Eric Holder's abdication by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- As the nation's top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information. But he seems to be proud of how little he knows. Why didn't his Justice Department inform The Associated Press, as the law requires, before pawing through … [Read more...] about Eric Holder’s abdication (Guest Voice)
Let’s Take a Walk Down the Memory Hole
With the manufactured Benghazi scandal tying with the IRS for the story that the right is pretending is a story, it’s worth looking back at what a real scandal looks like. Most people think of Watergate when they think “scandal” but by Nixon standards, Watergate is just a little icing on the cake. The premise behind the Benghazi scandal is that the President failed to label … [Read more...] about Let’s Take a Walk Down the Memory Hole
GOP Needs A Robert Strauss
I was flipping channels today and came across a replay of a Book TV episode on C-Span. The topic was a biography of long time Democratic operative Robert Strauss. One of the points made by the author (his great niece) was that Strauss took over as chairman of the Democratic national committee in the aftermath of the McGovern fiasco of 1972. At the time there was talk that … [Read more...] about GOP Needs A Robert Strauss
Obama’s Bush League Scandals Are No Match
Democrats who have been wishing for years that their party turn as nastily combative as the GOP are getting a taste of what St. Teresa of Avila meant centuries ago by saying, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” Suddenly the Obama White House is besieged by accusations of IRS targeting Tea Party groups and the Justice Department bugging the … [Read more...] about Obama’s Bush League Scandals Are No Match
Climate Denial’s Death Knell: 97 Percent of Peer-Reviewed Science Confirms Manmade Global Warming, Consensus Overwhelming (Guest Voice)
Climate Denial's Death Knell: 97 Percent of Peer-Reviewed Science Confirms Manmade Global Warming, Consensus Overwhelming (via Desmogblog) A new survey conducted by a team of volunteers at Skeptical Science has definitively confirmed the scientific consensus in climate science literature - 97 percent of peer-reviewed papers agree that global warming is happening and human … [Read more...] about Climate Denial’s Death Knell: 97 Percent of Peer-Reviewed Science Confirms Manmade Global Warming, Consensus Overwhelming (Guest Voice)
Obama fires head of US tax agency over scandal
Obama fires head of US tax agency over scandal (via AFP) An angry President Barack Obama sacked the acting head of the US Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday over a fast moving scandal sparked when officials unfairly targeted conservative groups. Obama said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had asked for and received the resignation of tax agency chief Steven… … [Read more...] about Obama fires head of US tax agency over scandal
Asleep at the wheel
[Editor's Note: This was written before President Barack Obama's announcement that the acting IRS Commissioner was fired, and before other White House actions on some of these crisis. Some think columns such as the one below made the White House re-evaluate its approach to these scandals -- but this column's points still hold up.] Asleep at the wheel by Dana … [Read more...] about Asleep at the wheel
A Look Back At A World Gladly Gone By
We've all seen photos of the era of segregation but usually those pictures are in black and white, which somehow seems to make them less real. I came across this link to a series of pictures in color, which I found fascinating. … [Read more...] about A Look Back At A World Gladly Gone By
Democrats Worried About 2014
An article at Politico takes a look at one of the possible scenarios for election 2014. I am one who thinks you can't predict elections this far out if for no other reason than we are likely to have a whole new pile of scandals between now and then. But I think the Democrats are less optimistic about things than the GOP, and with good reason … [Read more...] about Democrats Worried About 2014
White House Releases 94 Pages of Emails, Notes About Benghazi Terror Attack
The White House released nearly 100 pages of emails and notes about the Benghazi terror attack that claimed the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The internal emails included the talking points Ambassador Susan Rice and other officials used on Sunday shows following the attack on September 11, 2012. View the emails and notes here, courtesy of … [Read more...] about White House Releases 94 Pages of Emails, Notes About Benghazi Terror Attack
Bill O’Reilly and Bernie Goldberg: If Obama Could Cure Cancer, GOP Would Still Hate Him
I am no fan of Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, but every now and then he gets it right. He and Bernie Goldberg reached the conclusion that even if President Obama could cure cancer, the Republicans would still hate him. The Associated Press phone record seizure is worthy of scrutiny, but the Republicans have cried wolf so many times by manufacturing scandals where there were none, … [Read more...] about Bill O’Reilly and Bernie Goldberg: If Obama Could Cure Cancer, GOP Would Still Hate Him
Notes From A Hate-Thy-Neighbor Political Culture
I thought I had a good idea. An obvious idea. An idea with a lot of natural and timely appeal. It involved too-big-to-fail banks. A couple of months back the Senate, in a highly unusual bipartisan move, unanimously passed a resolution. In vague and general terms this resolution called for the break up of too-big-to-fail banks. Being just a resolution, of course, it had no … [Read more...] about Notes From A Hate-Thy-Neighbor Political Culture
Having a Bad Day?
Having a Bad Day? The U.S. Military is certainly having one. It is reeling from a spate of very public and embarrassing sexual assault and harassment incidents -- the latest one today -- in addition to the thousands that apparently go unnoticed or unreported. Of course this is a shameful stain on our military. Of course this is deplorable and inexcusable and the … [Read more...] about Having a Bad Day?
‘Arrest of Timothy Hallet Tracy Infringes Free Expression in Venezuela’ (El Universal, Venezuela)
One month ago, Venezuelans authorities arrested U.S. filmmaker Timothy Hallet Tracy for 'fomenting post election violence' and charged him with being a spy. Last week, in this petition signed by Venezuela's leading filmmakers published in El Universal, the artists implore the government of Venezuela to quickly release Tracy, who they believe was arrested simply for pursuing … [Read more...] about ‘Arrest of Timothy Hallet Tracy Infringes Free Expression in Venezuela’ (El Universal, Venezuela)
O.J. Simpson’s 2013 Version Intrigues New York Tabloids
Tabloids often have catchy front pages -- and the New York tabloids had fun with OJ Simpson's recent appearance: … [Read more...] about O.J. Simpson’s 2013 Version Intrigues New York Tabloids
Suicide Forest in Japan (Video)
Yes, there is a "suicide forest" in Japan. The note on the You Tube: The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays … [Read more...] about Suicide Forest in Japan (Video)
IRS Scandal is a Tale of Irony and Ineptitude (Guest Voice)
The Internal Revenue Service scandal is catnip for conservatives who claim that President Obama's leftish leviathan is out to get them. But the reality of what happened is far more nuanced and complicated. I'm well aware, in this era of ideological warfare, that nuance is the first casualty. But I'll give it a try anyway, because the IRS' targeting of small-fry conservative … [Read more...] about IRS Scandal is a Tale of Irony and Ineptitude (Guest Voice)
Invasion of the Cicadas (Cartoon)
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Invasion of the Cicadas (Cartoon)
The biggest Obama issue?
NOTE: Due to a technical glitch the wrong byline appeared on this post for several minutes. We regret the error and the glitch. The New York Times sorts through the distinctions. The Internal Revenue Service was absolutely correct to look into the abuse of the tax code by political organizations masquerading as “social welfare” groups over the last three years. The … [Read more...] about The biggest Obama issue?
Warming Could Slash Species’ Habitat Ranges in Half
Warming Could Slash Species’ Habitat Ranges in Half (via Climate Central) By Michael D. Lemonick Follow @MLemonick Vast numbers of plant and animal species could see their ranges slashed in half later this century as a result of climate change, according to a study in Nature Climate Change. The result, say the authors, could be serious ecosystem disruptions along with … [Read more...] about Warming Could Slash Species’ Habitat Ranges in Half