Remember the ethics issues that made such a difference in last year’s election? The Senate is hoping you don’t. The Iraq debate appears certain to dominate everything else this week–which is good news for the newly Democratic Senate, which will be (slowly) moving ahead on its ethics and lobbying reform package. The only people paying [...]

Comments here and elsewhere have criticized our highlighting the exchange between Condi Rice and Barbara Boxer as either sexist or as a distraction from the “real debate,” i.e., the war itself (and its probable expansion). I’ll grant that “womb wars” was probably not the most accurate description of the issue that’s at stake here; namely, [...]

NYT raises possibility that Senator Clinton is going to renounce her Iraq war vote, and picks up on an all-but-ignored quote from her Today Show appearance just before Christmas (relevant sound bite comes in the last nine seconds of the 10-minute video). They might want to get a larger room for this news conference, which [...]

Here’s an interesting point from a reader, marred by some really dopey vitriol at the end: I saw a DoD chart a few days ago that shows that violence always drops in Iraq in Jan., Feb., and Mar. of any given year (as to why is an interesting question, is it cooler? Don’t crimes in [...]

In her Time Magazine interview, Condoleezza Rice, like SecDef Gates, seems to be saying that Baghdad can be pacified in a matter of months: “I think in the next few months you are going to know whether or not this is working,” she said. “They bring forces in starting February 1st. They bring in another [...]

OK, so the question is: Was the U.S. assault on the Iranian consulate in Irbil–sovereign Iranian territory–legal? Does the President have the power to invade another country without authorization under the war powers act? I would think not, but I just spoke to a Democratic Member of Congress who was freaked by the obvious attempt [...]

Just a quick thought before the Delta shuttle takes off. Boxer’s point is fair, as far as it goes. It’s certainly not disqualifying to be a policymaker in times of war if you don’t have children who are in the military or are, at least, fighting age. But there’s no question there’s a disconnect between [...]

Senator Boxer’s spokeswoman suggests the comment should be viewed in fuller context, so here it is: Now, the issue is who pays the price. Who pays the price? I’m not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young. You’re not going to pay a particular price, [...]

There’s lots of chatter today on the web and in print about the remarkable exchange between Barbara Boxer and Condi Rice. In case you missed it, the Senator (and grandmother) from California told the (single) Secretary of State that she couldn’t understand the sacrifice that Americans are making in Iraq because: You’re not going to [...]