Bait and Switch Program Revisited Via Matt Yglesias, Kevin Drum apparently did the hard work of reading the transcript of Bush’s Press Conference today. Therein, Kevin found this: And in order to placate the critics and the cynics about intentions of the United States, we need to produce evidence. And I fully understand that. And […]

On the Lighter Side Go read this.

Good News Filibuster blocks Estrada nomination: WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans lost a seventh filibuster vote Wednesday in their fight to make Miguel Estrada the first Hispanic on the federal appeals court in the nation’s capital. Democrats appeared to be setting up more filibusters on President Bush’s judicial nominees. But read it closely and witness your […]

The Truth About Dean Nice to see the common wisdom on Dean challenged in an accurate fashion, in the New York Times: With his [Howard Deans’] early and intense opposition to the American-led attack on Iraq, his call for universal health insurance and his signing a bill that created civil unions for gay couples in […]

Rice Watch Day 8 There’s a pun to be made that involves steamed rice, a pot, and a watched pot never boiling, or watched rice never resigning, or something like that. In any event, this makes it look like Rice is not going anywhere soon: “I take personal responsibility for everything I say, absolutely,” the […]

The Perfect Candidate If only we could find a candidate for Governor of California who is both conservative and liberal, but actually liberal. How could that be possible? One reporter and his editor at the Chicago Tribune think that Arianna Huffington fits the bill. In the same story, Recall election drive is a California classic, […]

DLC I actually consider myself a “New Democrat” in the Clintonian sense, and I think the Democratic Leadership Council did a lot of good for the party. Nevertheless–and I’m definitely not arguing for far-left policies–it is disturbing to see nonsense like this directed at Howard Dean: Al From, the founder of the organization and an […]

A Thought It’s a bit beyond my expertise, but one thought comes to mind when I hear Iraq compared to Vietnam or other “quagmires”. When the Soviet Union got bogged down in Afghanistan, the Unites States was arming the mujahidin. Similarly, in the Korean War, the Soviet Union and China were arming the North Koreans. […]

The Hydra Texas provides, if nothing else, outstanding theatre: Eleven of 12 Democratic state senators abruptly left the state Capitol this afternoon and headed for Albuquerque after learning that Gov. Rick Perry was about to call a second special session on congressional redistricting. In case you’ve forgotten the chronology, here it is: The Texas legistlature […]

Recall them All California is not the only state with budget trouble, which is apparently now grounds for recall. Based on this story, deficits and spending cuts are widespread. California’s is by far the largest in magnitude, but I don’t know whether it is largest on either a per capita basis or as a percentage […]