Lead Photo: The Odd Couple

Having been a thorn in Bush’s side for most of the past year, John McCain traveled with “W” this week and even delivered a few speeches that made him sound like Bush’s parrot. Here’s the picture that leads today’s New York Times. The caption is titled: “Joining Forces.” What’s...

Trends Department:What’s Going Down

Note to the Administration: The battlefield shifted months ago.

North Goes South As Neocons Decompensate. Media The Big Target

The neocons are beginning to melt down over the results of their policies. Some of the reactions we are now seeing are nothing short of dissociative. Just witness Dick Cheney’s bizarre reaction to the 9/11 Commission yesterday. In the face of overwhelming, and now authoritative evidence that Iraq and...

al-Sadr Named Iraqi Occupation “Player of the Year”

Obviously, Muqtada al-Sadr has shown himself to be an adept politician, having clearly outmanuevered the Bush Administration over the past few months. One day his picture is hanging on a wanted poster in the White House post office. The next day, Bush is giving his tacit approval to the...

We’re Diplomats and Military Commanders, And We Can’t Take It Anymore

Today, a coalition of diplomats and military commanders (the DMCC) formally launched a campaign to undo the damage caused by the Bush administration. The group, consisting of 27 (and counting) chiefs of mission and retired four-star military brass called for changes in our foreign policy and defense policy, as...

9/11 Commission Issues Final Report: Bush, Cheney Come Off Worse Than Sudan

Of course, the big story of the 9/11 Commission final report is that there was never any link between al Qaeda and Iraq. The story people are overlooking, however, is the diplomatic incompetence of Sudan. From 1991 to 1996, having provided refuge to al Qaeda, the Sudanese convinced bin...

Report From New York

Above, you’ll find an image of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in 1968. As you can see, things got out of hand. Apparently, a lot of people were upset about a war at that time. Here in NYC, we’re gearing up for a Republican National Convention...

Getting A Handle On The Economy

send this cartoon to a friend! What Steve Roach at Morgan Stanley had to about politics and interest rates (complete comments): “Hans Tietmeyer went out of his way to venture into perhaps the most delicate and important aspect of monetary policy — political...

The Almighty Sleeve

–Ron Reagan Jr. comparing father’s faith to that of “other politicians” in memorial eulogy.

Latest Back Door Move: Bush Tosses Bonanza To Big Phone Companies At Expense Of Aunt Millie

(Last Wednesday, the Administration declined to appeal a court decision releasing regional phone companies from sharing their networks at reduced prices. There’s some good news, though. According to the NYTimes, analysts say that “if and when they start charging higher fees, the Bells are unlikely to raise rates by...

The Last Great Republican War

Another offering in this season’s steady stream of political documentaries is The Hunting Of The President. According to the website: “Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry’s incendiary documentary, based on the best-selling book by Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, offers a glimpse at the genesis of … partisan vendettas and...

Where Yesterday’s “Under God” Supreme Court “Decision” Ended Up:

Leading Pictures: Taking A Dive

Today’s L.A. Times leads with a surreal photo of George Bush (the elder) skydiving. The crucial thing to understand is that he is descending in tandem with an army sergeant (that guy on top of him). As the caption explains: “Winds and clouds prevented Bush from jumping solo as...

Faith-Based Initiative With Real Faith

The idea to run a television ad apologizing to Arab viewers for American actions at Abu Ghraib is proving to be very popular. The ad, created by the interfaith group faithfulamerica.org, is set to begin running tomorrow on Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, According to the International Herald Tribune,...

Doubters 3, Evil 2

One thing Reagan Week highlighted is how profoundly dark and pessimistic Bush is. Compared to Reagan–who was terminally optimistic and hopeful in his allusions–Bush’s speech stands out as consistently apocalyptic and paranoid. Take Bush’s eulogy for Reagan. Bush completely missed the nostalgic, celebratory tone of the ceremony. Even with...

Under “Tasteless” In Websters

I know as well as anyone that humorists deserve the widest latitude. However, Dennis Miller sunk pretty low with this riff on the Abu Ghraib photos. Maybe he was going for the idea that people quickly become desensitized to these kinds of images. On the other hand, maybe he...

Bowling For Michael Moore

This was posted today at Alternative Press Review (The “What Really Happened” site is a little idiosyncratic, but the story seems to check out.): “So desperate are Bush Republicans to kill Michael Moore’s latest film, Fahrenheit 9/11, they have hired a public relations firm to set up a web...

Campaign ’04: Next Week’s Story Line (Clinton Portrait Unveiling/Book Tour Kick-Off)