When President Obama meets at the White House on Thursday morning with Democratic and Republican leaders from Congress, all of Washington will be watching carefully for any hint of progress toward a deficit-reduction deal that …
Congress
Obama to Congress: Do Your Job
When in doubt, bash Congress. It’s a handy rule of thumb for almost any President, and in his East Room press conference on Wednesday, Barack Obama offered a clear lesson in how to do it.
The central issue of Obama’s presser …
Did Obama Win on War Powers?
In his press conference on Wednesday, President Obama tried to embarrass Congressional opponents of the military mission in Libya for making it a “cause celebre.” And in some ways he has emerged the victor in his confrontation with Congress over the War Powers Resolution. Last Friday, the GOP-led House failed to pass a bill that would …
The Libya Conundrum
The House of Representatives on Friday is expected to hold two votes on U.S. action in Libya. One will fail and one will pass. House GOP leaders are hoping that the Democratic-controlled Senate will take up the one that passes. …
Anthony Weiner’s Characteristically Undignified Exit
The Anthony Weiner scandal ended in much of the same way it began. Hecklers hijacked the New York congressman’s Thursday afternoon press conference in New York City, rudely interrupting a somber resignation announcement with …
Weiner Tells Democratic Leadership He Will Resign
Rep. Anthony Weiner called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Steve Israel Wednesday night to inform them that he will be resigning from Congress. The last month has seen Weiner tweet a lewd picture to a 21-year-old …
White House: Libya Campaign Isn’t War – UPDATED
The United States is not engaged in a war with Libya and the War Powers Resolution does not apply to U.S. military action there, according to two White House officials who briefed reporters on Wednesday. “We’re now in a …
Will Big Business Pressure the Tea Party Into Raising the Debt Ceiling?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called in response to my post yesterday on the ongoing debt-limit negotiations. In the piece, I linked to a quote from Chamber chief Tom Donohue, who during an event in Atlanta on Monday appeared to warn the House Republicans vowing to vote against a debt-ceiling hike: “We’ll get rid of you.”
Chamber …
Congress Clashes With Another President Over War Powers
The right and the left are taking President Obama to task over his involvement in Libya. House Speaker John Boehner sent the President a letter on Tuesday informing him that as of this weekend, he will be in violation of the War …
Coburn Takes On Ethanol Hypocrisy
The Senate voted down a bill Monday afternoon that would’ve strip $6 billion in annual ethanol subsidies and get rid of an import tariff on ethanol, particularly from Brazil, coming into the United States. The measure, co-sponsored by Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn and California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, garnered a surprising amount of …
Contrite and Not Quite Defiant, Can Anthony Weiner Survive Scandal?
The first crush of the crowd was toward the accuser, not the accused. Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart was swarmed by reporters as he entered the royal blue third-floor ballroom of the Sheraton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on …
As the Economy Sputters, D.C. Loses Its Will to Act
The grim news last week was not new: The American economy is stuck in a rut, with the manufacturing sector sputtering, housing prices falling and job growth too small to keep up with the growing population. We have been reading …
On Deficits and Debt, the Voters Get a Say
I wish our Democratic leaders would make their fiscal case as clearly and fearlessly as Michael Grunwald does.
To recap: Democrats are in favor of short-term deficit spending because they believe it will stimulate desperately needed growth. And they believe that growth, plus higher taxes (plus the one thing Mike doesn’t mention: …
