As the third anniversary of the war approaches, the $21 billion the
United States has allocated for reconstruction of Iraq has yet to lift
the war-torn nation from ruin. Power outages are the norm; in
fact, there’s less electricity available than before the war began.
Fewer people have clean water and sanitation systems. And fuel
production isn’t at pre-war levels, either.
A liberal Democrat and potential White House contender is proposing censuring President Bush for authorizing domestic eavesdropping, saying the White House misled Americans about its legality.
"The president has broken the law and, in some way, he must be held accountable," Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., told The Associated Press in an interview.
A censure resolution, which simply would scold the president, has been used just once in U.S. history — against Andrew Jackson in 1834.
In January, within days of the breaking of the worst lobbying scandal in decades, congressional leaders pledged swift and bold reform. That hasn’t happened, and Congress may be months away from coming together on the issue.
The Senate, within sight last week of passing a tough lobbying and ethics bill, got sidetracked by the Dubai port-management controversy and has moved on to other topics. House Republicans, at odds over such issues as whether to ban privately funded travel, have yet to introduce a bill.
Democrats have seized on the collapse of the Dubai ports deal to buttress their case that George W. Bush is an incompetent president unable to get the job done at home or abroad.
Uncle Sam wants YOU, that famous Army recruiting poster says. But does he really? Not if you’re a Ritalin-taking, overweight, Generation Y couch potato — or some combination of the above.
As for that fashionable "body art" that the military still calls a tattoo, having one is grounds for rejection, too.
Republican contenders for the White House walked a political tightrope at a weekend gathering of party activists — expressing solidarity with President George W. Bush while stressing differences over issues such as deficits and big government.
While praising Bush’s leadership, they condemned runaway government spending, rising debt and expanding bureaucracies — which have grown under Bush and added to a flood of political difficulties that have sent his approval ratings plummeting.
Does the heady atmosphere of Congress turn honest men and women into a criminal class? Or is elected office simply a magnet for those who lie, cheat and steal for a living? Political scientists and Constitutional scholars say it could be a bit of both.
Republican contenders for the White House walked a political tightrope at a weekend gathering of party activists — expressing solidarity with President George W. Bush while stressing differences over issues such as deficits and big government.
Democrats have seized on the collapse of the Dubai ports deal to buttress their case that George W. Bush is an incompetent president unable to get the job done at home or abroad.
A liberal Democrat and potential White House contender is proposing censuring President Bush for authorizing domestic eavesdropping, saying the White House misled Americans about its legality.