The last time President Obama choose a nominee for the Supreme Court, his staff read the opinions and legal writings of more than 40 people. Nine candidates were contacted by the staff for further vetting. The president met with four candidates–Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Janet Napolitano and Diane Wood. He chose Sotomayor. This time the [...]
Some advice* for you the next time you need a loan: Before you go to the bank, move about 42 percent of your existing debts “off balance sheet,” so you don’t have to report them. That pesky credit card bill you will never be able to pay off–hide it. Those car payments you probably won’t [...]
Updated, 3:50 p.m. During the press conference at which he announced he will not run for re-election, Bart Stupak made only passing allusion to the hailstorm of controversy he’s endured since voting for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The nine-term incumbent said his decision was spurred by a desire to spend more time [...]
In Prague, President Obama declined to engage Sarah Palin’s schoolyard taunt (literally) of his new nuclear policy. Here is the transcript from ABC News: QUESTION: Sarah Palin, taking aim at your decision to restrict the use of nuclear weapons. Your pledge not to strike nations, non-nuclear nations, who abide by the nonproliferation treaty. Here’s what [...]
In perhaps the most telegraphed move in recent history, Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement today. So begins the next great Supreme Court nomination fight, which is sure to bring all the usual bells and whistles: Cable News shout fests over the fate of the constitution, direct mail pieces from pro-life and pro-choice groups [...]
A few weeks in Afghanistan, where life and death decisions are being made every day, leaves me with very little patience for this sort of seditious rant. I suppose Newt is trying to make the southern Republicans forget his multitude of marriages and assorted misdemeanors. There have been two warring constants in Gingrich’s career: anger [...]
For leaving, of course. Because I’ve loved having Karen as a colleague. She is a total pro–yes, cynics, there is such a thing in journalism. She does the work. She interviews people, with skepticism–our appropriate operating system–not cynicism. She has been a tigress on health care, an issue that has affected her beloved brother, as [...]
I had read TIME Magazine for as long as I could remember, even signed up for my own subscription when I was in college. So when I went to work here more than 15 years ago, I thought I had an appreciation for the power of that red border. But as it turned out, Newt [...]
I was planning to write about the ridiculousness of Republicans claiming the health reform law will require 16,000 new IRS agents, but many others beat me to it. Here’s the whole scoop on this lie. (Here’s a crib sheet from Ezra Klein.) Distortions like this chip away at the credibility of Republican critics of health [...]
