The Post finally tracks down the source of the (recently) oft-repeated Bush quote about only balancing the budget in times of war, recession, and national emergency…and it was said by Gore.
Category: The Dubya Era
Release the Hounds.
The SEC vows to delve into Halliburton mismanagement, despite what Dick Cheney has to say in the matter.
Shame of the World.
The Dubya Administration renounces US leadership on the rule of law and tries to kill the fledgling International Criminal Court, even going so far as to stop UN peacekeeping in Bosnia. Absolutely shameful…this is even more embarrassing than our billion dollars in back dues that the Helms GOP refused to pay for so long.
If Space Arms are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will have Space Arms.
Despite what it means for a nuclear non-proliferation treaty with Russia and China, the US refuses to ban arms in space. For what would such a ban entail for Dubya’s beloved SDI?
One Nation and Countless Careerists, Under God.
“Oh my name it is nothin’, my age it means less
The country I come from is called the Midwest
I’s taught and brought up there the laws to abide
And that land that I live in has God on its side.”
Bob Dylan, “With God on Our Side”
A Federal Court declares the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, and all Hell breaks loose, with editorialists, Senators, and even our Fearless Leader lining up to decry the decision. (For their part, the House scurried out onto the steps of the Capitol to recite the Pledge en masse.) I dunno. I know I’m not the mean in these particular instances, but as a kid forced to recite the Pledge every morning in elementary school, I always found the name-dropping of God a bit strange and superfluous. I guess the lesson here, folks, is don’t vote against God in an election year. Speaking of which, the GOP are latching on to the decision as a centerpiece to their fall campaigns. Hmmm…corporate malfeasance still seems a higher priority to me than this judicial slighting of our national deity. Somehow, I think He can handle it. (But, just in case, the Supreme Court today ensured that everyone’s tax money can be used to pay Him tribute.)
Who’s Nation-Building now?
In light of recent events, Dubya is forced to reverse his position about another anti-Clinton campaign stance.
Need more Credit?
Chagrined from his tax cut spending splurge of last year, Dubya begs Congress to to raise America’s credit limit “for freedom.”
End of the Worldcom.
Joining Enron and Martha Stewart in infamy, Worldcom cooks the books for $3.8 billion. It’s not like either the telecom industry or the economy at large need another hit right now, and this one’s going to be a doozy. Good news for the Dems, at least, but I wonder what this’ll mean for UUNet. Update: Bush vows a probe into the situation. Hey, let’s not forget about Enron there, bud.
A Dad’s Best Friend.
Turns out Dubya talks more about his dogs these days than he does his daughters. Hmmm…maybe it’s because his dogs don’t get blitzed every weekend, and because they don’t seem to mind when he, ahem, “chokes on a pretzel” during an afternoon football game. As a prof of mine noted, any dog owner’ll tell you that if your dogs don’t freak out when you suddenly hit the ground, they’re just used to seeing you pass out in strange places.
Returning Fire.
Frustrated by the FEC gutting of campaign finance reform last week, John McCain promises to hold up FEC appointments in the Senate until a more reform-sympathetic panel is appointed. Turns out Dubya’s kept a ringer on the panel a year beyond his term, Democrat Karl Sandstrom, expressly for the purpose of stifling reform. (He appointed a new Republican to the FEC in March.) Hmmm…why am I picturing Karl Rove and Mitch McConnell in a smoke-filled room?