I find myself wondering if timing might not have been a factor in Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s decision to bring articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush. An Ohio Democratic lawmaker and former presidential candidate has presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress. Thirty-five articles were presented by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to the House of Representatives late Monday evening, airing live on C-SPAN. “Resolved,” Kucinich then began, “that...

Over the weekend, in case you somehow missed it, the national average for gas prices spiked to over four dollars per gallon. Today, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air asks the question, “So when will Congress act?” (There is also a national, AOL online poll you can participate in at the link.) Contrary to my normal, “keep the government out of my darned business” attitude, this is one case where Ed may be on to something and our congressional critters may be able to do some good....

To arms, citizens, to arms! I will confess that I do, on occasion, make jokes with some of my more Libertarian leaning friends about rounding up all the conservatives and liberals and sending them off to reeducation camps once President Barr is sworn into office. All humor aside, though, I’m opposed to internment for anyone. Stories like this, however, make it awfully tempting to start rounding up some vegans and putting them on trains heading west. Parents of ill vegan girl may face police A...

Today, as the roiling battle between the Obama and Clinton campaigns slowly cools to a simmer, there are already signs of worry on the faces of some Democrats. Of course there will be the inevitable wringing of hands and concerns expressed that, “perhaps we made a mistake. Might we have picked the wrong one?” Some will not simply worry, but proclaim that the party has rejected the candidate of a lifetime. Now that it’s all over including the majority of the shouting, and at the...

According to Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, the time has come. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College on Friday, less than a week after the Democrats settled on how to handle delegates from Florida at their national convention. “It’s time for Congress to really give Americans the power of one-person, one-vote, instead of the political machinery selecting candidates and electing our president,” Nelson said in a release announcing...

Given previous events surrounding Geraldine Ferraro earlier in the campaign, I somehow thought we wouldn’t be hearing any more from her. But she surfaced again this week with a new plan for Senator Clinton and her nearly $20 million dollar campaign debt. Geraldine Ferraro has a plan for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to recoup her sizable campaign debt: Have Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) fundraisers pick up the tab. After a long primary season, the Clinton campaign’s expenditures...

While I may be one of the lonely oddballs over in the corner who is leaning toward supporting Bob Barr, I could not help but find myself experiencing a bit of a roller coaster of reactions watching last night’s speeches. (Hence the title of this column.) In reverse order, the last event of the evening was perhaps the most impressive. Senator Obama’s speech - effectively accepting the Democratic nomination – was masterful and moving. But I think I found myself smiling more from the...

(Via Memeorandum.) A report from ThinkProgress indicates that Congressman Henry Waxman (D – Calif 110) in his position as chairman of the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has issued a letter to Atty. General Mukasey requesting that he turn over transcripts of interviews conducted by the FBI with President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The interviews were conducted as part of the investigation regarding Scooter Libby and and Valerie Plame. New revelations by former...

While I have avoided covering this rumor here on these pages, this week we may finally see an end (one wary or the the other) to speculation about an alleged tape showing Michelle Obama saying “Whitey” in a racially charged speech. While real data on this has been impossible to locate, finger pointing has gone on from all sides. Some charged that no such tape even exists and it’s all more “dirty tricks” by the Republicans. Others claim that there may, in fact, be such...

This evening (Saturday, May 31) at 7 pm Eastern time (6 pm Central, 4 pm Pacific) we will take to the airwaves on Mid Stream Radio to try to wrap our heads around the events in and outside of the Democrats’ RBC meeting in Washington, DC. We’ve written about it here quite a bit already, but join us for an internet radio meeting where you can join in the chat or call in to air your opinions. (Call 646-595-3963 or follow the link above and make sure you have a free user account to join...

I was looking at Chris Cillizza’s commentary on how much harder the Michigan case will be to settle than Florida when some other questions crossed my mind. One of the chief ones is, how do they decide who gets (and more importantly keeps) a voting seat on the Rules and Bylaws Committee? There are a couple of members who CNN regularly labels as “Obama Superdelegates” and others (who seem to be in larger numbers) who are marked as being supers for Clinton. Most puzzling of all is...

Continuing on Pete Abel’s coverage, as of 12:25 PM Eastern time, we have concluded the statements and Q&A by the representatives of both the Clinton and Obama campaigns. This was the portion of the proceedings where the the tone really began to change. During the early speakers’ sessions, while there may have been a few elbows thrown, it was done so in a very muted, professional fashion. There was one supporter of Senator Clinton on the committee who seemed to be setting the stage...

The long awaited meeting of the Democratic RBC has kicked off. As Pete Abel already pointed out, CNN is covering the entire affair live. Some early observations follow. Howard Dean needs a new speech writer. Could he have used the words extraordinary and extraordinarily any more times? I counted at least two sentences where they were used three times. If this had been a drinking game, I’d have passed out in the first five minutes. However, he certainly did set the tone for the day. While being...

Of the many ideas floated by John McCain – some good, some not so hot – one of the truly alarming ones is his endorsement of the formation of a so-called “League of Democracies.” (With a tip of the hat to Hot Air.) Gaining ground this political season is a proposed League of Democracies designed to strengthen support for the next president’s overseas agenda and ensure a global leadership role for the United States. John McCain, the virtually certain Republican presidential...

In one of the more provocative columns I’ve read in quite a while, Rick Moran of Right Wing Nuthouse yesterday penned a somewhat dismal bit of prognostication called Embrace the Horror. I have now read the piece three separate times, as well as listening to a discussion of it between Rick and Ed Morrissey on his Hot Air show yesterday. The article is a comprehensive look at the trials and tribulations facing “President Obama” during his first (and possibly only) term and I highly...

While much of the national media has not caught on, here at The Moderate Voice we have been following the saga of Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson and the troubles plaguing her office. Following numerous charges of questionable behavior and the blocking of union formation, whistleblower and Deputy Attorny General Lawson has been fired. As we find at Lady’s Logic, (our point source for this story from a local level) Ms. Swanson has quickly swooped in to get some answers, and...

Some of the coverage of the Democratic presidential primary race certainly swerves into the realm of “puzzling” with other adjectives (e.g. arcane, jaw-dropping) coming into play. The trend continues today. Though Barack Obama has rejected the support of his controversial pastor, some of his fellow Democrats continue to keep a close watch on anything and everything said at Trinity Church from his home stomping grounds. This just in from (among other sources in his own party) Big Tent...

It seems that the GOP in Massachusetts (yes… apparently there is still a Republican party in the state) have been hatching a plan to take a run at John Kerry’s Senate seat. Their choice for this daunting task is Jim Ogonowski. It is probably not a good sign, however, if you don’t get enough signatures to even make it on the ballot. When the deadline for certification passed yesterday, Jim Ogonowski, the Republican leadership’s choice to challenge US Senator John F. Kerry,...

As a warning to readers, this column has nothing to do with the Treasury. One of the most persistent, puzzling questions in Congress these days (at least for yours truly) is how Congressman William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson (D – Louisiana) hangs on to his day job in the legislature. While we all fully understand that everyone – even congressional critters – are innocent until proven guilty, this is a member of Congress who is not only under investigation for a raft of...

While many have been waiting with varying degrees of patience for the conclusion of the Democratic primary season next week, the true end may be crafted not in some far off primary voting booth but in a Washington, DC hotel this weekend. That’s where the rules committee will meet to decide the fate of the delegates from Florida and Michigan. Early indicators are not looking good for the Math Troopers in the Clinton campaign. A Democratic Party rules committee has the authority to seat some...

With his usual sesquipedalian flair, George Will today takes us on a tour of history, demonstrating the dangers of falling in love with our presidents and assigning too much importance to their position as cultural and societal icons. An occupational hazard of the inflated presidency is a hazard to the nation. It is what Healy (borrowing a term from psychiatry) calls Acquired Situational Narcissism. As repositories of absurd expectations, and surrounded by sycophants, presidents become deranged....

The current political climate, with growing voter dissatisfaction and the Republican brand being termed “significantly damaged,” has many Democrats smiling like cats in the vicinity of empty canary cages. In fact, many observers seem to already be of the opinion that Barack Obama could take off on a long, well deserved vacation following the Democratic National Convention and return to Washington just in time for his inaugural ceremony. It is, however, my sad duty to remind readers of...

In a perhaps unanticipated bit of fallout from Hillary Clinton’s caustic battle with Barack Obama, reports are circulating that her adopted hometown support among black voters may be under some strain. This just in from the LA Times. Even as she continues her longshot presidential bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton faces a political rift in New York, where black leaders say her standing has dropped due to racially charged comments by her and her husband during the campaign. African American elected...

It takes time and money to conduct polling, and all of the politically addicted writers around the country really appreciate the effort that goes into it. But did the L.A. Times really need to invest the energy to conduct this poll? Obama would take California in November, Times/KTLA poll finds Less than four months after losing the California primary, Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain in projected November general election matchups, a new Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll has found. Obama,...

At the time of this writing, we are slightly more than 36 hours from the long anticipated landing of the Phoenix on the cold surface of the Norther polar region of Mars. At least we hope it’s a landing, as opposed to an impact. There is nothing simple about pulling off a landing on the red planet and, to date, we are running about a fifty percent success rate. The spectacular achievements of the twin rovers often make us forget the loss of several other landers which plunged into the Martian...