Steve Benen

Remember, about 10 days ago, when Newt Gingrich was soaring in Iowa, had claimed the national lead, and looked well positioned to win three of the first four nominating contests? Well, forget it. The boom-and-bust pattern that has taken down so many Republican presidential candidates appears to be affecting the disgraced former House Speaker, too. […]

The pieces were in place. Senate leads from both parties agreed to a temporary compromise that looked pretty sensible: Dems would get a two-month extension of the payroll tax break and a clean extension of unemployment benefits, while GOP lawmakers would get an expedited decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. It was quickly approved with […]

We covered a fair amount of ground over the weekend. Here’s a quick overview of what you may have missed. On Sunday, we talked about: * Given the sledgehammer Newt Gingrich wants to take to the federal judicial system, maybe he shouldn’t call President Obama a radical. * The Senate struck a bipartisan compromise on […]

At this week’s debate for Republican presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich emphasized one of his favorite subjects: his disgust for the federal judiciary. The disgraced former House Speaker warned of “an uprising” against the courts, adding that he’s “prepared to take on the judiciary” unless federal courts start issuing rulings he agrees with. He went on […]

It looked a bit like a breakthrough. With time running out on the calendar year, Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate agreed Friday night to a temporary compromise: Dems would get a two-month extension of the payroll tax break and a clean extension of unemployment benefits, while GOP lawmakers would get an expedited decision […]

With the U.S. war in Iraq coming to its overdue end, it’s worth noting those who got the policy wrong — and continue to ignore the error of their ways. This week, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), arguably Congress’ biggest cheerleader of this tragedy, delivered a lengthy tirade condemning President Obama for ending the conflict and […]

For a presidential hopeful who’s developed a reputation for gaffes and ignorance, this isn’t going to help persuade people that he knows what he’s talking about. Rick Perry told a crowd [in Iowa] today that he would cut $5 trillion out of Obama’s budget. The problem: Obama’s proposed budget is $3.7 trillion “I’m going to […]

The Des Moines Register is Iowa’s largest and most influential newspaper, so there was a fair amount interest in which Republican presidential candidate the paper’s editorial board would endorse. This morning, the DMR announced its choice: Sobriety, wisdom and judgment. Those are qualities Mitt Romney said he looks for in a leader. Those are qualities […]

We knew the last U.S. military convoy would be leaving Iraq this month, but for security reasons, we didn’t know exactly when that might happen. It turns out, the end came last night. The last American troops crossed the border from Iraq into Kuwait early Sunday, ending the U.S. military presence there after nearly nine […]

Mitt Romney appeared on Fox News last night and boasted, “Our campaign hasn’t put up negative ads at this stage.” I know that’s not true. I’ve seen the ads. Likewise, Romney said on Thursday night, “This is a president who fundamentally believes that the next century is the post-American century. Perhaps it will be the […]