Steve Benen

FOR THE REST OF US…. In the life-imitates-art category, Seinfeld-inspired Festivus celebrations seem to be catching on in a big way. I haven’t done a direct comparison with last year’s media reports, but there seems to be more Festivus-related coverage this year. We’re dealing with a “holiday” with real growth potential. * Two fairly popular […]

ABOUT THAT PAY RAISE….Just a month ago, it looked like lawmakers were making a welcome gesture about their salaries. On a 92-6 vote, the Senate agreed to forgo the annual cost-of-living increase to their salary, with lawmakers saying all the right things about doing their part to save a little extra money in the federal […]

‘FAIR AND BALANCED’ ALITO ADS….No one familiar with Fox News will find this surprising, but it’s still disappointing for a purported news network to pull a stunt like this. Fox News is refusing to air an ad critical of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, citing its lawyers’ contention that the spot is factually incorrect. A […]

IT’S NOT THE STAFF….The New Republic has a tongue-in-cheek item in the current issue about whom the president can bring in to “save” his White House. Most of the piece is humorous, but the point of the TNR article is worth considering in more detail. Ever since the venerable Washington fixer Clark Clifford came to […]

QUOTE OF THE DAY….In the latest sign that Antonin Scalia has completely given up on the reality-based community, the Supreme Court justice suggested yesterday that the high court did not inject itself into the 2000 presidential election. Speaking at the Time Warner Center last night, Scalia said: “The election was dragged into the courts by […]

A NEW ‘TARGET’ FOR THE AFA….As religious right groups go, the American Family Association doesn’t the kind of money, members, or influence some of its better known competitors have, but when it comes to boycotts, nobody comes close to the AFA. The AFA’s targets have included Disney, Ford, Crest toothpaste, Volkswagen, Tide detergent, Clorox bleach, […]

JUST A BUBP IN THE ROAD….Last week, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) lashed out at Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) on the House floor, and relayed remarks she claimed to have received from Marine Colonel Danny Bubp: “[He] asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.” As Avedon noted […]

THE GOP’S SCANLON NIGHTMARE….Uber-activist Paul Weyrich told the LA Times a few weeks ago, “I’ve been talking to some [Republican] members who are scared to death” by the Abramoff affair. Weyrich added, “That one has the potential for blowing into something far larger.” With this in mind, it’s difficult to overstate just how much Michael […]

WOODWARD SPEAKS….A day after the Washington Post’s ombudsman, Deborah Howell, smacked Bob Woodward around in a very public way, Woodward hopes to redeem himself, starting tonight with an interview with CNN’s Larry King. (9pm eastern, check local listings) By way of Think Progress, CNN has offered a sneak preview of what we can expect from […]

CHENEY’S PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP….Slate’s Fred Kaplan wrote a compelling piece last week about the White House’s defense of the war in Iraq. Kaplan’s point made sense at the time, but I don’t think Bush and Cheney are sticking to the original script. President George W. Bush has suddenly shifted rhetoric on the war in Iraq. […]