Keep holding your breath, everyone. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has said he’ll decide by September — at the earliest — whether or not to run for president. Already there are nine Democrats seeking the White House, so why, you might ask, do we need another? We already have at least one candidate, Sen. Bob Graham […]
Mary Lynn Jones
Mary Lynn F. Jones is a Washington-based writer. Her work has also appeared in The Chicago Tribune, National Journal, the Washington Business Journal, and Barron’s Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. A native Washingtonian, Jones has been a regular political commentator for WMAL-AM and has made numerous radio and television appearances, including on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” and Fox News Channel. Mary Lynn received her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College.
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Inert Alert
The next time the terror-alert level is raised to “orange,” you may want to avoid being in Arizona. That’s because the state is considering staying at “yellow” in order to avoid extra financial costs, according to a recent story in The Arizona Republic. In the article, Arizona’s homeland-security director, Frank Navarrete, says, “It creates incredible […]
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Cut Out
Well, it’s complete: The last member of President Bush’s original economic team is set to leave the White House. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mitch Daniels has announced that he will vacate his post within the next month to run for governor of Indiana in 2004. Daniels’ decision is hardly a surprise. For […]
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Stay Seated
Unlike Bill Bennett, I’m not a gambler. But if I were, I’d bet that Democrats aren’t going to take back in the Senate in 2004. This prediction may sound pessimistic (and a little odd, coming from a liberal magazine). But Democrats should be realistic about their chances. And the truth is, knowing that there’s little […]
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Jay School
Journalists are once again navel-gazing. The subject this time is the extraordinary series of lies told by Jayson Blair of The New York Times. The paper’s reporters and editors engaged in a heated discussion last Wednesday, with one staffer telling Executive Editor Howell Raines, Managing Editor Gerald Boyd and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., “I believe […]
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Environmental Factors
President Bush learned again this week about the dangers of naming a former governor to a presidential administration — especially when the administration is one that brooks little dissent. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor, announced yesterday that she will resign her post next month. Meanwhile, another governor-turned-cabinet-secretary also […]
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Which Way?
If you need an explanation for why the Democrats can’t score points against President Bush, look no further than a recent interview that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave to the National Journal. In the interview, Pelosi essentially defends the president’s war on Iraq and his national-security policy in general. Though she acknowledges that […]
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Rock and a Hard Place
Don’t envy Olympia Snowe. In the last two months, the Republican senator from Maine has been called to the White House for personal lobbying by the president and vice president, cornered by the House Ways and Means Committee chairman on the Senate floor, dubbed a “Daschle Republican” by The Wall Street Journal and denounced in […]
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Office Work
Among the most vulnerable senators up for re-election next year are a party leader, a presidential candidate and a rookie who got the job because of her dad. But despite the likelihood of a few hotly contested races, 2004 is actually shaping up to be a good year for Senate incumbents. According to the polls […]
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Party Poopers
It’s been fun to watch Republican Party leaders on Capitol Hill snarl at one another the last few weeks. House Republicans are livid at their Senate colleagues, especially Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), for approving a $350 billion tax cut. “It’s time that Mr. Frist gets his chamber […]