It’s true that Romney’s comment a couple of weeks ago about the cost-benefit ratio for pursuing bin Laden is the gaffe that’s revealed the most about what kind of foreign policy chief he’d be. But the whole in-France-they-mate-like-Vulcans quote is the most fascinating, and perhaps the most revealing of his general mindset. A friend …
In the ArenaUncategorized
A question for Glenn Greenwald
I don’t understand this. Is he saying that people like Broder and Ron Brownstein and me shouldn’t talk to people outside the Beltway?
Look, the blogospheric media critics have served a valuable function at times, and at other times it’s just vitriol for vitriol’s sake. I thought an essential part of the critique was that some of us are …
Alberto Did Not Get the Memo
Uh-huh…
Gonzales Is Said to Seem Confident He Will Stay
By DAVID JOHNSTON and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
The attorney general has told aides he believes he has weathered the storm over the prosecutor dismissals.
Sort of paying half-an-ear to the hearings now (our colleague Massimo is on the Hill watching live), but it doesn’t seem like
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In the ArenaUncategorized
It’s a Long, Long Time From May to September
Well, I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall yesterday. My guess is, though, that this wasn’t as “candid” a meeting as advertised–more of a spin operation to help the moderate Republicans in iffy districts. (Note the presence of Karl Rove at the meeting.) A day earlier, Bush held a similar session with 14 Blue Dog Democrats, …
Today on the Trail: Thompson’s umpteenth Iowa trip
TotT is a daily rundown of campaign events, compiled by Katie Rooney.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) embarks on yet another trip to Iowa today, making this at least the twelfth time he’s been to the state since January. One of Thompson’s campaign strategies is to visit every county in Iowa (there are 99 of them) before the …
The U.S. Attorney Scandal
Some of our crankier commenters (you know who you are) have been razzing me this week about the lightness of my posts. While it’s true I haven’t been tending to the Swamp so much, my other duties around here–yes, I have them–have been keeping me pretty busy.
In the upcoming issue of dead-tree TIME, we have this story about Alberto …
Elizabeth and I
I want to follow up on Ana’s post about my encounter with Ellizabeth Edwards last night. I’ve known John and Elizabeth Edwards since I wrote about his Senate race nine years ago. I’ve always liked and admired them both. And, as I think was clear from a piece I wrote about Elizabeth in 2004, I’m among those who consider Mrs. Edwards every …
Jay v. Elizabeth Edwards
The highlight of last night’s Time 100 party, for me: “Jay, there’s someone over here that wants to talk to you…Elizabeth, here’s Jay.”
I still have a job this morning, so I think it went okay, though there was a moment when Mrs. Edwards told Jay she would like to punch him.* I believe MSNBC’s Tammy Haddad took a picture.
I’ll let …
Justice DeLay-ed
Alexander Bolton has a good story in The Hill today. Tom DeLay wants the FBI, quite literally, to get off his case.
Today on the Trail: Romney revisits Iowa
TotT is a daily rundown of campaign events, compiled by Katie Rooney.
Gov. Mitt Romney (R) spends the day in Iowa, but it’s no surprise given he’s promised voters a good showing in the state’s caucus early next year. Late last month Romney told the Des Moines Register he’s planning to outfox the other Republican candidates for the …
The Gonzales-White House Connection
So why did Alberto Gonzales make so many statements about his dismissal of eight US Attorneys that he later had to retract or amend? What motivated him to be so opaque about the true reasons for the firings? Our colleague Massimo Calabresi breaks new ground on this story in a Time.com piece he just posted here.
More Than We Wanted to Know
Via the subscription-only Hotline:
The AP continues its questions to the WH ’08ers with, “What time is ‘sleeping in?'”
Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Mitt Romney say 7 a.m.; Sam Brownback and Duncan Hunter say 7:30 a.m.; Barack Obama, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Tom Tancredo say 8 a.m.; Joe Biden says 8:30-9
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In the ArenaUncategorized
Let’s Talk Petraeus
Reader Jim had this interesting response to my Iraq Two Step post below:
The question, I think, is whether Petraeus was being “intellectually honest” with himself when he agreed to lend his name and reputation to a Bush strategy. My understanding is that Bush promised Petraeus that he would follow something close the ISG Baker-Hamilton
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