Ashcroft gets the inside word on the FBI’s Plamegate investigation. Well, on one hand he is the Attorney General. But, c’mon now – the smart thing to do would be to recuse himself from this case, particularly given his close ties to Rove. As I’ve said before in other contexts, if we were talking about Janet Reno here, Dan Burton would already have fired up the investigation train.
Category: GOP
Second Thoughts.
Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, generally a straight shooter (despite being on the wrong side of campaign finance), calls out Congress for abdicating to Dubya’s foreign policy. “We probably have given this president more flexibility, more latitude, more range, unquestioned, than any president since Franklin Roosevelt — probably too much. The Congress, in my opinion, really abrogated much of its responsibility.” Well said, Chuck…now when is your buddy John McCain going to say the same?
Iowa Stubborn.
Oh, there’s nothing halfway about the Iowa way to treat you when they treat you which they may not do at all. Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman plan to skip the Iowa caucus in 2004…I’d say that’s a smart call for Clark (my thoughts on Lieberman are below), given how Iowa treated Bradley and McCain respectively last time around — Bradley came in second after Gore’s debate lie (actually penned by my roommate at the time), while McCain had the sense to stay out in the first place.
The Value of Service.
While General Clark comes out for national service, fellow candidates Dean and Kerry bicker over Vietnam. Hmm…while I’m very sympathetic to the idea that a war record should not be a prerequisite for political office, Kerry’s military service is obviously one of his main selling points, particularly when placed in contrast to Dubya’s AWOL year. So I’d say it’s a dumb call for Dean to begrudge Kerry’s mentioning of Vietnam, and especially given Dean’s own tour in Aspen during that time. For the Deanies, I’d think the less said about ‘Nam, the better.
The Wrath of the Righteous.
Fresh off calling upon the Lord to snuff out a few justices, televangelist and former GOP Presidential nominee Pat Robertson advocates nuking the State Department. I presume John Ashcroft and the FBI are conducting a full investigation of this possible terrorist threat.
The Real McCain.
John McCain handicaps the Democratic field, and balks at comparisons to Dean. I dunno…a real “straight-talker” would call out Dubya a little more, I should think, particularly given the President’s recent lapses in foreign affairs. Elsewhere, Wesley Clark gets in hot water for giving paid campaign speeches. What with yesterday’s resignation, this is another indicator of a troubling lack of oversight over in Camp Clark. While he’s still getting good press for the moment, I’d think that eventually these types of avoidable gaffes are going to add up to trouble for the General.
Nickle and Dimed.
Don Nickles calls it quits, putting his Oklahoma Senate seat in play for 2004. “A businessman before coming to Washington, he championed business’s causes, including tax cuts, deregulation, curbs on damages from lawsuits and opposition to minimum wage increases.” Apparently, he decided to quit after botching his coup attempt during the Lott affair last December. Can’t say I’m sorry to see him go.
Doubting Dubya.
In a news conference today, Dubya voiced doubts about whether the Plame leaker will ever be caught. “‘I don’t know if we’re going to find out the senior administration official,’ Bush said. ‘I don’t have any idea. I’d like to. I want to know the truth.’ But, Bush said, ‘This is a large administration and there’s a lot of senior officials.’” Good Lord, what garbage. Perhaps an independent counsel might facilitate matters?
The Forgetful Pachyderm.
The recall madness in California finally comes to an end. I must say, the past week or so has been enormously instructive in shedding light on the depths of hypocrisy within the GOP. Only a few years ago, the Republicans pushed America to constitutional crisis because they claimed to believe that sexual immorality was an impeachable executive offense. This week, the Republicans have shown that, not only do they not care about executive offenses, they don’t even give a whit about sexual immorality. Ridiculous and shameful. And then consider Florida, Texas, California…again and again, the GOP has run roughshod over the principle of fair elections in the name of their own lust for power. At the end of the day, is there no level below which this party will not sink?
Dubya’s Doggerel.
George W. Bush pens a poem to Laura. It’s not exactly Profiles in Courage, is it?