiled by Dahlia Lithwick might be my favorite Top 10 of the season. That these outrageouse acts haven't provoked more outrage is deeply depressing. Hard to say which is the worst of these, though I'm partial to numbers...
December 18, 2007
... in any way you'll be able to trace. Stranahan's latest fake campaign ad is his best one yet....
I'm not sure I trust this story, especially since it names Patty Murray as his likely successor because for some undisclosed reason it would create "controversy" to name Tom Harkin, Barbara Mikulski or Herb Kohl to replace Byrd (all rank...
December 17, 2007
A small thing, but it still kicks ass. Not that it's going to help the Dodd Squad much....
Andrew Sullivan, the go-to stop for all things anti-Hillary Clinton, links approvingly to this Dick Morris column stating the reason Hillary Clinton's lead has crumbled is that she doesn't know how to campaign and has never really had to, since...
December 16, 2007
Dan Drezner takes a look at Huckabee's essay in Foreign Affairs and comes away less than impressed. Actually that's putting it mildly. Take this for example: Really, you just have to stand back and marvel at the contradiction of sentiments...
December 13, 2007
This is a serious question. One thing that's always bouncing about in my head is how our view of physical appearance has changed since the 1980's. People who then were viewed as amazing sex symbols would be today's wallflowers. Seriously,...
Actually, that's not a bad idea. Hey, if nothing else it's a bit of insurance against the killing blow to our image abroad that electing another Republican in November would be. And it's not like Vice President Cheney hasn't presented...
December 12, 2007
Errrr. "A country can only be free if it can do three things ... feed itself, fight for itself and fuel itself." I'd like to introduce Mr. Huckabee to a little thing I like to call Japan. It's one of...
December 11, 2007
If by strongest one means who's most likely to win. I find that completely unsurprising. That said, I think in the grand scheme of things, looking out 11 months, Edwards' strengths are actually not much (if any) better than Obama's...
If by strongest one means who's most likely to win. I find that completely unsurprising. That said, I think in the grand scheme of things, looking out 11 months, Edwards' strengths are actually not much (if any) better than Obama's...
So, think he'll be back on Law & Order next season? Because it's looking bad for his campaign....
Of course there are a lot more he should be asked (especially about freeing that murderer/rapist), but these aren't bad ideas. I especially like 3, 5, 7, the 8. His giant sales tax scheme deserves much more discussion (and derision),...
December 10, 2007
Interesting. As I believe the governor is going to stay neutral this means that both of the states US prominent elected officials who'll take sides in the primary are siding with the senator from Illinois....
Uh, what? I can think of a number of ways to describe Cuba shooting down those Brothers to the Rescue planes, but "terrorism" certainly isn't on my short list. Am I wrong? Or is it the case that Sen. McCain's...
December 09, 2007
Those are new names being floated by Andrew Sullivan and Mark Kleiman to describe the former Arkansas governor. Actually I think there are a lot of stories that could be written on the similarities between Bush and Huckabee (the big...
Crikey. I don't think I knew about this before, but saw it in a post by Neil the Ethical Werewolf. Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas today refused to authorize a Medicaid payment for an abortion for a 15-year-old girl whose...
December 08, 2007
Ugh, the more I learn about this guy, the more appalling I learn he is. I didn't think there was a Republican candidate (a real one, not a Hunter or Tancredo) I could like less than Rduy or Mitt, but...
Wow. It's been perfectly obvious for some time that a lot of Republicans don't like serving in the minority in Congress and are choosing to leave rather than seek reelection. Still, it's rather big news when my old congressman, the...
December 06, 2007
More or less. He says what's causing his rise in the polls is what caused there to be more loaves and fish, and that he's gaining because people are praying for his success. So ... does God hate Romney, McCain,...
Freedom requires religion... Not that he ever had a snowball's chance in hell to get my vote, but good grief. He might as well spit on the Constitution....
Oh please. "When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one...
December 05, 2007
So last year Clinton was berating Bush, Cheney and company for not being unilateral or forceful enough on Iran. Yes, let me repeat that - she was berating Bush, Cheney and company for not being unilateral of forceful enough on...
The sound you hear is the Huckabee campaign going "gulp". Letters from rape victims that Gov. Huckabee's denied existed and covered up have come to light - letters from victims urging Huckabee not to release a rapist who he choose...
December 04, 2007
And then you'll be sorry! Iran remains a danger to the world even though it stopped a program to develop a nuclear weapon four years ago, President Bush said today. "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be...
There was a story about how US rankings on math and science internationally have dropped yet again. Yeah, Texas, you keep going with that, and drag the rest of us with you....
I don't know what to say about this except - can you imagine the response of FoxNews, Rush and Malking would be if it was Teresa Heinz Kerry in this photo? This isn't why I don't think Giuliani will be...
December 02, 2007
And in bad, bad way. She, unlike Obama and Edwards, doesn't want to make the sentencing reforms retroactive....
November 30, 2007
Bring us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, afraid of being tortured in the United States: The United States is not a safe country for refugees, the Federal Court said Thursday as it ruled that Canada will no longer...
Those are among the results of Frank Luntz's debate focus group. And that guy's answer as to why he's pro-torture ... can someone explain to me why these yahoos (and that's what they are) just blindly assume our government is...
November 29, 2007
Really, you kind of have to wonder why the weeklies and big papers and the networks bother to pay people to watch her from afar. And you've got to kind of wonder why the reporters put up with it....
Andrew Sullivan linked to this travesty - and I've got to say that anyone associated with Hunter should be ashamed of themselves (the Human Rights Campaign has long been doing all it can to support Hillary, so their association with...
So, Roxanne links to this clip to make a point about Sully, and heaven knows I am no Bill Maher fan, but the last thing he says in this clip struck me as being on target, even though it was...
Yep, they really need to hit points 2 and 3 - often, and repeatedly. And as to the latter, use campaign contributions from the troops to illustrate the point. That's a data point that the media can understand and will...
Last night's Republican presidential debate featured a waste of a question. We already know that the contenders don't want to charge women who get an abortion with a crime. A much better question, and one I'm honestly curious to hear...
November 28, 2007
Kinda fun, in a hopeless sort of way....
Will any of this hurt the Huckabee campaign if these stories get more press? I have my doubts. Though surely there's a great, damaging ad waiting to be made about the DuMond matter. That one could hurt....
November 27, 2007
I don't know if this is as singularly terrible idea as Mike Huckabee's national sales tax proposal, but it's pretty damn bad. And kind of silly and pointless beyond words. I mean ... For all of its details, Mr. Thompson's...
November 26, 2007
Gov. Barbour is acting like the next Senate election in Mississippi will be in November 2008 - but it looks like it could actually be early next year, if Trent Lott resigns before the end of this year. UPDATE: Or...
November 25, 2007
Nice. I'm not a Thompson fan, but I admire that he has the guts to go on Fox News and call them out on their coverage (which, yes, certainly seems to be biased in favor of Giuliani and against Thompson)....
November 24, 2007
The country's coasts tend to provide much of its cash. Much like the people of the South and the "flyover" states benefit from the taxes of the "blue" states being redistributed to them, the coastal elites are also the source...
November 22, 2007
Marty Lederman has a post up on Senator Reid's attempt to block recess appointments over Thanksgiving break. This may or may not work as it's unclear under what conditions recess appointments can be made, and exactly what constitutes a session...
November 20, 2007
Hillary herself: "Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next President will face. I think we need a President with more experience...
Democrats won a narrow majority of the state House races in Louisiana (53 to 50, with 2 independents), but a Republican is going to be the next Speaker of the House. Gov.-elect Jindal has come out publicly for Jim Tucker,...
Wow. This is interesting. I was thinking Mark Pera's challenge to awful Democrat/product of nepotism Dan Lipinski in Illinois-3 was going to be the Democratic congressional primary I'd be most interested in next year. And maybe it still will be....
Now I understand the reason why the group exists. They are looking to expose the sham that is Rudy Giuliani's reputation on matters tied to 9/11, and particularly focus on his handing of matters tied to the firefighters - those...
November 18, 2007
Jackie Clarkson, mother of the great Patricia Clarkson, was elected to an at-large seat on the New Orleans City Council last night. Her return to the council marks the first time the body's had a white majority in over 20...
November 14, 2007
Will this hurt Huckabee's reputation in the press as an awww-shucks, nice guy? It should. "I think Mitt Romney would rather keep people out of college so they can keep working on his lawn," said Huckabee while appearing on the...
Go read it all: John: ... no. We can still control our destiny, through elections.Tyrone: Like those voting machines are attached to anything --John: You always say that. But look,the Democrats won in 2006!Tyrone: Suuuuuuuure they did.John: What are you...
November 12, 2007
For those who still think that Ron Paul might be a sensible conservative alternative, a really nice rundown of some of his legislative priorities....
November 03, 2007
Do I loathe the senior senator from California? I might be moving in that direction. Is this a rather ridiculously weak explanation of her support for him? You betcha....
October 31, 2007
Nelson Rockefeller in a dress I think there's something to that comment from a thread at LGM. Agree? Disagree?...
October 30, 2007
So Bill Safire's bizarre ramblings (DiFi? wtf? and exactly what's with expecting insights into the mind of the Democrats from Safire in the first place) have led to a number of posts on possible Democratic running mates. Of course at...
October 29, 2007
Of course no one ever expects him to win by overwhelming margins, but the leader of the Senate Republicans (and perhaps Big Coal's biggest friend in Congress) clearly looks to be in serious trouble. It's really interesting that his numbers...
In one more move that keeps Mitt Romney ahead of his rivals in the early contests, he is set to receive the formal endorsement of Judd Gregg, the state's senior senator and a former governor. Rudy Giuliani might be ahead...
October 26, 2007
Wow, what a revolting performance. Shays can't get kicked out of the House fast enough. Well, only about a year and a week until the voters have a chance to bounce him out....
I don't read AMERICABlog all that often, and it looks like it's going to stay that way. Does anyone else find his anti-Obama crusade of late a bit over the top? I get his point. It's not good to have...
Louisiana's long-time Agriculture Commissioner is dropping out of his race for reelection. Republican Mike Strain will replace him. Odom's departure means Louisiana will have only 2-3 statewide elected Democrats next year: definitely the two Landrieus, and possibly Buddy Caldwell -...
October 24, 2007
You probably read Yglesias, so you've probably already seen him mocking these Romeny slides - the Reagan Zone of Economic Freedom (which is neither a zone, nor in any way connected to Ronald Reagan) and his chart noting that the...
October 23, 2007
Crikey. It's not as if the pro-gun, pro-forced pregnancy Gov. Kathleen Blanco had a far leftist staff in Baton Rouge, but these quick biographies of Bobby Jindal's first two appointees suggest they'll be taking the state to the right -...
Apparently the 79 year old former governor (Louisiana's first Republican governor since Reconstruction) is going to run for the US Congress again, seeking to fill the seat of newly elected governor Bobby Jindal. He last sought that seat after former...
October 22, 2007
I get running in the Republican race, but his tv character doesn't seem to me like someone who should be running in the Democratic primary as well. Am I alone in thinking that?...
October 20, 2007
Interesting. Score another win for Team Romney. Though there were good results for Mike Huckabee too. By one half of one percent, by 30 votes, ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney won the Family Research Council's straw poll, besting Fred Thompson, whose...
It's election day in Louisiana. Candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote win, otherwise the top 2 finishers will advance to a run-off in November. It's widely anticipated that today will feature low turnout, and possibly an outright...
October 19, 2007
Ask the GOP: From our thread yesterday, a couple more good questions the rabble-rousers here at Balloon Juice would like to see posed to the GOP candidates.: 1.) "Would you have sex with a man to stop a terrorist attack?"...
I have to agree with Mark Kleiman here. Why on Earth would someone confirm Mukasey, given what we know so far?...
October 18, 2007
I'm having trouble expressing my level of disdain for the Congressional Democrats in the English language. "Sniveling" might work, but doesn't have enough banal evilness in it. "Evil" gives them to much credit for actually doing something (takes effort to...
October 16, 2007
Tonight Niki Tsongas, probably best known as the widow of the late former US Senator Paul Tsongas, was elected to Congress. If my memory serves (and I'm usually pretty good with political trivia) she'll be only the third woman to...
This map of where Ron Paul is getting his money looks quite similar to where Ross Perot got his votes in 1992 (well, if you drop out that Tennessee to New Jersey corridor of funders that Paul has). Go to...
Let's see, the family of a twelve year old who needs medical insurance? Check. The family of a sick two year old? Check. Yeah, now that those pressing threats have been dealt with it's time to move on to the...
October 15, 2007
That seems to be what Andrew Sullivan is implying in pointing out this headline. Paul won by a big margin - but the story is that Romney lost?...
October 11, 2007
Seriously, why? He's been in it for months and has gotten no traction. There's no remotely obvious issue he has or wedge to improve his chances. He's not doing it for future political gain (he's already made clear he's leaving...
I should say up front that I'd be completely stunned if he entered the race. But there's an interesting on-line poll at Daily Kos looking at the possible effect of such an entry. There are lots of choices but essential...
Senator, please stop saying "some" or "some Democrats". Either people know who you mean and find it irritating that you won't criticize her directly when you are clearly criticizing her, or people have no idea what you mean, and that...
October 10, 2007
I was wondering when someone was going to get around to writing a story on this. The differences in the behavior of the two main oversight committees in Congress is staggering. Henry Waxman hired a staff of virtually all former...
October 09, 2007
Not according to Andrew Sullivan. While I'm at it: Several of you have emailed claiming that my antipathy to the Clinton Restoration is a function of my discomfort with women in power. This argument is a little weak since my...
October 05, 2007
Okay if egg-head types want to engage in meandering discussions of what is "patriotism" they can knock themselves out. But any news reporter, station or show that treats this brouhaha about what lapel pins Sen. Obama will or will not...
I rarely link to other people's blog posts. I figure anyone on the net (who stumbles across this little corner of it) is likely reading most of the major blogs anyway, so I don't need to point out what others...
October 04, 2007
Interesting lists. Clinton's and McCain's are pretty much what/who you'd expect, solid establishment names from the last few decades (with McCain's including a few names that prompt the thought - oh, X is still alive and active?). Obama's is really...
October 03, 2007
Big news out of New Mexico. Given the state's swing status this should be another excellent pick-up opportunity for the Democrats. I assume the Republican nominee will be one of the state's members of Congress. It'll be interesting to see...
I mean if he can only raise 1/5th of what Ron Paul's raised ......
Jack Goldsmith was testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Marty Lederman summarizes some of the extreme measures the Bush/Cheney White House took to keep the Department of Justice out of the loop here. Think about that for a second....
September 30, 2007
It's a given that any administration has the right to use the executive branch in ways that benefit that party's supporters. That's the political "spoils system" bequeathed to us by Jackson something like 200 years ago. It's not necessarily pretty,...
So I don't know the details behind this, but it's one effective ad - and the last line is hilarious given what comes before....
September 29, 2007
By a big, big margin. So what if that's not what the Iraqi people want, it's what the US Senate (which showed such great wisdom in helping get us in this mess in the first place) wants - and that's...
September 27, 2007
Uh - why? Who selected Darth Cheney's go-to Sunday morning bloviator for that assignment? And while I'm sure the competition is tough, this might very well have been the most ridiculous question yet asked in the debates. Bigoted much, Tim?...
In the mail today I received a notice that my "voter registration will be marked as inactive and cancelled" if I don't send in an enclosed postcard with my name, address, phone, date of birth and driver's license number. Identity...
September 26, 2007
Since it's a presidential debate night: If Bush could run for reelection, would he? And if he was going to, would he be handling SCHIP differently?...
Oh my. Stop her before she analogizes again. No wonder the Sunday talk shows don't want her on to share this lunacy with the world....
Iowa. Good strategy, I think. An Obama win there would likely be a fatal blow to the Edwards campaign and produce a huge momentum swing going into New Hampshire....
Interesting numbers. Not that surprising, but interesting....
September 24, 2007
Well how about that. Kos has two posts up this evening endorsing Mark Pera's primary challenge to Rep. Dan Lipinski. I think it's great that Pera's getting this level of attention. Lipinski is an embarrassingly bad congressman and the fact...
So does this smell of bribing the Christianists to look the other way on his whorin' by sending big buckets full of taxpayers' dollars to them, or is it just me? Sen. David Vitter, R-La., earmarked $100,000 in a spending...
September 20, 2007
So who do you think looks worse in this story, Senator Collins or Senator Snowe? I'd say they both look pretty damn pathetic....
Okay first I should state that I am embarrassed beyond words for the country, and rather appalled at the Democrats who you'd think control the Senate floor, that today the US Senate took time to consider the great matter of...
I know I've posted on this before, but I don't have time to find the link. Anyway, he did it again today. President Insecurity Complex put Secretary Rice in her place - she might be smart, and he might not...
September 19, 2007
So they want to still lots of American blood and treasure exporting democracy to Iraq, but are mostly standing firmly against representative government for hundreds of thousands of Americans. And what's with Robert C. Byrd voting present?...
Kevin's not impressed. And I agree with him that points 2 and 3 aren't good ideas (though I like points 1 and 4)..As to Drum's general point, I'm not sure what to make of it. It's fine and dandy to...
Yglesias think's she's either a beholden, inept hack, or a beholden, would-be cunning liar. Hmmm - which should we be pulling for?UPDATE: This isn't a new position for Sen. Clinton, and according to Garance stems from the fact that she's...
September 18, 2007
One of the most coveted labor endorsements will be announced soon (presuming the group chooses to make one). As Marc Ambinder explains here, if Obama were to get any big labor endorsement it would be this one. But most are...
September 17, 2007
Please drop out of the race governor. I feel more embarrassed for you every week that goes by....
September 16, 2007
While not surprising, this could help Clinton a good deal with the "netroots" activists, with whom she is rather famously unpopular.Of course it could also help Clark get additional consideration when she is choosing who to name as her running...
September 13, 2007
I'm going to lift an Yglesias post in full because it's so right on the nose (and no, that's not a shot at big noses or whatever). Since there is no Israel lobby, and if there is one it's not...
September 12, 2007
Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Oliver North, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Curtis Sliwa... ...Joe Lieberman....
Given that I find Sen. Clinton's views on the topic to be ... okay, breathe, if you can't say something nice about someone ... okay then, moving on, the 2nd leading Democratic candidate for president is going to be giving...
September 11, 2007
Ummm, who was so stupid as to write the last line below? And if it wasn't an attack of the stupids that led to this wording ... well that would be quite a Freudian slip, no? Jill Simpson, an Alabama...
September 10, 2007
This brief Sullivan post seems to get what I've read about the Jacl Goldsmith book in a nutshell. And it's the first time in sometime I've seen a comparison to the Nazis that seems entirely warranted....
Can you imagine the frothing at the mouth and invective that would be coming from FoxNews, CNN and Drudge (to say nothing of Malkin, Instapundit and that set) if this article was about Clinton, Obama or Edwards (probably especially Edwards)...
September 09, 2007
The New York Times is once again buying into the Bush administration's framing of the international security situation. The press is delighting in the folksiness and nice guy image of a rising Republican politician instead of covering his reactionary policy...
September 07, 2007
Most of her foreign policy advisors backed the Iraq War. Obama's? Like the man himself, they did not. Tom Edsall hits on this point again....
September 06, 2007
Well, thinks might be be too charitable a word. Think I should use this in class at some point? Unpacking this might make for an interesting discussion of what drives foreign policy, and how it is made....
September 05, 2007
About 2 years ago I thought that the governor of Mississippi had a good chance of ending up as the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Then the stench of Abramoff etc. began to pervade the Republican elite, and that possibility...
September 04, 2007
Should Democratic voters have faith in the presidential campaign of the six-term senator if he doesn't have faith in his own campaign?...
September 03, 2007
Interesting group that President Bush formally polled when wondering if he should keep Rumsfeld in office....
September 02, 2007
I propose that we rename the junior senator from Louisiana that. I mean if that's all that's kept him from being run out of the Congress, it's kind of important, right?...
August 31, 2007
I've had all I can stand, and I can't stands no more. (NOTE: I realize this is almost a week late, but I have an actual day job, and have to do actual work at it. Thus, I got this...
August 30, 2007
Hilzoy came up with a handy list comparing those members of Congress certain congressional Republicans think should resign to those who have not been subject to such calls. Revealing, no?...
August 29, 2007
My dislike of John McCain never can go away for long it seems. And today it went right back up to "scorching". Seems he thinks Larry Craig should resign. I find that idea laughable. The guy might be deluded, self-loathing,...
August 27, 2007
The main name in the news is Secretary Chertoff. Do you buy that? It seems highly problematic to me. So if not him, who? Keep in mind that 1) Bush loves to appoints people who are very close to him...
To beat Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) that is. They (and others) faced off to succeed Harold Ford, Jr. Cohen won. Why is she running again? Well when it comes to issues, she won't say. Talking about her differences with Cohen...
Seriously? And here I was thinking that a Chertoff nomination for AG would be contentious. Will we get the "fun" of both that and a Johnson nomination?...
Why that would be John and Elizabeth Edwards. Yes, both of them. I look forward to the similar shows featuring Anne and Mitt Romney, Jeri and Fred Thompson, Rudy and Judith Giuliani, and Bill and Hillary Clinton....
August 26, 2007
The New York Times Magazine article on the potential division between Captains/Majors and Generals in the US Army is well worth reading. There have been multiple arguments about "breaking" the Army by forcing it to recycle troops through Iraq multiple...
August 24, 2007
Seriously, why does he bother? I mean, as if. Kleefeld's last line on this is great. John Edwards said today that a line from his speech yesterday, in which he declared that "the Lincoln Bedroom is not for rent," was...
I'm with Yglesias on this - Why in the world would a major political party want to nominate as its candidate for the presidency someone who seems to intrinsically believe that the other party is the one to be trusted...
August 20, 2007
I find this very peculiar. Federalism fan Fred Thompson doesn't want a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. But he also doesn't want states that ban same-sex marriage to have to recognize such marriages that are performed in other states...
August 19, 2007
Josh Marshall points out that it's legitimate to impeach Attorney General Gonzalez, and wonders why there are only 27 cosponsors on Rep. Jay Inslee's (D-WA) resolution to investigate impeaching him. It's a very good question, and I'm inclined to write...
Clergy response teams, because the bible helps people be calm in a time of crisis: For the clergy team, one of the biggest tools that they will have in helping calm the public down or to obey the law is...
So I know others (who are more specialized in American politics than I am) who would disagree, but it seems to me that the likeliest Republican presidential nominees are Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. It also seems to me that...
Sandy Levinson is back from New Zealand, and he's come back with some thoughts about US systems of government. Especially - why do 49 US states have bicameral legislatures? Would some of them work better as unicameral ones? And wouldn't...
August 16, 2007
It's hot (back into the high 80s, with approximately the same humidity); I'm tired (I start teaching three classes on Monday). Thus, I'm cranky. Consider this a wrap-up of the things I have muttered to myself this past week. If...
As a general rule one should read what Fred Kaplan writes. But this piece on Giuliani's foreign policy ... plan? screed? idiocy? ... is something you really don't want to miss. Two months ago, when Giuliani issued some of his...
August 15, 2007
It would appear that Bush and Rove really don't have political antennae any better than those of Alan Keyes....
Atrios thinks it's important that we keep it in mind that the "Petraeus Report" will actually be written by the White House. That's true. But I've got a question for the LA Times: Why make this paragraph - Despite Bush's...
August 14, 2007
Well, isn't that special: The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important new sway over death penalty cases in California and other states, including the power to shorten the...
August 13, 2007
Boaz, via Sullivan: The Treasury Department reported Friday that federal revenues reached $2.12 trillion ($2,120,000,000,0000) for the first ten months of fiscal year 2007. In both current and inflation-adjusted dollars, that puts the federal government on course for the most...
I think Romney is the likeliest to get the Republican nomination. But what might stop him? Among other things, winner-take-all....
If Scheiber is speaking literally (high-fives?!?), this is amazingly inappropriate. Of course if he's just conveying the general mood ... well that's still kind of problematic....
August 12, 2007
I mean it's pretty obvious from this, isn't it? I mean if they whole first paragraph is one long swipe at the Illinois senator that hasn't nothing whatsoever to do with what the column is ostensibly about, that he singles...
Good point - why do the parties privilege the state when its so bad at picking a winner?...
August 10, 2007
In a surprise to no one, any domestic political party the US tries to help in the Middle East loses in democratic elections. Thus, the US is bringing democracy to a region that is systematically voting against us. Gee, wonder...
To me the real story that should be covered out of this debate, the debate at Howard and the debate before Big Labor is that Democrats seem willing to go in front of a host of Americans whereas the Republicans...
August 09, 2007
Nice. I'm afraid Andrew Jackson just isn't much of a citation for me, Stephen. I have too much of a fondness for central banks, and too much of an aversion against ethnic cleansing....
August 08, 2007
Tom Schaller declares that John Edwards won't be the nominee - so he wonders whether his voters will move to Clinton or Obama, as where they go could decide the outcome of the campaign. It's a good question, but there's...
August 07, 2007
Re: FISA etc, Atrios wants someone who can to ask: Have the phone and email conversations of any American journalists, US federal officeholders, or federal campaign workers ever been intercepted without a warrant?...
August 05, 2007
There are days when my belief that Romney is the most likely Republican nominee for president in 2008 chills me. This is one of those days. I mean does this bit from this morning's debate on This Week make sense...
August 04, 2007
New York's emergency management director from 1996-2000 thinks Rudy Giuliani "would make a terrible president". His criticisms of Giuliani's (and Mrs. Giuliani's) past performance on matters tied to emergency preparedness and 9/11 fall somewhere between scathing and withering....
I see that John Edwards was pulling out the Elizabeth card again today at the Yearly Kos convention (or whatever that's called). I like Elizabeth Edwards (much more than her husband), but I continue to find his constant references to...
August 03, 2007
Ezra shows that on health care, Rudy doesn't really have a plan - just a figleaf that allows him to hurl insults at the Democrats. In and of itself, that's not too surprising (actually given we are talking about Giuliani,...
That's how Sam Boyd is reading this week's back and forth between the senators from Illinois and New York. A pattern is developing. Obama says something vaguely controversial but sensible, Clinton condemns it as naive, careless and stupid, but then...
August 01, 2007
A few days ago I mentioned that this idea was moving through North Carolina - now I see it'll be on the California primary ballot next June. This is horrifying. Replacing one horribly skewed system of electing a president with...
July 28, 2007
Hilzoy has her say on the week-long argument between the Clinton and Obama camps stemming from the YouTube debate....
I'll never understand this idea. It's bad enough that we have the electoral college. But if we are going to keep it, history and federalism are really the only reasons to do so - which, it would seem to me,...
July 27, 2007
ThinkProgress has a story (with video) on Rep. Turner (R) of Ohio trying to fight back against Larry Korb, not by actually dealing with his arguments and positions, but instead by trying (and largely failing) to nail him with personal...
Because, you see, judges are already too busy. And just because you are being discriminated against ... well that's not nearly as important as a busy judge, is it? Oy. I look forward to this being thrown back at him...
In today's New York Times: WASHINGTON, July 26 - Three years after President Bush urged global rules to stop additional nations from making nuclear fuel, the White House will announce on Friday that it is carving out an exception for...
July 26, 2007
Mark Kleiman thinks we should keep the words of President Kennedy in mind when evaluating the Clinton/Obama talk-or-not verbal brawl....
July 23, 2007
So let's see, clear winners include Sen. Obama and Anderson Cooper. The latter ran the debate better than just about any moderator I'd ever seen - forcing candidates to stay on topic and actually answer the questions posed. Sen. Clinton...
Everyone, their brother, and their red-headed stepchild is linking to this nice piece of reporting done by McClatchy. It shows that the Senate (or more accurately Republicans in the Senate) are using the filibuster at a record-setting pace. Actually that...
Turkey's ruling party, the AKP (typically described as "Islamist"), won a great result in last weekend's elections. They did even better than they did in the last national elections, in which they did very well. But given Turkey's electoral system...
Mark Kleiman isn't a fan of impeaching Bush or Cheney. Not because he doesn't think they deserve it, but because they won't be convicted. That being the case, he proposes this alternative proposal for reining in executive branch bad acts....
July 20, 2007
Senator Clinton's response to Undersecretary Edelman's attack on her is quite right on a number of levels, and I also wonder if she's trying to turn up the intra-Bush administration fights up a notch. Correct me if I'm wrong, but...
Well this is interesting. Who's getting the most contributions from military personnel and veterans? Ron Paul and Barack Obama. More generally, anti-war candidates are getting much more in funding from military personnel and veterans in these numbers....
July 12, 2007
Could the differences between the parties on Iraq be more stark? It passed 223-201. All but 10 Democrats voted yea (the 10 were mostly conservatives, plus Kucinich). They were joined by 4 Republicans (Duncan, Emerson, Jones and Gilchrest). That's 4...
This clock will likely have you gathering the torches and pitchforks and heading to DC and the governor's office nearest you....
July 11, 2007
Andrew Sullivan's intense dislike of the Human Rights Campaign is well established, so it's not too shocking that he would be the one to unearth the fact that the debate that the HRC is touting as historic isn't really (a...
July 10, 2007
Via Andrew Sullivan, comes this from David Boaz: I’d like to see a pollster ask conservative Christians two questions: 1. Would you support a presidential candidate who is divorced, has estranged relations with his children, never sees his grandchildren, rarely...
David Vitter is a liar, a hypocrite, and Rudy Giuliani's Southern regional chair. But the big picture out of Pamela Martin's revelations probably shouldn't be that a Southern Republican, "values" senator employed prostitutes (though given the workings of our naughtiness-by-celebrities...
July 09, 2007
Wow. Just wow. Talk about an unpopular act. And it does seem to open the door to calling Libby up to Capitol Hill....
July 05, 2007
Soooo ... the press is spilling more ink writing about the son of a non-candidate and the hair of a candidate (still?!?) than stories like this? That's all too predictable. I think Hilzoy's got it right. Think about this for...
As you know if you read this site often I tend to think very little of The Politico. But even by their feature-heavy, random-musing-of-their-minds standards this piece by Elizabeth Wilner is pretty weak stuff. She's excited about the possibility of...
July 04, 2007
These Rasmussen favorability ratings of all the US presidents are kind of interesting. First off, it's interesting the number of people who won't ever give an uninformed rating of some of the 19th century presidents. The "not sure" ratings of...
July 03, 2007
This is a typically incisive overview by Dan Froomkin of The Washington Post, which links to loads of people and organizations reacting to the president's actions. We know, for instance, that Cheney was the first person to tell Libby about...
Of Fred Thompson I mean. They were elected to the Senate in the same year. Frist caught the eye of the powers that be almost immediately and became a prominent figure within the chamber - while Thompson remained a relatively...
July 02, 2007
You fargin sneaky bastage! W slips one in on a Monday evening when people are talking about Putin's fish....
From the big Washington Post story everyone is talking about: "You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker," said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of...
June 23, 2007
Seemingly everyone who's not a fan of the administration or Dick Cheney has already announced their support for this - so let me add my voice to the cause. This is both exactly what the Vice President deserves, and a...
June 22, 2007
Right now one of the most contentious issues in the state is a plan to build a new set of gigantic transmission lines that will run through West Virginia on their way to carry electricity to the East Coast. This...
To me that's the most interesting number in Gallup's mid-June poll testing how the leading Democrats and the leading Republicans would fare in head-to-head match-ups. In all pairings, the Democrat wins. However it's interesting to look at how the Democrats...
June 21, 2007
I can see a big upside in the proposal for a Name Every Victim law - politically, ethically, and in our ability to make better-informed choices as a nation. Still, I can't imagine that our "pro-life" administration would support it...
June 20, 2007
I can't believe so few news outlets are covering this story. It's pretty much nowhere to be found in the news beyond Newsday - while a Bloomberg candidacy that likelly wouldn't be announced until next year, should it ever occur,...
June 19, 2007
They are meeting today to come up with a list of 3 names to submit to the governor, who will choose a replacement for the late senator. The Casper paper is liveblogging the event here....
We have a different "enemy," but just about everything else is the same. Via DefenseTech, we find that the US and China are installing a "hot line" to facilitate communications during crises. Just like the Cold War (where we had...
Rudolph Giuliani's membership on an elite Iraq study panel came to an abrupt end last spring after he failed to show up for a single official meeting of the group, causing the panel's top Republican to give him a...
June 18, 2007
The old haircut story is back on the blogs, earning Edwards great heapings of criticism from - of all people - Kos. Some of you will shoot me for this, but the more time passes, the more his "haircut" deal...
And hey, I guess keeping with the theme of prominent Democrats dissing major Democratic presidential candidates, Andrew Sullivan picks up on this passage in which Bill Bradley conveys his quite negative views of Hillary Clinton. As it's likely she will...
June 17, 2007
Wow. Do you think she could be a little more condescending? Just maybe? Maria Carvajal walks the sweltering streets of Tijuana, Mexico, clutching a photo of her mentally disabled son, who she says went missing after being deported more than...
PZ writes about how the "War on Terror" and the "War on Drugs" have combined to be a war against science projects: In the name of child safety, in order to inhibit drug peddlers, because we don't want to make...
June 16, 2007
...but the conclusion reminds of my doctoral leg process seminar....
I think Josh Marshall is right on target here. What exactly is wrong with questioning the competence of military leaders? And if merely questioning their competence is wrong - shouldn't not listening to their recommedations, or especially firing them, be...
June 12, 2007
Keep in mind that this guy is running for president. Danger Room features a post on an investigation into one of Duncan Hunter's pet projects. In military-industrial circles, former House Armed Services Committee chairman (and long-shot Presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter...
Well, obviously.There are individuals who I think might fit well on a national ticket with certain individual presidential candidates (like former Gov. Vilsack of Iowa would make sense as a possible running-mate for Sen. Clinton), but when it comes to...
June 11, 2007
I suppose some new revelation about how low this administration has sunk shouldn't surprise anyone at this point. And, to be honest, I'm not really surprised by this. Still, what's one more scandal at the Justice Department at this point....
June 08, 2007
Vikram Amar wrote this excellent column arguing that the much-discussed law that constrains who Wyoming's governor can name to the seat of the late senator Craig Thomas is quite possibly unconsitutional....
June 07, 2007
Let me get this straight: she get sentenced to 45 days, which is reduced to 23 (if she behaves herself), get special treatment (how many other people get to enter jail three minutes before midnight?), refuses to eat (uh, is...
June 06, 2007
Considering his lead in Iowa, anything that detracts from Iowa appearing the first real contest in the fight for the presidency hurts him. Today both Giuiani and McCain dropped out of the Ames straw poll....
June 03, 2007
30 minutes in: My first thoughts on the debate (which is so far mostly about Iraq) - Biden and Obama are very good, Hillary is very smooth (if not entirely convincing on her Iraq vote - which she probably is...
June 02, 2007
Over at Balkinization Sanford Levinson cotinues his discussion of what's wrong with our constitution - adding the Vice Presidency to the list. While the original design of the position is one of the best examples of why we should not...
May 25, 2007
In the US House most Democrats voted against the Iraq appropriations bill - but in the Senate only 14 members (and only 10 Democrats!) voted against the bill. Of course among those 14 were 3 presidential candidates (Clinton, Dodd and...
It's not every day a 61 year old Republican congressman gives chase and helps police arrest an 18 year old pick-pocket. For the record it was the congressman's own wallet that had been stolen.Oh, and since Rod Frelinghuysen is in...
May 24, 2007
This is a savvy move by Ron Paul - the topic, the location, and the guest all show he knows how to build on the press he got from the debate....
May 18, 2007
While the race to replace Tony Blair is no race at all - Gordon Brown's is the only name in contention - the Labour party is seeing a competitive contest to replace John Prescott as Deputy Leader. Hillary Benn managed...
In the last couple of months, I have filled out two online surveys of regular blog readers, both part of dissertation projects by political science graduate students at the same university, and both referred by Bitch, PhD. This is a...
May 16, 2007
Remember how a few months ago I said that if he got treated as a serious candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) would be a really interesting presence in the primaries, someone who a lot of Republicans would agree with, and...
Given its wording I think Feingold-Reid matches the popular will - fight al-Qaeda, protect Americans, but don't continue to ramp up operations to protect the dismally-functioning (and basically dismal) Iraqi government. According to my reading of the polls, that's clearly...
May 15, 2007
The legislation requires the president to begin the "safe, phased withdrawal of U.S. forces" within 120 days. After March 31, 2008, all funds would be cut off for the deployment of troops in Iraq, with three exceptions: "targeted operations"...
Wow. Third party candidacies tend not to have much of a shot - but if the candidate is willing to throw in a billion dollars of his own money, that definitely changes the equation.Any initial reactions to a Bloomberg candidacy?...
May 14, 2007
There are other sides to the scandal associated with the firing of the US Attorneys last year. Prominent among them are the gross mismanagement of the Justice Department (by Alberto Gonzalez and Monica Goodling, among others), and the very fishy...
I know he may be the strongest general election candidate the Democrats have (as he's both the only white guy in the first tier, and he's not Hillary Clinton), but all these proposals former Senator Edwards keeps putting out make...
At least you can if you are the Pope (emphasis mine): Pope Benedict XVI blamed Marxism and unbridled capitalism for Latin America's problems on Sunday, and urged bishops to mold a new generation of Roman Catholic leaders in politics to...
May 12, 2007
Read the whole thing. Excerpts won't do this piece by Eric Lipton justice. That Goodling had this power is disturbing. That she behaved in this way is deeply disturbing. And whether it's now or a month or two from now,...
May 09, 2007
MSNBC, on the occasion of Gov. O'Malley's (D-MD) endorsement of Sen. Clinton, puts forward the idea that the difference between her supporters and Sen. Obama's supporters (who include the Democratic governor of neighboring Virginia) is a "divide inside the Democratic...
May 05, 2007
I'm behind the curve on posting on this, as I've been busy grading and engaging in a few end of the year social activities. But happily Hilzoy and others have posted on it so I don't have to. The record...
May 03, 2007
So Amato put up the list of the seven House Democrats who chose not to vote to override President Bush's veto of the Iraq War spending bill. Six of those seven names are awfully predictable. They vote against Democrats often,...
May 01, 2007
I suppose we should post a link on the news that Kyle Sampson and Monica Goodling were granted by AG Al Gonzalez what amounts to essentially complete hiring and firing authority inside the DOJ. This news was of course a...
April 30, 2007
Even though it's technically about Katrina: "Tell them we blew it," one disgusted official wrote. But she hedged: "The flip side is just to dispose of it and not come clean. I could be persuaded."...
April 27, 2007
I ask this question in all seriousness. Living in the information age as we do, Americans of all stripes can easily access the candidates' views on 98% of the topics that they will be quizzed on in debates. The design...
In what I think should quite possibly be the #1 target of national Democrats in the 2008 US House elections, Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich took another step towards cementing his position as the Democrats' nominee. As Joe Monahan reports...
April 25, 2007
OMG. The mind reels. I sure hope her press agent is "clarifying" her remarks as I type....
I realize everyone's outrage meter has long since fallen off over this administration, but here's another one: Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed...
April 24, 2007
Perhaps not, but she's opted to help block national democratic elections in our country and instead support our reliance on the undemocratic mechanism (and sometimes nightmare) that is the Electoral College. Both houses of Hawaii's legislature had voted for the...
April 23, 2007
Josh Marshall has put up the text of the big foreign policy speech Sen. Obama gave today. Looks quite good to me. Obama looks vastly wiser and serious about national security than the current occupant of the White House....
April 22, 2007
For those of you interested in the topic, here Sanford Levinson (arguing against it), John McGinnis and Daniel Lowenstein (arguing for it) debate the merits of the Electoral College. I think Levinson clearly wins the debate as argued there, as...
April 21, 2007
It's not marriage (only legal in Massachusetts) or civil unions (only provided in New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut and soon New Hampshire), but the state of Washington is moving in the right direction in terms of providing equal rights to its...
April 20, 2007
There are moments like these when I really wonder how the president's mind works. He took Speaker Pelosi aside to tell her that he didn't criticize her trip to Syria? Ummm, okay - that's just weird....
Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., calls this "the most astounding thing" he's seen in 32 years. And what would that be? Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) pulled out a chart at yesterday's Judiciary Committee hearing comparing the manner in which communications...
April 18, 2007
McNulty said he was concerned about Bogden, 50, getting a job outside government after 16 years at Justice and being able to care for his family. When it was pointed out that Bogden was not married, McNulty withdrew his concern...
I asked because apparently there's no chapter of Drinking Liberally in the state of West Virginia....
April 15, 2007
Via TPM, still doing a bang-up job on the purge: Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was fired after Sen. Pete Domenici, who had been unhappy with Iglesias for some time, made a personal appeal to the White House, the Journal...
April 14, 2007
The man that many consider the most formidable Democrat in Louisiana has decided not to run for governor. The race remains in flux - though many DC pundits seem to think that Congressman Bobby Jindal (R) has the election wrapped...
April 13, 2007
Paul Kane begins this feature that favorably reviews the first few months of service by the freshman senator from Rhode Island by noting how he's an anomaly. Not only is he the only Democrat on Senate Judiciary to have had...
Via the Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex a few years later as those who did not, according to a long-awaited study mandated by Congress. Also, those...
April 11, 2007
How is Bill Richardson differentiating himself from Clinton, Obama, and Edwards? Unlike the other 3 he's calling for a removal of all US troops from Iraq. Kos has the details (including a sort of whining response from the Edwards team...
Happily, former Senator Thompson's cancer is in remission. But I find the argument that some make, that this shouldn't be a campaign issue, bizarre. If you don't want to vote on the basis of a candidate's health (or that of...
Alex Rossmiller traces the history of the Bush administration's "erratic meddling" in Iraqi domestic politics. Constancy appears to not be the Bush administration's style....
From a story in today's WaPo: The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has...
April 10, 2007
Remember that proposal going around by which states would award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote (it would take effect once states with a total of 270 electoral college votes had signed on to the...
April 08, 2007
For those of us who have come to oppose the US adventures in Iraq (either recently or since 2002; either strenuously or moderately), this WaPo article presents the crux of the problem: An official in Iraq warned that executing the...
April 04, 2007
This is underhanded and an abuse of Executive authority — sadly this behavior has become the hallmark of this administration. No wonder Senator Dodd is outraged. The president formally withdraws Fox's nomination to be ambassador to Belgium - and...
So I got my new copy of The Alantic today. Has anyone posted yet on Caitlin Flanagan's article that's subtitled "Abortion and the bloodiness of being female"? As few (if any) writers are more likely to make me see red...
Wow. Jaw-dropping, mind-blowing wow. Over $25 million from over 100,000 individuals....
April 03, 2007
They just released some polls in the presidential race. Here McCain has a very slight lead over Giuliani, 33-29, with Romney running a distant third (well behind "undecided") at 8. On the Democratic side it's Clinton 37, Obama 22, Edwards...
April 01, 2007
With words like these maybe he'll snag the nomination yet: "The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. . . . We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common...
March 26, 2007
Did anyone else see this? I guess we'll really find out if money can buy anything....
March 23, 2007
Or their staff is, either way (emphasis mine): In the runup to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January, Gonzales' chief of staff Kyle Sampson lied to committee staff in order to convince them that...
March 19, 2007
I tend to not care for the process by which we elect the president - to put it mildly. The electoral college is a trainwreck waiting to happen (again), and why peopole didn't push for reform of it after 2000...
Emptywheel has an interesting post up on testimony by Knodell and Leonard before Rep. Waxman's committee. What stood out to me was that the White House believes the president has complete power to declassify information at a moment's notice in...
Normally I'd file this kind of thing under the sort of pointless fluff pieces that deluge the national media during presidential campaigns, and in their own way encourage people to vote for president on matters entirely unrelated to their qualifications,...
Larry Johnson has a few things to say about the spinning going on about Plame's status....
March 17, 2007
In case you were still considering voting for John McCain, maybe this will put a stop to you considering such a thing. D-i-s-t-u-r-b-i-n-g. The groveling before the president and his (ineffective) policies. The painful unwillingness to say what he actually...
March 16, 2007
Marshall's right - the president's likely never needed a friendlier AG than right now, but will it be politically possible to replace Gonzalez (when he eventually resigns) with such a person? And who else could he name? We know Bush...
March 15, 2007
The information coming to light on the attorney firings brings up questions raised during the Abramoff investigations, namely, was the Bush administration deliberately using non-government communications pathways to conduct shady business? (emphasis mine) One email, sent to Justice Department Chief...
Via TPM, the National Journal is reporting that Gonzalez asked Bush to end an internal Justice Department probe that was focusing on his own actions: Shortly before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales advised President Bush last year on whether to shut...
March 14, 2007
Attaturk is funny. The situation is not....
From the files of the quite predictable - actual New Yorkers (those who actually had to deal with them) think Michael Bloomberg has been a better mayor than Rudy Giuliani was. And that's by a wide margin - Bloomberg leads...
March 12, 2007
If you didn't see Sunday's WaPo story on bureaucratic infighting, you should. Long story short: DC based bureaucrats try to remake Iraq into their (ideological) image. Iraqis ignore silly Americans, continue to duck mortar shells. As I noted before, my...
March 10, 2007
Jonathan Chait: He began as a crusader for justice. Soon he realized that he needed to acquire more power in order to accomplish his noble goals. But over time, his pursuit of power became the goal itself, and by the...
March 09, 2007
Via the Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI underreported how often it used the USA Patriot Act to force businesses to turn over customer information in suspected terrorism cases, according to a Justice Department audit. (snip) Justice Department Inspector...
March 08, 2007
Gingrich Had Affair During Clinton Probe....
March 05, 2007
I realize this is from a poll of Democratic partisans, not the country at large, but since the bulk of the "swing states" are in the Midwest, might it not make sense to nominate for the president the candidate who...
March 04, 2007
Cameron Scott has compiled this list of data on the economic benefits that would stem from legalizing gay marriage....
The results of the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference are in. Romney came in first with 21% and was followed by Giuliani, Brownback, Gingrich (who of course may not be running) and McCain. As for what any...
March 03, 2007
If you're like me, watching the President tour tornado-ravaged areas and promise "I'll do my very best to comfort them," that doesn't fill you with certainty that the disaster relief will be well-managed. Instead, it reminds me again how the...
I would have thought that given the fact that it's called the "Democratic response to the president's radio address" that it would be given by an actual Democrat. Silly me....
March 02, 2007
Majikthise comments on the executive order which the Bush Administration has installed to exercise more control over regulatory interpretation: These new "regulatory policy officers" will have the final say about whether the recommendations of experts found their way into official...
Hmmmm - what's with an address to hundreds at one of the best known gay rights groups in the country not being on Sen. Clinton's public schedule?...
So you have probably heard that the Army has relieved Major General George Weightman of his at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. And it apparently is now also asking him not to be a witness at Monday's subcommittee hearing on...
As I noted yesterday, our intelligence that North Korea was enriching uranium in violation of 1994's "Agreed Framework" may have been wrong. Today we find out that we may have been wrong on other aspects of North Korea. Knight Ridder/McClatchy...
March 01, 2007
Via Instaputz (nice name, by the way), we get this marvelous comparison (at GatewayPundit): So, lefty bloggers swear about nineteen times as much as righty bloggers. We're such fucking potty-mouths! In case anyone cares, this isn't a valid comparison. The...
Yes, of course, we're talking about Bush's foreign policy again. Just when you think you've reached the nadir of stupidity, something else comes down the pike: For nearly five years, though, the Bush administration, based on intelligence estimates, has accused...
February 27, 2007
The someone responsible for filing this report maybe? Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton have operated a family charity since 2001, but she failed to list it on annual Senate financial disclosure reports on five occasions. The...
Oh, wait, no it isn't: The federal agency that's been front and center in warning the public about tainted spinach and contaminated peanut butter is conducting just half the food safety inspections it did three years ago.The cuts by the...
February 26, 2007
While we here at BloodlessCoup have covered the issue of the White House firing eight US Attorneys before, today's NYT Editorial brought it back to me again. In addition to looking clearly wrong (what good reason can there be for...
No doubt Armand is busily preparing his Oscar roundup post, so I have but a brief comment gleaned from the headlines at CNN this morning. When you go to see a "flick" what do you expect? Fun, lighthearted films? Doris...
February 25, 2007
Headline from the New York Times: Christian Right Labors to Find '08 Candidate [Note: not opening paragraph] Many conservatives have already declared their hostility to Senator John McCain of Arizona, despite his efforts to make amends for having once denounced...
February 22, 2007
This new rumor is indeed unlikely to come to pass. But while it's hard to imagine the former senator jumping into the presidential race at this point, I'd have to think he's one of the most appealing choices a Republican...
February 20, 2007
AP: Gov. Ted Strickland delivered a message to President Bush Wednesday - don't send any refugees from the war in Iraq to our state. We also have a message for the governor - show a little compassion... Strickland said Ohioans...
February 19, 2007
In the last two election cycles we've seen an unusual level of stability. Few states flipped between the Republicans and the Democrats in those two elections, and most states saw quite large victory margins for one party or the other....
Your kids get lead in their lunch....
February 18, 2007
Blogs seem to be doing a vastly superior job of covering it compared to the "mainstream" media. But they've actually done such a good job of it that I can't keep up. While I admire all the work that the...
February 16, 2007
ABC: Many of those interviewed saw atheists as cultural elitists, amoral materialists, or given to criminal behavior or drugs. She states, "Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the...
Today The Fix looked at the 2008 Senate line, and had this to say about the reelection race of Mary Landrieu (D) in Louisiana: If Republican can get Baker to run, which looks more likely than not at the moment,...
February 13, 2007
So now both Shakes and Amanda have resigned their positions. Shakes has been less public about the details of the harassment she has received, but this has gone into the realm of witch hunt. There will be some who clamor...
February 11, 2007
What the Democratic Congress has to look forward to as it starts the cleanup: Last summer, the Finance Committee was looking into the role of falsified clinical data in the FDA approval of a drug. After Grassley accused the Justice...
February 10, 2007
"I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas."...
Congressman Weiner is far from my favorite member of Congress (nope, not remotely), but he's got a good point. If spending a week or more fighting the Speaker's plane/security arrangements is the best the "Republic Party" can offer the country,...
The Union of Concerned Scientists has made an A to Z Guide of Political Interference in Science. In the form of a Periodic Table, natch. Via....
February 09, 2007
"Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest and most glittering reign must come to an end some day." If there's been a better overtly political series on television than House of Cards you'll have to remind me what it was....
February 08, 2007
Now it's perhaps not surprising that Florida's term limits have led to people without much experience in government leading its legislative chambers. But I think it's interesting how quickly legislators are settling who will lead them. Take newly elected, 27-year-old...
February 07, 2007
On the whole fake outrage Amanda-gate situation, I am watching what the Edwards campaign does in response to the wingnuts' pressure. Campaigns that hire bloggers should know the blogger's work, and be prepared to stand by the employee. A campaign...
February 03, 2007
So we haven't been posting on the Libby trial. If it's a topic of interest to you, check out the latest analysis from emptywheel and comment below. And is it just me, or is this getting surprisingly little attention in...
January 31, 2007
When Jackson choose to exert his will, things could get ugly. And sadly his love of his own power (and his disrespect for the liberty of others and the rule of law) set a precedent that has affected the country...
January 30, 2007
From Sen. Richard Lugar's column in today's Washington Post: We need to recast the geo-strategic reference points of our Iraq policy. Some commentators have compared the Bush plan to a "Hail Mary" pass in football -- a desperate heave deep...
January 28, 2007
What the hell is THIS? Former Republican Congressman and Vietnam-era Defense Secretary Mel Laird seems to have lost his marbles. Either that, or he's being disingenuous in the extreme and not playing by the "civility and bipartisanship" rules he wants...
January 24, 2007
I was fairly unimpressed by Bush's State of the Union speech last night. The tone was better (more engaged, more animated) than the dreary "library speech" of 10ish days ago, but the content hasn't really changed much. On domestic policy,...
January 23, 2007
He represents a majority African-American district in Tennessee. Most of his congressional staff, including the Chief of Staff, are African-Americans. He wanted to join the CBC, especially given the shared concerns of his constitutents and those of many of the...
January 20, 2007
From the New York Times: WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - Declaring himself a proud conservative before a crowd of cheering supporters waving American flags, Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, on Saturday announced his candidacy for president. Mr. Brownback, an evangelical...
January 18, 2007
I know this presidential administration loves to give power to those who aren't fit for their jobs, but ... this is ridiculous, public and just plain weird. How do you reconcile this: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says federal judges are...
January 16, 2007
Armand mentioned the Lam case a couple of days ago, but I just saw via Balloon Juice that the number is possibly up to seven fired prosecutors. As Tim F. says, TPM is doing the work: Okay, so we already...
January 15, 2007
Confirming the suspicions of many, the senior senator from Colorado has announced he will not seek a third term in 2008. As to whether or not this helps/hurts the GOP or the Democrats, well there are multiple views on that....
January 14, 2007
Yay! It's too bad he didn't go in for the kill, but it's pretty much always a good thing when to watch the self-righteous, scare-mongering and pompous junior senator from Connecticut squirm (oh, and be called on his bullshit on...
I ask because guess what happens one year from today?...
January 13, 2007
From Crooks and Liars: HOLY CRAP: Can I get an "Amen"?…A loaded word, loaded with relevance… What does the Christianist Right see when they look at history? OK, how about when they look at a Bible? ...
January 11, 2007
The biggest supporter of small government in Congress, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, is going to seek the Republican presidential nomination. He was the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in 2008. If the press treats him at all seriously (which...
January 10, 2007
This is all over the internets: Snow held out hope that the Democrats would come to their senses about opposing this but admitted it could even be a battle royal. But what about calls for the Democrats to halt the...
I argued a couple of days ago that Negroponte was an asshole for leaving ONI. The office is too new, and too fragile and important, to play with. I continue to feel that.However, armand brought this to my attention: Contrary...
January 06, 2007
Brad DeLong notes here that the new US House of Representatives is going to take economic responsibility much more seriously than its predecessor, noting these remarkable changes in the House's rules.He's much less pleased with the economics journalism, or journamalism...
January 05, 2007
The Bush administration has no shame. The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to...
More shuffling of the deck chairs? The Armchair Generalist has some concerns about the military appointments, while Steve Clemons thinks the pick for the UN is a good one. Ryan Crocker is apparently in line to be the new Ambassador...
January 04, 2007
Via the NYT tonight. WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 - John D. Negroponte, whom President Bush installed less than two years ago as the first director of national intelligence, will soon leave his post to become the State Department’s second-ranking official, administration...
January 03, 2007
I'm sorry - but if you get space in the Washington Post, shouldn't you use it to put forward something that's original and/or informative? Ruth Marcus wastes her space today by saying that Obama should wait until 2012 to run....
January 02, 2007
You know Pennsylvania might not jump to mind when people think of which states have the craziest and most dramatic politics. But a couple more dramas like today's election of a new House Speaker might make people reevaluate their view...
I don't expect to be backing John Edwards in the 2008 presidential contest. However, I must admit that the man has proved on numerous occasions in the last couple of years that he has become much more politically savvy since...
The list of pathetic acts of the Bush-Cheney administration is of course close to endless - but I've got to say that pointing to the Ford administration as a symbol of leadership becoming truly understood and respected years later ......
January 01, 2007
Sure, they usually vote the same way - but when they differ, what do they differ on? Shailagh Murray has this report....
December 30, 2006
So to move away, briefly, from thoughts related to the movies ... While most who are interested in the US House are understandably focused on what Democratic plans are in 2007, it's worth noting that there are a whole new...
December 26, 2006
I love arguing politics. I'm willing to do this with everybody. It's part of my civic evangelism: people who haven't been introduced to rational thinking and actual facts can't be held responsible for their incorrect voting. It's up to me...
December 16, 2006
So there's a little 2008 presidential race news this weekend - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh has decided not to run, while former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating is publicly mulling a bid. But something that'll shape the race (on the Republican...
December 15, 2006
This is just silly, right? All things being equal, sure it's easier to get a senator through the confirmation process, so it makes some sense to consider senators in a 51-49 Senate. But several of these names would fly directly...
December 14, 2006
The new list of committee assignments for Republican senators was released yesterday. As there are so few new Republican senators (Bob Corker of Tennessee and ... is that it?) this list looks a lot like the current line-up, minus those...
December 13, 2006
The Hill brings us the latest list. The new Appropriations members include 3 Californians and a Marylander, plus a few rising stars in the caucus. Interestingly three representatives-elect will be joining Rules. And Bill Jefferson (D-LA) who lost his seat...
The House Democratic leadership has begun assigning committee memberships. The Speaker (elect) put out this press release announcing the new members of a variety of committees, including Armed Services, Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means, and assignments some of...
December 12, 2006
The 2006 Democratic wave just got a little bit bigger - and in South Texas of all places. Henry Bonilla, a 14-year member of the US House and often the face of Hispanic Republicans, has been defeated in a run-off...
Faith, family, then country. That's the way to approach national defense. Jesus fucking christ....
December 11, 2006
Well this is interesting, guess where a big chunk of Bill Jefferson's winning margin came from this weekend? If you were thinking from suburban white folks, you would be correct....
December 10, 2006
Ladies and gentlemen I give you the senior senator from Delaware, who's about to become Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations again. Should we laugh or cry?...
December 09, 2006
Binky pointed out to me that we haven't done much on recent political stories (our bread and butter), concentrating mostly on music, infotainment and other sundries. While this is true, I suspect our excuse is related to the fact that...
Over at MyDD they are reporting that channel 8 in New Orleans is calling the US House race for the gay-hating, bribe-taking incumbent. I'm appalled - though not really surprised. And in other bad political news from Louisiana, in the...
December 05, 2006
Steve Benen is challenging the convetional wisdom that Wesley Clark was a bad candidate in 2004. After the Iowa caucuses, which Clark chose not to compete in, the four main Democratic candidates — Kerry, Dean, Clark, and Edwards — met...
December 03, 2006
So it seems like everyone is writing about presidential rankings this weekend. And if you want to read yet more on the subject, this comments thread contains some interesting thoughts. There are some points in there about Jackson (who've I've...
Micheal Lind's entry in to the "just how bad is George W. Bush?" discussion rates the current president as the fifth worst ever (after Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Nixon and Madison). A key part of this rating stems from Bush waging...
Douglas Brinkley takes a whack at the "worst president ever?" question....
December 02, 2006
Eric Foner makes the case for George W. Bush being a uniquely awful president. Why is he so bad? He has an unfortunate tendency to act in ways that pull together the worst tendencies of all the worst presidents that...
Should we be surprised? I mean where does bribery and naked self-interest really stack up on the list of "conservatives'" concerns when there's human cloning to be stopped. Oh, and he's also running to protect people from the gays. Jefferson's...
December 01, 2006
So Baltar and I have already whacked the George Will column that's seemingly a minor and petty swat at Senator-elect Webb's civility. But in doing so, we probably let Will off too easily, because we were likely too quick to...
November 30, 2006
Wouldn't you rather your elected officials take an oath on a book in which they believed? I mean, it totally helped Duke Cunningham to swear on the bible, with that eighth commandment and all....
Shorter George Will: People shouldn't say mean things to the President. It's uncivil. Oh, and no one should ever use the words "literally" and "infinite" in the same sentence. OooooKay. Thanks for that, George. UPDATE: That's what I get for...
And a boor.Seriously, I'm not making that up. If there was ever a case of "pot, meet kettle" ... I'm pretty close to rolling on the floor I'm laughing so hard. Who knew Will had it in him to be...
November 28, 2006
Ah yes, Tom Tancredo. Helluva way to solidify the Republican base in Miami. Rep. Tom Tancredo, the leader of the anti-illegal immigration faction in the U.S. House, spent a recent weekend at The Breakers in Palm Beach. Ninety miles to...
November 27, 2006
This story via Crooks and Liars: Lawmakers recently considered two sets of legislation that would affect whistle-blowers. One attempted to extend the whistle-blower Protection Act to cover intelligence agency employees through amendments to the 2007 Defense Authorization Bill. In October,...
Wow, this is rather fun - a lengthy argument between Greenwald on one side and Althouse and Reynolds on the other, over the use of the term "Christianist". It gets deliciously petty....
November 24, 2006
For predictable reasons (I grew up there and have been a very frequent visitor to New Orleans since then) I am highly interested in the run-off election for the US House seat currently held by "Dollar" Bill Jefferson (D). Personally,...
November 23, 2006
Um, yeah. Because if there's one thing Rumsfeld knows, it's following protocol and showing respect to dedicated public servants when they retire, right? Oh I guess not.Btw, it's off topic - but what the hell is that last little bit...
November 21, 2006
OK, it's far to much "the sticks" for him and his wife - but it was the only county in the state to vote for him.Still, he could have done worse. After all this was the first election since 1988...
This (sort of macabre) point has been bouncing around in my head for days. Glad to see someone got explicit about it....
November 19, 2006
So, what, should we all hold hands, sing hymns, and magically wish it away? It strikes me that if this is his position he really doesn't mind anti-gay discrimination very much. I mean he'd clearly never want to harm the...
November 18, 2006
There are still two more congressional races to be held this year, run-offs in South Texas and the New Orleans area. In the latter embattled (tens of thousands in the freezer) incumbent Bill Jefferson is facing Karen Carter, long seen...
November 17, 2006
The Minority Leader will be John Boehner (R-OH) and the Minority Whip will be Roy Blunt (R-MO). They easily (really easily) beat back their more "movement" challengers (the rightie-blogs might have called 'em more conservative - but can you really...
Ezra makes the case here. The congressman from El Paso is a much better selection than the candidates being pushed by the Blue Dogs (Jane Harman of California) and the CBC (Alcee Hastings of Florida). As an added bonus, it...
November 15, 2006
In case you've forgotten, former House Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA), who ran the House the last time a party was booted out of power there, went on to serve as the US ambassador to Japan from 1997-2001. Guess who a...
In a word - Abscam. In several more words: "I am the guy that didn't take the money," Murtha said this summer when his opponent raised the issue. Yes, but: He's the guy who, brought into the deal by two...
Cue Saint Saens' Danse Macabre - Trent Lott is back in power!Well, he's back in the Senate leadership as the #2 Republican in the Senate, the Republican Whip. He defeated Tennessee's Lamar Alexander in a 25-24 vote....
November 14, 2006
Here's the list.What stands out? Well Finance tends to be the most sought after committee assignment, and the new members there are Debbie Stabenow (MI), Maria Cantewell (WA) and Salazar (CO). Appropriations? Jack Reed (RI), Frank Lautenberg (NJ) and Ben...
The Senate Democrats have settled on their new leadership team....
November 13, 2006
So who does Tim Russert highlight in the wake of the biggest Democratic legislative victories in over 30 years? Why John McCain (R - the Green Room) and Joe Lieberman (Ego - Connecticut) of course. And the promos for it...
November 10, 2006
This story, of oddly high undervotes in multiple counties in Florida, is troubling. Surely I'm not the only person who thinks we should strongly consider going back to paper ballots, am I?...
November 09, 2006
I've been surfing around, looking for election results I missed on Tuesday night, and the level of Democratic strength is remarkable. Even in the South, where they posted the fewest big wins, there were some victories. They've put prominent people...
From my vantage point (one far from DC), it look liks we now know what the Democratic leadership is going to look like in the House next year. Yes, sure, there will be a challenge to Steny Hoyer from John...
November 08, 2006
They're calling it. Am I blue!? The House and the Senate too!...
What outcome would get your vote? The one that leaps to mind for me is in Southereastern PA. It was a complete debacle for the Republicans in Pennsylvania this year - yet it appears Rep. Jim Gerlach has held on...
In Iowa's second district long-time International Relations committee member Jim Leach (R) was defeated by an international relations professor....
Of course there's that old saying about how voters will reelect their members of Congress if they serve on powerful congressional committees from which they can protect district interests. To that I'll just note that already tonight 5 Republican members...
Or what sort of conservative? The high-profile abortion ban on the state ballot has been defeated! Two other referenda, one on same-sex marriage and one on medical marijuana are both completely up in the air, though 75% of the votes...
Perhaps it's Michelle Bachmann, the new member of Congress from MN-6. Her victory has got to be one of the sadder things to happen this election cycle....
A big big BIG night for the Democrats - they haven't lost a single one of their own governors or senators or House members (though 2 House members from Georgia are currently mired in 50/50 races), they've picked up at...
November 06, 2006
Okay all of you who follow US politics, it's time to predict the elections. Don't worry about looking foolish - guessing election outcomes incorrectly has yet to result in any TV pundit ever losing his or her job (even when...
There's always the Fanstasy Congress!...
November 05, 2006
Soldiers of Christ, a long and very detailed Harper's piece about the growth of the Colorado Springs evangelical flock, and the New Life Church. The author could have been over the top snarky - the opportunities are endless - but...
November 02, 2006
I've gotten at least a dozen this week. What's your tally?...
In general I think the media is neither liberal nor conservative. It's sensationalist: it wants to sell advertising space (its a business, after all), and the more people who want to read their stories, the more they can charge to...
November 01, 2006
I highly recommend voting early. I did it this morning, didn't have to wait behind anyone (they've got four machines running), and the lady who explained the machines did a thorough, professional job. I was in and out of there...
October 30, 2006
While there seems to be a broad consensus including most everyone outside his family and political organization that the congressman from New Orleans should be denied another term, I'm having some trouble figuring out who I think should replace him....
October 29, 2006
Nine days from now many of us will be glued to our seats, watching the election returns pour in. There seems to be a wide consensus on both (party) sides of the political pundit class that the Democrats will win...
Just for amusement value, play this in the background while you are surfing the web (yes, it's a video; no, that's not important - the audio track is the important part). Remember, this was 1986. While this is "Crossfire" (CNN's...
Stating that Donald Rumsfeld is the best thing to happen to the Pentagon in 25 years ... well, it's such a bizarre notion I don't even know where to begin to critique it. Something akin to saying that Curly Joe...
October 27, 2006
This thread can serve as a general discussion thread for the 2006 election races in our local area. But I'm adding it right now because I have a specific question. Does anyone know anything about the Republican candidate for County...
I sometimes think that the importance of newspaper endorsements in high-profile races is overstated. They can matter, but it definitely depends on the circumstances. WIth that in mind I think this one might matter, if only slightly (and slightly matters...
October 25, 2006
An interesting Lieberman-related tidbit from a piece on The Washington Note: I was in Senator Jay Rockefeller's office the day that Joe Lieberman lambasted on the Senate floor President Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Rockefeller was furious with...
This is a few days old, but I think it's still well worth linking to this Olbermann Special Comment (via Crooks and Liars). Of course I'm prone to like it as it hits on what probably bothers me more than...
Something to keep in mind on election night, especially since so many pundits are predicting small margins of victory, is that winning control that night doesn't mean you'll have it for a full two years. We saw this most recently...
In case you are looking for reasons join the junior senator from Illinois' bandwagon, Hilzoy can provide you with lots of them....
October 24, 2006
An interesting ad from the Ned Lamont campaign. I sort of wonder how much of an effect it will have though on people under 40 who don't even vaguely remember Nixon. But it could move those who are wary of...
October 23, 2006
I was thinking this, but he said it first: If there's been one thing most galling about the Worst President Ever's era, by the way, it's been having to care about the opinions of rank idiots. That somebody jollily febrile...
Am I the only one surprised that that Schiavo controversy hasn't been used by more Democrats in this year's elections? Apart from Hurricane Katrina I'd be hard pressed to think of a controverys that got people more riled up and...
October 21, 2006
It strikes me that there are only a few things that could happen in the next two and a half weeks that could possibly save the Republican majority in the US House. A pro-gay marriage ruling in New Jersey next...
OMG - things have apparently gotten so bad that the new Republican spin is that not only is Bush Truman (which is an idea they've pushed before, though it's an odd choice given how unpopular he was) but now the...
October 19, 2006
... this is freakin' incredible. And that last word is chosen carefully. That something like this could occur in our political reality takes a moment to get one's head around....
October 18, 2006
A same-sex spouse of a member of Congress who's died? No. A member of Congress who's facing 10 years in jail for taking bribes? Yes....
October 16, 2006
Since Moon and I are going back and forth on the presidential succession I figured it would be a good time to link to this op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times on our remarkably undemocratic founding documnet. Parts of it...
That means I totally missed this: In a little-noticed action taken nearly four years ago, the House amended its rules dealing with the "continuity of Congress" in emergencies and the succession of speakers. The rule, cited recently in Roll Call,...
October 12, 2006
John McCain (R-Media & Big Government) is frequently a proponent of scary and/or potentially disasterous policy proposals - but my oh my does he play politics well. And for that the media goes all rhapsodic over his every (wrong) word.Or...
Wow - this would be big news, presuming it's accurate (and we'll know soon). And my first impression is to say that it's yet another bright spot in John Edwards' 2006 (the guy is having an amazing political year)....
October 09, 2006
Uh, don't look now, but I think we have a fairly significant foreign policy crisis: North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test and the blast had been successfully set off underground with no radioactive leakage...
October 07, 2006
Via Crooks and Lians, an actual Pelosi-endorsed plan for when the Democrats take back the House of Representatives: As in the first 100 hours the House meets after Democrats - in her fondest wish - win control in the Nov....
October 06, 2006
"State of Denial," page 254. It was all Bremer's fault. No, seriously. That's the claim that the people Woodward interviews are making. A remarkably large number of people are going on record (again, both directly and indirectly) as saying that...
October 05, 2006
Seriously? This is the defense her office is putting out? The defense that implies that the Bush administration long knew (long knew before July 10, 2001) that al Qaeda was determined to attack the US? I realize there are pages...
October 03, 2006
Wait for the last word from Molly Ivins. Found at I Blame the Patriarchy....
OMG - if you don't think there's any fun to be had from a member of Congress writing naughty e-mails (Tony Snow's term) to a congressional page, you've obviously missed The Daily Show. You should fix that. I laughed out...
OK, if Reid needs his vote to become Majority Leader, I can see promising Lieberman a chairmanship. Especially since he's an unprincipled weasel who'll jump to the GOP if Reid doesn't bow down before him: “Caucuses like to keep as...
October 02, 2006
So reports The Hill - and to which I say, good. The Pelosi/Hoyer team seems to have done a good job in keeping a pretty diverse caucus together most of the time, and Steny Hoyer has proven to be a...
After letting the fox guard the henhouse, now Hastert wants to shut the barn door now that the news horse already got out....
October 01, 2006
Baltar and I were having an off-blog discussion about Foley's district, the 16th. And some census data to go along with it. Note that it leaves out some areas to the east in Palm Beach county, and some areas in...
NYT. Among those who became aware earlier this year of the fall 2005 communications between Mr. Foley and the 16-year-old page, who worked for Representative Rodney Alexander, Republican of Louisiana, were Representative John A. Boehner, the majority leader, and Representative...
September 30, 2006
So far the results are largely what was widely expected - former Harvard professor Michael Ignatieff has taken the lead, but it's not a commanding lead. Voting will continue throughout the weekend....
September 29, 2006
Wow - I did not see this coming. The Mark Foley e-mail scandal that started brewing a couple of days ago turned up about 300 degrees today - and now he's resigned. Foley was relatively moderate by House Republican standards...
In case you wanted to keep track of who voted how.Every Republican voted for this monstrosity, except for Chafee (Olympia Snowe - the gutless wonder from Maine - didn't vote). All but twelve Democrats voted against it. So who are...
September 28, 2006
And so, it becomes official: The United States Senate voted the "compromise" detainee bill out this evening. The House of Representatives voted it out previously. It will become law within a matter of days. The bill establishes a legal foundation...
Can we please stop calling them that now? Pro-choice doesn't equal "moderate", and except for that issue, how reliably moderate are they? Today Specter and Leahy proposed an amendment to strip the Detainee bill of its provisions that strip away...
September 27, 2006
... may have just become clearer. Apparently the Republicans have decided to hold their presidential nominating convention that year in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis/St. Paul had been a leading candidate to host the Democratic convention that year as well, but...
September 26, 2006
From Crooks and Liars a link to this: The Bush administration has blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes, the journal Nature reported Tuesday. Well kiss my grits! I...
Not content with merely being the worst National Security Advisor in years (well that certainly should be her reputation, but like John McCain, she gets fawning press coverage no matter what she actually does), she's decided to once again try...
September 24, 2006
Tom Kean, Jr.I've always understood why Gov. Corzine thought he had to name Bob Menendez to fill his Senate seat, but I've also always thought it was a disasterous choice. In the latest poll Senator Menendez has a mere 38%...
Tom Kean, Jr.I've always understood why Gov. Corzine thought he had to name Bob Menendez to fill his Senate seat, but I've also always thought it was a disasterous choice. In the latest poll Senator Menendez has a mere 38%...
(* And If They Don't, Why They Deserve To.) Dear Democratic Party, We (the country) recently had an interesting debate about torture. It was called something besides torture (stress positions, "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment", whatever the hell the latest...
September 23, 2006
Charles notes that there seems every reason to think he might lose some progressive and minority support to Chris Bell, but he might pick up a little Anglo support from Rick Perry. If that happens, we're going to finally see...
The topic of white privilege and male privilege are subjects that most of us have heard about while reading in the left blogosphere. This morning I read an article at CNN about the indignation of the creators of Veggie Tales...
September 22, 2006
Agree or disagree? It does appear that the supposed Republican rebels folded without being all that rebelious - at least on some supposedly key points.And on the first point highlighted in the Publius post, well I've got to say I...
September 20, 2006
Over at the Duck of Minerva, PTJ argues that 9/11 didn't really change the world, but 9/20 (2001) did. What happened on 9/20? The President gave a (no famous) speech. In it, he proclaimed that the US would pursue terrorists...
Who cares?! These days, it's what's the matter with Ohio!? As many of you may know, my friend and fellow AmericanStreet blogger Jeff Coryell has had his photographic work stolen and used in a lying attack ad by Republican Rep....
John Boehner, Marsha Blackburn, Denny Hastert ... there are a depressing number of people whose recent behavior "earns" them consideration for that ignominious "honor". There's nasty, there's partisan ... and then there's claiming the Democrats are loyal to Osama bin...
Those are three words you will rarely hear me say, but when it comes to this ......
September 19, 2006
Don't you just love democracy/representative government? It appears that the people of Texas have made up their minds about the candidates for governor (only 4% are undecided?), and they are choosing to reelect Governor Perry by a wide margin. Of...
September 18, 2006
Senator Allen (R-VA) responds to a question about whether or not he's Jewish here. Clearly he thinks that he shouldn't be asked that question. Fine. But what I find odd here is that the moderator asked for a simple factual...
Since I know a lot of people on the Right seem to have no love for Lindsey Graham and John McCain, and since I'm guessing some of them are thinking John Warner is showing senility instead of backbone (and class...
Radley Balko gets to the heart of the matter: In any case, the vagueness of the phrase "outrages on personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment" is a real strength of the Convention, not a flaw. Why? Because those...
September 16, 2006
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin has chosen to endorse Congressman Ed Case, who is challenging 16-year veteran senator Daniel Akaka in the Democratic primary. The primary will be held a week from Tuesday, and whoever wins it will no doubt be formally...
September 14, 2006
Chris Bowers notes that Charlie Cook sees a big split on how people are forecasting the November election. Those under 40 see much better prospects for the GOP than those over 40. I think Bowers' read on this is quite...
September 13, 2006
Oh how I so dearly wish Gov. Corzine would have named Congressman Holt to succeed him in the Senate. I understand why he didn't (Bob Menendez's political clout and giant campaign treasury), but with Holt ... well we wouldn't be...
Ladies and gentlemen, the Speaker of the House....
September 12, 2006
A cry of "psycho" filled the air, and the Democrat is talking about "Red China" ...Wow. This debate was far livelier than any I've ever attended. By the way, am I the only person who's starting to see elements of...
This is of course the last of the mega-primary days in the '06 calendar. Nine states and DC are holding elections, and there are lots and lots of meaningful races. What will I be following the most closely? The Senate...
September 11, 2006
If you scroll down this list of Louisiana political tidbits, under the section on the possibility that Rep. Melancon (D-LA) wil run for governor (a rumor I've heard is being taken seriously), you'll see numbers in the race for the...
September 10, 2006
The "above the fold" stories in today's (paper versions) New York Times and Washington Post: New York Times: At a Secret Interrogation, Dispute Flared Over Tactics, about the internal debate among the CIA, FBI and other agencies about the legalities...
As the attack flyers have been rolling into my mailbox, it's made me wonder why on earth some California economic fund is so exercised over Allan Mollohan. I mean, looking at their website, how could they be unhappy with anything?...
September 06, 2006
Independent polling of 27 US House races, and the Democrats have to like these numbers. While I would have expected better figures for them in a couple of races, on the whole these are excellent for them - and show...
September 05, 2006
For all you past, present and future Floridians ...It's primary day, so if you want to follow the races, the commentary, and the latest idiocy from occasional scary or crazy candidate, you might want to check out Florida Politics today...
September 01, 2006
Bob O'Connor's brief tenure as mayor has ended. He died at 8:55 tonight.Former City Council President Luke Ravenstahl was just sworn in as the new mayor. Mayor Ravenstahl had set a record as the youngest person ever elected to the...
August 31, 2006
It's looking more and more like Senator Chafee (R-RI) will be ousted in next month's primary. So what will be next for him - returning to his days as a blacksmith? Well, regardless, it's looking more and more like the...
August 30, 2006
Sort of. It did come from the AP after all. Fascism, in fact, seems to be the new buzz word for Republicans in an election season dominated by an unpopular war in Iraq. ... While "fascism" once referred to the...
August 29, 2006
I'm not a big Mark Green fan, but I actively dislike Andrew Cuomo - so I am of course please by The New York Times endorsing Green (in the race to succeed Eliot Spitzer as AG of New York), and...
August 28, 2006
Chris Bowers of MyDD has completed his 2006 House race forecast. What's special about this one as opposed to others? Well, there's a bit more data. Particularly interesting is the issue of money - he's got updated numbers on the...
You'd think Ernesto would kill off Tampa's attempt to win the Republican convention. I mean it's supposed to hit Florida tomorrow, August 29. Guess what's supposed to start on August 29, 2008. Yes, that would be the Republican convention. Does...
August 25, 2006
Who is it? Answer after the jump. He attended the elite Thomas Jefferson High School, where he had a 4.1 grade-point average and scored 1550 on his SATs. He was a member of the chess club and the Spanish Honor...
A Democratic Party committee Thursday night disqualified an openly gay candidate for the Alabama Legislature and the woman she defeated in the primary runoff because both women violated a party rule that party officials said no other candidate has obeyed...
August 24, 2006
Since we've made all kinds of remarks here lately about the president's intelligence, I just thought I'd note that Simonton has a piece out that comes up with IQ scores for every president (yes, feel free to smack the methods...
This piece from last week nicely runs down the various strengths that Congressman Bill Jefferson's (D-LA) opponents have as they battle to knock the eight-term incumbent out of Congress....
August 23, 2006
The anti-Mollohan brigade is out in force. I wonder if they'll be able to code my answer to "do you consider yourself to be a Republican?"...
OK, sure there are dozens, scores, hundreds or reasons why he should be unpopular in the White House - but those have been true for some time. If Laura's reading the president's words (and lack thereof) correctly, it would appear...
August 22, 2006
Why are these people so interested in what you do in your bed? Now, they want to make sure that when you're sleeping in a rented bed, you can't have any fun either. And, naturally, they want big government to...
So who did President Bush offer Rummy's job to? Any informed guesses?...
August 16, 2006
The New York Times had a headline this morning: Bush Said to Be Frustrated by Level of Public Support in Iraq. The article goes on to describe a meeting Bush had with advisors last week, where the President seem annoyed...
August 10, 2006
While catching up on (yet more) dissertation defenses and other things put on hold for the last week or so - including a blog post related to this link - I have a little something for you to ponder. Spotted...
...millionaire businessmen are the new radical left fringe....
August 09, 2006
So by way of Scott Lemieux (and be sure to read the comments on the thread) I found the latest exercise in illogic from Marty Peretz - and I've got to say he's outdoing himself, trying to dig ever deeper...
Of course the Senate primary is getting more attention, especially since the Republican incumbent is sure to win reelection. But something rather interesting happened in the Democratic primaries for governor and lt. governor - the mayor of New Haven narrowly...
August 08, 2006
Though you'd never know if from national news coverage, there are actually five states holding primaries today. Three members of Congress are in trouble. The best known of these is of course Senator Joe Lieberman. Lieberman started the campaign arguing...
August 07, 2006
Mark Nickolas provides an early look at the contenders (ranking the potential Republican and Democratic candidates). Understandably, he ranks embattled and deeply unpopular Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R-KY) at the top of the Republican list - but his renomination is far...
The road to a Democratic House in 2007 just got a little tougher. Bob Ney (R-OH), the most endangered House incumbent, is dropping out of his race. He will apparently be replaced by state senator Joy Padgett....
August 05, 2006
Shakes responds to the idea that John McCain is unbeatable in 2008 by providing an overview of the man, the myth, the opportunistic Bush-lovin' conservative Republican senior senator from Arizona. Of course he's beatable....
August 03, 2006
Byrd's voting record leaves a lot to be desired, and his actions that would annoy many Democrats extend far beyond his votes for Justice Alito, Chief Justice Roberts and former Attorney General Ashcroft. He's made lots of unfortunate calls on...
She taught at Pitt while I was there, and I had the fortunate experience of being in a few of her unofficial seminars. Obit....
July 31, 2006
Tennessee's primary is Thursday. Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is running for Bill Frist's seat in the Senate, so Ford's seat in the House is vacant. Sometimes I wish more races for federal office featured a broad array of candidates. But,...
July 30, 2006
Does anyone remember the debates about the numbers of "Level 1" versus "Level 2" Iraqi battalions? You remember, a "Level 1" battalion can stand and fight without US assistance, while a "Level 2" could fight with US support (logistics, air,...
They're so mean! They keep picking on me! Presidential adviser Karl Rove said Saturday that journalists often criticize political professionals because they want to draw attention away from the "corrosive role" their own coverage plays in politics and government."Some decry...
July 26, 2006
Looks like Lieberman got more than a kiss... he got campaign tactics! That kind of stuff is stupid, bad press and contrary to the spirit of democracy. If the guy is so delicate he's going to get his fee-fees hurt...
July 24, 2006
Well her, or one of the Boissieres. I realize the filing deadline is not for a few weeks - but why isn't there a serious threat to Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-LA) in that race yet? C'mon - $90,000 in the...
July 23, 2006
I read the Sunday papers so you don't have to: Most Interesting Story: The US is reducing our military spending in Africa. Why is this interesting? Al Qaeda (short term) and raw materials (long term). Follow me here. The Republican...
July 22, 2006
The DNC finally got around to doing what I figured they'd do as soon as I heard they'd pick one new (likely Western) state for a caucus right after Iowa, and one new (likely Southern) state for a primary days...
July 21, 2006
Barring some change in the dynamics of the races in Arizona and Virginia, I don't see how the Democrats can win control of the US Senate in this election cycle. But the US House looks very much up for grabs....
July 20, 2006
Oy vey - the US House is working hard of late, doing their best to keep the American Taliban happy.In a different post Steve Benen notes that the president, talking to the NAACP, was again extolling the virtues of ending...
July 19, 2006
I think Steve Benen puts it best. Stepping back, it's worth noting that Bush believes a) he can tap phones without a warrant; b) he doesn't need judicial oversight; c) he doesn't need to notify Congress; and d) he can...
Yes. Yes he is.For a more humorous take on little Hannah's "chart" - even though I'm appalled and annoyed, this is sort of funny....
July 17, 2006
If you don't know, Epstein is one of the most highly respected law professors of the last few decades. As his approach tends to run toward (I mean race toward at the speed of light) an economic libertarianism that would...
July 16, 2006
Two presidential candidates were on TV with Tim Russert this morning (as was Bob Novak - oy, Russert is such a pompous, dishonest tool). I find Biden's bid laughable, but some are taking Gingrich's bid seriously. Or they were. After...
The Morgantown Dominion-Post continues to set the bar quite high in this year's race to see which paper in the US can engage in the most innuendo aimed at taking down a member of the US Congress. In the Sunday...
July 15, 2006
In the wake of that hard-to-decipher Supreme Court decision, a number of congressional districts have to be reconfigured. For analysis of the newly proposed maps look here or here....
Oh, my bad, I mean, of private, conservative schools : Students in private schools typically score higher than those in public schools, a finding confirmed in the study. The report then dug deeper to compare students of like racial, economic...
July 14, 2006
Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman are trying to obscure facts with bullshit back here in the US of A. Since I'm staying out of Armand's bailiwick (the ME), let me just point you on over to TPM, which has been...
July 12, 2006
Once again, more evidence for my perpetual lament about the necessity of crafting good laws that are consistent with the Constitution because the stupidity of those who implement them knows no bounds. This time, it's Tucker Carlson who shows us...
July 10, 2006
Our knickers would be even more twisty if we had half a clue what was going on over there. Including blacklisting reporters who don't toe the government's line on what's happening in Iraq: But the military has started censoring many...
As someone who got WAY into issues of districting, variation in election laws, voting procedures and the like when I was in grad school I'm familiar with a lot of the arguments for and against different types of gerrymandering. But...
July 08, 2006
John Kennedy's the guy I wanted to see replace John Breaux in the US Senate, and it's moves like this that make me like him - he's a politician who's willing to be honest, clear, and accept the negative consequences...
July 07, 2006
Say what you will about Kos, but occasionally he links to some interesting pieces. Take this for instance. Maybe it won't come to pass, but Gov. Sanford's performance in the recent primary was awful - so ... maybe it will....
I love this column. Imagine the global outcry if Mexico chose its president indirectly through some sort of electoral college that gave advantage to smaller states over bigger ones and permitted the loser of the popular vote to become president....
July 05, 2006
Wow - who would have expected this - it looks like there's an outbreak of competent people running for office in Louisiana! The old Secretary of State died, so there's a race this fall to replace him. Until now the...
July 04, 2006
It's still rather unusual to hear the virtues of the Grant presidency extolled - but that doesn't mean that a reasonable case can't be presented that suggests he was a far better president than he is usually given credit for...
July 03, 2006
Yes, this man has sooooooo clearly restored honor and dignity to the White House. Not. President Bush told the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case that he directed Vice President Dick Cheney to personally lead an effort to counter...
Ugh. How can a man of supposed principle and integrity - whose supposed strength is looking beyond self-interst - run for his party's nomination for the US Senate, while making it entirely clear that he'll run against the nominee of...
June 27, 2006
I wake this morning to discover, via the New York Times that the august US Senate (the deliberative, thoughtful half of our legislative branch) is within a single vote of amending the US constitution to ban the burning of the...
June 26, 2006
Can anyone explain to me, using small words and short sentences, what the whole DailyKos/TNR spat is about? Every blog I read is talking about it, but it looks like a silly fight, and thus not worth my time to...
June 25, 2006
Exactly. This is what the American people think, and if more politicians would just say this directly it would allow for a both more honest political debate and one that might produce a better opinion of the Democrats' competence and...
Picked this up over at Hullabaloo. Reminds me of the flyer that came out in WV with the guys holding hands. Really despicable....
June 24, 2006
Start here and read through all the updates. Apparently the state government dislikes being criticized (so it censored the bluegrassreport). And also dislikes being criticized for disliking being criticized (so it censored TPM Muckraker and Atrios for picking up the...
June 23, 2006
There's no question what's going to be the theme of his presidential campaign. It's a noble cause, and it's worth following since Edwards is one of the three or four Democrats who are most likely to win their party's presidential...
June 22, 2006
The party out of power has little if any power to get the media (and thereby the country) to pay attention to its policy proposals. One of the things I find so funny about the powers-that-be (or the powers-that-perceive-themselves-to-be) constantly...
June 21, 2006
Remember back when Congress believed in oversight? Think hard - way back in the 1990's or 1980's or 1970's ... I guess it's an idea that's out of fashion in the new millenium (maybe oversight = hating America these days;...
June 19, 2006
It's a bad day for the Bush administration and the country. The Deputy Secretary of State, one of the ablest senior officials in the Bush administration is leaving his position to take a job at Goldman Sachs. Two things strike...
June 16, 2006
So I read all the negative press the Lieberman anti-Lamont (or anti-Weicker?) ad was getting, and eventually my morbid curiousity got the better of me. Wow. It really is that bad. When that picture of Joe's face comes up at...
What's next - a vote on whether people think kittens are cute? The House took a really controversial stand today. Not.The nonbinding resolution, which declares "that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror," passed by a...
The results of the Politics1 survey I linked to earlier this week are in, and despite an organized conservative lobbying campaign pushing US Senator John Thune of South Dakota (who came in 4th), the winner was Martin Heinrich, the chairman...
June 15, 2006
More and more I'm coming to believe that Lieberman may lose his primary race. If that happens it'll clearly be the biggest upset of the 2006 election cycle - a truly stunning turn of events. But given the poll numbers...
OK, I realize when people sign on to write regular columns for national political publications they will often fall back on conventional wisdom or whatever they heard at last night's poker party for story ideas. Somedays you just aren't going...
This raises so many issues for me - and none of them reflect well on the president - the insecure, bullying, rude president....
June 14, 2006
Urgh - how I hate sloppy political reporting. I have only learned tonight - after a couple of weeks of stories in the press noting how the Congressional Black Caucus is opposed to removing Rep. William Jefferson from the House...
I honestly haven't closely considered the issue in many weeks. Last time I did, I figured the likely end result was going to be something close to a tie between the two parties (Democratic gains of 12-15 seats). But maybe...
June 13, 2006
Yes I could make a joke right here, but moving to his comments ... responding to the news that Karl Rove won't be indicted he writes - "It would be interesting to compare the false statements made by Rove and...
June 11, 2006
John Edwards is slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton! That's very interesting. As to the rest, John Kerry is a distant third, and Iowa governor Tom Vilsack is in fourth place. Just how well does Vilsack have to do in his...
June 08, 2006
Zarqawi's terrorism is ended. The Senate kills the effort to permanently repeal the estate tax. And the FDA has finally approved Merck's Gardasil (anti-HPV) vaccine. It's a good day. You'd almost think competent people were running the country's government....
June 07, 2006
So just because it can't pass the Senate, doesn't mean the US House won't also take up the measure. They are expected to vote on it in July. And in the reading I've done on that vote, I've noticed something...
I'll have more to say on this later, but for the record - it failed. The vote was 49-48. Seven Republicans (including McCain! gosh I'm going to have to say something nice about him) voted against it (and Hagel didn't...
June 06, 2006
A number of bloggers on the left side of the blogosphere were upset with a possibility raised in Bob Novak's weekend column - the possibility that if the Democrats fail to win back the House this fall, Nancy Pelosi (D-San...
Moon's pick for '08 did well in a straw poll conducted at the Minnesota Republican Convention last weekend. Very well. Former Speaker of the House newt Gingrich got more than twice as many votes as any of the possible '08...
Business. As. Usual. At one level this doesn't suprise me - the HRC didn't get to be one of the leading lobbies backing "leftist" causes by continually bucking the powerful. But their endorsement of Joe Lieberman is nothing they should...
June 02, 2006
I've been famously cynical since ... birth? Something like that. But perhaps that's not always a bad thing, and maybe it's hitting positively healthy levels these days. I mean there is something to be said for comments like this making...
June 01, 2006
The king of political science soundbites is out with a pithy/overly-simplistic analysis of mid-term elections (what else would you expect from the king of political science soundbites?). I suppose I could knock this piece in a number of ways (particularly...
May 30, 2006
OK, so even though the cable news channels often discuss '08 as if Hillary vs. McCain is the race we're almost certain to see, some of you have doubts about Hillary being the Democratic nominee (well at least if Gore...
I'm just throwing this out there to see what readers think. Will it be her? How certain are you of you opinion? With her name ID and giant piles of campaign cash I think she has to be the front-runner....
I'm a little sad by this since I'm an American and not an Alaskan and would therefore see more benefits if Knowles were in the US Senate instead of the governor's mansion. But for Alaskans, this is a good day....
May 29, 2006
Is there more than one way to spell pathetic - because things like this make me think there should be.Going into the convention, Erlandson said he would abide by the endorsement. But during his speech at the convention, Erlandson said...
May 26, 2006
Jonathan Zasloff has this post which raises a few key points. One (just for Morris) is that one party often implements the other party's program, and that voters might prefer one party's policies and still vote for the other party....
May 25, 2006
So I saw this link on Wonkette, had to click on it, and it's true! The far-right ultimate friends of business have seen electoral successes of late (the candidates they backed won Republicanprimary races for open seats in Idaho and...
May 24, 2006
I still have serious doubts about whether the Democrats can pick up this seat (Pennsylavina, Montana, Missouri and Rhode Island look like much better pick-up opportunities) - but these trend lines are quite intereting. Kyl's never that popular, and his...
May 23, 2006
As if one was needed - but hey, if you want another reason to dislike the big-govenment-lovin', Bush-huggin', Iraq-War cheerleader (oops, I mean the "distinguished" senior senator from Arizona), check out what kind of a man he'd likely replace Karl...
May 22, 2006
So the latest snapshot of the fluid race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 comes from Wisconsin, where the state Republican convention conducted a straw poll last weekend. The outcome? US Senator George Allen - 61 votes, former NYC...
May 20, 2006
The mayor of New Orleans has won another term? The final results aren't in - but it looks like he's going to eke out a win over Mitch Landrieu. Honestly, I'm really surprised. And I'm wondering what Mitch is going...
May 19, 2006
Nativist, xenophobic pandering of the first order. Not a single Republican voted against it (and I think a special recognition of shameful conduct and cowardice should be thrown at Sen. Martinez of Florida who didn't vote on the measure). Not...
May 17, 2006
Rarely do I notice that I agree with both Barbara Boxer and Jeff Sessions when it comes to a major legislative initiative. So it seems a noteworthy week since I strongly agree with both of them that a guest worker...
May 15, 2006
President Bush told President Vicente Fox of Mexico that the use of National Guard troops would only be temporary. Say, until November maybe?...
May 13, 2006
Who better protected national security? Clinton 46, Bush 42. And yes, that's your war-time decider's supposed strength with the people. When it comes to who has done more for average Americans, or for the US economy, or on pursuing affairs,...
May 11, 2006
It's not every day that a sitting governor is indicted. If the stories I've seen so far are accurate it had never happened before in the history of Kentucky (which of course became a state back in the 1700's). That...
It's official: Katherine Harris will not be challenged for the Republican nomination for US Senate. Thus, she will face off against Nelson. She will lose. The more interesting question is what silliness will occur around her campaign in the process...
May 10, 2006
OK, so I don't really have a terribly strong interest in who serves as the governor of Nebraska. But I am happy to see that the winner of the GOP primary (the incumbent governor) was the guy endorsed by Sen....
May 08, 2006
The headline blares: Webb speech praised Confederate Army.But if you actually read the article it's clear that Webb wasn't doing anything of the kind in the way that the headline implies. Given the pro-Republican bent of the paper, perhaps this...
May 07, 2006
Republican representative forces scientific panel on the failure of abstinence programs to include pro-abstinence speakers and bumps a panelist who was to present on how abstinence campaigns cause STDs to increase: Researchers organizing a federal panel on sexually transmitted diseases...
Last year I wrote two posts on the bizarre and scary behavior of Minnesota State Senator Michelle Bachmann, who is probably the best known (and in her own unfortunate way, the wackiest) "social conservative" (punitive and reactionary) member of that...
May 06, 2006
Via Digby, comes this story in today's WaPo (that I missed): The Air Force is investigating whether a two-star general violated military regulations by urging fellow Air Force Academy graduates to make campaign contributions to a Republican candidate for Congress...
May 05, 2006
You know, in case anyone feels like trying to defeat a young Kennedy this year (to give him some extra time for rehab?). Kennedy's always got one of the biggest campaign warchests among the members of the US House, but...
May 04, 2006
President Frist? It is a story, as well, of how concepts and plans can be reduced to sound bites that make them seem absurd. And it is yet another example of how Senator Frist, who is contemplating a bid for...
May 03, 2006
The Bush administration has driven government to the same levels of bloat, corruption and inefficiency. And next thing you know, even more of our seniors are going to be living in poverty. Federal investigators posing as senior citizens found that...
That is, if Fristy and Friends can push it through: The Republicans will, then, have instituted de facto public campaign financing on a scale that could rival any formal campaign finance reform proposal. If one million households were to honor...
May 01, 2006
...in history, in solidarity, in spirit. My grandmother came here on "the boat," fleeing a war and seeking better economic opportunity, got her name changed, endured anti-immigrant attitudes, and worked hard her whole life. That's just the most recent link...
April 30, 2006
You know, the one that executes the laws made by the legislative branch: Far more than any predecessor, Bush has been aggressive about declaring his right to ignore vast swaths of laws -- many of which he says infringe on...
Bob Geiger picks up Ben Sargent's editorial cartoon about the "vote Republican, or else..." mentality. It's funny, unless you live in West Virginia and you get to hear the political ads on local radio in which both John Raese and...
April 29, 2006
And in one of his own campaign commercials! Whatever will his rabid base think?...
April 28, 2006
The president of the United States does realize he is the president of the United States, right? If he does he should know perfectly well that you can't make an admitted "cheap shot" at a leading member of the national...
April 27, 2006
Could this be a problem for Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY), who's facing a spirited challenge this year? Sure. But my first reaction to it (aside from amusment) is that Sweeney really needs to keep his deputy chief of staff away...
Apparently The New Republic is going to soon be running a profile of George Allen (R-VA), the senator many insiders see as the leading candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008. The story will feature a review what many...
April 26, 2006
Not technically, but now it's only a matter of time. Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown has dropped out of the race for the Democratic party's nomination to face US Senator Linc Chafee (R-RI). This assures the nomination of...
Do we really want to deport people like him?...
The senator from California wants your help in deciding who she should send campaign funds to. So, go vote....
April 25, 2006
The Carpetbagger has some good posts up today. There's one on the latest retired general to call for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation (a guy who did such a good job playing Saddam in a war game that they actually started the...
April 23, 2006
April 22, 2006
Follow the action as it unfolds.If Mitch Landrieu doesn't make the run-off I'm likely to be cranky tomorrow....
April 20, 2006
Not that that's how Ezra's framing it, but ... I think what scares me about Bush is that the guy has lost all sense of temporal accountability. In a very real sense, I wish his poll numbers were 20 points...
April 19, 2006
If finding charismatic candidates with both great personal stories and extremely strong defense credentials is one of their priorities (and it sure as hell is), Democrats ought to be working very had to elect Reagan-era Navy Secretary Jim Webb to...
April 18, 2006
Yawn-inducing and hilarious at the same time. The president's remarkable inability to bring anyone he hasn't known for years into his circle of top advisors continues unabated. How should we descibe it? A man with serious security issues? One who's...
April 17, 2006
Yeah, I think that title is getting worn out, but what are you going to do when the adminstration and its cronies are a pack of mendacious weasels? (emphasis mine) Frist and Hastert blamed Democrats for one of the most...
...hit you in the ass on the way out. Signaling a possible shake-up among President Bush's senior advisers, the new White House chief of staff told top presidential aides Monday to expect changes that "refresh and re-energize the team." He...
April 16, 2006
The latest Field Poll is out. Two months ago Steve Westly was trailing Phil Angelides in the race for the Democratic gubenatorial nomination in California by 8 points. Now he's 11 points ahead. It should come as a surprise to...
April 12, 2006
Tonight I realized, for the first time, that the likely "front-runners" for the respective party nominations for President in 2008 are Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Yes, there are others running, and 2008 is a long way away, but those...
David Corn thinks the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 might end up looking a lot like the 1968 race....
April 11, 2006
And Matt Stoller is defending them. There's being principled, and then there's being stupid - in this case Stoller and these unions are being the latter. If they actually think that electing a conservative Republican over a moderate Democrat -...
April 10, 2006
I'm not entirely sure exactly what The Rude Pundit is getting at in this post, but I suppose it is an observation that might interest some people. Myself, I'm not exactly stunned that illegal aliens can go on to be...
April 06, 2006
Josh Gerstein has a big story out this morning: A former White House aide under indictment for obstructing a leak probe, I. Lewis Libby, testified to a grand jury that he gave information from a closely-guarded "National Intelligence Estimate" on...
April 04, 2006
It seems that readers expect us to post on the decision by the ethically-challenged former House Majority Leader to resign. As much fun as it might be to write pithy comments on his cowardly resignation, I'm busy this morning -...
April 03, 2006
Sometime over the last three years, Realism died. Realism is the most-widely-accepted (which doesn't make it right, just accepted by more people) theory of international politics. It argues that states are self-interested actors (no matter what their position, power, religion,...
Just when I think my deep loathing of John McCain can't get more intense ...You've probably already read that yesterday on national television John McCain was directly asked if he thought Jerry Falwell (whose university McCain will soon be speaking...
April 02, 2006
Could Rumsfeld actually be pushed out of office once Josh Bolten takes over as White House Chief of Staff? I'll believe it when I see it, but it strikes me as considerably more likely now than at any time in...
April 01, 2006
I didn't title this post "More Republican Insanity" mostly out of respect for the few (very few) moderate Republicans who continue to believe in the Constitution, checks and balances, and responsible government. I figure there have to be a few...
March 30, 2006
He's under 50% in Mississippi, Alaska and Nebraska. He's only over 50% in 3 states. Wow. Those numbers (and the colors on that map) are stunning. If only voters in Ohio, Iowa and Arkansas (states he won in '04, but...
March 28, 2006
Not my most favorite SecDef, but he seemed somehow better than most of the rest of the cast of characters that Reagan surrounded himself with.He was 88. WaPo obituary. Of course, his greatest moment was this: And the reply, of...
The president's inability to work with anyone he hasn't deeply trusted for years, in fact anyone who hasn't been in his eye-line several times a week for years, continues. Rice, Gonzalez, Spellings, Bolten - there's no reason why the people...
In case you hadn't heard, there is a US Senate election in West Virginia this year. The incumbent, Byrd (D-Arbitrarily Coherent), is running against John Raese (R-Completely Unknown Now, Will Lose In November, Footnote For History). The election will almost...
March 27, 2006
Peaceful, mass protest. In Los Angeles, dozens of schools experienced walkouts, with the major events downtown, where several thousand students converged on City Hall, and on the Westside and in the San Fernando Valley. At midafternoon, student marchers descended onto...
One of the things that I'm worried about when I look at the current political mood is that current events won't lead to an anti-Republican tide in November. Instead they could lead to an anti-incumbent tide. Now that would still...
March 21, 2006
Wow, that censure resolution sure seems to have helped Russ Feingold's standing with the engaged, liberal and blogging base of the Democratic party. And Wes Clark's numbers are (predictably) sliding....
March 19, 2006
It's a few days old, but the first page of this New York Times story on anti-globalization protests in New York City in 2002 is worth reading. Long story short, the police arrested a number of people (the article says...
March 18, 2006
...for the backers of the anti-contraception legislation rearing its ugly head around the country these days: Are you now or have you ever been a contraceptor? I wonder what the hypocrisy factor would be? The question arose while pondering this...
This red/blue/purple map of the US tracks the percent change in presidential approval rating by month. Looking pretty chilly! Hat tip Echidne....
March 16, 2006
Via this Lawyers, Guns, and Money post, I found the comments by the Missouri Republican Party interesting: An attempt to resume state spending on birth control got shot down Wednesday by House members who argued it would have amounted to...
March 12, 2006
Well, it's original. At the end the movie, it's clear that Natalie Portman (Sam) and Zach Braff (Andrew) are screwed. As an actor, Andrew needs to live in Los Angeles. As an epileptic paralegal in a firm with an "amazing"...
March 11, 2006
Claude Allen had quite the resume and quite the conservative fan base. A former law clerk to famously right-wing Judge David Sentelle of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, he went on to work at Baker Botts, served as the...
March 10, 2006
This doesn't happen very often (and when it does, I usually need to think twice to make sure I'm not doing something stupid), but I agree fully with President Bush's position on this whole Dubai port ownership business. President Bush...
There are some popular political beliefs and perceptions that are so absurd on their face that I am struck dumb when people bring them up - these include positive views of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Senator Elizabeth Dole...
Honestly, John Edwards didn't impress me that much during the 2004 presidential campaign. But I've been very impressed by the moves I've seen him take since then, and I'd say that at this point along with Mark Warner he looks...
March 02, 2006
As Alex notes, in the past, in the midst of much more threatening situations than we happen to be in at the moment, we managed to both prosecute a war and hold people who failed to lead or competently defend...
February 27, 2006
I don't think Neil the Ethical Werewolf is as clear on this point as he could be, but I think that there's more than a little bit of smart analysis in his argument. If the Democrats are going to successfully...
This piece by Dick Polman in the Philadelphia Inquirer is worth a look. Of course the fact that the president exists in a self-segregated bubble surrounded by yes-people and all the new he's likely to like isn't anything remotely new....
Neato - if I'm ever appealing a ruling before a Supreme Court, I hope I also get to appoint the judges who'll hear the case: Judge Burdette's contributions were to Fletcher's 2003 gubernatorial campaign, and he gave the maximum contribution...
February 25, 2006
This is one of the things I find most fascinating about Bush-world - all is always well. No matter what is going on, the President is always right....
February 24, 2006
What do you know, Rockefeller's releasing his correspondence again. This time he gets in a slap at Woodward too. Since I joined the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2001 and became Vice Chairman in 2003, I increasingly have been...
It's a lifestyle choice, not genetics. And we have to protect the children from their sordid influence: “credible research” shows that adopted children raised in [their] households are more at risk for developing “emotional problems, social stigmas, inflated egos, and...
February 23, 2006
Since there's so much talk of democracy going around in the comments threads, I thought I should note this effort. I doubt it's going anywhere (who knew Birch Bayh and John Anderson were still alive?), but it would be great...
[EDIT: popular consensus says this is total crap.] Secret Service agents say Cheney was drunk when he shot lawyer. And yes, I know what you're thinking. So does the author of the piece. I'm still not all that interested in...
February 22, 2006
Why save the most telling part of what's really going on the State Department reorganization for the last three paragraphs? Instead, a relatively junior Foreign Service officer, who is outranked by several officials in the bureau but who is considered...
C'mon.Put another way - as if. Look, I'm sure the president and vice president and their "big oil" buddies are chummy with certain leaders of Dubai. And hey, despite being Muslims, some of the we-are-so-much-more-Christian-than-thou crowd might support the deal...
February 20, 2006
Sell off public land to raise money for the faith-based marriage initiative. I know, it's not a bake sale. Just fun to see where the money's going....
That there are people on the left/progressive side of the blogs who continue to defend Paul Hackett mystifies me. First, instead of being the fighter for the people of Ohio that he's claimed to be for months, he storms off...
February 19, 2006
Jonathan Alter's column this week is about Cheney, and his relationship with the press and (by extension) democracy. For me, the money quote is: So Cheney has quietly figured out how to avoid answering the messy questions that are a...
February 17, 2006
I sure wouldn't have thought so. His approval level is quite high (of course Republicans in Connecticut love him). Still, Kos looks at the latest poll and notes here that the junior senator from Connecticut could very well be defeated....
Delicious. Referring to Cheney's repeated draft deferrals during the Vietnam War, Hagel said, "If he'd been in the military, he would have learned gun safety." Yeah I am a Hagel fan, even if he does vote a far right-wing line....
February 16, 2006
Remember how Crash is supposed to train the rookie about what to say at the end of the game? Crash Davis: It's time to work on your interviews. Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do? Crash Davis:...
David Neiwert excels at unraveling political trends and giving you cold fear in the pit of your stomach. But as much as I agree with Greenwald, I think there is a difference between his argument and mine. Greenwald argues that...
February 13, 2006
Blogosphere's darling pushed aside by Democratic party: Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and popular Democratic candidate in Ohio's closely watched Senate contest, said yesterday that he was dropping out of the race and leaving politics altogether as a result...
Not that this is new news, but winning the (smaller) war in Iraq and the (larger) war against fundamentalist Islam will be harder than we thought, and take longer than we want: ...the number of books translated by the whole...
February 10, 2006
There's a lot in the news this past week. Bats Left Throws Right has a good summary: In the space of twenty-four hours, we get:• Libby says Cheney made him do it.• Bush says we saved Los Angeles a while...
February 09, 2006
With candidates with a resume like his (and of course it's not just him, there are a host of veterans running for Congress this year as Democrats), how exactly does the perception that Democrats are weak on defense continue to...
It's always nice when the news outlets in a Senator's home state use words like "rig bill for drug firms" in their headlines referring to said Senator. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom...
February 08, 2006
Raising Kaine's campaign to Draft James Webb has worked. The former 9/11 Commission member who prominently served as Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan has let it be known he is going to run for the Senate seat currently...
Former Lt. Governor Bill Scranton has dropped out of the race for governor of Pennsylvania. This means that former Steelers WR Lynn Swann will almost certainly be the Republican candidate for governor this fall. I wouldn't count him out given...
February 06, 2006
Wow. I thought he was going to run. But no, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D), who would have been a heavy favorite if he'd opted to run for governor later this year, has decided not to make that race. This...
February 05, 2006
For those of you with Brooklyn connections ... The voters in New York's 11th US House district will choose a successor to 12-term Rep. Major Owens later this year. This black-majority Brooklyn district is seeing a spirited Democratic primary featuring...
February 04, 2006
Since when do Republicans have a problem with not-yet-legal coeds drinking? Would these (really disgustingly sleazy) people working with Rep. Hostettler's campaign (people who should be ashamed of themselves for essentially running a campaign against their opponent's daughter) dare bring...
February 03, 2006
Ouch! Perhaps you could run ads with tag lines like "Don Sherwood will strangle big government like it's a sassy mistress" or "Don Sherwood believes in family values, so much so that he's willing to strangle his mistress in their...
February 02, 2006
The far-right guy from Western Ohio beat the far-right guy from Southern Missouri, and the rightie-blog-favorite from Arizona (the "true conservative" endorsed by many right-wing stalwarts and John McCain) lagged, far, far behind. Does this matter? Maybe, maybe not -...
January 31, 2006
Actually, it sort of is. Digby has an interesting (if a bit long, and overwrought at the end) post arguing that the Alito filibuster is actually good news: I know it hurts to lose this one. I won't say that...
Again, from the files of "duh" ... but even given Allen's usual standards of out-of-touchness meets out-to-lunchness this is pretty damn appalling. This guy is the 2008 GOP frontrunner? Wow - what did even the Republicans do to deserve that?...
Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu will run against incumbent New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Hallelujah....
C'mon, you have to laugh, or otherwise you'd cry. The spineless: Akaka, Daniel K. (Coward-HI) Baucus, Max (Doormat-MT) Bingaman, Jeff (Toady-NM) Byrd, Robert C. (Ditherer-WV) Cantwell, Maria (One-termer-WA) Carper, Thomas R. (Lickspittle-DE) Conrad, Kent (Stooge-ND) Dorgan, Byron L. (Loser-ND) Inouye,...
January 30, 2006
Is anyone planning on watching the SotU tomorrow? I must admit that I can't bring myself to. Its not that I can't stand the President (I can't), its just that its so, well, boring. There isn't any drama (no new...
In March Democrats have the opportunity to defeat two embarrassments to the party that currently serve in Congress - Henry Cuellar of Texas and Dan Lipinski of Illinois. Let's hope both suffer humiliating defeats....
The junior senator from Rhode Island was in, by his own staff's admission, a lose-lose situation. If he votes against Judge Alito he strengthens the hand of his more conservative primary opponent. If he votes for Judge Alito he strengthens...
Former Rep. Ken Lucas has announced he's going to run for his old seat. He'll battle freshman Republican Geoff Davis.Now if the party could only rid itself of its offensive state party chairman....
January 26, 2006
They're just photos! In his press conference today, President Bush suggested that the existence of photographs of himself and Jack Abramoff are no big deal and generally pooh-poohed the press's focus on the story. But our reporting suggests that the...
Well, this is a bit of a surprise, even though last I heard calls to Byrd's office were coming in at a 9-1 ratio in favor of the Alito nomination. Of course it reinforces my usual strong dislike for Sen....
January 25, 2006
Just when you thought that Abramoff and DeLay couldn't look worse, along comes this report. If something turns up here, I think it'll be big news. This is something TV networks and viewers can understand. Of course I'd be cautious...
Sometimes West Virginia resident John Raese (R-Palm Beach, FL) has committed to running against Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV). I guess those of us who are in range of Raese media outlets (like the Morgantown paper) can now look forward to...
January 20, 2006
The 2006 elections in Hawaii were already looking unusual. Though by many measures it's the most Democratic state in the union, incumbent Republican Gov. Linda Lingle apears a lock for reelection. But it turns out that a Republican winning the...
January 16, 2006
On Al Gore's speech today? I've never been a huge fan, and I didn't hear the speech, but Ive gone over the text. I like the "overreach and regret" theme. I understand linking to MLK and COINTELPRO today of all...
January 13, 2006
As someone who's interested in the workings of the US government, I think one of the more interesting phenomena we've witnessed in the last 10-20 years is the demise of the seniority system in Congress. Of course it's not completely...
January 11, 2006
Yikes. Somebody stop him. Please. Not only is it a horrifying waste of a once in a life-time opportunity - it's also really annoying....
January 10, 2006
And as long as I'm targeting my ire this morning at some of the most disappointing Democrats in the country, I bring you this disappointing story about Kentucky House Speaker Jody Richards. It's the latest bit of "intelligent design" politics....
Meet the man who might challenge Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary this summer....
January 04, 2006
This one is just for Crystal. In Missouri, Claire McCaskill (D) is leading incumbent Sen. Jim Talent (R) 46-43 in the latest Rasmussen (no relation to our Binky) poll....
January 03, 2006
Being a fan of both New York and politics, I've been keeping an eye on who would succeed Gifford Miller as Speaker of the City Council. It'll be Chris Quinn. That's what I'd been hoping for. She's from Manhattan, the...
January 02, 2006
Republicans like tax cuts so they can invest their own money, and they invest it in the stock market, and they like Bush because he helps with this right? Right? In other words, after five years of Bush's presidency, the...
January 01, 2006
...but the Stealth Badger didn't: The Bush administration requested, and Congress rejected, war-making authority "in the United States" in negotiations over the joint resolution passed days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to an opinion article by...
December 27, 2005
As anyone who discusses education policy with me for more than a few minutes is well aware, I positively loathe No Child Left Behind. There are a number of ways in which this law as harmful, but Susan Goodkin disucsses...
December 24, 2005
Vast: The National Security Agency has traced and analyzed large volumes of telephone and Internet communications flowing into and out of the United States as part of the eavesdropping program that President Bush approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks...
December 20, 2005
I don't think they should be saying Bob Graham is the "misremembering" type of guy. Former senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.), who chaired the Senate intelligence committee and is the only participant thus far to describe the meetings extensively and on...
As we all know, he has admitted to authorizing warrantless wiretaps. How many remember that in 2004, he said they didn't exist? Lies from the White House: Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any...
...you've definitely got some 'splainin' to do....
Apparently the Bush administration thinks so: One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." Are you surprised that most...
December 19, 2005
Did anyone else listen to the press conference? Nice tone, eh?...
December 18, 2005
The arch-conservative former Congressman from Georgia thinks it's a bad thing when presidents break the law. The conservative friend of the Taliban who's currently serving as a US Congressman from California is proud that we have a president who breaks...
December 14, 2005
He's not just a rather talented pretty face. He's got sane standards about political behavior too:“I’m not anti-Bush; I’m anti-Bush behavior,” Mortensen told Progressive magazine. “In other words, I’m against cheating, greed, cruelty, racism, imperialism, religious fundamentalism, treason, and the...
December 13, 2005
The latest move by the man many perceive as the next Republican nominee for president - a blatant show of political cowardice.When it comes before the Senate again, he will vote against adding sexual orientation to federal hate-crimes statutes," Mike...
December 12, 2005
Via Tbogg, we get this National Review column by Bill Bennett asking everyone to die their fingers purple (yes, you read that correctly): Starting on Monday, December 12th, I — and tens of thousands of others across America — will...
December 11, 2005
Mark Kleiman thinks the late Sen. McCarthy (the Minnesota Democrat, not the Wisconsin Republican) has a lot to answer for: McCarthy's major political accomplishment was the election of Richard M. Nixon to the Presidency, and thus, among other disasters, the...
December 08, 2005
While Gov. Warner of course hasn't officially entered the race for president in 2008, he's making good impressions at every turn. Many people noted the very visible role he played in making sure that Lt. Governor Tim Kaine won the...
December 06, 2005
The former governor and senator from Connecticut (actually the Republican Senator Joe Lieberman defeated in 1988 - by running to Weicker's right) is considering challenging Joe Lieberman in the 2006 election. Now of course Lieberman is very popular in Connecticut...
December 04, 2005
And speaking of guys I find ever scarier, I hope all you McCain fans will pay attention to the kind of people John McCain is working to elect to Congress....
December 02, 2005
Nice, really nice, headline in the Washington Post: Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting As Illegal: Voting Rights Finding On Map Pushed by DeLay Was Overruled The money paragraph: Mark Posner, a longtime Justice Department lawyer who now teaches law at...
November 30, 2005
Larry Johnson reports on a remarkable disagreement (that happened in front of the press!) between the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. When questioned about the responsibilities of American troops when they found evidence...
November 29, 2005
I know that many people are obsessed with Fitzmas and who knew what when and how could Karl Rove and Scooter and Novak and whether Woodward has come full circle from outsider to insider with matching bookend presidential scandals and...
And then Dick said, "Lawrence, baby, I love it when you sweet talk me. Don't make Daddy spank you again!" In an Associated Press interview, former Powell chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson also said President Bush was "too aloof, too...
November 28, 2005
Remember Mitch Daniels? He was W's OMB director, until he went back to Indiana to run for Governor. He won! Yesterday, George Will reminded us of what a wonderful thing Mitch Daniels is for Indiana. Today, Doghouse Riley reminds us...
OK, let's do the math here. Congressman Randy Cunningham (R-CA) admitted to taking bribes today. Bribes that, he admits, led him to try to change policies at the Department of Defense. And Congressman Cunningham's jobs in Congress including serving as...
One of my favorite former members of the US House might be returning to that body. Tom Sawyer has announced his candidacy for the seat being vacated by Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Sawyer, a former mayor of Akron who was...
November 27, 2005
Al Cross, the top political columnist in Kentucky, updates the state of Kentucky's 2006 contests for the US House here. He's particularly focused on challengers to US Representatives Ron Lewis and Geoff Davis. Both Republicans who come from districts where...
November 26, 2005
Last fall Harvard history professor Alexander Keyssar wrote this fascinating account of the attempt after the three-way presidential race in 1968 to replace the Electoral College with a direct national election. It came close to succeeding. President Nixon was on...
November 25, 2005
While I am saddened to see a bright, hard-working moderate (staunchly pro-business and open trade, but also pro-choice and pro-gay rights) Republican retire, Jim Kolbe's announcement opens up another opportunity for a Democratic pick-up in the 2006 contests for the...
November 22, 2005
Matt Stoller has this report on an impending nasty political brawl in New York. I find it stunning that someone with Senator Schumer's political smarts would try to upset with the coming landslide that will be Eliot Spitzer's victory in...
November 21, 2005
You know, the funny thing is, I used to be a fairly strong Republican, and am still registered as one. Via a commenter over at Balloon Juice, this Boston Globe story about Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch: Back in...
November 16, 2005
My dislike for the senior senator from Delaware intensifies....
November 15, 2005
Because I'm about to offer again. From Amygdala, a link to the Roll Call Vote on the (failed) Bingaman Amendment....
Well, I've been expecting it for about 15 years, and it appears that it's finally going to happen. Beau Biden is apparently going to be running for statewide office in Delaware in the next election cycle. And he might even...
November 14, 2005
And this is better than being a one-termer how?...
From Steve Gilliard, more on the contortions of Target (and yes, that's his graphic and tag line. Nice, eh?). Do your fucking job and hand out the pills Here at Target we offer stylish, low cost goodsand vagina control I've...
Via Belgravia Dispatch, a simply brilliant article on what Donald Rumsfeld has done to the Pentagon. I want to be clear about this: Rumsfeld has done a tremendous amount in five years (as the article notes, the third longest serving...
In addition to being big on IR around here, we are also big on history. It seems like the last couple of years have given us ample opportunity to quote Santayana: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to...
Martha Reeves (as in "the Vandellas") is now a member of the Detroit City Council. Never underestimate the importance of name ID in when it comes to winning elections....
Yes. And, as Drum notes, this isn't even a comprehensive list of matters tied to the war. I think that the point he makes in his last lengthy paragraph is particularly important in that it has received relatively little attention,...
November 13, 2005
Political Arithmetik is running a regularly updated track of Bush's poll numbers. Looks like the Dread Pirate Roberts tumbling down the hill on the way to the R.o.U.S.es. This figure shows, in color, the compounding effect of Katrina and the...
November 12, 2005
Mark Kleiman has this on the president's "unpatriotic" Veteran's Day address....
The latest Rasmussen poll has Claire McCaskill (D) leading incumbent US Senator Jim Talent (R), the man who defeated Jean Carnahan (D) in 2002, 47-45. McCaskill's lead apparently stems from her 7 point lead among independents. While Talent has a...
November 11, 2005
Just when I thought my jaw couldn't possibly drop lower from the blatant lies spewed by the House Republican leadership, the chairman of the House Rules Committee lowers my expectations ever further. There are lies, awful lies, stunning lies, but...
November 09, 2005
Since my attempts to find much election coverage last night were dashed by the fact that predictable, sleazy features are now considered "news" (Van Susteren, Scarborough and the rest were busy running stories on missing nubile young women, some of...
November 07, 2005
US Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) has awful reelect numbers. It appears that Pennsylvania and Ohio will be the best opportunities for Democrats to pick up Senate seats next year (and of course there are a number of other places where...
November 06, 2005
There are few things I like more in current political commentary than people daring to expose what really lies beneath the myth that is Sen John S. McCain, III of Arizona - so it is no surprise that I love...
November 04, 2005
Atrios today is reminding the blog world of something that I have long considered truly extraordinary - the fact that Dana Rohrbacher remains in Congress in light of his past ties to the Taliban. This has long perplexed me. You'd...
November 03, 2005
President Bush's job approval rating is down to 35%. Ouch! If you believe the work of Richard Neustadt, and that presidential power is closely tied to reputation, it looks like things are going to be awfully rough for the president...
November 02, 2005
Remember that Saturday Night Live segment with David Spade? Santorum: Did your wife tell you that she called me the other day? Imus: She didn't. Santorum: She didn't? Imus: No, what about the autism thing? Santorum: Well she called and...
Last weekend I finally got around to reading Jeffrey Goldberg's piece on Brent Scowcroft in the October 31, 2005 issue of The New Yorker. It's an interesting article. And Scowcroft comes across as a sort of uber-Realist who obviously has...
November 01, 2005
Who do you think has dared vote against the Republican leadership more often, noted party "maverick" Chuck Hagel or Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist? It appears maverick doesn't mean what it once did....
Pandagon has it from Raw Story (emphasis mine): The Senate's Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the Senate into secret session Tuesday afternoon in order to have closed discussion of Iraq intelligence, RAW STORY has learned. Specifically, the senator...
"Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."...
...from Hunter's post at Daily Kos. Also via Hoffmania who has all the goodies this morning....
How about a little disenfranchisement with your midmorning coffee? Via Hoffmania....
October 31, 2005
Bush to unveil super-flu plan on Tuesday....
... is it any surprise that high officials commit crimes?In making his case for five resignations that he thinks we should see in the executive branch (not a chance of that happening of course), Juan Cole reminds me of just...
Addington and Hannah are replacing Lewis Libby? Uh huh. The more things change ... well, really it appears that nothing's going to change. UPDATE: More on Addington here....
October 28, 2005
The line in the October 24th issue of The New Yorker that seems to have gotten the most attention is William F. Buckley's description of George W. Bush's foreign policy as "surreal". It's a good line, and there are other...
So the Republicans have decided, once more, to shamelessly act like they care about the country's tremendous debt and annual deficit. While one might think this would be a good thing, that notion would likely be premised on the belief...
UPDATE: Above the original post Vice presidential adviser I. Lewis "Scooter' Libby Jr. was indicted Friday on charges of obstruction of justice, making a false statement and perjury in the CIA leak case. And he has resigned. CNN is saying...
October 27, 2005
Atrios bought space heaters. Others have less flexibiliy. Tapped links a WaPo article about the Senate killing an effort to provide funds to the LIHEAP program to help poor people afford winter heating. I've seen estimates from local media that...
Karl Rove salutes the media, Wednesday, October 26, 2005. CNN....
And given that the president aborting the nomination of Harriet Miers is likely to dominate the news today, I think it's important to remind people that he also caved on something else important this week - his sleazy attempt to...
It takes a lot of [insert the word you think is appropriate here] to be waging a campaign for governor when you are facing the prospect, if convicted, of 300 years in prison. But, that's what the last Democratic governor...
October 25, 2005
It's snowing in WV this morning. Is it Fitzmas?...
October 23, 2005
...by gagging them, and denying that they are allowed to be frustrated. Via Feministe a post at The Tattered Coat about an Operation Truth blogging soldier who was not only silenced (despite, as The Tattered Coat points out, adhering to...
Digby excerpts from the Scowcroft piece everyone is talking about: "I'm not a pacifist," he said. "I believe in the use of force. But there has to be a good reason for using force. And you have to know when...
Honestly, I haven't thought about Connie Mack for years, since the days of Walkin' Lawton Chiles decision not to run against him for the Senate, and then Mack subsequently beat Buddy McKay in part by tarring him with the Liberal...
Cutting taxes and spending like a drunken sailor isn't some new kind of conservatism, it's an old kind of lunatic irresponsibility, the sort of thing the Bavarians put Ludwig in a soft room for.That's one of the nicer critiques that...
October 19, 2005
Am I reading this right? If so, it shows again that this administration (and the president himself) willfully lies about national security at the drop of a hat (I am of course referring to the president's vow - lie? -...
October 18, 2005
This Anne Kornblutt story continues the thrashing of Andy Card that started a couple of weeks ago. I'm finding this very fishy. So ... all goes well within the White House for 4+ years (from the perspective of the White...
October 15, 2005
Whoo-hoo! The government of the Districti of Columbia gets one right. The DC City Council is working on taking away the authority by which the DC police can currently arrest drivers who have any blood alcohol level above .01. Media...
October 13, 2005
Virginia is in the midst of an ugly campaign for governor. I was particularly incensed by one Kilgore ad I heard last week which was pretty close to mendacious (I suppose it could be defended as technically accurate - but...
John Fund has this fascinating piece on the process, such as it was, that led to the Miers nomination. I'm wondering if the comments about Andy Card should be taken at face value given the recent discussion of an on-going...
October 12, 2005
Matt Yglesias links - here - to a paper by Larry Bartels, and a commentary on that paper, that calls into question the foundations of one of the most popular political books of the year....
I am a bit surprised, given that the media tends to be more than a little interested in issues of sex and sexual orientation, that not more has been made of the fact that the Republican caucus appears to have...
October 11, 2005
If true this is ... interesting. It seems George Bush is on a mission from God, and he thinks the Palestinians need to know that....
And the results aren't pretty. Oh, and this line, the lead in the Boston Globe story on the poorly worded speech, really sticks out: Venturing into foreign policy, Governor Mitt Romney yesterday told a largely Republican audience that Islamic terrorists...
October 10, 2005
Making Light has a name for the nine....
October 06, 2005
...because spraying it on the keyboard won't do your computer any good. Ready? My Little Crony....
October 05, 2005
"Serenity through viciousness." Yes, it's more tooting of the Rev. Mykeru's horn, and here's another reason why you should read his blog. Yeah, I know, sometimes the posts remind you of that smart kid in class that annoyed everyone else...
September 26, 2005
"People just need to recognize that these storms have caused disruptions."...
I waited all weekend to see the video at the bottom of this post over at the Rev. Mykeru's place. I think I checked there and the Liberal Avenger where he also posts (and which has excellent musical goodies posted...
Since both Baltar and I have blogged on Pat Tillman before, I thought I should link to the latest article on the man, his death, and way it was manipulated for political reasons. I lagrely concur with the analysis of...
The parent of a disabled child discusses Sam Brownback using a disabled child during the senator's anti-choice sermons during the John Roberts confirmation hearings....
September 25, 2005
An article from CNN has been bugging me for a couple of days. In it, the FBI claims to have thwarted "jihad" in California. After reading the article a few times, it does seem they have thwarted something but that...
September 22, 2005
The junior senator from Indiana on the wage cuts ordered by President Bush:"On the Gulf Coast, we aren’t just rebuilding cities - we’re rebuilding lives. The workers whose wages would be cut are the same women and men struggling to...
Either way, something seems to be wrong there. In leaving as assistant deputy director of operations, Richer joins a number of senior clandestine managers, including several with Middle East expertise, who have left since Goss took over the agency one...
September 20, 2005
I strongly support this proposal by John Quiggin, and honestly I don't see why it couldn't win broad public support. Wouldn't most people like to see our democracy led by people who really do have the support of the majority...
September 19, 2005
Remember that pattern that most everyone noticed last winter - how the president was exporting White House staffers to take over a host of senior governent jobs (Rice, Gonzalez, Spellings, etc.). It continues with the new responsibilities of Karl Rove,...
It's not even just the current state treasurer who's been arraigned, it's his predecessor too - something new for Gov. Bill Richardson to have to contend with as he tries to raise his national profile, as I can already picture...
September 18, 2005
Rarely do I read things like Fareed Zakaria's "Leaders Who Won't Choose" - his latest column in Newsweek. Zakaria's style is usually quite measured, something akin to how an archon would have been portrayed in a mid-20th century blockbuster epic....
September 17, 2005
I was just reading a post by Neil the Ethical Werewolf on why Hillary can't win the presidency in which he referred to this Brendan Nyhan post from July on her flag-burning position. She's against a constitutional amendment banning it,...
September 12, 2005
Tomorrow is voting day in New York - Democrats will choose their nominee to face Mayor Michael Bloomberg in November. Personally, I like Gifford Miller. However, while I like Giff, it's probably worth noting that at this stage it appears...
September 11, 2005
Bloodless Coup had planned on a guest blogger post about the Freedom Walk in Washington D.C. As Jesus' General might say, he is probably a bit too French for the task. In any event, the restrictions on participation of both...
Pause for silent reflection....
In the swirl of finger-pointing and blame-gaming, the issue of partisanship is omnipresent. No doubt there are some commentators for whom the decision to focus on the national level is motivated (if not self-recognized) by partisanship. There are others who...
Whew. A pretty damning cartoon against the California governor....
September 10, 2005
Since everyone else is so busy using "finger-pointing" and "blame-gaming," I'm going to resurrect some Republican spin-slogan-eering from last year. CNN reports that the Bush administration have flip-flopped on preventing journalists from entering New Orleans, rather than deal with the...
In the Ezra vs. Jonah argument over whether or not Nancy Pelosi is going a good job as the Democractic leader in the US House, I am (unsurprisingly) with Ezra, particularly given his description of the GOP congressional leadership as:...
September 09, 2005
Mendacious! Slavishly corrupt! Bought and paid for!!! Santorum has critical words for forecasters in wake of Katrina 09/09/2005 Damon Boughamer (Washington) -- U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is suggesting that early mistakes in predicting the path of Hurricane Katrina may be...
While I presume a skilled attorney could save him, this does look rather like a felony....
Just a little blast from the past to put one prominent aspect of the coming 9/11 celebration/memorial into perspective....
September 08, 2005
Baltar reminded me recently that I should read Laura Rozen more often. He was right, as usual. She is all over the administration's effort to keep the continuing story of New Orleans from being reported. I'm going to excerpt the...
This administration has long been so secretive that it's as if all of Richard Nixon and William Casey's fondest dreams about how the executive branch should be run suddenly come true. I'm still hoping despite my intuition and four years...
September 06, 2005
Through an examination of Rick Santorum's new book, Jonathan Rauch notes that the biggest threat to the legacies of Goldwater and Reagan comes not from the Democrats but from big-government, "pro-family" Republicans like the junior senator from Pennsylvania....
The Cunning Realist has a very strong post on the way all Americans were betrayed by the federal government last week, and why true conservatives should be particularly upset about the Bush administration's failures....
Now I know that the standards of the New York Times have collapsed into previously uncharted depths since Bill Keller took over, but is there any more obvious example of that than letting John Tierney write a regular op-ed column?...
September 04, 2005
It has been a very depressing week. I have sworn to commit myself to being with friends and family this weekend, leaving blogging and politics for a few days to appreciate life. There are a few items and links I...
September 01, 2005
Did this remind anyone else of Condi Rice saying that no one could possibly anticipate terrorists flying planes into buildings? I know the president doesn't like to read much, but just because he doesn't want to know things doesn't mean...
August 31, 2005
Rexella has long been my favorite Van Impe, but with these comments my opinion of Jack is rising. Robertson shouldn't have said what he said (presuming he's serious about wanting to get rid of Hugo Chavez) and his words could...
August 30, 2005
Armand sent this disturbing link to me. It quotes a (now archived) New Orleans Times Picayune article about federal budget cuts to levee programs in New Orleans. The author of the blog is William Bunch, "the senior writer for the...
August 29, 2005
Yet another sign that radical clerics control social policies here in the US, and that the Bush administration has no interest in upholding the law if it's politically inconvenient to do so ... On Friday, the food and drug commissioner,...
I attended the West Virginia Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Charleston on Saturday night. The featured speaker was Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia. Having now seen Warner in person I can make the following two statements with certainty. First, he...
It strikes again, this time against Bunnatine Greenhouse. She was profiled some months ago for her whistle blowing about Halliburton contracts in Vanity Fair. [bold and italics mine] Known as a stickler for the rules on competition, Ms. Greenhouse initially...
August 27, 2005
You may, or may not, remember the case of a young Afghani who was taken/arrested/seized by the US military and held in Afghanistan. He died in our custody. This week, after a military investigation and military trials, the punishments were...
August 26, 2005
Closing their hospitals is not respecting the troops....
August 25, 2005
Am I the only one who remembers when people used to talk about Hugo Chavez because he name-dropped Jesus all the time? I mean, I know saying that Jesus was the first socialist is not going to endear you to...
An elephant's faithful one hundred percent. Publius at the Third Estate shows us what faith to the literal interpretation of the original constitution gets us: So let's look at the real social consequences of "restoring" the Constitution (and American life)...
August 24, 2005
Via Pandagon, I find this Associated Press report about the graves at Arlington, the national cemetary: ARLINGTON, Va. - Unlike earlier wars, nearly all Arlington National Cemetery gravestones for troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are inscribed with the slogan-like...
Nobody panic, I just wanted to unearth a Koufax-nominated post from Rude Pundit post from just before the second Presidential Debate; this was only about nine months ago. Oh, how the world can change. No motive here; just wanted to...
When the facts are inconvient or ugly, suppress them. If you have employees who refuse to play along and remain wedded to the truth, threaten to take away their pension. This is the consequence threatened to Lawrence A. Greenfeld of...
August 23, 2005
Things We Are Not Angry About. (Has anyone noticed how on fire I am today?)...
Via Majikthise, a very interesting essay on free will, reponsisbility, terrorism and Mill's "most similar systems and most different systems" research design. Pretty cool....
August 22, 2005
I sure hope so, and the latest polling there seems to indicate that. His challenger is still largely unknown, so his numbers aren't that important at this stage - but Kyl's are far from strong for a two-term incumbent. Of...
August 19, 2005
The latest round of political activity by the right-wing leadership of the Kansas GOP features a suit by the state Attorney General against Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Attorney General Kline wants to block Medicaid funding for abortions in Kansas.The state is...
August 18, 2005
There are two freshmen Democrats that I (really, really, really) want to see defeated in their primaries next year. "Cave man" Dan Lipinski (a reactionary social conservative who only has his job because of an egregious act of nepotism) is...
Does he honestly think anyone feels sorry for him? In "Herding Cats, A Lifetime in Politics," Lott wrote that Sen. Bill Frist, his successor as majority leader, was one of the "main manipulators" in the events that resulted in his...
August 17, 2005
Kos goes back in time for comments about Clinton's commitment to U.S. intervention in Bosnia: "You can support the troops but not the president." --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX) "Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen...
August 13, 2005
Once again, we'll brave the pages of the thin Saturday newspapers to see what Friday announcements are flying under the radar. First, there is the announcement (via NYT) that the new head of the FBI's National Security Unit is, surprise!,...
August 10, 2005
So no officer is disciplined for the extreme and rampant abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan, but if a general has sex he's gone. I wish I could say I was surprised, but ... ok, I'll feign being stunned and appalled...
August 09, 2005
I suspect we'll be getting more of these every year or so for a decade, but the latest information to splatter all over the pundasphere is that a US Military intelligence unit identified four of the 9/11 hijackers a year...
August 08, 2005
Everyone is talking about Cindy Sheehan waiting for the president to talk to her about soldiers dying in Iraq. Even this guy over in Manland. Yeah, ripping into a dead soldier's mom, telling her she is breaking her own son's...
August 07, 2005
One thing that fits that category, according to Marty Lederman, is Amb. John Bolton. Somehow it makes the things that are wrong with him - you know, being a dangerous, mind-blowingly inept man whose every perception of what's actually going...
August 06, 2005
Bravo to the American Political Science Association which has chosen to move the location of its 2006 meeting from San Francisco to Philadelphia in light of a labor dispute that has roiled relations between hotel workers and their employers. It's...
One section of Bob Novak's column this weekend really hit home to me (again) how intensely partisan and devoid of principled action Washington has become. Apparently the House Republican leadership is extremely angry with the chairman of the House Armed...
August 05, 2005
I'd be worried if I was a New Yorker. For the last 11 years the governor has had to engage in behavior that would win the support of the voters of New York. Now the key group he needs to...
[NOTE: This started as a comment in the Gremlins thread, but then I started picking apart Krugman's piece and it grew to post size. For newcomers (all 2 of you?) to the discussion, the original thread was one of the...
Oh those funny conservative t-shirts! I've been saying essentially the same thing as this one for years. Apparently the irony is lost on the designers. First, the last thing Che would ever have supported would have been his image on...
August 04, 2005
While Kevin Drum is being his usual perceptive self today when it comes to today's John Roberts/gay rights story (that how this got printed and why would likely tell us as much or more as the content of the story...
I honestly couldn't bring myself to finish this article. They are proud of this? It's appalling. And I mean really, if they are going to insist on being so irresponsible (not that I agree with it), the least they could...
August 03, 2005
While it's hardly the only reason I won't be jumping on the Biden in '08 bandwagon, the fact that he'd like to have John McCain as his running mate is yet more evidence of why I don't think he'd be...
Every party has them, but with his comments on intelligent design, the president not only fed them, he dropped 'em in the water. Now, of course, the staff is trying to backpedal on what the boss says (and by the...
Two issues come to mind as I'm reading the NYT story about Delay agreeing to be on the "Justice Sunday II" telecast (this is not a surprise, nor is it interesting). What first caught my eye was the second paragraph:...
There are those who say Paul Hackett is a winner even though he's a loser, and those who say he's just a loser like the other losers who are claiming he's a winner. Say that three times fast. I don't...
August 02, 2005
A nice catch over at Demagogue. Republican hypocrisy - who knew?...
Democratic bloggers and the "netroots" have been strongly pushing the candidacy of Paul Hackett in today's congressional race in Southwestern Ohio. Kos is jumping the gun in saying "Win or lose, we made this a contest when no one thought...
August 01, 2005
Testing the limits, probing the defenses, practicing, see how far you can go...it's happening, this time in Wisconsin. For all the complacent who think that surely those who are interested in "protecting the children" from abortion will do all they...
I don't link to particaulrly snarky posts at Eschaton all that often, but I've got to say that this dig at Sen. Sam Brownback (a likely presidential candidate in '08) is richly deserved. There are moronic comments and then there...
July 31, 2005
Baltar will have to excuse my appropriation of the phrase, but we really are in the "silly season" with budgets. It's like a bunch of drunken bees in the clover fields. Work is getting done, but the delirium is just...
July 30, 2005
I have my doubts about the candidacy of the former quarterback of the Tennessee Volunteers and Washington Redskins (which have more to do with how weak the incumbent he's challenging actually is than with Shuler - this has long been...
July 28, 2005
So maybe you've seen the hubbub at The Poor Man and elsewhere about the funding of Boy Scouts by the US government. The short version, which you can read more about in the links above, is that a U.S. District...
I am really rather taken aback by the silliness of a certain segement of the blogging commuinity who seems to be shocked and appalled by the wheeling and dealing that went on during the vote on CAFTA last night. Euguene...
July 27, 2005
She should be ashamed of herself for proposing this - both for the sensationalism of this proposal, and incorporation of such a ridiculous matter in US tax policy. Besides - aren't DLC Democrats like her supposed to be against new...
Via Crooked Timber, a link to Marty Lederman's blog Balkinization. Lederman details the history of an extrordinary series of back-and-forths between the Pentagon's Judge Advocate General Office (JAG, like the TV show) and the Department of Justice regarding the use...
This post has been up for awhile, but it only recently came to my attention via the Big Brass Blog. Given the amount of time I spend on the road in the southeast, for some time I've been seeing these....
July 26, 2005
I remain immune, happy to say. Still, his analysis makes some very interesting points - particularly in his discussions about exactly where she has moved to the center, and where she's unlikely to. And I have to agree that the...
July 25, 2005
Of all the potentially bothersome things about the Roberts nomination, today's AP story about his refusal to comment on his reported Federalist Society leadership can be filed under the heartburn category: Supreme Court nominee John Roberts declined Monday to say...
July 24, 2005
The "Global War on Terror" has been going on for almost four years (three years, ten and a half months). For all the sturm and drang from both the left and the right, there have clearly been some successes (no...
Gen. JC Christian on whether you've got to leak a name in order to leak someone's identity....
July 23, 2005
... and he's against the "mollycoddling of criminals" too. For someone who seems to love the sound of his own voice so much you'd think he'd be a little more careful about obviously playing into the steroetypes of him that...
The usual morning information absorption starts with news (BBC, CNN to check in on Michael Jackson, NYT, O Globo) then meanders over to blogs (Bitch Ph.D., where I get bogged down with such goodness that I often don't make it...
I just love reading the news on Saturday morning. It's long been a favorite tactic of the government (left or right) to release news that they really don't want to talk about on Friday afternoon: too late for the Friday...
July 22, 2005
Not that real energy saving, investment in alternative fuels, or acknowledging global warming would make us feel "cloudy." Oh wait, they did call for a study. Maybe I feel only partly cloudy after all. From the AP: An agreement was...
July 20, 2005
Is it just me, or does John Roberts sound awfully close to Bob Roberts?...
July 19, 2005
Two in fact. For "lewd" and "lascivious." That's because I live in a state that not only has no common law marriage, but also has a law that says unmarried couples living together are engaged in "lewd and lascivious cohabitation."...
July 18, 2005
No, not those Bushes, or these bushes, but the kind of bush for which one might use this coupon. From Feministing, a link to this story about legislation in Missouri to prevent underage waxing. The idea is that if you...
July 14, 2005
I understand we are a cat's whisker away from a full-scale red-alert major media feeding frenzy over Karl Rove, Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson, Matt Cooper, Judith Miller and Robert Novak. These things happen. They usually don't lead anywhere productive (like,...
June 26, 2005
He's going to work for David Dreier? I expect we'll be hearing something on this from Wonkette, and perhaps from the Boi too. UPDATE: Yup, both of them do indeed have some delicious (if, obviously, predictable) dish on this....
June 25, 2005
Yesterday Arthur Silber wrote on the suicide of a young Iowan over on The Light of Reason. It's just one death. Undoubtedly others like it have occurred. But it's important to be aware of these events as we weigh the...
Via Volokh: [T]he flag-protection effort ought to be scotched for the simple reason that America doesn't get rattled by some stupid little punk with a Che Guevara T-shirt and a Zippo ...Of course this oldie from Republican Jesus remains a...
June 24, 2005
One thing that's abundantly clear in many of the works that closely examine the president's behavior in his first term (for example. Woodward's Bush at War) is that the president seems to be very insecure. Surrounded by veterans of the...
June 23, 2005
Atrios pithily notes: "For the record, my motives aren't to get more troops killed. If those were my motives I'd ship them off to a war on false pretenses without sufficient equipment them safe." Garance Franke-Ruta notes: "The continuing freedom...
June 22, 2005
This past Sunday NYT Magazine had an interesting (front page) article about the people who are in the anti-gay marriage movement. Not the leaders, but the footsoldiers - the people who hold local meetings, stand out and get signatures for...
Gov. Perry of Texas, hero of all those propriety-lovin' gay-hatin' right-wing activists in Texas, who waited until he thought an interview was over, then hurled an expletive at an interviewer, and then called later to apologize. If you're really so...
June 21, 2005
Shrill, hypocritical spineless wimps....
There is more than a little bit of truth in this piece by Michael Tomasky. It's surely the case that comments made by the likes of Howard Dean and Dick Durbin (people who lack the power to set the national...
June 20, 2005
Being a strict a supporter of the right to free speech I respect this guy's right to political activism, but as I've probably noted before, I can't think of many speech acts more morally repugnant than picketing a funeral, and...
"We weren't the ones who wanted to keep the meeting secret," one European diplomat said. "It was the American side that didn't want him there."Remind me why on Earth Bush and Cheney want to give this guy a top job...
June 19, 2005
"Baker said the MPs, who were told that he was an unruly detainee who had assaulted an American sergeant, inflicted a beating that resulted in a traumatic brain injury." Before taking several swipes at House of Representatives Armed Services Chair...
June 17, 2005
I second Lorelei's shout-out to Rep. John Spratt (D-SC). If we are going to spend over $400 billion on defense, it seems a no-brainer to spend another $84 million on securing potentially-loose nukes. C'mon Mr. President, if you truly believe...
No, sadly, I'm not making this up. Somebody in the White House has guts and a pretty bold, though highly questionable, sense of humor....
Given my brother's interest in the No Child Left Behind Act, I'm posting this link to an article in The Washington Post on a Catholic school in the District. When reading it you may note that there is something of...
June 14, 2005
He's for Attorney General of New York, and in such a splintered primary field it seems very possible. He's ahead in the latest poll. Personally, I am less (far less) than pleased to see that. There are a number of...
Chris Geidner has determined that they are Shelby, Cochran, Lott, Alexander, Hutchison and Cornyn. Will this have any effect on KBH's campaign against Rick Perry in Texas? Will this take Cornyn off the list of prospective Supreme Court candidates (if...
June 13, 2005
Taylor makes some good points in this column (for instance it is probably worth noting that Justices Stevens and O'Connor clearly voted against their own personal policy preferences in this case), but I'm linking to it because I couldn't agree...
I was listening to NPR this morning and heard a feature story on Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the only Republican in West Virginia's congressional delegation, and possibly the GOPer who will challenge Sen. Robert Byrd in next year's election....
June 12, 2005
First House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) shows himself to be an arrogant ass (again) through his juvenile administration and cancelation of a hearing on the USA Patriot Act. Then comes news of a most peculiar financial transaction involving...
June 11, 2005
I'm continiously floored by the lengths this administrations goes to in order to avoid confronting reality. The Ron Suskind article in the NYT article from before the election had now infamous quote from an administration official that denigrates the "reality...
As I have discussed before (and binky has brought up as well), the Army is having a recruiting nightmare. As the Washington Post notes, the Army missed its recruiting goals (by 25% in April) for the fourth straight month. The...
June 10, 2005
This piece in The Hill discusses the strengths Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) would have as a presidential candidate. I don't know if he could win the party's nomination (that depends, among other things, on who opts to run and who...
June 09, 2005
"I'm going to say Texas has made a decision on marriage and if there's a state with more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that's where they should live." The Republican Governor of Texas actually said this publicly about gay...
This post by John at AMERICAblog is rather strange. It notes that Family Research Council chief Tony Perkins paid David Duke over $80,000 for a mailing list back when Perkins was running for the US Senate in Louisiana. I think...
June 05, 2005
From Kevin Drum's Political Animal I give you this little chart (for more detail see this). I knew that the Bush administration had taken most of the bite out of the tax bills paid by the country's mega-millionaires, but I...
Why in the hell does any newspaper print anything written by Peggy Noonan? She can turn a phrase, sure. But the woman seems close to insane. It was bad enough when she was just offensive - writing columns on, for...
June 03, 2005
As I'm sure we've all seen by this point, "Deep Throat" was in fact the #2 guy at the FBI. This is interesting, but Deep Throat is really just academic to politics at this point. This hasn't stopped various ex-Nixon...
May 28, 2005
One of the fundamental tenets of of rational government and non-political bureaucrats is the idea that (much like the capitalist economic system) productive job behavior is good, and that non-productive behavior is bad. In other words, do a good job...
May 27, 2005
I accept that the filibuster fight is over. I'm still not sure what that agreement between the "gang of fourteen" means. The Dems agreed to let three nominees go by, and may or may not have agreed to let more...
May 26, 2005
Jim Lindgren has this post up on Volokh's site that criticizes an informal survey of historians that asserts that the Bush presidency is a failure. Now, ranking the general "success" of presidents is, to me, so pointless an exercise that...
May 24, 2005
None at all it would seem. The merits of the deal are certainly debateable. My immediate inclination, and I honestly haven't pondered it yet, is to say that it's about as good a deal as can be expected. But whatever...
Gifford Miller has gotten a big boost in his campaign to win the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City. He's been endorsed by the Queen's Democratic organization," the strongest county party in town" according to Ben at The...
May 22, 2005
Is Bob Ehrlich having an "I voted for it before I voted against it" moment? Looks that way to me. He vetoes legislation that would have recognized the creation of a life partner registry that could be used by either...
May 21, 2005
Ken Herman of Cox News nails Scott McClellan and the White House.With all due respect, though, it sounds like you're saying your single anonymous sources are okay and everyone else's aren't....
May 20, 2005
This column by David Boaz makes some key points. One is incredinbly obvious. Ending the filibuster has to be one of George "Big Government" Bush's dearest dreams. He's shown a hearty desire for his entire tenure to spend spend and...
Bob Casey Jr. can't beat this guy soon enough. You'll pardon me if I don't buy his apology.UPDATE: From the latest big profile on him I'm perplexed by 2 particular questions - Are people usually allowed to sleep with dead...
May 18, 2005
The head of the CPB has got to go. I mean check out his worries relating to NPR and his ideas about how to change it. Old liberals hosting shows (worse yet, old liberals with a heavy Christian bent who...
Check them out here. The best moment in today's "debate" so far seems to be what followed Senator Schumer pointing out to Senator Frist that in 2000 he actually voted to continue a filibuster against a Clinton appeals court nominee...
May 16, 2005
In the area of truly appalling things that the US government does, the prosecution of doctors who are trying to help those suffering from chronic pain is high on the list of morally-disgusting nastiness perpetrated by a disinterested public, cowardly...
May 12, 2005
War and Piece features loads and loads of senators' comments on Bolton today. One that struck me as particularly noteworthy and indictative of why he shouldn't be trusted with a senior government job came from Sen. Biden (D-DE): I don't...
May 11, 2005
For now the coming Senate race in North Dakota isn't making any of the lists of races to watch in 2006. Races like those anticipated in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and even Nebraska are understandably getting much more attention. But...
May 10, 2005
Roll Call has come up with such a list, and it is critiqued by Robert KC Johnson at Cliopatria here. I agree with him that the Roll Call list is rather odd in overlooking the New York 1964, Illinois 1992...
Steve Clemons continues to be essential reading for everything tied to the Bolton nomination. In one of today's posts he covers the New York Times story on Powell aide Wilkerson's testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which included key...
May 09, 2005
Elizabeth Kolbert's recent 3-part story on global warming in The New Yorker is one of the more informative things I've read on the topic. It covers the science, presents interesting descriptions of the current costs being incurred in certain areas,...
It's unlikely to win him friends in Bill Frist's office (though he does the smart thing in suggesting that Frist wants to work this out), but I think it's comments like these that could in the long run endear him...
May 06, 2005
Jeffrey Dubner uses ham-handed tactics employed against the senators from Maine to make a point that I'm really surprised doesn't get raised more often as part of the filibuster debate. Bill Frist is inept. He's the least impressive Senate leader...
What the hell is this about? Quite apart from it being blatantly offenisve and bigoted, I really fail to see what good this does. If you don't want people who who've engaged in risky sex to donate sperm ... well,...
Even though his party picked up over 30 seats in yesterday's national elections, British Conservative Party leader Michael Howard has decided to leave his post "sooner rather than later". He feels he is too old for the job, and of...
May 05, 2005
This is more Baltar's area than mine, but I've got to say that I hope our military and foreign policy planners are taking into account the constraints of numbers like these as they weigh future strategic plans. The U.S. Army...
I realize that this is old news at this point, but I just can't get it out of my head - Why is the religious right not more outraged at the sight of the President of the United States of...
May 04, 2005
I just love Gavin Newsom. Sure, to audiences who watch The 700 Club he's the devil incarnate. But it's these kinds of not especially flashy solutions to deep, chronic societal problems that we need more of in this country....
I've been picking on them so much lately, I feel the need to share the wealth with my other former state of residence. No, not Rio, sillies...Pennsylvania!!! And, don't for get to wait...for...it... From Donna Wentworth at Corante (hat tip...
Everyone knows that Chuck Hagel has a great deal of interest in the presidency. One of the reasons that I like the guy is that he's going about seeking it in ways that aren't painfully (aka Bill Frist) obvious and...
May 03, 2005
Kansas. Run, Toto, run....
May 02, 2005
...discussing reproductive freedom that is, let me send you to the always worthwhile Bitch, Ph.D. for a post about hospital policy toward rape victims....
Doubtless Krugman reads Bloodless Coup every day and just forgot to hat tip to my great idea about social security queens. No, this is about ideology: Mr. Bush comes to bury Social Security, not to save it. His goal is...
May 01, 2005
I just looked at the US Senate's vote on the 2006 budget. The vote bascially exhibited a partisan breakdown with the Republicans passing it on a vote of 52-47. The Republican senators from Ohio and Rhode Island, plus the Independent...
April 29, 2005
Yes, there's more. This wouldn't necessarily be the end of the world ... but of course some of those he was trying to get fired didn't actually work for him (would you want a guy like that in your office?)...
Yeah, the title of the post is from the files of "well, duh". But last night made it clearer than ever. His proposal to reduce guaranteed benefits for everyone but the working poor is designed to provide specific direction to...
April 28, 2005
Scott McClellan said Wednesday, "If we think people are coming to the event to disrupt it, obviously, they're going to be asked to leave." Are they kidding? This is the White House's PUBLIC position? What Scott McClellan tells reporters? On...
The hell you say! There's no getting around the fact that his "plan" (which is, of course, nothing of the sort) is built on contradictory assumptions....
In light of Binky's post yesterday, I think it's appropriate to link to this hypothetical by Publius today....
His Bolton "Mirror Mirror" one from April 22 is my favorite political cartoon of late....
April 27, 2005
I realize the word is often grossly misused, but I think this is an actual example of irony. One of the judges that the Democrats in the Senate are blocking is the son of a former senator who used the...
April 26, 2005
Richard Morrison has decided not to run against Tom DeLay, but according to Roll Call, former Congressman Nick Lampson has decided to take him on. I think it would be one of the sweetest bits of election night 2006 if...
April 24, 2005
The new supplemental bill is about $81 billion, which when you add that to the previously approved $228 billion ... ugh, can do the math, but I don't want to think about it. Of course Larry Summers was pushed out...
If political success really is dependent on one's ability to win over the little ones, it looks like Gifford Miller might be the best bet in the mayoral primary....
April 23, 2005
That says it all right there, doesn't it? The Majority Leader of of the US House of Representatives looks at our justice system like a Klan leader from the 1950's or a mafia chief from the 1930's and not only...
April 22, 2005
Judging from this list of the potential candidates to replace the late, legendary John Hainkel (R-New Orleans) in the Louisiana State Senate apparently that's quite possible. Ah, how the influence of the traditional elites fades as the great suburban and...
If she decides to do so, Missouri will suddenly leap up the list of races to watch in the next cycle. Senator Talent should still be favored at this point, but McCaskill could be a very strong opponent....
April 21, 2005
Quite a contrast to the Connecticut post below. Both have Republican governors, but politics in Connecticut and Texas are obviously very different things....
Governor Rell has signed them into law. The new law extends to gay couples the rights and responsibilities married couples have under 588 state statutes, including the right to file a joint tax return and make medical decisions for a...
April 20, 2005
I suppose this will inevitably lead to talk of Congressman Bernie Sanders running for the now open Senate seat. While I don't agree with Sanders on everything (not even close) it's probably not the worst idea in the world to...
April 19, 2005
April 18, 2005
I doubt it. But you never know. Considering that the Conservative party does like to turn on its own of late, you'd think that a strong challenge to Howard's leadership is not only possible but likely, if the Conservatives don't...
If the US Senate is at all "reality-based", even just a bit, you'd think this would finish off this nomination. I'm nothing less than appalled at these charges. I've always thought the number one reason to block Bolton from another...
April 17, 2005
One could practically spend an entire career writing critiques of the inaccuracies and inanities promulgated by Howie Kurtz, so it's no surprise that bloggers like Atrios and Kos regularly take him on. But the withering assessment by Kos of the...
April 15, 2005
This post by John Quiggin raises a very interesting idea. For one thing, I think there's much to be said for this voting system if democracies are supposed to represent the desires of the people (and hence account for the...
April 14, 2005
Yikes - talk about a frightening mutant. But that's what Laura Rozen labels likely UN Ambassador Bolton given his comments on Kosovo and Somalia. But what really takes my breath away is the story by Jason Vest that she links...
I know a lot about British politics, but I guess I missed the missed the class that dealt with one of The Transformers offering his services to the Labour Party. What am I talking about? This....
Easy laughs, arguably cruel laughs, depressing laughs - but laughs nonetheless....
April 12, 2005
Look out Mississippi - MADD and its lackeys are sure to be gunning for you....
You'd think it's bad enough that the president is constantly jetting around the country, at the tax payers' expense, to promote his Social Security "plan" to hand-picked audiences. And that's before we even get into the fact that you can...
Senator Russ Feingold who has been very publicly testing the waters for a 2008 presidential run is getting divorced. What I find peculiar about this article on that event and its impact on his political future is that always-ready-to-be-quoted University...
April 11, 2005
Fred Kaplan , Dave Meyer and Steve Clemons have reports on John Bolton's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. They are definitely worth your time if you are interested in this matter since the "mainstream" press seems to...
Just thought I'd point out the latest evidence that dumb, wild generalizations notwithstanding, not all of the country's major newspapers are anti-Bush or "liberal". The Washington Post's editorial page, which hasn't been remotely hard on Bush for the last four...
April 10, 2005
This likely takes the award for the saddest and most pathetic move by a state legislator last week. Late last week there was a big gay rights rally in St. Paul, outside the state capitol. While that was going on...
April 08, 2005
It's not that the heated response of certain conservative activists to Connecticut being on the verge of legalizing civil unions for gay couples - without any pressure from the courts - is at all surprising. But it sure does make...
April 07, 2005
Call me a cynic, but why am I having trouble believing that all this stuff coming out of Florida is a coincidence? Sen. Mel Martinez said Wednesday an infamous unsigned memo passed around on Capitol Hill emphasizing the politics of...
April 06, 2005
Have I said how glad I am not to be living in Florida anymore? More wacky hijinks, I mean, legislative politics, from the Sunshine State. And note, our friend of the "right to sue your professors for confronting you with...
April 05, 2005
The recent comments by US Senator John Cornyn stating that it's not surprising judges are being killed at a time when they are seen as being out of the mainstream of America have been deservedly rebuked by voices all across...
Via Sebastian Holsclaw at Obsidian Wings comes this link to Jane Galt's argument that the externalities of allowing gay marriage might form enough of a net societal negative to justify society banning gay marriage: To which, again, the other side...
April 04, 2005
Suzanne Nossel gives us her list. These are all good reasons - but #1 is probably the most important. There's nothing about his performance in public life to suggest he'll be a remotely effective advocate for the United States, and...
I found this oped by Ashton Carter via Laura Rozen at War and Piece. It's one of the most succinct and cutting columns I've read in weeks. Carter's case is that if you are pursuing bad policies, the quality intelligence...
April 03, 2005
Judge Silberman of the US Circuit Court for the District of Columbia has a well-established history as a partisan Republican. But when he's wearing his hat as the co-chairman of the president's commission investigating all intelligence failures before Iraq that...
I'm not making this up. This kind of thing is sad and passe when you're 7 years old. But the cohosts of Fox & Friends (which, sort of in Fox's defense, is the most insipid show on their schedule and...
April 02, 2005
Yesterday I linked to a post by DavidNYC that showed us that that newest investigation into intelligence failures before Iraq suggested that our military’s antidiluvean anti-gay policies were harming national security. As our own Binky Rasmussen noted in a comment,...
April 01, 2005
DavidNYC (sadly) illustrates all too well one of the ways the right-wing of this country is endangering national security....
March 31, 2005
Music to my ears:Democrats are likely to vote unanimously against John R. Bolton when his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations comes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week, according to Democratic and Republican lawmakers and...
Congressman Kennedy is out, just days after Congressman Langevin declined to run a race against Senator Chafee (R-RI). This is good news for the Republican party, Lincoln Chafee, and Secretary of State Matt Brown, the only announced Democrat in the...
March 30, 2005
"The only explanation for legislators comparing cells in a petri dish to babies in the womb is the extension of religious doctrine into statutory law." Not pulling any punches is he. And this from a stalwart Republican who may...
To be perfectly honest, I don't read Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo as carefully as I once did. I think he's performing an incredibly valuable service in devoting so much attention to the Social Security debates - but it's just...
March 29, 2005
...watches Hilzoy get the worm. This post at ObWi takes on the judicial activism problem that I have been fiddling with for ages, though while my focus (might eventually be) on the lunatic fringe, Hilzoy deals with a broader group....
The Republicans are no longer the party of small, limited government, fiscal sanity, states and individual rights, and the Constitution. In their own way, they have become as bloated, hypocritical, invasive, and spendthrift as much of the worst the Democrats...
I have no initial objection to a "high-tech" army. Our technology (especially our military technology) is so far ahead of anyone else that comparisons are useless. Of course, to achieve that we spend money on military technology like a drunk...
March 28, 2005
Dave Sirota is absolutely right that populism sells. No question. And that's why I think one of the Democrats' best chances to win in 2008 would be to nominate someone who can effectively run against the powers that be (I...
And they lied to the American people in the middle of the presidential campaign no less, when the citizenry is seeking accurate information about who does and does not have what it takes to lead the country. What will we...
March 25, 2005
Josh Marshall alerts us to a story that immediately (and for obvious reasons) brings to mind the Niger forgeries, the lies of Secretary Rice (well, some of them), and the attempts by some person or persons apparently allied with the...
Julian Sanchez has made a brilliant style choice....
March 24, 2005
Or at least that will be the case if you live in Louisiana and the latest (there have been so many) idiotic move to regulate people's lives proposed by Republican State Senator James David Cain becomes state law. With no...
Baltar asks below "Where have the REAL Republicans gone?". As shocking as it may be to some, one answer is Harvard Law School. It's a turvy-topsy world....
Yet it is not to be - at least for now. Congressman Jim Langevin (D) has opted not to challenge Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee in the 2006 election.During the media event he organized to announce that he was not going...
I've been working up some sort of "where are the actual small-government, deficit-reducing, sane-national-security-policy Republicans" post in my head for a while. It will be a remarkably poignant post - tears to your eyes, and all that emotion stuff -...
March 23, 2005
Compared to Iraq, the trade deficit (now at an all time record), the budget deficit, Republican hysterics over Schiavo and a few other front page items, I missed this little item: U.S. Rule on Women's Sports May Ease College Compliance...
March 22, 2005
Steve Clemons brings us up to date on some of the skeletons in John Bolton's closet. He thinks the nomination of Bolton to be UN Ambassador could be in serious trouble. I hope he's right....
March 20, 2005
This Schiavo thing is killing me. Partially, this is because it appears that as a society we have reached a point that whatever event the media can be manipulated into (and in turn manipulate) as the latest trendy story of...
March 19, 2005
At least in my opinion, it's been a bad week for American politics. The inevitable flexing of conservative muscles since the re-election of W has begun in earnest, and brought us this: 1. Paul Wolfowitz has been nominated to head...
March 18, 2005
This post by Eugene Volokh is getting a lot of attention. The best response to it that I've seen yet is by Mark Kleiman. Others who are taking on Volokh include Matt Yglesias and Moon....
March 17, 2005
On a 50-50 vote yesterday the US Senate opted to take another bold move toward potentially calamitous deficits by refusing to go back on the PAYGO system. Senators Jeffords, Chafee, Voinovich, Snowe, McCain and Collins joined all 44 Democrats in...
For all you Wesley Clark fans out there - the general has a new website up that will feature a blog....
Fresh off their decision to confront the terrible, culture-shattering scourge that is steroid use by multimillionaires, the Republican-run Congress has rushed to action to put a stop to judicial proceedings in Florida (the Republicans sure do have a deep fear...
March 16, 2005
And as long as I'm covering some bleak and depressing aspects of the war today ...Halliburton apparently charged the American people $27.5 million dollars to deliver $82,000 worth of fuel. That's right, $27.5 MILLION.True, Halliburton is doing dangerous and difficult...
Keeping with the theme of prisoner abuse noted below, Hilzoy at Obsidian Wings provides us with information about Congressman Ed Markey's bill to end extraordinary rendition. I am very happy to see that my congressman, Alan Mollohan, is among the...
March 14, 2005
Oh wait, only if you're gay. Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, which represents Campaign for California Families, a group in Sacramento that has opposed San Francisco's bid to legalize same-sex marriages, denounced the ruling as...
While one can debate the usefulness of the nation's small airports, it's becoming increasingly clear that the president's decision to cut funding for the Essential Air Service Prorgam by over $150 million in the next 2 years is going to...
Do you want to stop John Bolton from becoming the US Ambassador to the United Nations? Here's a website suggesting ways to do it (for now, target members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and try to lobby them). As...
March 13, 2005
In the comments thread relating to Publius's post "A Linguistic Case Against Scalia" Baltar and I have agreed that one of the reasons (though surely not the only reason) that we have an "activist" Supreme Court is that Congress does...
March 11, 2005
So I see that the University of Buffalo refers to one of the authors of this ridiculous study as a "renowned economist". And maybe he's renowned in Buffalo, but from reading his work it looks to me like his knowledge...
March 10, 2005
Drat. I was so looking forward to him leaving Congress. To me half-way informed + pompous + blow-dry = J.D. Hayworth (though in the photo included in this article he looks more like some sort of happy fish). But it...
TAPPED brought my attention to this new report by the Democrats in the US House (TAPPED's posts on it are here and here). Quite apart from the very serious basic problems that this behavior (the considerable increase in the use...
March 08, 2005
I realize this (even if it is news to some) won't surprise too many people, but it seems that the Pentagon has a deliberate policy of flying in the soldiers wounded in Iraq after dark (no subscription, but have to...
February 28, 2005
So Arlen Specter believes that William Myers needs to join the Ninth Circuit because it is a "very liberal" Circuit that needs to be balanced. Yet the next controversial Court of Appeals nominee that the Republicans plan to push is...
Quite apart from the moral issues here (horrifying), or the basic strategic implications (also horrifying), these comments by a veteran member of the US House from Dallas are simply bizarre from a logical standpoint - the US should respond to...
February 27, 2005
The Neocon's love of Winston Churchill is nothing new. Jacob Heilbrunn discusses a bit of its history in today's New York Times. In addition to discussing this history, Heilbrunn discusses some of the logical problems that stem from this adoration....
February 25, 2005
This month most of the policy discussions we hear relating to national politics have been focused on the president's push for changes in Social Security. But of course something else important happened this month that relates to many more national...
February 23, 2005
Since I know there is some interest in this issue among readers of the blog, I thought I'd alert you to these arguments recently made by New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller opposing Mayor Bloomberg's plans for the construction...
For those of you on the lookout for rising Hispanic political stars here are two bright possibilities in watch in 2005 and 2006. Richard Raymond, one of the most impressive Democrats in the Texas legislature is weighing an intra-party challenge...
February 21, 2005
This story from Bill Press seems almost too cute to be true. But presuming it is, it's good to know that the democrats in Iraq are drawing upon the ideas of Locke, Rousseau and other proponents of limited government. Democracy...
February 16, 2005
I've just started reading Jane Mayer's piece on "extraordinary rendition". I probably won't get around to finishing it for a day or two, but it looks like a first-rate piece of work that I'll have more to say about later....
February 15, 2005
I'm not sure I believe this, but according to Steve Clemons/The Washington Note, Tom Delay can really do a good stand up schtick: He [Delay] noted that James Dobson was already preparing to picket the White House for that slobbery...
OK, I'm still steamed at Mary Landrieu over her vote to confirm AG Gonzalez. That said, she's come up with what could be an excellent new line for her party. It contrasts very well, with Bush's "Ownership Society"....
February 14, 2005
Yeesh! Not only was she seconding Mara Liasson's bizarro take from earlier in the weekend regarding the election of Howard Dean as DNC chair (um ladies, you and your disgruntled sources might think it's a disasterous choice, but stop saying...
February 12, 2005
Was anyone else listening to NPR this morning? If so, am I the only person who found it odd that their entire story about the election of Howard Dean as head of the DNC dealt with intra-party fears relating to...
February 11, 2005
The White House may very well be able to control presidential press conferences with an iron fist ... but given this transcript it appears that they may need to extend their control and handlers to the production staff on Aaron...
February 09, 2005
Damn. I suppose there will be some who say that this could actually work to the benefit of the Democratic Party, but I'm not on the payroll of the Democratic Party. I think he's been an excellent public servant for...
This should be fun. Andre Bauer, 35 and best known for his looks and shoutings matches with the Charleston police, is going to be challenged for another term as Lt. Governor by fellow 30-something Republican Mike Campbell. Even if Democrats...
February 08, 2005
I'm still walking my way through Halberstam's The Best and The Brightest (previously discussed here, with no takers). I ran across this passage (page 362 in my version) that I thought was interesting: Part of this [executive branch confusion about...
I'm not so cranky about Gonzales getting confirmed by the Senate. I mean, I'd be happy with another choice, and I'm not really sure he's particularly well qualified, but I"m not getting worked up over it. However, this set of...
February 05, 2005
While the Democratic establishment may continue to favor the possibility of a US Senate candidacy in Rhode Isalnd by US Rep. Jim Langevin, another major candidate has announced his candidacy for the seat currently held by Republican Lincoln Chafee. Secretary...
"In now holding that district courts may never order disgorgement as a remedy for RICO violations, this court ignores controlling Supreme Court precedent, disregards Congress's plain language, and creates a circuit split--all in deciding an issue not properly before us."...
February 04, 2005
From CNN: A three-star Marine general who said it was "fun to shoot some people" should have chosen his words more carefully, the Marine Corps commandant said Thursday. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who commanded Marine expeditions in Afghanistan and Iraq,...
February 03, 2005
Seriously folks - why? If members who take these investigations seriously aren't allowed to serve on it ... Is it that disbanding it is sure to get a day of bad press? I find that hard to believe. I mean...
I mean the man spewed numbers - economic numbers relating to 2042! This from a White House that has to continual revise its numbers from PAST budgets. Anyway, if you didn't tune in, go look at Wonkette to see what...
Ya know, it's almost not news anymore, but it still boggles the mind: Fargo City Commissioner Linda Coates is among more than 40 area residents included on a list of people barred from attending President Bush's speech today in Fargo....
Via a comment over at Crooked Timber, I found a link to a post called Social Security crisis, circa 1978 in which Michael Green discusses an LA Times story about Bush and social security. The upshot is that the Bush...
February 02, 2005
In Beyond the Bounds Baltar took us to the world where visiting travelers were accompanied - even to the bathroom - by minders. No, it wasn't the Soviet Union or Cuba, it was the inauguration of George W. Bush. In...
Posted without comment: (cite) The Bush administration has provided White House media credentials to a man who has virtually no journalistic background, asks softball questions to the president and his spokesman in the midst of contentious news conferences, and routinely...
February 01, 2005
The spread of gay marriage has been moving at a brisk pace on a province by province pace - but same-sex couples across the entire country may soon have the opportunity to marry. The government of Prime Minister Paul Martin...
I suppose some people will look askance at the chances of an African-American or a mayor of Columbus - much less an African-American mayor of Columbus - getting elected governor of Ohio. But hey, the former wasn't an obstacle to...
January 31, 2005
Every time I think that this administration has reached some sort of nadir of conduct, something else lands on me. While I'm not the first to see this story in Sunday's Washington Post, it should be posted on every street...
January 28, 2005
There are not many days that I'll leap to the defense of Dick Cheney, but as criticisms of the Vice President go, bashing his wardrobe seems a rather picayune matter....
January 27, 2005
Via the New York Times, we see that Douglas Feith (Woodward had a quote by some American General - Tommy Franks, I think - in one of his books where the general called him "the stupidest man alive") is stepping...
January 26, 2005
I just love it when the Wonkette live-blogs a presidential news conference. I mean generally the things are so sad. The president has just a handful, usually has them in the middle of the day when no one can watch,...
32 Democratic members of the US Senate today showed themselves to fall into one (or more) of those 3 categories today. Among those voting to approve the nomination of the serially-incompetent Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State were such supposed...
January 25, 2005
I realize I'm late to this party, but I did want to get my comment out about Bush's Inauguration speech. What makes this so late is that, within 24 hours of the speech itself the White House was backing away...
In the comments section of an earlier post I'd noted that last year Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell had been boosting a possible US Senate candidacy by Republican-turned-Democrat Barbara Hafer, but that now most of the serious talk among Democratic insiders...
January 24, 2005
"No one in official Washington doubts that Dr. Rice, who is widely respected on both sides of the aisle, will be confirmed in a vote expected on Wednesday." "Widely respected on both sides of the aisle"!?!?!?!?! If that analysis...
The upcoming races for the Democratic nominations for governor in two of the country's biggest "blue" states became clearer this weekend. Attorney General Bill Lockyer has begun publicly seeking official endorsements in California's contest. I was a fan of Lockyer's...
January 21, 2005
Ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead! The censor-in-chief (aka FCC chairman) that led the fight against such fundamental threats to American society as the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast is resigning....
January 20, 2005
An anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment was approved by a huge margin in a state-wide election there last fall, but a district judge struck the amendment down because of how it was constructed. Yesterday the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously reversed the...
I don't know enough about the potential field of candidates to say whether or not I think Anthony Shriver should run for governor of Florida, but this article does reaffirm one truth about the Democratic party - Shrivers are better...
January 19, 2005
The nomination of Condoleeza Rice has been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations committee. All Republicans on the panel voted for her, as did six Democrats (Biden, Sarbanes, Dodd, Feingold, Nelson of Florida, and Obama). The only votes against her...
The conventional wisdom seems to be that the two incumbent Republican senators who will face the toughest races for reelection in 2006 are Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. In the last few weeks the...
January 18, 2005
No wonder DC voted so heavily for Kerry if this is how the president treats the people of the nation's capitol....
January 15, 2005
I guess, since nobody jumped all over me, that my basic assumptions from the earlier social security post were more or less accurate. This post will briefly discuss the nature of the "crisis", and the proposed solutions. As mentioned in...
January 13, 2005
The left wing of the blogosphere is mostly up in arms (Kevin Drum, slacktivist, and there are others) about Bush's proposed "fix" for social security. Bush is running around saying things like this: "As a matter of fact, by the...
January 12, 2005
As Kos notes, just because the people at CBS were incompetent doesn't mean that Bush wasn't AWOL. There's a great deal of information that makes it appear that President Bush didn't complete his military service....
One Democratic scion will run for governor of Florida in 2006, but another has opted not to run for governor in Massachusetts....
It's over. And we seem not to have found anything of note. All those scary stories Rice, Cheney and the president told us back in 2002 and 2003 - they were wrong. Apart from the big picture though, one line...
January 11, 2005
How has this not gotten more nation-wide press? Family disputes, corruption charges, politics ... this story has all the makings of something television news would love....
So are we allowed to ask the President why Chertoff, a man with all sorts of qualifications for this job, was a runner-up to someone who had few - if any? I mean we've seen (time and time again) that...
January 10, 2005
Since I have spent a fair amount of time here bashing the analysis of Cokie Roberts, I feel it's only fair that I should note that her story on NPR this morning was actually reasonably good. Of course it was...
January 07, 2005
So it's finally decided (after weeks and weeks and weeks ... Rice seems to share the immediate, take-charge decision-making style President Bush employs when reading to pre-schoolers) and Bob Zoellick will be the Deputy Secretary of State. He would not...
Chris Suellentrop reviews the nimble responses of AG-to-be Gonzalez that clearly imply that he think the president can order torture, irrespective of the law. And Publius resurrects a great old post of his. As Praktike notes: "I don't see how...
Since frequent commentors Joshua and Morris have been going on and on about No Child Left Behind (in the comments section of a post about Fallujah) I thought I'd link to this story - Armstrong Williams received $240,000 from the...
January 06, 2005
Al Gonzalez a few minutes ago:Durbin: I read in the paper today that we rendered someone to a country where they would be tortured. Is that illegal? Gonzales: That would be unlawful, yes. If it's illegal - why did it...
This blog is doing a great job covering them....
January 05, 2005
Josh Marshall raises an interesting question....
January 02, 2005
One of my favorite members of Congress died late Saturday. The cause of death was a stem cell disorder. Bob Matsui of California was elected to a 14th term in the US House this past November. He was a committed...
December 30, 2004
I'll admit that a Blumenthal column in The Guardian is something that by its very nature is likely to cast the Bush administration in a negative light. But even if it's tone is expected, this column is still worth reading....
In case you were wondering about who can buy the most access in Washington, Kevin Drum brings you a list of the 10 richest lobbying groups. As to the policy implications of the list ... I think those are pretty...
Wasn't holding an election what produced this mess in the first place?...
December 29, 2004
There have been plenty of rumblings that next year's federal budget (you know, the one that comes after the president is reelected) is going to include big cuts in all sorts of domestic spending. Today it appears that these cuts...
December 23, 2004
What a special Christmas president from the government to the low-income students of America - 1.3 million of them will be getting smaller Pell grants in the next academic year....
December 21, 2004
So this committee wasn't right-wing enough with Kyl, Cornyn, and Sessions on it? Frist had to add Brownback and Coburn. While it's true that these men are replacing two other far-far-right senators (Craig and Chambliss) these two ... yikes. Brownback...
December 18, 2004
If you haven't been following the Kerik follies Publius tells you why you should be - here. This incident says a lot about the wildly inept decision-making style favored by George W. Bush - and Publius is right that this...
This is posted over on Oxblog. I don't think it makes the point David thinks it makes (well, I do, but that point is so obvious as to be of no interest whatsoever). Why I think it's interesting is that...
December 16, 2004
Is it really possible? Could the 2006 elections produce an outcome in which there will be two openly gay Republican members of the US House from Arizona? It appears possible....
Since the Republicans took over the US House in 1994 they've largely rewritten the rules of how it's run. The idea of Congress being run by its committees and their chairmen has become (even more) a thing of the past....
December 14, 2004
Andrew Sullivan succinctly explains it....
Timothy Noah tells us what The Wisdom of Crowds means for Bush administration decision making....
The discovery of the valid ballots makes it possible. More than that though it would seem likely to ensure that the results of an already ridiculously close race become even closer. This is the kind of thing that really makes...
December 13, 2004
Matt Yglesias notes yet another turn in the neocon strategy. It's really been striking the degree to which Bush administration foreign-policy priorities are driven not be the depth of a particular threat, but by the degree to which the targets...
December 09, 2004
The text of this article is rather ho-hum. But it contains a graphic of the West Virginia counties won by each candidate for president and governor. Though he was beaten statewide, John Kerry led the president in 9 counties (predictably,...
The man who has issued many critical reports about the mismanagement and security flaws at the Department of Homeland Security was told Wednesday night that he was out of a job. Of course Ervin was fired. And he should...
Jim Nicholson, Ambassador to the Holy See, will be taking over as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. It appears that this will be the last personnel change in the Bush cabinet associated with the change from term 1 to...
December 08, 2004
Tyler Cowen alerts us to the fact that 99.8% of the indecency complaints brought to the FCC are made by a single activist group....
This is appalling. Bush and Rumsfeld are the lowest of the low, and we're stuck with them for four more years....
December 07, 2004
Via Redstate. What's notable here? Finance is typically viewed as the great assignment prize of the last several Congresses (it covers a swath of issues including entitlements, taxes, and trade) and the one new addition to that is Chuck Schumer...
December 06, 2004
Sometimes you just don't know whether to laugh or cry. Do you remember Pat Tillman? He's the NFL cornerback that walked away from a multi-million dollar contract after 9/11 to join the US Army. A very noble and patriotic act....
December 05, 2004
This kind of thing again raises my mystification with the cult of John McCain. I think he's done some impressive things in his career. No question. And his treatment by our president in the 2000 primary was positively disgraceful. That...
The last two US House races of the 2004 cycle have been completed with both parties finding a bit of good news and a bit of bad news. Both of these races were held in districts in Southern Louisiana. In...
December 04, 2004
If the White House is purging State anyway, it appears doing this would speed the process along....
December 03, 2004
OK, would someone please explain to me why ex-Senator Danforth is leaving his post after only about five months, and the President has tapped Kerik (the ex-NYC police comissioner) as the next head of the Department of Homeland Security? Danforth...
December 02, 2004
It's early to be thinking about the 2008 presidential race, but I'm wondering - out of the people who ran for president this year and failed, who, if any, would you be open to supporting in 2008? I'm not asking...
Did you know that abortion causes sterility and suicide? Did you know that women who offer to many suggestions and advice, will drive away men? Did you know that half of gay male teenages have AIDS? You didn't know this?...
December 01, 2004
Josh Marshall, via Ricky Prado, has the quote of the day. Networks will run outright lies for weeks on end, but they wouldn't dare want to do anything "controversial". Is this outrageous? Sure. But we all too frequently forget that...
November 30, 2004
The gist of the report - they hate our policies, not our freedom, and our actions may well be making things worse. And this comes from part of the Pentagon....
Since I panned Morning Edition (in particular, the blather of Cokie Roberts) yesterday, it seems only fair to note that I liked one of their news features this morning. Nina Totenberg's coverage of today's Title IX-related case before the Supreme...
November 29, 2004
I hadn't thought of it in those terms....
I've got to say the media is doing a lousy job when in order to learn that the number of US voters citing "moral values" as their primary concern is declining I have to read an Atrios post linking to...
November 25, 2004
No, I'm not talking about Florida in November 2000 (though that was an impressive piece of work, in a manner of speaking). I'm talking about his recent work in achieving Iraqi debt reduction from the "Paris Club" countries. Of course...
November 24, 2004
Proving, yet again, the lack of importance attached to party labels in Louisiana, the race between Republican Billy Tauzin III (who came in first in the primary with 32%) and Democrat Charlie Melancon (who came in second with 24%) is...
Has anyone seen any polling out there on the number of Americans who feel that's an untenable position? My guess is that it's a lot higher than a lot of Democrats and other Bush opponents would believe. Much like the...
November 23, 2004
I disagree with half of what Byron has to say about the Arnold amendment. I think we should pass an amendment to allow naturalized citizens to run for president. But I think his solution - passing it with a time...
November 17, 2004
As I noted this morning, it strikes me that if the Democrats hope to take back one arm of Congress in 2006, they should focus on the House. Why? It strikes me that there are more opportunities there for pickups...
This is ... different. Now Chuck Hagel I can see. He's an extremely impressive guy. But Ben Nelson? Can he possibly be serious?...
Remember that there are still two races for Congress yet to be run - the run-offs in Louisiana's 3rd and 7th districts. Given that incumbents rarely (almost never) lose, and the fact that the Senate races of 2006 don't look...
Changing the rule is not a sign that lawmakers think DeLay will be indicted, Cantor said, but rather a public rebuke of an investigation they feel is wholly unwarranted. So the House Republican leadership is now deciding who and what...
November 16, 2004
If you take a stroll down memory lane with The Daily Howler you'll cringe at the thought of Rice's upcoming confirmation hearings....
From Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay: Three senior administration officials charged that Goss and his aides are carrying out a "White House-directed purge." One said it appears to be directed at "everybody who said there was no connection between Iraq...
Maybe the partisan purging of that "hotbed of liberals" otherwise known as the CIA, the nomination of uber-yes man Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General (a man who has argued that the president can have US citizens arrested and held forever...
November 15, 2004
From this ad it's tough to tell if state senator Willie Mount (D-LA) is running for Congress (she's the Democratic nominee in the run-off in Louisiana's 7th district) or trying to get a job with, say, James Dobson, Tony Perkins...
The problem with Gonzales is that he has been deeply involved in developing some of the most sweeping claims of near-dictatorial presidential power in our nation's history. These claims put President Bush literally above the law, allowing him to imprison...
November 14, 2004
Building upon Baltar's excellent post below (yes, that means you should scroll down and read that) we have this from Newsday:"The agency is being purged on instructions from the White House," said a former senior CIA official who maintains close...
Matt Yglesias makes the intriguing point that it's not a matter of ideology or design - it's a product of Bush's obsession with loyalty and weak decision-making skills....
November 13, 2004
David Brooks' column today may have a good point (I don't think so), but the tone is downright dangerous. He argues that Bush's enemies are the CIA: Now that he's been returned to office, President Bush is going to have...
November 12, 2004
I usually wouldn't bother rebuking stuff published in the Standard. But this is rewriting history that happened last week! I guess their new motto is that it's never too early to get the revisionism going. There are a host of...
November 11, 2004
Or, failing that ... well, do something with it. Stories like this (thanks Joshua)show just how ridiculous things have gotten in the Michael Powell era....
November 11 always makes me remember my grandmother. Why my grandmother, and not my grandfather who was a "Doughboy," my other grandfather who was a Colonel in the Army, or my uncle who served in the Air Force? Because my...
As someone who not only grew up in the church, but was in the choir, served as crucifer, went to religious schools for many years (Episcopalian, Baptist and Roman Catholic), I have to say I don't recognize this guy as...
Typical Donaldson - arrogant, out-of-date, and completely off the mark as a political observation (since short of the Republican nominee being a Communist black lesbian who funnels the profits of her gay prostitution ring to Al Qaeda, no Democrat is...
I don't know that these numbers have any sort of deep philosophical or political meaning - but I think it's interesting to note them given the generally accepted idea that legislatures are supposed to represent the views of "the people",...
November 10, 2004
If the rumors are true, Alberto Gonzalez is going to be named Attorney General. Hey, why not just dig up John Mitchell and A. Mitchell Palmer? The Justice Department is unique. It is the center of federal law enforcement, and...
Though it's too bad for Americans that it's Michael Howard doing it and not President Bush....
November 09, 2004
Just so we're clear on this: Bush does not have any sort of mandate. Data from some random site, though I have no reason to doubt the numbers (first one I found on google). (Before anyone gets worked up, I...
I'll let you guess the 4 letters that begin this site's name. On another anti-regional or anti-geographic topic I read today (on TAPPED?) that the 45 Democratic and Independent senators were elected with two million more votes than the 55...
Senator Chafee has ended the suspense - even though he was saying as recently as election day that he might switch parties, he has opted to stay a Republican. It's unclear what effect his recent musings will have on his...
November 08, 2004
In a new twist (and I mean twist) on the electoral maps of red and blue America, check out this graphic posted on Crooked Timber and the related stories they link to in the post. Wow....
At a certain level the governor of California creeps me out. No, I'm not talking about his allegiance to what must be the most demanding skin-care regimen in politics. I'm referring to his ability to come out smelling like a...
With numbers like this I think it's fair to say that Senator Ben Nelson will be a decided underdog if he's challenged by Gov. Mike Johanns. I'd like to think that the Democrats will be able to at least break...
It has been about a week, and I can begin to think somewhat more rationally about all this. Kevin Drum, over at Washington Monthly, has a rough and dirty comparison of the 2004 exit polls over the 2000 exit polls,...
November 07, 2004
So says The Left Coaster....
The new issue of The Atlantic has a fine article by James Fallows on war games that are being run in an attempt to come up with policy options to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. As to the conclusions...
You might have a different idea. After all, Democrats did well in many state and local races across the country on Tuesday. But my initial reaction is to say that it was in Montana. Even as President Bush was soundly...
November 06, 2004
While many people in the gay and lesbian community were disappointed in Tuesday's presidential race (though it should be noted that between 20 and 25% of self-identified gay voters voted for President Bush), it's probably noteworthy that several gay and...
Good grief is he predictable. I didn't even have to scroll down before I knew he'd comment upon rumors that conservatives want to deny Arlen Specter the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. Of course he wasn't naming names, nor did...
November 05, 2004
Sage, if sobering, advice from Josh Marshall....
So it turns out that the DOD and White House were lying after all. That's about as surprising as the sun rising in the East....
November 03, 2004
My guess is that Franklin Foer , Kevin Drum and Professor Volokh may well be right. That said, I think their jabs at the Massachusetts Court are rather unfair. It's not that a majority of them met one morning and...
While Democrats have little to celebrate today, and Southern Democrats even less so (if you take the old Confederacy, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma - Democrats now hold only 4 of the 28 US Senate seats from the area), one bright...
November 02, 2004
I remember as a child accompanying my mother to the voting booth, the curtain motoring closed, and the way she clicked all the little levers for the various candidates, sometimes referring to notes she had made about which person in...
... is that he would fire Porter Goss. It's sort of a shame about Goss. He was a competent, often fair-minded legislator (he didn't cast votes in favor of deporting or executing gays, he had a very reasonable outlook on...
Yes, tomorrow is the first day of the 2006 races for Congress. Now, at the risk of everyone throwing all kinds of e-rocks my way for even bring up future elections, I think it's important that we keep in mind...
I was perfectly happy to wait in line for half an hour to vote. I was really pleased to see so many people out. It's an important election, and it's important for the voices of all Americans to be heard...
November 01, 2004
I'll have to go back to Brendan Nyhan's blog. On my first visit I've barely scrolled down the screen before I see arguments for 3 much needed electoral reforms....
October 31, 2004
So Bush campaign officials see the Bin Laden tape as a "gift", and they want voters to be "nervous about their personal safety". My first reaction is to say that the president has chosen to surround himself with some seriously...
The answer to the question that opens this article is probably. And even if Bin Laden himself wasn't there, clearly a massive number of Al Qaeda fighters escaped capture because of the strategy chosen by Bush, Rumsfeld and Franks. Given...
October 29, 2004
Apparently Michael Moore asked that during an event yesterday in West Virginia. Is this a silly question? I don't know that it is when we have a president who likes to say that he's doing God's work. And given studies...
Juan Cole has these thoughts on the pathetic dog and pony show that Larry DiRita staged today. It's seems that the civilian leadership of the Pentagon can't even manage a press conference in DC without embarrassing themselves. Is it any...
I agree with Kevin. That the Bush team trusted this guy is just mind-boggling. And considering the harm he's done (and may continue to do) I think you can make a pretty strong case that that fact alone ought to...
Unlike many people, my tolerance for a significant level of nonsense, finger pointing and strategizing around election time is pretty high. I've even upped my expectations. I see it like psyching yourself up to go watch something like, oh, Day...
I don't know who out there funds such things, but I heard a great ad for Kerry on the radio this morning. It was an endorsement for Kerry by Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, former Chief of Staff of the Air...
Do I ever hope that Senator Jim Bunning is sent packing back to Kentucky on Tuesday. He has nothing to show for his last 6 years in DC except for a string of loathsome votes. Substantively I'm stumped to think...
October 28, 2004
Let's not forget in all the coverage of Al Qaqaa that it wasn't just that one facility that was looted in this war that has supposedly made Americans safer, plenty of other places were looted too - including places that...
I'm linking to this story about Ginny Schrader refusing to debate her opponent to get the reaction of the other members of Bllodless Coup, and our readers. Generally speaking, I don't think people should vote for candidates who refuse to...
October 27, 2004
First Tora Bora, the Iraq. What does David Kay say about Al Qaqaa? "Al-Qaqaa had been heavily looted in April and May," said Kay, who left Iraq at the end of 2003 after reaching the conclusion that the country did...
October 26, 2004
Laura at War and Piece brings us Carl Cannon's report on who might staff a Kerry cabinet. Look at the article - you might find your name (it's loaded with lots and lots and lots of names)....
Yeah, that's a hell of title, but I'll try to live up to it. The two competing news stories that seem to be resonating around the blogosphere are the "Kerry lied about meeting the UN" revelation (broken first by the...
Stuart Benjamin raises what's long been one of the most difficult questions to answer about this administration. I mean there's so much evidence for both possibilities....
October 25, 2004
War and Piece discusses the new Wall Street Journal coverage of the White House's failure to approve an attack on Zarqawi when he was in Northern (non-Saddam controlled) Iraq in 2002. Gen. John Keane, Vice Chief of Staff of the...
If you go invade a country to ensure that it doesn't develop dangerous weapons, wouldn't you think that you wouldn't allow the angry locals and bad guys to steal 380 tons of easily smuggled high explosives out from under your...
October 22, 2004
I remain concerned that David Vitter will win a majority in this race on November 2nd, thereby winning election and avoiding a run-off. But on the bright side of things, Ricky Prado notes that State Treasurer John Kennedy looked worlds...
October 21, 2004
Prominent Republican legal scholar Charles Fried (a former member of Massachusett's Supreme Judicial Court and US Solicitor General under Ronald Reagan) bemoans the growing philosophical incoherence of the US Supreme Court, and it trampling on long established doctrines that are...
October 20, 2004
The leaders of Iran and Russia are publicly backing President Bush. This shouldn't come as a surprise given that the president's actions have closely resembled some of the fondest dreams of the repressive, terrorist-supporting Iranian leadership. And of course those...
October 19, 2004
Yesterday I wrote a post noting an item in the Washington Whispers column discussing likely candidates to replace John Ashcroft as Attorney General. You may have noticed that the Republican list did not include the current Deputy Attorney General, James...
This weekend I traveled to visit my parents, and ended up having a very frustrating political conversation with my mother. Yeah, sure, everyone has those, but this one really crystallized for me how effective the GOP advertising has been, and...
By former many-term Republican Governor William Milliken of Michigan....
October 18, 2004
This post at Obsidian Wings is great....
If the Philadelphia Inquirer wants to endorse Arlen Specter, that's their business. But part of their reasoning is really, really weird. They note that Specter's seniority means that he will be the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee next...
US News' Washington Whispers column tends to be about as reliable as a Magic 8 ball. But since yesterday I was encouraging people to think who would fill the top slots at State and the DOD in 2005 I feel...
Even if one were to believe that a president had great instincts, if he has no plans about how to put those into action - how competent a president is he? A Knight Ridder review of the administration's Iraq policy...
October 17, 2004
Baltar raises an interesting point in the comments section of the post on Dan Drezner’s latest thoughts on the campaign – there has been extremely little discussion of who would serve as Secretary of Defense in a John Kerry administration....
Stuart Benjamin makes a succinct and compelling case at the Volokh Conspiracy....
Brent Scowcroft, the National Security Advisor to the first president Bush (and basically Bush I's ideological soul-mate) publicly states that he thinks George W. Bush has taken American foreign policy horribly off-course when it comes to the Middle East and...
October 16, 2004
Ron Suskind's piece in the Sunday New York Times is chilling. While you already likely know the general thrust of it - that the president is curious about very little, believes what he believes regardless of "facts" or "reality", and...
I know bloodlesscoup often comes off as universally against our beloved President, and universally for Kerry, but it is worth noting that there are some legitimate potentially objections to a Kerry Presidency. Daniel Drezner (a Univ. of Chicago Int'l Relations...
October 15, 2004
As Kevin Drum notes, something was there in all 3 debates. Like Kevin, I'd like to know what it is. But beyond that, I think this is another glaring example of the degree to which the president can live in...
Hey, he even refers to himself that way. As I've written before, insulating one's self in the fashion he describes is a recipe for disaster. Anyone who holds a senior position in the White House should have been able to...
October 14, 2004
This evening, I found the following gem from the West Virginia GOP on my voice mail: Hi I’m calling to ask for your vote to stop the massive assault by liberal politicians on our conservative West Virginia values. During regular...
Hmmm ... the mayor of a large midwestern city in a swing state requests additional ballots for November 2nd noting that the city received fewer than it received in 2000 or 2002 and that turn-out is likely to be higher...
...I think the turn-around point everyone will point to is the set of debates. Over all three debates, Kerry managed to seem Presidential (dignified, calm, in command, knowledgable, etc.). I'm not just saying this; most of the polling bears out...
It seems there are several papers in the state that have already had more than enough of Republican US Senate nominee Tom Coburn....
Am I right in thinking that there is really no recourse for people whose registrations have been destroyed? There are claims that the registrations of people who tried to register as Democrats have been destroyed in Nevada, Oregon and West...
...must be approaching, because for once the Economists and the Political Scientists are in agreement. Well, kind of. A survey of randomly selected economics professors who serve on the editorial board of the American Economic Review shows that except for...
October 13, 2004
Yikes - this latest tax bill, approved by your Republican Congress and president is just appalling. Read about the whole thing. This provides the setting:The story began nearly three years ago, with an initial impetus simply to replace a $5...
So maybe this isn't new news exactly, but this post by Juan Cole gets at a fundamental point in this whole business about "everyone thought X", or how it was "bad intelligence" that led us into war. Uh, no. We...
October 12, 2004
When you've got a divorce record like this, you'd think you'd think twice about running for Congress. And you'd think a party would think twice about nominating you. But hey - if you've been winning state legislative elections anyway, I...
As binky noted below, a large number of professors of international relations (fairly prominent ones, at that) have come together with a open letter opposed to Bush. This is not the first group of policy experts who have chosen to...
What in the world is going on? Jim Bunning has been as undistinguished a senator as you could find. Nonetheless, in crimson-red Kentucky it looked like he was close to a lock for reelection, even after the Democrats nominated a...
Really, what is with this guy (uh, possibly the next senator from Oklahoma). His latest bizarre statement - there is rampant lesbianism in the schools of Oklahoma. The educators in the schools, not surprisingly, have failed to notice any such...
How often do you see that combination in a blog post? Probably never until today. Here's Helena Cobban's post that mentions both. The gist is that the Sauds aren't going to let women vote in their municipal elections (I'm just...
Paul Krugman lists a set of lies of that the president has said (and will likely repeat in tomorrow's debate) about his record and about Senator Kerry's proposals. Read this column and know these facts. Given that the first political...
Today's David Brooks column is an interesting reflection on the connection between domestic and international politics. I don't necessarily buy everything he's selling (the paragraph with Pat Buchanan in it, for example) but I like what he is trying to...
October 11, 2004
Just for the record, Kevin Drum notes Bush's bald-faced lie last Friday (that neither Kerry nor Charlie Gibson called him on) about how much he's increased non-defense discretionary spending. One of the reasons the deficit is going up so much...
John Kerry has promised to end the raids against the use of medical marijuana that have been a hallmark of President Bush's drug and crime policies. These have even been going on in states which have passed laws allowing the...
October 10, 2004
I read both the Sunday NYT and WaPo today, and just couldn't get worked up about anything. I was all, like, "yeah, yeah, yeah." Didn't really matter what subject. Bush is spending money to scientifically test to see if prayers...
October 07, 2004
The President (and Vice) have officially left the planet. Or, at least, they have a mobile Calvinball "Opposite Zone" that is always in place around them, so that whatever they say is just the opposite of the truth: "Based on...
I'm not going to make any political hay out of this, just note it as somewhat odd. Our very religious President (a man lionized by American fundamentalists), in fact, does not attend church regularly. Like I said, I make no...
October 06, 2004
For a man running for the US Senate Republican Rep. Jim DeMint sure does spend a lot of time thinking about who should be running the nation's classrooms. First he said gays shouldn't be allowed to be teachers, now he...
October 05, 2004
Why is it that in the year 2004 we have nonsense like this? (emphasis added) Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a leading opponent of abortions, agreed that 30 states or more would move to restrict or curtail...
It's not that I'm shocked by this. I think he's as slimy as they come, so of course he does. What I find peculiar, if completely predictable, is how he can so obviously do this - and still be defended...
Now I know Bush said in the debate last week that he didn't want to bring it back. And yes, the senior officers in the Pentagon will scream bloody murder (but since many of them have been doing that for...
The wall of certainty? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. intervention in Iraq was hampered early on by a lack of adequate forces and efforts to contain looting after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, according to the former U.S. administrator in...
Via CalPundit/Washington Monthly comes a very detailed report in the Boston Globe of how the legislative process in Washington is collapsing: With one party controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, and having little fear of retaliation by...
October 04, 2004
It's not funny because it's true. UPDATE: Publius's discussion of this is deeper....
This had long looked to be a great pick-up opportunity for the Republicans, but Democrat Inez Tenenbaum has pulled into essentially a tie with the Republican nominee, Congressman Jim DeMint. Given the demographics of South Carolina I'd say that DeMint...
October 03, 2004
I suppose I fear no possible new freshman senator more than Dr. Tom Coburn, the Republican nominee in Oklahoma. It's not that the Democratic nominee there is a real prize (I find a lot of his policy positions odious right-wing...
Obsidian Wings has an update. If this matters to you, read the update and call your congressman....
Bashing Republican, uh, Fox "News" is really too easy to be worth the time - but this still strikes me as worth noting in that it gets at 1) the level of their mendacity and 2) their level of laziness....
October 02, 2004
Juan Cole has this post up on how Bush's "plans" and priorities regarding Iraq have changed several times since the invasion. This is of course true. But if he's suggesting that can be used by Kerry as a campaign issue,...
October 01, 2004
Which isn't to say it didn't get a majority. It did. But it fell far short of garnering the necessary 2/3's approval that is required for a constitutional amendment. 36 Democrats voted for it, 27 Republicans bravely voted no (BoifromTroy...
No president who has presided over Abu Ghraib should ever say he wants to put anyone on a leash....
September 30, 2004
A blog devoted to judicial appointments! If, like me, you can never get enough information on this topic you should definitely take a look at this post from Sunday....
I know that CBS's stupidity has resulted in the president getting a free-pass on this as a campaign issue, but I still find this galling....
You better sit down for this. Sitting down yet? Ok. Read on.“I even take the position that sexual orgies eliminate social tensions and ought to be encouraged,” Scalia said.And as if that wasn't weird enough, on the same night he...
So a lot of Bush voters love his stands on foreign policy. But it turns out he doesn't stand for what many of them think he stands for. You'd think there would be an opening for Kerry here ... but...
September 29, 2004
As anyone who reads blogs has likely seen by now, there are lots of people having a (justified) fit over an open letter by Martin Kozloff, a professor at University of North Carolina (Wilmington). Prof. Kozloff advocates a number of...
Sometimes I really think I shouldn't get out of bed. This is so appalling. He's approving of torture of SUSPECTED terrorists (and lately the government's ability to tell suspected from actual isn't great), wants to do it in my name...
Things I wish for in tomorrow’s Presidential Debate: I wish the candidates had spent more time discussing substantive issues, and less time discussing the Texas Air National Guard and Swiftboats. I wish their campaigns had spent less time negotiating the...
September 28, 2004
This story has me wondering. No, not about Bush's tendencies to exaggerate, nor about these actions being at the very least extremely unseemly at a time when we're asking huge numbers of the Guard to put their lives on the...
Jack Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale, has a post linking to a number of things he's written in the past on this subject. Balkin stresses that for him the most disturbing part of the whole episode...
Today there was a story in the NYT about the backlog of translations of intelligence tapes, and the fact that the FBI maybe have accidentally but systematically deleted taped material from Al Quaeda sources. That we are still in this...
September 27, 2004
Yeah, I know - dog bites man, film at 11. But this latest column of his is pretty funny. Of course there's the real chuckle part where he feels the need to inform us that one agency official he is...
Publius has a long, troubling report on this topic. As he admits, there is no smoking gun in the evidence he gathers that proves Republicans have acted to suppress the black vote in a way that would violate the Voting...
September 25, 2004
First they give the president a true gift from above (or if the conspiracy theorists are right, possibly Karl Rove) in sending out the impression to millions of Americans that the president completed his Guard service (as has been noted...
September 24, 2004
Dahlia Lithwick comments on the end of it all - and the appalling things it says about the way Bush and Ashcroft look at the law and the system of justice in the United States....
The Air Force Times joins the list of news organizations that want to know, and wonder why the president isn't answering other key questions about his Guard duty....
September 23, 2004
The Senate race in Louisiana is not getting much attention at the moment, and that's perfectly understandable since it's likely not going to be decided until a December run-off between Republican Congressman David Vitter and a Democrat to be named...
September 22, 2004
This is the kind of campaign George Bush is running - and it's not just in Arkansas. Friends of mine in West Virginia have gotten this too, and apparently they've been sent out in other states. Doesn't it make you...
September 21, 2004
Merriam-Webster defines strident as: characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound; also : commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality Drudge has a link up to a Christian Science Monitor story about Kerry-supporting troops in Iraq, the title of...
Here's Senator Kerry's speech from Monday on the the war in Iraq. I think it's a very strong speech....
Am I the only person who's incensed by the cover of today's USA Today? There, splashed across the top of the page is "CBS backs off Guard story". Given the tendency of many of the people who see newspapers to...
September 20, 2004
That's what Robert Novak's saying. And while one should generally take his commentary and insights about Democrats with a grain of salt, he has long-standing relationships with many supposedly in-the-know GOP sources. Maybe the president is planning one last big...
September 17, 2004
As someone who's never been a big fan of hate crime laws I found this post from Orcinus really interesting. He makes a very strong case in favor of them, and after reading it I'm much more supportive of them...
"Hmmm, that's quite a choice. On the one hand, Miller could cave in and we'd learn more about who outed Plame. On the other hand, she could stick to her guns and end up in jail. Which would I prefer?...
In a mere twelve lines Nick Confessore hits on some of the key structural phenomena that affect what types of candidates are advantaged and disadvantaged in today's political environment in the US....
Oklahoma being Oklahoma I still expect this guy to get elected to the US Senate. But news stories like this one and these in the last few days suggest that Congressman Carson might just be able to win in November....
September 16, 2004
I know I shouldn't be disgusted with anything either the Republicans or the Democrats do, and I suppose its a good sign that I'm still not completely jaded when their actions still piss me off. Bush has failed to declare...
September 15, 2004
Who knew? Dave Sirota for one....
I'll start this by noting that personally whether or not he fulfilled his Guard obligations has nothing to do with how I'll vote on November 2nd. I'm much more interested in 21st century events than events that went on before...
September 14, 2004
Eugene Volokh (in a quite humorous post) points out that all kinds of people can marry, including lots and lots of people that lots and lots of other people consider icky - just not gays. Oh, and he doubts that...
Big government, big deficits - brought to you by the Bush administration, but paid for by you, your children, your children's children ......
At the moment, I'm thinking so. Check out this lead from Reuters on Secretary of State Hood placing Ralph Nader's name on the Florida ballot: "Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's name can appear on Florida ballots for the election, despite...
September 13, 2004
OK, hands up - who here thinks the president should give the American people a list of the terrorists he likes and the terrorists he doesn't before the election? It would seem to clarify things, and would save him from...
Atrios has this exchange from The Capitol Gang in which Bob Novak (not merely a White House apologist, but a central figure in the Plame investigation himself) shows his usual high degree of moral fiber and rectitude.I should note that...
September 12, 2004
Are Republicans riven by internal divisions? Are they becoming the party of a centralized big-government "daddy state"? Do the NeoCons really stand for much of anything? I found this column by Alex Gourevitch and this response to it by Arthur...
The Council on Foreign Relations has this comparison. Looking back on the previous 4 years it doesn't look like that there was much that the president did that Kerry would not have done, nor is there much that Kerry would...
September 11, 2004
Waaaaaaaay lowered. I presume even Secretary Rumsfeld will agree that that's not the standard we should use to judge the actions of our government....
September 10, 2004
Honestly, I'm not so sure sometimes. Typically, most of its foreign-policy coverage involves repeating what government officials say about particular situations. There are many correspondents assigned to cover the White House, Pentagon, State Department, etc., so it is not exactly...
September 09, 2004
Yeah I understand he's a comedian, and it's not like I think most people should turn to him or Bernie Mac or Chris Rock to get their political information. But it does continue to surprise me that thoughts like these...
September 08, 2004
This post is a little old, but I think it's a nice dissection of an important part of the Bush convention speech....
September 07, 2004
Here's your new thread. However, I will start the ball (or maybe it's more like a corner kick) rolling with this: life is one value. Liberty is another. Should we even broach the pursuit of happiness?...
Personally, I think the notion of a "flip-flop" is a pretty flimsy attack, but if the president is against them so much how does he explain this (hardly all-inclusive) list....
September 06, 2004
The Republican convention really depressed Jacob Sullum....
September 05, 2004
Graydon Carter has this extremely lengthy list. Some of the "highlights": Vacations: 13 Number of vacation days the average American receives each Year; 28 Number of vacation days Bush took in August 2001, the month he received a 6 August...
To those of you who visit this blog and think that the economy led by President Bush is in fine shape, I am interested in your response to these numbers. #1 The net job losses under this president are the...
September 03, 2004
I don't really have much interest in harping on most of the president's speech. Obviously I think he's been a failure and doesn't deserve reelection. Nothing he said changed that view. Though it's clear that if you want to ban...
Well, I for one am shocked. You mean he's not a kitten-killing surrender monkey? The Washington Post details some of the low points of this week's misinformation fest....
Are we sure these are the people we want running the war on terrorism? Yet another story of incompetence....
Will Saletan wonders why Bush hasn't done all these things he promises to do in the next four years during the last four years....
Those are the sort of people we got to hear from last night in primetime before the president himself came onto the stage. Below I give my reaction to the president’s warm-up acts. I’ll try to post my reaction to...
September 02, 2004
"For more than twenty years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure." Senator Zell Miller, D-Georgia, September 1st, 2004. I...
September 01, 2004
So CNN won't air an ad produced by the Log Cabin Republicans because it features one of the Fred Phelps brigade holding a sign saying "God Hates Fags". Apparently that's too offensive/controversial for them (Fox News is airing the ad)....
August 31, 2004
From the AP, a report that shows why we might want to play nice with our European allies. The World Trade Organization authorized the European Union and seven other leading U.S. trading partners Tuesday to impose more than $150 million...
August 30, 2004
It's posts like this one that make it very difficult for me to take Andrew Sullivan seriously. He has some interesting things to say from time to time, but he never lets accuracy get in the way of taking a...
The wrestling coach says George Soros might be getting his money from drug cartels. He readily says he has no proof of this - but that it could be true. Why stop there Denny? Why don't you just say he...
Well, someone else is making our same cry for a more detailed debate. Herbert focuses on the Republicans, although the blame for dumbed down politics is shared by both parties. However, I think that Herbert has some good points (if...
August 29, 2004
I suspect the espionage scandal is going to be brewing for several weeks to come, but if you're looking for a bit more on it today I suggest you visit Laura Rozen's site or read Juan Cole's interpretation of the...
A great article in the New York Times today. The reporter notes that both US and Iraqi government forces seem to have removed themselves physically and thus fail to control a huge province in western Iraq. The cities of Falluja...
Fantastic. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. I can sort of understand why no one wanted to discuss it in the immediate aftermath of Indecision 2000. But it's time for this relic to go. It's anti-democratic, and...
August 28, 2004
It seems one of my biggest complaints about the Bush administration has an official name in the blogsphere - the process critique. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see Dan Drezner and Matt Yglesias. I've frequently posted on...
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I don't know what to make of the investigation into Larry Franklin. But as these posts by Laura Rozen , Mark Kleiman, Helena Cobban and Matt Yglesias suggest, it looks quite likely that this particular investigation is on the periphery...
Shorter David Brooks: Look! A Republican who is an environmentalist! And he’s worked with minorities! We’re diverse! Don’t hate us all! Ya know, this might actually mean something if you saw any diversity or arguments among actual Republicans over policy....
August 27, 2004
Ok, my smack at the "compassionate conservative" label below was meant to be a joke. We all occasionally word statements in ways that don't convey the sentiments we meant to convey (though you'd think a paid staffer would be more...
Now there are many questions that I wish the president would answer. And it's long struck me that the president's (any president's) ability to evade questions is one of the biggest problems with our system of government. But if someone...
If you're looking for a quick, highly readable account of the tragedy going on in Sudan's Darfur province you should take a look at Samantha Power's article in the August 30 issue of The New Yorker. It contains some horrible...
Well, this is just great. It was bad enough that he signed McCain-Feingold, now this. President Bush has come out against an important outlet for free speech, calling for the end of 527s. And I would truly love it if...
In response to a couple of commenters on the "Justice for the Swift" thread below, I'll follow my own advice and propose we discuss something of actual relevance to this election: the Kerry versus Bush plan for Iraq. The official...
August 26, 2004
Good news from Chile. The Supreme Court has stripped Pinochet's immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses. This internal solution is much better idea than the Spanish attempt a few years ago....
August 25, 2004
Why do we let politicians get away with this? Senator Jim Bunning is refusing to debate his Democratic opponent in Kentucky. Why do people vote for such out-of-touch s.o.b.'s?...
This is just too bizarre. From the reported facts, to the backstory (why on earth choose to mention Maggie crying?)....
August 24, 2004
Ed Cone illustrates why the cable news networks and the weekend talk shows are must-avoid TV....
OK, I'm officially sick of the whole swift boat thing. I really don't think it matters one way or the other if Kerry was or was not in Cambodia (he was almost certainly close), or whether his valor medals (Bronze...
Good freakin' grief. Meet Congressman Dan Lipinski, the next member of Congress from the Chicago metro area. I've already noted the shameful, anti-democratic way in which he's come to power. And now that he's finally had his first press conference,...
This is just sick. Ghost detainees, rape, attack dogs, deaths - and there is no sign that anyone in a senior position is being held accountable. Though there are plenty of signs (in this case, even from Republican-appointed panels) that...
August 23, 2004
So says Helena Cobban....
This article praises John Kerry's role in investigating BCCI. He fought a number of prominent Democrats in doing so, and his work clearly furthered the people's interests. By highlighting Kerry's behavior in this matter the authors could be seen as...
August 19, 2004
Does everybody remember the story a few weeks ago about the FBI sting operation that netted a couple of people from Albany (one an Islamic Imam) for trying to launder money that would be made from the sale of a...
August 18, 2004
Do they still teach civics in schools across the country? Or journalism? Or vocabulary words? I ask since I frequently hear people decrying "censorship" when they complain that they can't see F911 at their local multiplex. I wish Before Sunset...
I sure as hell don't agree with him all of the time, but it's because of opinions like this one that I'd really like to see Alex Kozinski fill the next "conservative" opening on the US Supreme Court. He's a...
Am I the only person who's a little bit surprised at the man-handling of the electoral process that the political parties have been engaged in this year? After McCain-Feingold was upheld dozens of stories were written about how the decision...
August 17, 2004
Now remind me why the president has not stepped up to a microphone and announced he is going to push to have the US Constitution changed to allow non-"natural born" Americans run for president? I think it's a winner substantively...
There wasn't much in this article (free, but sign in required) that was new news to me, but it does do a pretty good job of describing two issues: First, the whole issue of mountaintop removal. How anyone can think...
August 16, 2004
(And it didn't work out well then, either.) I check the NYT at the end of the day, and see this wonderful piece of news. The FBI is interviewing known political protestors before the Republican Convention next month. They claim...
Go and read this article in the Washington Post (note: free, but requires a sign-in). I continue to be just blow away by the contempt with which this administration holds the idea of science and the policy process. I have...
This article by Matt Yglesias in The American Prospect is one of the best things I've read in weeks. We've got to get away from our People-magazine approach to politics in this country. That people vote for particular candidates on...
Francis Fukuyama’s piece in the Summer issue of The National Interest has gotten the interest of Steve Clemons and Matthew Yglesias. As Yglesias notes, there is much in the article that is worth reading. It does remind one that a...
August 15, 2004
That's my response to Matt Yglesias's question. I mean there can be no question that Will's a liar, right? Matt gives but a few of the instances of this administration's mercantilist policies. That Will reports that this administration supports free...
While it's a tad early to put Oregon safely in the "Kerry" column, the size of these crowds is remarkable. But more than what this says about political trends in Oregon, what these photos got me thinking about is that...
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12:44 PM
August 13, 2004
Liar, wildly incompetent or both? It's so hard to know what to make of the president sometimes. Witness these comments made by the president after he was asked by Larry King about his decision to continue reading a children's book...
This post by Publius is important in that it directly confronts two points we typically don’t highlight often enough when discussing how democratic government can be spread around the world. First, successfully developing democratic institutions and norms usually depends on...
Does ANYONE care about elections anymore? I mean even after Florida 2000 we've done a shoddy job of making sure ever voter's vote counts. Many Illinois Republicans probably feel betrayed by the three-ring circus staged by their party to select...
August 12, 2004
While his selections must still be approved by the European Parliament, the new leadership team of the European Union has been announced by President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of Portugal. This is the first commission under the new system in...
Earlier I noted Congressman Rodney Alexander's despicable behavior, switching parties in a way that essentially blocked any sort of real two-party competition in his district this year. It turns out that he might have been too clever by half. You...
August 10, 2004
Via Juan Non-Volokh I see that the French government is considering classifying wine as nourishment. Given recent health studies that show small quantities of wine are actually good for you, I don't see much of a problem with that. Spain...
Sounds scary doesn't it? Even more so if the embrace of the octopus includes Fidel? A story picked up by the Free Republic, and commented on by CNN, shows the lengths to which Republicans are going in Florida. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen...
August 09, 2004
While we can treat Alan Keyes as some sort of sad joke, we can't treat Tom Coburn the same way since he is likely going to be the next US Senator from Oklahoma. You might not expect a doctor would...
Alan Keyes has officially accepted the offer the the Republican leadership of Illinois. He will be their candidate against Barack Obama in November. This should be highly entertaining. While I might comment on him from time to time, there is...
August 08, 2004
This post by Juan Cole provides some background information on the man who is viewed as Grand Ayatollah Sistani's likely heir....
Matt at Basket Full of Puppies posts on an interesting story from the New York Times. No matter which Labor Department numbers you use, Democratic presidents have created more jobs than Republican presidents. And I don't mean on average. Going...
August 07, 2004
You can add one name (and put it in bold and a huge font) to the list of politicians who are little more than arrogant, self-involved scoundrels. Congressman Rodney Alexander of Louisiana switched parties yesterday. He'd flirted with a switch...
August 06, 2004
Dave Sirota notes that as Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney worked against the creation of a Director of National Intelligence in the George H.W. Bush administration. Could this have anything to do with the George W. Bush adminsitration's bid to...
If at first you don't get Mike Ditka ... Failing to find a prospective nominee from among the 12.6 million people of their own state, the Republicans of Illinois have chosen to import the firey and, errr, eccentric Alan Keyes...
This story in the New York Times discusses the problems with provisional ballots. Taking antacids yet?...
August 05, 2004
Dahlia Lithwick considers what we know and what we don't know about the meaning of the Lawrence decision in this column on the 11th Circuit upholding Alabama's law banning the sale of sex toys. Whether you love or loathe Lawrence...
August 04, 2004
A lot of election analysts are of the opinion that Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle is the only incumbent Democrat in the US Senate in danger of being denied another term this fall. While I am inclined to agree at...
The consensus seems to be that yesterday Missouri Democrats took a big step forward in retaining the governorship of that perenial swing state by defeating Gov. Holden's bid for a second term. Instead the their nominee will be State Auditor...
August 03, 2004
OK, "hero" might be a little bit strong. But as Bryan Caplan reminds us here, he shares some key perspectives with conservatives. It would be refreshing if more Republicans acknowledged that he isn't some crazed, partisan hack when discussing his...
The future composition of the Israeli government remains as unclear as it has for several weeks (for the latest, see this). But a key act may very well have occurred recently that could have long-term implications. Shinui, the ardently centrist,...
At least not a director who has anything remotely resembling the role envisaged by the 9/11 Commission. In suggesting that he is following the commission's recommendation, the president is conveying a familiar lack of candor. Josh Marshall discusses some of...
August 02, 2004
George W. Bush must be removed from office in November. He is so out of touch with reality, so insulated from critical thought that doesn't fit with particular ideologies, that he's making decisions that very clearly imperil the lives of...
This is an interesitng comparison. Look at this map, and then compare it to this one. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections looks a lot like, say, USA today's 2000 map, though I'd like to see others for comparison....
Atrios has a post up about the filthy scum of the Earth that we had occupying the White House in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The new issue of The Atlantic has transcripts of Nixon's tapes illustrating what a...
July 30, 2004
Binky and I have already made our boundless levels of contempt for CNN known. Their coverage of the convention showed them at the typical worst. The Columbia Journalism Review has compiled this list of just some of their inaccuracies and...
In a very troubling bit of news, Doctors Without Borders has decided to leave Afghanistan. They've heroically provided essential services for that country's people for 24 years, braving a string of hostile situations. Yet they judge the situation there today...
July 29, 2004
Two posts below, Binky expresses her shock that Pakistan suddenly managed to find an al Qaeda operative, and that this news was announced on the same day when the news would otherwise be dominated by John Kerry. She fears she...
At some point, I thought I had become old enough and cranky enough to no longer surprise myself with the depths of cynicism I could achieve. However, this headline, on the night of Kerry's speech, brought out the little "Church...
It's been some time since I read CNN as a source of news, or rather, news about anything other than what Michael Jackson is up to these days. I still occasionally feel a pang when I surf by and find...
Arthur Silber is no doubt trying to be provocative in making this point. But, that said, there is a lot to the point. By reinstituting a draft the government would be taking freedom away from millions of young Americans. In...
The Democratic convention seems to be drowing out all other news coverage - but other important stories are happening, from the new deficit numbers to the horrible one-month anniversary of the ascencion of the Allawi government in Iraq....
You just know that this is going to be put on bumper stickers....
OK, since commenting on the substance of the convention leaves little room for debate (Barack Obama was amazing, it's unlikely anyone else can come close to matching that), what remains to be noted about the proceedings in Boston? Well, this...
At first glance, the idea that who we're going to vote for is affected by what a candidate's spouse says appears somewhat bizarre. Nonetheless, it typically gives you some sense of where the candidates and the parties are coming from....
July 28, 2004
I know covering the convention must be trying for her, but you'd think Ann Coulter could come up with something besides this: "My pretty-girl allies stick out like a sore thumb amongst the corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing,...
This morning the major news sources had yet more stories about the problems with touch screen voting. In this case, the problem was lost records. From the New York Times: "The records disappeared after two computer system crashes last year,...
July 26, 2004
It's probably not a good sign for the development of a democracy in Iraq that Muqtada Sadr and his followers are already boycotting the first-stage in the process....
This column by Shibley Telhami, who is pretty much always worth reading, discusses al Qaeda's goals and the degree to which they affect the likelihood of an attack during the presidential campaign. I agree with his analysis....
Yeah, that never happens does it. This op-ed by Brian Dickerson in the Detroit Free-Press on the Michigan state Supreme Court throwing out a sexual harassment judgment is interesting. I don't know whose behavior is more inappropriate in this particular...
July 25, 2004
Given the number of political lives he's had, you'd think the man was a feline. Peter Mandelson is back. Tony Blair has officially announced that he wants him to be the UK's representative on the next European Commission. This has...
I'll start with a factual point that, sadly, isn't remotely surprising: Since 9/ 11, about 90 percent of the nation's $5 billion annual investment in transportation security has gone to aviation, to fight the last war. True, lightning can strike...
There's political news out of North Carolina. The Democratic nominee against US Rep. Robin Hayes is a 27 year-old former Miss Raleigh! Oh wait, maybe that was the big news last week. This weekend the big news is that former...
Now I'm not going to hold my breath for this to happen. Congress tends to have little interest in reforming itself since that will inevitably entail certain members losing prized positions. An unusually strong push for changes in the structure...
July 24, 2004
Eliza Griswold's "In the Hiding Zone" in the July 26th issue of The New Yorker is yet another first-rate news feature in that weekly dealing with the "War on Terrorism". It's a detailed, first-hand account of the current state of...
July 23, 2004
In case you didn't realize it, Louisiana is going to be the home of several key congressional elections this fall. With Senator Breaux and Congressmen Vitter, Tauzin and John retiring, practically half of its delegation in DC will be new...
If the media is going to let the president portray himself as a fighter-pilot war president who has much more integrity than that "flip-flopping" war hero John Kerry, I really think they should demand some straight answers to where he...
July 22, 2004
In the interest of giving equal time ... Conservative party leader Stephen Harper, whose party was recently defeated by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals, announced his shadow cabinet team. Perhaps most importantly Peter MacKay, the former leader of the...
In other congressional news the number of federal appealate judicial nominees being filibustered has risen from 6 to 10 over the last two days. Yesterday, a nominee to the 9th Circuit was blocked by Democrats, principally because of fears of...
Given all the debate that broke out when it looked like some actors in the government were studying the feasibility of the postponing the election if a terrorist attack threated to disrupt it, it was perhaps inevitable that the House...
...or at least put a leash on it. Tired of wondering how much truth is in those political ads you've been hearing? (Cynics, bite your tongue on the "none" you were about to speak.) The Annenberg Public Policy Center publishes...
July 21, 2004
An interesting post summarizing recents reports in the Wall Street Journal and from investment institutions about who has benefitted from the economic recovery, and analyzing the potential for a return to the "Old Deal." This analysis is interesting, because it...
For those of you interested in American political history, Charlie Peters has this article on how Wendell Wilkie won the Republican nomination for president in 1940....
Helena Cobban has this great post on Yasser Arafat and his considerable failures (as a leader, his list of failures as human being is likely much, much longer). If you want to get a handle on the level of damage...
And speaking of Iran, The Washington Post's In The Loop column has this interesting combination of comments by President Bush and Deputy Secretary of State Armitage on Iran. President Bush, chatting with reporters Monday about Iran's alleged aid to the...
Juan Cole has some interesting thoughts on all the recent reports about supposed links between al Qaeda and the government of Iran....
Graham Allison had an interesting review in yesterday’s New York Times of Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis. This book addresses the 1994 deal with North Korea known as the Agreed Framework and is written by three men...
Continuing my efforts to teach us all a little more about our neighbors to the North … All the names of cabinet ministers have been announced, and there were a few clear trends in Prime Minister Martin’s appointments. Two of...
July 20, 2004
Wow. Isn't it weird that a sentence like that is just tossed around these days? Ah, how Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld have changed the language of international relations. But getting back to the (scary) point, there are some funny (because they're true) thoughts...
Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada is announcing his new cabinet today. There is stability at the very top. Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and Finance Minister Raph Goodale will keep their current posts. But other noteable changes have occurred....
The Kinzer article mentioned below is also interesting when considered in light of this post by Matthew Yglesias. If the European Union were to admit Turkey, the second most populous state in the EU would be composed almost entirely of...
July 19, 2004
This is an interesting article by Stephen Kinzer in the New York Review of Books on Turkish politics, present and future. Apparently the reforms of Prime Minister Erdogan are proceeding at a very fast clip. The economy is improving dramatically....
So Moqtada Sadr's newspaper is back. That didn't take long. Probably not long enough for people to have forgotten about the Keystone-Cops routine the US performed in (temporarily) shutting it down, and the hideous aftermath that followed. Between this, the...
Meet Johnny Isakson. If the polls and the pols are accurate he's the next U.S. Senator from Georgia. Why? Well, both Democratic and Republican operatives say that Georgia's is the most likely Senate seat to switch from D to R...
July 18, 2004
David Adesnik has this odd passage in a post on David Remnick's piece on the future of Egyptian politics that I mentioned here. I don't doubt that Egyptians hate Bush or even that they hate him much more than they...
Now it makes a lot of sense for the average American's view of the government to be closely tied to the price of gasoline. But as you see in this chart posted on MyDD the correlation between support for President...
July 17, 2004
It's not the most earth-shattering quiz, but it is somewhat interesting. Go here for a quiz on whether you should live (or deserve to live) in a red or blue state....
July 16, 2004
Dan Drezner and Matt Yglesias have posts up today suggesting that John Kerry might want to name a shadow cabinet before the election. Jacob Levy explains here why that is bad idea....
While it wasn't a complete disaster for Labour, the by-elections held this week were clearly not good news for Tony Blair's Labour government. Labour lost the Leicester South seat to the Liberal Democrats, and just barely retained Birmingham Hodge Hill....
While I realize it’s one of the hot topics of conversation this week, I don’t think it’s likely that Bush is going to dump Cheney from the ticket. There are many reasons why (not just limited to the following). Bush...
July 15, 2004
So Mike Ditka came to his senses (such as they are) and decided not to run for the Senate from Illinois. This leaves the Republicans with .... well, surely they'll find someone even though all the obvious candidates are demurring...
July 14, 2004
So the Senate vote to invoke cloture and proceed to consideration of the Federal Marriage Amendment just failed 48-50 (Kerry and Edwards didn't vote, I presume they are campaigning). Now this whole affair is pathetic on any number of levels,...
As if you needed any more proof that Fox News has at best a tenuous relation to journalism ... and there's more (there always is)....
If you surf blogs you probably look at Josh Marshall's, so I'll never be in the habit of linking to posts there. But this is so outrageous I feel it has to be highlighted. I wasn't planning to pay a...
July 13, 2004
Matt Yglesias makes some good points in this post on TAPPED. Did the CIA make mistakes? Absolutely. But in the grand scheme of things relating to the war in Iraq, how much are they to blame? It still strikes me...
So I've been watching this over the last few days thinking there's no way it would actually happen. But with news like this it looks more and more like the Republicans in Illinois may actually give their US Senate nomination...
July 12, 2004
I assume this quote (paragraph 10) is taken out of context. If it isn't this person is a moron: "There's an arrogance in the scientific community that they know better than the average American," Ms. Lafferty said. I'm going to...
OK, so NBC has announced what it plans to cover at this year's political conventions. Each convention will get 3 hours. That means that for the Democrats they'll cover Clinton, Edwards and Kerry. For the GOP they'll cover Bush, Cheney...
July 09, 2004
Don't know how many saw this number, but Juan Cole notes today that official Iraqi figures put 400 Iraqis dead and 1600 wounded since the offical handover of sovereignty on June 28th. Those are staggering numbers. One would think that...
To keep you up to date on the latest in the ever-democratizing Middle East, President Hosni Mubarak is back in Egypt. The 76-year old had been in Germany for surgery on his back. Now that he has returned he has...
If you're looking for the latest on the Plame investigation, here's an interesting story in the American Prospect about how Ashcroft decided to recuse himself. The story also contains this tidbit about Karl Rove: Rove's interview with the FBI was...
Kevin Drum, who's done an exhaustive amount of careful reporting on this issue, notes here that the latest news on the president's records being destroyed doesn't foreclose finding answers to key questions that remain on this topic....
July 08, 2004
For all of you out there who hear the term "PATRIOT Act" thrown around a fair amount on the news but don't know that much about it, the Providence Journal has been running a good series on this extremely influential...
For all you seafood lovers, you can read about the Bush administration's plans to increase the price of shrimp here. UPDATE: for a more shrimper-friendly account that suggests the effect on retailers may not be as severe see this story...
July 07, 2004
Did one woman's obsession take the U.S. to war? Read the story by Peter Bergen, someone who actually does know a lot about terrorism, here. It's well worth reading the article if you don't know about Mylroie and the harm...
It doesn't seem to be making many headlines, but this says it all about the role of policy versus politics for this administration: An internal investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services confirms that the top Medicare official...
July 06, 2004
OK, so Kerry chooses Edwards. This does not thrill me. What, exactly, is he bringing to this ticket? He is no better informed on any subject than Kerry (so he's not a Cheney to Kerry's Bush). He has no great...
In case this is an issue that matters to you, and you feel like calling your member of Congress, I bring you the following from TalkLeft: If you're going to send only one e-mail this year to stop the war...
July 05, 2004
Yeah, I'm going to bitch about Cheney again. I caught the op-ed by Joan Lukey in the Washington Post's Opinion section yesterday (Sunday). I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV, but bear with me here. Presidents...
In case you don't regularly check Juan Cole's fine "Informed Comment" I'll point you in the direction of two fascinating posts he has up today. Here you can read about the regional implications of the Iraqi insurgency (with a special...
July 04, 2004
OK, so it looks like everyone expects Kerry's Vice Presidential announcement to be made on Tuesday. I would presume it will be made very early on Tuesday. I don't have much more to say about this. As I've noted before...
July 03, 2004
Nicholas Kristof's op-ed today is nothing that other people haven't said, but seems well worth repeating. Perhaps the most fundamental mis-step of this administration and it's entire Middle East Policy (from Afghanistan to Iraq to Israel/Palestine to Iran) is a...
OK, so if you want to play a political trivia game, this is interesting. It takes a minute to load though. For the record, I got 15 or 17 right, and on one of the one's I missed, well, I...
July 02, 2004
This is, or should be, criminal. One of the things about the 2000 election's aftermath that stuns me is a how little has been done to ensure that everyone's vote will count on Novermber 2....
I very much doubt I'll agree with any solution he comes up with, and I certainly don't support Jonathan Turley's idea, but Larry Solum raises an interesting point about why the Supreme Court may not be working well....
July 01, 2004
The things you stumble upon. I was looking at the March/April 1999 issue of Foreign Affairs and found a really interesting article by Milton Viorst on Colonel Qaddafi and the Libyan government. The picture it paints of politics in that...
June 30, 2004
OK, so yeah, I'm interested in the Supreme Court. It affects all our lives more than many of us realize, so, yes ... one more post on it! With the end of the term we get all the statistical analyses...
At least he is according to this analysis by Eugene Volokh. Other analyses of the views of members of the Court have shown that to be true as well. Another interesting thing (though not something that's particularly surprising) about Volokh's...
June 29, 2004
Is there any other way to describe this analysis of Justice Thomas by Jack Balkin? "Clarence Thomas shows, once again, that he has no conception of what constitutional freedom means. Thomas swallows the Administration's strongest claims hook line and sinker....
In the elections held by our neighbors to the North yesterday, my personal favorite for the leadership of the Conservative party earlier this year managed to eke out a victory in the riding she was contesting in Ontario....
Another important point about the impact of the make-up of the Supreme Court is raised by Stuart Benjamin here. One can quibble about how firmly each of the justices fits into his classifications of them as "pragmatists" or "formalists" but...
Eugene Volokh challenges the view that Scalia and Thomas are identical ideological twins here. I'd say he's right. Of course they vote the same way much of the time. The Court is unanimous much of the time, and when it's...
In his review of Reagan in the June 28 issue of The New Yorker Edmund Morris had a few lines that sounded strangely familiar. “Ronald Reagan was not an initiator; he never called a meeting or drafted a new policy...
The National Journal has the following quotation from Grover Norquist relating to his crusade to put Reagan’s face on the $10 bill: “As a board member of the NRA, I can … tell you that [Alexander Hamilton] was a bad...
June 27, 2004
It looks like the wrangling over the presidency of the EU Commission may be coming to a close. If so, my prediction was inaccurate -- though I did think it would be a Portugese guy!...
So a number of blogs have posted about the president's June 24 interview with an Irish journalist. All the postings I have seen so far have rightly criticized the response from the White House to this interview, particularly given the...
June 24, 2004
OK, so it's a huge day in terms of Supreme Court opinions. I'm sure I'll post more on these over the next week, but my first reaction is more a style point than a substantive point. O'Connor dissented from the...
June 23, 2004
Or at least he does by the standard of his own inane and dangerous rhetoric on this issue since he came to power. I mean really. That no one has raised this issue more prominently -- that he's been completely...
And apparently he knows nothing about them. Here's a hint to supposedly serious news publications. If you're going to have someone write would-be pithy snapshots of the swing states, how about having someone who has a clue about them write...
I don't think this is illegal. But I definitely think it's sleazy and reeks of "old times there are not forgotten"....
June 22, 2004
In Massachusetts we have another federal judge taking on the federal sentencing guidelines. In fact, he is finding them unconstitutional. You can read his lengthy opinion here. I don't know that I'll ever make it all the way through it,...
June 21, 2004
Well that was interesting. In a no-confidnce vote in the Knesset today Ariel Sharon's government won, surviving with a vote of 55-50. What made it unexpectedly close is that Labor backed away from its promise to provide Sharon with a...
June 18, 2004
Shameless + Audacious = Senate Republicans. How else can you explain them voting down an amendment aimed at stiffening penalites for war profiteering and fraud. Republicans, tough on crime, unless the criminals work for Halliburton....
So it looks like the UK and its allies have successfully blocked Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from winning the presidency of the EU Commission. Does anyone have any insights into who will succeed Romano Prodi? From what I've read...
This is a great post. Go read it if you want to understand just how harrowing the Office of Legal Counsel's Torture Memo (written by Judge Jay Bybee) really is. Publius does a superb job of working through the legalese...
Gail Sheehy has been writing some great pieces on what really happened on the morning of 9/11, and the response to it, in the New York Observor. From the latest one we get this sad timeline, a timeline that makes...
June 17, 2004
So I have 2 questions on this topic. One, why was it the Vice President and not the President who authorized the shooting down of Flight 93? Secondly, in what circumstances should this be the norm? I'm skeptical of creating...
You should really go check out Politics1. Scroll down the front page to the story "Return to the Moon". This is just outrageous. Members of Congress supporting Sun Myung Moon is bad enough. But some of them are practically cavorting...
June 16, 2004
Speaking of polling, Mother Jones just released a new poll. Yes, it's Mother Jones, but poll was a real national sample and seems to represent a real attempt to find valid results (only 42% of the sample voted for Al...
In case you haven't seen it, the Coalition Provisional Authority (you know, us) did a poll of Iraqis rating the popularity of various Iraqi political leaders. The most popular individual was Shiite Grand Ayathollah Ali Sistani who had the support...
Jay Bybee was perhaps my least favorite Bush II appointee to a federal circuit court (though yes, it is hard to pick just one) even before it was revealed that he wrote the Justice Department’s “torture memo” arguing that the...
June 15, 2004
It takes a lot to stun me. A hell of a lot. But this ... seems like I just stepped out of a time machine or into a totally different universe (note that I did not use the word surreal...
Elections are frequently about "swing" voters. That seems to be more true than ever this year as according to the polls those who favor and oppose the president seem to be fervently holding to their positions. The millions upon millions...
The Slacktivist has an interesting post about the role of real policy debates (as opposed to just partisan bickering/warfare) in present American politics. The Slacktivist's position is that policy debates have two real goals: finding a good solution to a...
June 14, 2004
Now I'm not going to hold my breath for Fox "News" to start seriously reconsidering the level of its allegiance on the administration, but it will be interesting to see if the "Diplomats and Commanders for Change" group can affect...
June 11, 2004
Reagan's funeral is on just about every major news channel right now. I understand that he is important figure to some people, and many consider him a founder of modern conservativism, but the endless coverage that makes him out to...
June 08, 2004
In case you've been living in a cave recently and haven't gotten the news, the Israeli government is in a great deal of turmoil. The latest move is that the National Religious Party might pull out of the ruling coalition....
OK, let's all say it together now: 1. Clinton left office more popular than Reagan. 2. George H.W. Bush was the most popular recent president (on average) over the course of his presidency. 3. Reagan slashed taxes, but then (to...
June 06, 2004
Now I'm all in favor of focusing on the good that people have done after they've died. Or at least trying to. But I've got to say that the extent of the hagiography that is going on this morning is...
So if reports from late last week are to be believed (I'm skeptical, but since hardly anyone really knows they might be true) John Kerry is to name his running mate "within days". While I was thinking that Kerry might...
June 05, 2004
Mark Kleiman raises an excellent point about the FBI's behavior in the Brandon Mayfield case. This case really should send shivers up your spine about what the Bush administration is doing at Guantanamo....
June 02, 2004
At some point I might have a lot to say about Jeffrey Goldberg's fascinating Reporter at Large column in the May 31 issue of The New Yorker. But I'd like to save most of my thoughts until I've finished reading...
May 31, 2004
As long as I'm pointing out problems I have with the justice system, let me refer you to this 2002 article by Stephen Fortunato. To me, it's one of the best things I've ever read on the inequities of our...
May 30, 2004
In the May 15, 2004 issue of the National Journal the publication asked 12 economists to grade the Bush administration in 5 areas of economic policy: short-term fiscal policy, long-term fiscal policy, international economics, regulation and leadership. In some areas...
May 28, 2004
This is just hysterical. A Republican Congressman from Missouri gets over a quarter million dollars of "your money" (as these folks say) to combat "Goths" in Blue Springs, MO and almost half of it gets returned to the federal treasury...
May 27, 2004
Why, oh why, must semi-professional pundits talk about things they don't know much about? This hour's irksome example is the following from Douglas Brinkley in a Christian Science Monitor story on differences between Bush and Kerry's approaches to foreign policy....
Phil Carter brings us this and raises some excellent questions about what exactly was going on at Abu Ghraib in 2003....
I'm not even sure how to respond to this and this. I guess I'll just note that when thinking about international relations, foreign affairs and the daily lives of billions of people most American are really out of touch. That...
OK, so after pointing us on the road to economic oblivion through his "let's slash taxes and spend, spend, spend" approach to economics, it looks like the president is planning to put his foot ever so slightly on the brakes...
May 25, 2004
Why does Mitch McConnell hate America? Seriously though, does he think anybody is going to buy that comparison? I mean the revolution is one of those few sections of American history that people actually get through in grade school. And...
Publius (one of my favorite bloggers) has another good post up at Legal Fiction. This one is on the Chalabi affair and what he sees as the underlying problem with the Bush administration – their willful ignorance and incompetence. I...
May 24, 2004
Here's a fun quiz from Mark Kleiman on the escalating Chalabi scandal. By "fun" I mean fun in the darkest and most unsettling ways possible....
Can someone remind me whom Paul Bremer works for? I'd swear that last fall the White House took over direct responsibility for Iraq policymaking from Rumsfeld and the Pentagon suits. I mean the White House said it ... so it...
May 23, 2004
The previous post on this administration's decision-making style gets at why out of this administration's top-level foreign policy decision makers I have a particularly high level of disdain for Dr. Rice. Quite apart from her seemingly endless talent for mendacity...
“Secrecy and wishful thinking, the Pentagon official said, are defining characteristics of Rumsfeld’s Pentagon.” This line from Seymour Hersh’s article in the May 17, 2004 issue of The New Yorker speaks to a much larger problem. The above line...
May 22, 2004
Two senators included in the game referenced below are the distinguished gentlemen from Florida, Bob Graham and Bill Nelson. One thing that I've found rather peculiar is how both of these men have been proposed as running mates for John...
Now remind me why 45%+ of Americans think Bush's national security policies are just swell and dandy when the people who have to carry them out think they're both dangerous and stupid?...
You should go read this. In makes a lot of good points about how the Bush team learned the wrong lessons from the end of the Cold War, and that those misperceptions have led to a foreign policy that's doomed...
May 21, 2004
OK, so I'm honestly asking. Are there terms other than "gay 'marriage'" that DC's 2nd paper always uses quotation marks around? Or is that a concept that they find so uniquely jarring that it's the one thing in the known...
Am I the only person who is puzzled that the White House is letting this happen? I know that making nice with environmentalists and protecting people from pollution rate relatively low on its list of priorites. But they at least...
The New York City Transit authority proposed new rules about photography, namely "a ban on unauthorized photography, filming and videotaping on city subways, buses and Staten Island Railway trains." Such unauthorized behaviour would join "prohibitions against graffiti, littering, spitting, smoking,...
May 20, 2004
OK, so by now you've probably already seen the pictures, and heard what we did to the prisoners (torture, various forms of abuse, and we seem to have killed at least five of them in actions related to their "interrogations")....
May 19, 2004
And hey, as long as I'm praising Democrats ... If like me you're looking to support candidates who can really make a difference in this country's political landscape and Barack Obama and Jeff Smith aren't quite who you are looking...
Howard Dean recently announced the Dean Dozen, twelve candidates for office that he urged people to support in this year’s elections. In looking at this list it’s clear he has no intention of departing the national scene in the near...
As part of a deal that was announced yesterday aimed at discouraging President Bush from making further recess appointments to the federal courts, the Senate has announced that it will soon hold votes on 25 of the president's "noncontroversial" nominees...
May 18, 2004
If the reports in the press this month that Kerry has narrowed his vice presidential nominee choices down to 5 (Graham, Gephardt, Edwards, Clark and Vilsack) are accurate, then I don’t think there is a clear front-runner for the vice...
May 15, 2004
This story has been around for several weeks, but since Zarqawi is in the news again maybe more people will finally notice. Fred Kaplan raises some key points in this, but one basic question is so unsettling that it's...
May 14, 2004
You should really go read Fred Kaplan's latest piece on President Bush's response (or lack thereof) to the fact that North Korea is quite possibly building another nuclear weapon as you read these lines. It's a policy failure of epic...
I guess we've made the big time. Prompted by a tacitus post which links to an op-ed in the New York Times I sent an email to the Dominion Post (local newspaper) to see if they had further information. An...
May 13, 2004
Now I know I'm probably being far too hopeful here, but is it really too much to hope that this new concern with the dark and cruel things that have been allowed to go on in prisons in Iraq might...
Hard to believe, but there is good news. India has rejected the nationalist govenment of Vajpayee and it looks as if the Congress Party will step back into power (though who will lead is still up in the air). This...
May 12, 2004
Normally I wouldn't bother berating Jim Inhofe. The man has been an embarrassment for years. But what he said yesterday is positively beyond the pale. He announced that he was outraged that others were outraged by American soldiers torturing Iraqis....
May 10, 2004
Referring again to the theme of the mindless repetition of “conventional wisdom” that pervades American political reporting, I feel the need to knock most of the reports that have introduced the blogsphere to the U.S. Senate race in Louisiana. This...
May 09, 2004
I agree with Baltar's post below that the prison abuse scandal is hardly the top reason to fire Rumsfeld. While some of his military transformation inclinations seem to be on target, he's made a string of disasterous decisions and in...
Last week offered Democrats a myriad of opportunities to call into question fundamental assumptions that the Bush team have used to buttress their claims about the outcomes that will be produced from pursuing regional transformation through unilateral military action. However,...
"We've got to come up with a global alliance of democracies to embody democratic ideals, harness U.S. military power and house a permanent nation-building apparatus, filled with people who actually possess expertise on how to do this job." Who said...
May 07, 2004
I would like, nay love, someone in this administration to take responsibility for just about anything they have had a hand in. No one has found any WMD, there is a net loss of jobs, a general decline in civil...
May 06, 2004
I’m not going to bother to blog every time the government does something hypocritical. I mean really, who has that much time? And as a member of the human race I will go on the record saying that it is...
May 05, 2004
I've never claimed to be a perfect prognoticator of American politics. I can't tell you who will win the election in November. But this is certainly not good news if you are Bush and have any intention of getting re-elected....
May 04, 2004
Does it strike anyone else as strange that Gen. Myers has not read the Taguba report? I mean he cares enough about this issue to call CBS over a week before 60 Minutes II is first supposed to air the...
Geoffrey Wheatcroft’s cover story on Tony Blair in the June 2004 issue of The Atlantic doesn’t cover a lot of new ground. But it does stress a point with interesting implications for international relations theory. George Bush leading the United States to war against Iraq can be explained by a number of familiar explanations. At one level it can be seen as a leading status quo power fighting a preventive war against a revisionist state. At another level it was a war based on the images, perceptions, beliefs and perhaps even the personality traits of the decision-making team in power in Washington. Other explanations deal with the status quo power wanting to maintain its strength in a region that is seen as being of vital interest, or in the maintenance of access to a vital resource. But what of Tony Blair’s decision to go to war? Why did he choose to take the United Kingdom into the war?
Returning to the coverage of the vice presidential selection process, one much discussed guiding principle that I think is basically on target is that in the current political and media environment it is perhaps best politically to pick a running...
May 03, 2004
We are launching this blog in the midst of a raging political campaign. Since there are few things that irritate me more than supposed experts saying really stupid things (and hence, one might think, further embedding their inane ideas in...