May 30, 2008
'Stupidity is a Strategy' - 03:11 AMThe press is all aflutter with the release of Scott McClellan's new book, What Happened, wherein he basically admits that the Bush administration directed him to lie through his teeth about just about everything. In the opinion of Howard Kurtz...
May 15, 2006
'"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick."' - 02:43 PMIn a rather obvious development, the government is using its newly proclaimed powers to track any phone records of any American citizens to root out and silence critics: A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is...
May 09, 2006
'Fantastic' - 06:29 PMYou don't usually get it this bluntly stated, but: "He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years," [HUD Secretary] Jackson said of the prospective contractor. "He made a heck of a proposal and was...
April 22, 2006
'For Our Own Good' - 04:12 PMThere's always a temptation to call down your political opponents for legal, ethical, and moral infractions that you would more easily excuse when committed by your political allies. High crimes and misdemeanors on the other side are part of their...
April 20, 2006
'Fault Lines' - 09:51 AMVia Laura Rozen, Harper's has a very interesting (even if it engages in some rather incendiary metaphors) article on splits at the CIA: With the war in Iraq an utter debacle and public opinion turned against the White House, anger...
April 14, 2006
'First They Came For the Vegans' - 02:17 PMWhile I understand very well the impetus to misuse executive powers (legal, surveillance, or otherwise) against your political opponents, I've never quite understood how this Administration determines that groups like PETA and ELF are such worthy adversaries: In a bulletin...
March 21, 2006
'Who's Bad?' - 05:44 PMMatt Yglesias, another blogger I heart a lot, is currently embroiled in a bit of a squabble with other lefty bloggers and his commenters over his statement that George Bush is not, in fact, the worst president ever, and not...
December 02, 2005
'Remember, We've Got Three More Years' - 09:44 AMFor those of you who were thinking that, with the recent abysmal opinion polls and criminal investigations, the Republicans were finally on the downward arch of the old Wheel of Fortune - we're not done yet. This morning's papers show...
November 30, 2005
'The Meaning of Responsible' - 06:58 PMFrom a November 29 news briefing: GEN. PACE: It is absolutely the responsibility of every U.S. service member, if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene to stop it. As an example of how to do it if you...
November 10, 2005
'Career Killer' - 08:57 PMOne can only hope. (Via Josh Marshall)...
November 07, 2005
'Actions vs. Words: Fight!' - 02:19 PMProvided, with emphasis: [Bush] declared, "We do not torture." Over White House opposition, the Senate has passed legislation banning torture. Of course not, George. Of course not. UPDATE: Dammit, Atrios, Quit stealing my ideas....
August 22, 2005
'Tort Reform in Action' - 11:12 PMOver the weekend it was announced that a Texas jury granted a widow a $253 million award in her lawsuit against Vioxx. Impressive, but less so after you realize: Under Texas law capping punitive damages, though, that part of the...
August 17, 2005
'Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?' - 06:53 AMIt's one of those things that we always seem to forget the moment after we learn them, but police lie. They lie about as much as ordinary citizens, despite the mythology of courageous thin-blue-line integrity that often surrounds them these...
July 28, 2005
'Doggypile of Liberty' - 04:15 PMI'm linking this partly because I've been on a jag lately, and partly because it's so damn well-said, but mostly because Everyone Else is Doing It: If they really do "hate us because we're free," the Bush Administration's approach to...
July 26, 2005
'The Good News' - 07:47 AMThis guy seems to get around (via AmericaBlog, via Atrios): Sunday's news release said: "'The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the ISF and all of Iraq. They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have...
July 25, 2005
'Lies and Lying Liars' - 12:10 PMKevin Drum is unimpressed by the latest revelations on John Roberts: Look, I'm always up for a spirited round of conservative scandal-mongering, but this is about the lamest excuse for a nano-scandal that I've seen in a long time. Remember,...
'Troubling Revelations' - 07:47 AM
I haven't had anything to say about John Roberts so far, largely because I don't think there's much point. He's strongly conservative, and we can fight his nomination, but we're not going to do any better than him without dragging...
July 24, 2005
'Club Gitmo' - 01:50 PM"The Administration understands that amendments may be offered to establish a national commission on the detainee operations or to regulate the detention, treatment or trial of terrorists captured in the war on terror. The Administration strongly opposes such amendments, which...
July 23, 2005
'Metastasis of Fear' - 10:26 AMRandom bag checks now on New Jersey Transit, Metro-North and LIRR railroads, PATH trains, the Port Authority bus terminal, and AirTrains to Newark and JFK airports....
July 22, 2005
'Remote Control Terrorism' - 07:52 AMMayor Bloomberg has announced New York City will begin random bag checks on the subway. This is "not a response to a specific threat against the city," but rather a response to the fizzled London 7/21 bombing. So now the...
July 19, 2005
'About Face' - 06:55 AMOver a month ago, I posted on the government's pulling its punch in the anti-racketeering suit against the Tobacco Industry. Instead of seeking $130 billion in damages, as everyone expected and their own expert analysis recommended, the Justice Dept. asked...
July 15, 2005
'The Circle of Trust Tightens' - 06:43 PMCatholics: good enough to donate to state sponsored anti-abortion drives, not good enough to adopt babies from the adoption centers that get the money: A local Christian adoption agency that receives funds from the sale of Mississippi's Choose Life specialty...
June 14, 2005
'The Universe Did Not Come Into Existence in the Order You Discovered It' - 07:54 PMVia Jim Henley of Unqualified Offerings, this piece from the American Street nips a nasty little meme in the bud: The current British memo being debated is dated July 21, 2002. It was prepared in advance of a meeting between...
June 12, 2005
'A Man on the Inside' - 02:38 PMFrom the New York Times today: Under pressure from the White House, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to adopt the recommendations of a presidential commission and will allow the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, to help...
June 08, 2005
'Who's Really Surprised?' - 07:20 AMI know I'm not alone in being entirely unshocked by this: Tobacco companies are getting off light, with the government mysteriously not seeking $130 billion dollars in damages to fund an anti-smoking campaign. Instead, they're going with $10 billion. Gee,...