Tomorrow morning at 10am on the third floor of the Cannon House Office building, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson will convene a hearing examining “the security breach at the White House State Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The committee will look at deficiencies in security planning, actions taken to correct …
Republican Party
Congress’s Tepid Reaction to Obama’s Afghanistan Plan
Congressional reaction to the 30,000-troop surge in Afganistan was as tepid as President Obama’s West Point speech. As details of the plan leaked out throughout the day — with more than 30 members traveling to the White House to be personally briefed — few spoke with passion: no one – including Obama – mentioned human rights, the …
Casey, and the Next Chapter of His Family’s Pro-Life Legacy
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey will tell you that he doesn’t get many more calls from fundraisers or constituents about abortion than he does the public plan, death panels or immigration. “We’re getting a lot of inquiries from lots of different groups on several differnet topics,” he demurrs. “I don’t think it’s any different or …
Republican-not
E.J. Dionne has an interesting column today on the Republican party’s Senate strategy of forcing a cloture vote on everything, even on the few provisions they support. A few months ago, I wrote that the G.O.P. had become a party led by nihilists. This is further evidence of that. I have doubts about some of the legislation the Democrats …
Trigger Happy
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will include a public option that states can vote to opt out of in his version of the health care reform bill that could be unveiled as early as Wednesday. But that certainly hasn’t ended the debate in the Senate about what kind of public option may finally end up passing the upper chamber …
Palin=W.?
We are in the middle of Palinmania and it’s going to last a while between Oprah, Barbara Walters, the book tour and the sniping between Palin and McCain worlds. Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Hardball last night was astounded that America – or at least the Republican base – seems to love the aw shucks candidates, berating Rep. Judy …
Doug Hoffman Tells Glenn Beck He’s Hoping for Miracle
When Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded to Democratic Bill Owens on election night, even I thought it was a little too soon. Hoffman, who had been polling ahead of Owens in the race to represent New York’s 23rd congressional district, declared the race over just after midnight when he was down in the count by around 5,000 with as many as …
Sessions to Filibuster Obama’s 7th Circuit Nominee
Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, today told reporters that he plans on filibustering David Hamilton, President Obama’s nominee to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. “I intend not to support going forward on the Hamilton vote,” Sessions said. “Unlike Justice Sotomayor, when asked to discuss the empathy …
Our Chatty Cathy Congress
Those of us former little girls of a certain age can remember a doll that we all had to have. She was called Chatty Cathy, and if you pulled a string in her neck, she would say things like “Please brush my hair” and “Let’s have a party!”
It turns out that Chatty Cathy and the United States House of Representatives have a lot in …
Oops. Guess Whose Health Insurance Covers Abortion?
Or did, until Politico reported it. The Republican National Committee issued this statement late last night:
News reports have revealed that the RNC’s health plan dating back as far as 1991 may have included some coverage for elective abortion. Upon learning of this, Chairman Michael Steele instructed the RNC Director of
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Lieberman Going Rogue (Again)
Next week, much to the discomfort of the Obama Adminsitration, Joe Lieberman — chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Relations Committee — will begin his investigation into whether the Fort Hood shooter was a terrorist and if law enforcement agencies missed red flags that could’ve prevented the tragedy. This caps …
Let’s See How You Like It
This recess, a Democratic outside group is spending more than a $1 million on television commercials lambasting GOP lawmakers for voting against health care reform. The Foundation for Patients Rights, which is aligned with the Service Employees International Union, is planning ads in Delaware and Illinois against Reps. Mike Castle and …
Bill Clinton Talks Health Care Lessons with Senate Dems
Former President Bill Clinton was the guest at the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy lunch. The subject: health care. Taking responsibility for the collapse of his attempt to pass health care reform in 1994, Clinton urged the caucus not to waste this opportunity. “I do think it’s good politics to pass this and pass it as soon as you …