Entries
The Candid and Frank Betty Ford
Betty Ford will be remembered for being a very candid first lady with a much more modest political profile. In my latest CNN column , I write about Betty Ford's candid and frank speaking style: The role of first lady is one of the most difficult in American public life. Few women have …Ethical Questions Raised at Mr. Bachmann's Clinic
An investigation into Marcus Bachmann's clinic suggests that it is using unethical practices by not warning patients about the dangers of "ex-gay" treatments. The Nation revealed this weekend that the Christian counseling centers owned by the husband and chief advisor of GOP Presidential …There is No Light Bulb "Ban"
There is no looming ban or phase out of incandescent bulbs. The entire hullabaloo is based on a fictitious claim manufactured by Rep. Joe Barton. As has been written about here before, a group of GOP lawmakers, including Joe Barton (TX) and Michele Bachmann (MN), have stirred up—along with …Debt Talks Don't Need an Ambitious Solution
If the debt talks produce only (i) an increase in the debt ceiling and (ii) a framework for cutting federal spending over the medium term - well, there are worse ways to resolve the crisis. If the debt talks produce only (i) an increase in the debt ceiling and (ii) a framework for cutting …Top Democrats Split On IPAB
Politico reports : For the past year, Democrats have been mostly united on health care issues, especially in the face of Republican efforts to repeal President Barack Obama’s landmark law. But this week, House Republicans plan to fire their opening salvos against the Independent Payment …
Obama and GOP to Meet Again on Monday
The Hill reports : President Obama and GOP leaders in Congress failed to reach a breakthrough on debt talks Sunday night during a 75-minute White House meeting. Obama and leaders from both parties agreed to meet again Monday at the White House at a time to be determined. The White House …
Bachmann Leads in Iowa
The Iowa Republican reports : Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surpassed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a recent Iowa poll that was conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com. With Bachmann now leading in Iowa, Romney has fallen to second place, but he is still well …
IMF Calls on US to Raise Debt Limit
The AP reports : The International Monetary Fund’s new chief foresees “real nasty consequences” for the U.S. and global economies if the U.S. fails to raise its borrowing limit. Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the lending institution, said in an interview broadcast Sunday …
Palin: I Could Win an Election
Newsweek reports : "I believe that I can win a national election, " Sarah Palin declared one recent evening, sitting in the private dining room of a hotel in rural Iowa. The occasion for her visit to quintessential small-town America was a gathering of the faithful that would have …
Pawlenty: Bachmann Has No Record
The Star Tribune reports : Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told a national television audience Sunday that 2012 presidential rival Michele Bachmann has a "nonexistent" record of accomplishment in Congress. Echoing a contrast he has begun making against his fellow Minnesota Republican…
DeMint Sees Job as a Mission From God
The State reports : WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint came close to quitting Congress after one term because of his wife’s difficult battle with cancer and bitter clashes with other GOP senators over his slash-and-burn tactics to cut federal spending. But Debbie DeMint, the senator’s …
US Suspends Some Aid to Pakistan
BBC reports : White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley told ABC television that Pakistan had "taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid". He said the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May had affected ties but he insisted the relationship "must be made to …
Lake: US Investigating Syrian Diplomats
Eli Lake reports : The State Department is investigating charges that Syrian diplomats are spying on Syrian anti-government demonstrators in Washington and other U.S. cities in order to intimidate their relatives in the restive Middle Eastern nation. Eric Boswell , assistant …
Amanda Foreman's Own World on Fire
Amanda Foreman just published A World on Fire. What many people may not know is that Foreman wrote the book while nursing a husband with cancer and raising five children. Amanda Foreman just published A World on Fire , a book that aimed to place the American Civil War in internation…WH: Boehner Balked Over Taxes
The Hill reports : Boehner "couldn't do revenues from wealthiest Americans," a White House official said. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) all but extinguished hopes for a big deficit reduction deal because he refused to support any tax increases for the wealthiest Americans, a senior …
In Iraq, No Consensus on U.S. Troops
The Washington Post reports : Iraq’s fragile coalition government failed again Saturday to reach agreement on the formation of a cabinet or on whether to ask some U.S. forces to remain beyond December — leaving the Obama administration with an ever-shorter timetable to complete the …
Panetta: Al-Qaeda Defeat 'Within Reach'
POLITICO reports : New Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Saturday said the U.S. is within reach of defeating the al-Qaeda terror network, in his first remarks to reporters since taking the helm at the Pentagon and making his first visit to Afghanistan since replacing Robert Gates. …
Huntsman Re-Endorses Ryan Plan
POLITICO reports : A Democratic source sends over this video of Jon Huntsman in Pinellas County, Fla., bear-hugging Paul Ryan's budget plan and joking about Florida Democrats referring to the plan — and his support for it — as "radical." "I was called a radical because I’ve embraced …
Feds Rule Pot Has No Medical Purpose
The Huffington Post reports : The federal government ruled on Friday that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain in the same class of drugs as heroin. The decision comes nearly nine years after marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify the drug to take …