December 16, 2003

Poor Arnold. Such a short honeymoon

Looks like California Republicans are beginning to figure out that Governor Gropenator may not be a good-government genius after all. Especially the genius part. The Democrat-controlled Legislature appears to have taken Schwarzenegger to the cleaners on the plan restore California’s finances to something resembling sanity. Sacramento Bee blogger Dan Weintraub explains that part here. What’s really frying the GOP’s bacon, though, is that Schwarzenegger cut this deal without including them. This has one writer for the National Review Online, comparing Ahnuld with – of course! – Bill Clinton. “By virtue of Schwarzenegger's celebrity and leadership of our most-populous state, his actions matter a great deal to the Republican party and therefore conservatives nationally,” huffs Andrew Peyton Thomas, a Phoneix laywer who wrote a biography of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. “The principles at stake are momentous. Should runaway government spending be permanently curbed, or should we just write up a bill for the next generation of taxpayers and continue with business as usual? Should the voters care about such issues as character and the rule of law, or only when Democratic politicians are the gropers? Are there core principles that unite Republicans beyond the common desire to win elections? Such questions will be answered, one way or another, by the GOP's collective reaction to these events in the Golden State.” Well, Schwarzenegger warned everyone that his administration wouldn’t be poltiics as usual. And dredging up the governor’s personal morality, or lack of it, at this late date is just laughable. I think there’s an old saying about pigs and mud that applies here. And if all else fails, there’s always r-e-c-a-l-l.

Posted by tbrown at 12:26 PM

After Saddam, what?

If I knew I’d be happy to share. But it really does seem unlikely that his capture is going to change realities on the ground much in the short run. Attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqis who are working with coalition forces continue unabated. And Newsweek has a thin, but unsettling piece that says Osama bin Laden is cutting his support for the Taliban in Afghanistan in order to shift more money and terrorists into Iraq.

Posted by tbrown at 12:20 PM

Dick Cheney says he’s still above the law

And the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to listen to his argument. At issue is whether the veep has to disclose which Big Energy insiders he met with, and how often, in developing the administration’s energy policy. "To allow further discovery into the advice provided by the president's closest advisers would upset the ability of the president and vice president to effectively develop strong national policy," Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo lamely contends. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by June.

Posted by tbrown at 12:18 PM