It’s A Freefall

Rudy better grab a parachute next time he hits the campaign trail. He’s soon to become just an insignificant part of the political landscape.

Giuliani continues to drop in early GOP contests

It’s still early in the process, and a lot can happen in the next few weeks, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to see how Rudy Giuliani’s campaign survives a series of early (and humiliating) defeats. In Iowa, Giuliani has gone from first to third, and he’s not done dropping yet. In New Hampshire, Giuliani is either [...]

How about a little dab of topping?

Records Reveal Giuliani Used Tax-Payer Funds For Secret Hamptons Trips

As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons, according to previously undisclosed government records. The documents, obtained by Politico under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, show that the [...]

Giuliani Responds To Expenses Report

Military Cuts

Tough times for the U.S. Army. Blame who you want, it’s risky to put the military in this situation. And certainly doesn’t make us look like we know what the heck we’re doing in the eyes of the world..

Army commanders to ready spending cuts

Army commanders have been ordered to begin calculating budget and personnel cuts as a result of the congressional gridlock over the war spending bill, according to a new memo. The four-page directive, issued by Gen. Richard Cody, the Army Vice Chief of Staff, tells top officers at all Army bases to develop plans to use troops to replace civilians and contractors who may have to be laid off around Feb. 23. The detailed plans are due next Tuesday, according to the memo obtained [...]

Guess what?  It’s not just the military that’s dealing with cuts.

Bush shrinks federal pay raises.

In January, pursuant to current law, all “federal civilian workers will get a 2.5 percent across-the-board raise.” Additionally, “workers living in more expensive regions of the country” are supposed to “receive an additional raise of 12.5 percent.” But President Bush ordered today that the raises for those workers will be slashed significantly: On average, workers who [...]

How’s Your Economy Doing?

Atrios has a couple of good posts over at “Eschaton”.  There are headlines from the economic sector all over the place today. Home sales, durable goods, Wall Street…

Economic News

Who Can Afford These Prices?

And, the big one -

Two Out of Three Middle Class American Families on Shaky Financial Ground, According to New Report

Fewer than one in three middle-class families in America is financially secure, and the remaining majority are either borderline or at high risk of falling out of the middle class altogether, according to a new study [...]

Friendly Judges

They can make all the difference.  Someday, though, the administration may run out of “friends in high places”. Doncha think?

Turley: “It Is Rather Clear That What The President Ordered Was A Federal Crime”

The Bush administration has been using the “state secrets” defense in order to have federal law suits challenging their illegal eavesdropping programs thrown out of court. So far, they have been successful; thanks, in most cases, to lazy or partisan judges who have given little or no scrutiny of [...]

A Day Without Huck

Naw.  Can’t let that happen.  Here is your daily dose of all things Huckabee. First, faster than a speeding bullet…

Huckabee Passes Romney in Iowa

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey in Iowa caucus finds Mike Huckabee leading among Republicans with 28% support, followed by Mitt Romney with 25% support and everyone else far behind. Rudy Giuliani comes [...]

Romney, Huckabee Surge in South Carolina

A new Clemson Palmetto Poll shows Mitt Romney leading the Republican presidential race in South Carolina with 17% support, followed closely by [...]

The Upside and Downside of Mike Huckabee

I am both really pleased and really nervous about Huckabee doing so well in Iowa, but the nervous side of me is winning right now in terms of how this could play out.  Like David Sirota here, I am always pleased when populist economics shows up in a political campaign, even when it comes from a Republican and even if the candidate’s policy prescriptions generally suck, as is the case with Huckabee. But to see [...]

Can Huckabee win in Iowa?

Chris Cillizza concludes that “it is possible, but it won’t be easy.” My view is, why the heck not. As Cillizza reminds us, Pat Buchanan (1992) and Pat Robertson (1988) captured [...]

Huck supporters like his softer side

Conservatives like Huckabee’s emphasis on consumer-friendly issues like health care.

The Magic of Mike Huckabee

The traditional media loves to swim in schools, following a comfortable narrative.  Once they’ve decided who is a “maverick,” which former mayor has “foreign policy experience” and who is a “popular president,” little things like facts aren’t allowed to spoil the story.  Every now and then, the school of media fish catch a flash of color and seemingly as one, they flip around and wiggle off in [...]

Make Your Move

If there ever was a time to get involved, it’s now.  Pick an issue.  Grab a topic.  Make some noise.

Have We Reached The Tipping Point?

…Political mood can be fickle, especially in a nation where the coverage is so overwhelmingly personality and ego driven these days in the media.  (See this piece on Sally Quinn for starters.)   But the underlying important issues [...]

Trials and Tribulations of Politics

Running for President is tough work.  When everything you say, each and every word, can be parsed by critics.  Today, it’s Barack Obama’s turn…

Obama Calls Rural Iowans ‘Ingrown’

Uh. Oh. Mr. Hope channels Mr. Elite.  On “Nightline” last night, which I didn’t see but was told about by friends, when talking about foreign policy and trying to beat up on Mr. Bush and his policies, Mr. Obama really stepped in it, especially for someone trying to win Iowa. Evidently, some of it didn’t make the cut, but the video above offers a doorway leading to big trouble for Mr. Obama, that is if anyone decides [...]

Here You Go…

Settle in and start reading…

Today’s Must Read

It’s just not enough that a number of administration officials have been investigated for malfeasance; the Bush Administration takes it the extra mile. The man who’s charged with investigating some of that malfeasance is himself under investigation. And he’s clearly no slouch at malfeasance. Scott Bloch heads the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an odd little agency that was set up to [...]

Socialized Medicine

Time for a quick history lesson, children…

Who Wants Socialized Medicine?

You might wonder who made the following pledge to ruin our great and glorious free market health care system. I mean, come on. Only a Demorat commie subversive would propose “universal health care coverage,” right? “”I shall propose a sweeping new program that will assure comprehensive health-insurance protection to millions of Americans who cannot now obtain it or afford it, with vastly improved protection against catastrophic illnesses …”” That’s Hillary talking, right, or Edwards? Maybe Obama? Well, actually, the person who proposed this evil socialistic plot to destroy all that [...]

The Diplomatic Plan

Okay, so what do you think about Hillary Clinton’s plan to create a bi-partisan group of diplomats to roam the world, proving that we have our act together?  Sounds okay on the surface, doesn’t it?  Toss Colin Powell’s name into the mix.  Still think it’s okay?  Digby doesn’t…

Don’t Call Colin

No, No, No. This is a horrible idea. I assume that Clinton thinks this would signal a return to “The Powell Doctrine” but even if it’s decided that’s a good idea, Powell himself should never be allowed anywhere near government again.  Despite his long career, Colin Powell’s most world famous, resonant moment was this: [...]

Over at the Left Coaster, Steve Soto thinks there are bigger issues with the Clinton campaign..

Whatever Happened To The Front Runner?

I find with each passing day I see more and more that troubles me about the Clinton campaign. It’s bad enough that Hillary has played into Obama’s hands by going after him solely and directly, thereby elevating him into being her only opponent and giving him the chance to counterpunch effectively. It’s bad enough that she sends Bill into Iowa and New Hampshire to stop the bleeding while she [...]

Keep in mind, Mrs. Clinton’s hubby seriously inserted his foot into his mouth yesterday..

Bill takes Hillary off-message

It was only three words — “from the beginning” — but Bill Clinton managed to cause quite a stir yesterday while campaigning on behalf of his wife’s presidential campaign. During a campaign swing for his wife, former President Bill Clinton said flatly yesterday that he opposed the war in Iraq “from the beginning” — a statement [...]

Rather vs CBS

The more I read about this lawsuit, the more interesting it starts sounding.  Think it’s just boring old legal BS?  Read on…

Running Scared

Does CBS sound a little… nervous to you? Earlier this month (Nov. 20) the New York Observer ran a story highlighting Rather’s travails in redeeming his good name, and proving once and for all that the story that got him fired was indeed true after all [...]

Tough Job

I always knew that covering the Iraq War as a reporter was a tough job.  It just had to be.  Confirmation comes tonight…

Survey Of Journalists In Iraq Reveals Grim Portrait Of Dangerous Situation

In a newly released survey, American journalists in Iraq give harrowing accounts of their work, with the great majority saying that colleagues have been kidnapped or killed and that most parts of Baghdad are too dangerous for them to visit. The survey was conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, an arm of the nonpartisan [...]

It’s not rough for only American journalists…

Baghdad denies Iraqi newsman’s family ‘liquidated’

Iraq on Wednesday denied the massacre of the family of a journalist who accused Shiite militias of killing 11 of his relatives as they ate breakfast at his Baghdad home three days ago. Dia al-Kawwaz, who runs an Internet news website from Amman, claimed that [...]

By the way, here’s a choice bit of information tonight.  Only pitiful people would do this…

BREAKING: State Department official Iraq update is really compilation of plagiarized major media articles

Kind of pathetic when the official report from the US State Department on what’s “really” happening in Iraq is actually just a bunch of plagiarized paragraphs from the major media in the US. To wit, the following analysis an anonymous friend just sent me. I just checked it out and he’s right. State outright plagiarized much of the major media in making its “report.” And what’s really funny, they even stole a number of paragraphs from a [...]

The Prez At The Podium

Ya’ know, I avoided this story all day yesterday, figuring most bloggers were blowing it out of proportion.  I hadn’t seen the video clip and didn’t see it when it happened.  However, after watching it on Countdown last night, I have to acknowledge that the President really DID look bad when he botched the names during the Middle East Peace Summit photo op.  Here’s the way Olbermann handled the story last night.

Countdown: Bush Bolts After Photo Op At Middle East Peace Summit

On Tuesday’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann talked with Newsweek’s Richard Wolffe about President Bush’s failed foreign policy and his awkward cameo appearance at today’s Middle East Peace Summit in Annapolis, Maryland. Looking confused and distracted, the president butchered the names of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud [...] 

Midweek Musings

We’re halfway to Friday.  Coming off a long holiday weekend, it seems like a marathon.  We’ll make it. Here’s a little something I stumbled on while running through bloglines over lunch.  Nothing like a good lawsuit to stir things up between “friends”..

Lawsuit accuses Blackwater guards of ignoring orders.

The AP reports that a lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of five Iraqis who were killed and two who were injured in the September Blackwater shootout accuses Blackwater bodyguards “of ignoring a direct order and abandoning their post shortly before taking part” in the shootings: Blackwater and State Department personnel staffing a tactical operations center “expressly [...]