Chris Cillizza's The Fix, washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog There is no better time to watch Senate races than right now, still 18 months away from Election Day. At this still-early point, incumbents are making decisions about their political futures, aspiring candidates are weighing potential runs and the party committees are cajoling and coddling candidates to best … [Read more...] about The Line: Senate Playing Field Still Favors Dems
The Moral of the Story
Quick Thoughts on the Duke Lacrosse Case and Other Innocent Folk … [Read more...] about The Moral of the Story
LGM on TIDOS
April is Confederate Heritage Month, more aptly (though less commonly) known as "Treason in Defense of Slavery" heritage month. We like to nostalgize our history, and so we've constructed an image of the southern rebellion and reconstruction ("the lost cause") that really gives them far too much credit. The south rebelled (committed treason against) the United States, and they … [Read more...] about LGM on TIDOS
Lawyer: Karl Rove Assumed “Lost” Emails Were Stored
Perhaps if White House political maven Karl Rove leaves the Bush administration, he can star in a legal spin-off of the show "The Biggest Loser" -- because as his lawyer tells it, he never dreamed his emails that would eventually be wanted by a Senate investigating committee would vanish:Karl Rove's lawyer on Friday dismissed the notion that President Bush's chief political … [Read more...] about Lawyer: Karl Rove Assumed “Lost” Emails Were Stored
McCain’s Losing Strategy
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about McCain’s Losing Strategy
Former FBI Agent Reportedly Held by Iran
If this is true, Iran is playing with fire: A former FBI agent is being held by Iranian authorities, the Financial Times reported on Friday, but U.S. officials said they were still unable to verify the whereabouts of the missing American. Florida resident and ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson went missing while on a visit to the Gulf island of Kish in Iran early in March. His … [Read more...] about Former FBI Agent Reportedly Held by Iran
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
Who Sees '08 Symmetry? (Your Crystal Ball...) There's no better day than Friday the 13th to venture into the occult, so your clairvoyant friends at the upstanding U.Va. Center for Politics just couldn't resist: we had to share the latest results of our Crystal Ball gazing with you today. And what a freaky election we spy in the not-so-far-off future! Towering, … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
Iraq & The Mysterious Dropping Death Tolls
As noted here earlier today, the original death toll for the suicide bombing outside the Iraqi Parliament was eight but has been revised downward to one by U.S. authorities. Now the original death toll for the tanker truck bomb blast on the heavily traveled Sarafiya Bridge across the Tigris has been revised downward from six to one by those same ubiquitous … [Read more...] about Iraq & The Mysterious Dropping Death Tolls
World Bank Pledges Action – Wolfowitz Fights for Job
Krishna Guha reports for the Financial Times that "Paul Wolfowitz’s future as president of the World Bank was in jeopardy on Friday after the bank’s board issued a damaging finding of facts on his role in the Shaha Riza affair and pledged to 'move expeditiously to reach a conclusion on possible actions to take.' The board said that its 'consideration of the matter' would … [Read more...] about World Bank Pledges Action – Wolfowitz Fights for Job
ACLU of Ohio Makes an Old Mistake
File this email from the ACLU of Ohio under the 'should have known better' category: In Defense of Free Speech Throughout the history of the ACLU, our firm dedication to civil liberties has directed us to defend the rights of all Americans—even, at times, those whose messages we abhor. For nearly a century, we have adhered to Voltaire’s principle that “I may … [Read more...] about ACLU of Ohio Makes an Old Mistake
Above the Law and Beyond the Pale
What is it that makes public officials think they are above the law? The latest poster child for this affliction is New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, who is being put back together after a life-threatening crash on the Garden State Parkway that was much, much worse because he was not wearing a setbelt. That is against the law in the state Corzine leads, but he is notorious … [Read more...] about Above the Law and Beyond the Pale
Hose
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about Hose
Hear a Moderate Voice Talk
At Shaun OMac radio. The guest: Michael J.W. Stickings. It's a very interesting show (12 April). … [Read more...] about Hear a Moderate Voice Talk
Center of Attention
Pete Abel and Dennis Sanders have decided to join forces. A good decision by both. Hilzoy at Obsidian Wings wonders - regarding Wolfgate - why people do "this stuff... When you're a public figure, your conduct will be scrutinized. This is beyond obvious. I would have thought it would also be beyond obvious that in view of that fact, if a public figure tries to pull this kind … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
(Updated) One More Go Round With Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut was an inveterate doodler and often signed his transcripts, speeches and autographs with this image. The outpouring of affection following the novelist's death on Wednesday has been extraordinary, and as TMV coblogger Pete Abel notes: What's truly amazing is that such a disparate range of individuals -- from the left, right, and middle of the political … [Read more...] about (Updated) One More Go Round With Vonnegut
Why the Iraq Surge Already Is a Failure
Divers search for victims after explosion on key Baghdad bridge It has been a hugely embarrassing month for President Bush's last-gasp "surge" strategy. It is not surprising that casualties are way up and that 13 days into April some 55 U.S. troops have been killed, a rate of death higher than any month since Baghdad fell four years ago this week. A spike in deaths was … [Read more...] about Why the Iraq Surge Already Is a Failure
White House Email Loss Being Likened To Watergate Tape Gap
If imagery is vital in politics, the Bush administration has now entered into truly perilous political territory. News that a slew of emails requested by Senators for a probe of the controversial firing of U.S. attorneys is apparently lost is being increasingly compared by not just some progressive commentators but by at least one livid U.S. Senator of being reminiscent of … [Read more...] about White House Email Loss Being Likened To Watergate Tape Gap
Don Imus’ CBS Radio Firing: An Ending Or A Beginning? (UPDATED)
And now, with iconoclastic Don Imus' career significantly downsized if not effectively totally over with news that CBS radio has fired him, the questions begin: Is this the end of an era -- or the end of one? Will the furor over over-the-edge racial humor spread to over-the-edge political humor? On the face of it, the news about Don Imus -- all the rage for years among … [Read more...] about Don Imus’ CBS Radio Firing: An Ending Or A Beginning? (UPDATED)
The Perfect Excuse
Overweight people pay attention: you now have the perfect excuse for being obese: scientists found a 'fat gene'. A gene that contributes to obesity has been identified for the first time, promising to explain why some people easily put on weight while others with similar lifestyles stay slim. People who inherit one version of the gene rather than another are 70 per cent … [Read more...] about The Perfect Excuse
This Just In!!
THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Bush Fires Senate Judiciary Committee Critics Question Timing of Decision In a move that seems guaranteed to create more controversy for his embattled administration, President George W. Bush today fired the entire Senate Judiciary Committee. Critics were quick to question the timing of the president’s decision, … [Read more...] about This Just In!!