Despite the 2.6 million jobs lost during his tenure, Dubya declares his tax cut was the “absolute right course of action” for restoring the economy. I guess we’ll see…expect the Bushies to latch on to every moderately decent economic indicator in the next eighteen months as being directly related to the Dubya tax debacle. By the way, do you get the sense Karl told Dubya to use the phrase “tough decision”?
Category: Politics (2002-2004)
Super Sized.
Dahlia Lithwick examines the legal strategies soon to be employed against “Big Food”. Sounds like these cases’ll be tough to make, but they still might encourage Mickey D’s to back away from McGriddle and the like.
Pitch Black.
Well, it looks like I picked a good day to be on the other side of the world…hope everyone is safe and sound in NYC and the NE corridor. I wonder if we can pin this on the Cheney Energy Task Force. Speaking of which, I wonder if Dubya’s going to fly to Omaha and back again while they sort everything out.
Magic Numbers.
A 40-page House report (prepared by Henry Waxman) finds that the Bush Administration consistently misuses science data to buttress their political goals. But what can you really expect from a President who believes “the jury’s still out” on evolution?
“Patriots” at Work.
The LA Times relates the sad story of Ansar Mahmood, who has paid a heavy price for being a Muslim in America after 9/11. In not-unrelated news, Ashcroft cracks down on lenient sentencing. Perhaps they’ll reconsider his nephew’s drug bust, then.
What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of Gray Davis. His politics something of a mystery, Arnie joins the hunt for California governor. As Joe Conason notes, perhaps Republicans will finally shut up now about Susan Sarandon, the Dixie Chicks, and other left-leaning Hollywood activists (although somehow I doubt it.)
Repeating Lies.
True to form, the Bushies tried to make everyone accept the false Iraq-Niger claim by dint of sheer repetition. Strange how Tenet is supposed to take the fall for this even after explicitly removing the claim from one of Dubya’s speeches.
Say it Ain’t So, Joe.
Campaign Update: While Howard Dean enjoys a very good press week, a flailing Joe Lieberman rails against the Left (and calls Dean a “ticket to nowhere.”) How utterly self-serving. Meanwhile, although it’s nothing compared to Dubya’s, John Edwards prepares to capitalize on his own considerable war chest.
Fritz Hollering.
“I can tell you this categorically, we’ve got the weakest president and weakest government in the history of my 50 years of public service. I say weak president in that the poor boy campaigns all the time and pays no attention to what’s going on in the Congress. Karl Rove tells him to do this or do that or whatever it is, but he’s out campaigning.” On his way out the door, South Carolina’s Fritz Hollings speaks his mind on Dubya. Hear hear.
Read My Lips.
With New Hampshire continuing to heat up, Dean and Kerry spar over tax cut repeal. It’s at least comforting to see that the front-running Dems know the Dubya tax giveaway has to go.