A New Deadline

Looks like the stare-down is underway in DC.

Bush Administration Stokes Fear Of Massive Army Layoffs To Force Congress To Drop Redeployment

The Bush administration is threatening that it will issue furlough notices to up to 150,000 civilian workers at military bases in mid-December if Congress does not approve unrestricted Iraq funding immediately. As part of this campaign, the Pentagon is distributing a document warning that the Army may cease to function if it does not receive [...]

Adding Insult To Injury

This is just wrong.  A true slap in the face to the men and women who have put their lives on the line in Iraq…

Wounded soldiers asked to return signing bonuses

When Jordan Fox was serving in Iraq, his mother helped organize Operation Pittsburgh Pride, which sends thousands of care packages to U.S. troops from his hometown, which prompted a personal “thank you” from the White House. When Fox was seriously injured in Iraq, the president sent what appeared to be personal note, expressing his concerns [...]

Going Out With A Bang

Fran Townsend wants to make sure we’re all shaking in our collective terrorism boots before she goes out the door.

Despite Lacking ‘Specific Information,’ Townsend Claims Al Qaeda May Target 2008 Elections

The 2008 elections are still a year away, but this morning outgoing Homeland Security Adviser Frances Fragos Townsend told CNN that al Qaeda may target the presidential elections. She said that while there is currently no “specific information,” “we know that Al Qaeda views [...]

Not Going Well

Alberto Gonzales’ speaking career ain’t off to a flying start.  Not by a long shot.

Alberto Gonzales Heckled At University Of Florida Speech

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales delivered his $40,000 speech at the University of Florida last night. Gonzales’ first stop on a nationwide college speaking tour got off to a very rocky start, as he had to endure shouts of “criminal” and “liar” throughout his speech. The St. Petersburg Times describes the scene: “Embattled former U.S. Attorney [...]

Stem Cell Science

This is wonderful news!  If we can provide the benefits without the controversy, we can actually make some progress!  Of course, somebody will find something to “controverse” about…

Stem Cell Breakthrough Uses No Embryos

Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy. Laboratory teams on two continents report [...]

Iraq Tonight

Simply put, the blogger makes a very good point in this post.  Been there.  Seen that. Before.

Situation Normal in Baghdad

The news this morning is full of signs of peace settling over Baghdad as increased troop levels help to quiet the insurgency. “Officials said privately that they hoped to foster a sense of normalcy and encourage limited travel to Iraq, particularly by [...]

Here, by the way, is the piece that started all the discussion…

Baghdad Snapshot

The New York Times reports on life in Baghdad:The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February. The number of bodies appearing on [...]

And, it’s safe to say the city’s not completely back to normal…

Fortified Green Zone mortared

Oh, Boy!!

Looks like this will be a good read.  Maybe an EXCELLENT read.

Scott McClellen pens an account of his time in the White House

Coming out in April 2008: The publisher provides this brief advance excerpt from the book, apparently about PlameGate: “The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White [...]

The Polls Keep Coming

What better way to kick off Tuesday’s posts than with the polls. Especially when they’re extremely interesting. The winds of change are blowing up north in Iowa…

As race heats up, Obama takes the lead in Iowa

All the usual caveats apply — it’s just one poll, there are still six weeks until the caucuses, anything can happen, the margin of error is important, and Iowa is a notoriously difficult place to conduct reliable polls, in part because it’s hard to know exactly who is going to caucus. But having said that, there [...]

A Close One Down The Stretch?

It is too far out from the actual primaries for trustworthy polling.  Worse, any tiny little blip or change in the numbers leads to the sort of horse race reportage that newsrooms seem to love…and on which spinmeisters like to pounce. That said, there does seem to be a bunching up across the board in poll numbers in [...]

Congress’ Approval at 20%, Bush at 32%

A new Gallup Poll “finds only one in five Americans approving of the job Congress is doing at this time. The public’s rating of Congress had shown slight improvements in recent months, but the current rating is down again and is among the lowest that [...]

Sinking like a Stone in the Granite State?

Very interesting new poll out of New Hampshire. Rudy’s has fallen to third, a big 17 points behind frontrunner Mitt Romney. And look at McCain. In second with 18%. See the [...]

Is Edwards up or down in Iowa?

The polls show Obama rising, Edwards falling, and Hillary holding steady in what is still essentially a three-way tie for first in the First Caucus State. As Jerome points out, Richardson’s 11 percent will have a big role in the outcome if the numbers remain static for the duration of this race. Their second choice could [...]