Think Progress

Former Bushie: Rumsfeld tried to edit his own ‘Wika-wakka’ page, Rove spread rumors about a U.S. senator. - Monday, September 21st, 2009

In the new book that is causing “nervousness” amongst Bush loyalists, former speechwriter Matt Latimer reveals some of the dysfunction and disagreements in the Bush administration. HuffPost’s Ryan Grim reports:
– Donald Rumsfeld had to be talked out of editing his own entry on Wikipedia, which he referred to as “Wika-wakka.” He was a [...]

Ensign receives ‘round of applause’ from GOP colleagues. - Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) reportedly received a “round of applause” from his GOP colleagues today at the weekly conference lunch, his “first meeting with them since the sex scandal that cost him his leadership position.” “All I can say for sure is that it [Ensign's speech] was very, very sincere, very heartfelt and very [...]

Hannity Reluctantly Calls On Ensign To Resign - Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

On his Fox News show last night, Sean Hannity touted a poll showing that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), who admitted to an affair with a campaign staffer last week, has a higher favorability rating than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). “Ensign remains more popular than another Nevada politician whose popularity is remarkably low,” said [...]

FLASHBACK: Ensign Called On Clinton To Resign After Admitting Affair — ‘He Has No Credibility Left’ - Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza reports that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a member of GOP leadership and a potential candidate for president in 2012, will hold a press conference later today in which he will acknowledge having an extramarital affair “with a campaign staffer who was married to an employee in Ensign’s Senate office.” Ensign [...]

The 20 senators who bailed out Wall Street but refused to rescue auto workers. - Friday, December 12th, 2008

Last night, the Senate failed to approve the auto rescue package, voting 52-35 in favor of proceeding on the bill — just eight short of the 60 votes that were needed. Over on the Wonk Room, Dan Weiss takes a look at the 20 senators who voted for the Wall Street bailout but voted against [...]

Court to Larry Craig: You’re still guilty. - Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) will not be allowed to withdraw his 2007 guilty plea to “disorderly conduct after he was arrested last year in a bathroom at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport by an undercover policeman.” The court ruled that Craig’s rights had not been violated and that his guilty plea was “accurate, voluntary and [...]

Senate Throws Good-Bye Party For Ted Stevens, Gives Convicted Felon A Standing Ovation - Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Today, Ted Stevens — Alaska’s defeated Republican senator and a convicted felon — was granted time on the Senate floor to deliver his farewell speech. Stevens said that he still can’t believe that he’s “privileged to speak on the floor of the United States Senate.” He also added that he “doesn’t have a rear-view mirror. [...]

Hagel, 8 other GOP senators to pass on RNC convention. - Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

The Hill reports Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) is “skipping the GOP convention.” Along with Hagel, the following conservative senators are also taking a pass: Pat Roberts (R-KS), Ted Stevens (R-AK), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Larry Craig (R-ID), Wayne Allard (R-CO), and John Sununu (R-NH). Roger Wicker (R-MS) is undecided about [...]

ThinkFast: August 6, 2008 - Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Former Olympic gold medalist speedskater Joey Cheek had his visa revoked by Chinese authorities, just hours before “he was set to travel to Beijing to promote his effort urging China to help make peace in the war-torn Darfur section of Sudan.” In 2006, Cheek contributed his $25,000 gold medal award to help refugees from Darfur.
Six [...]

ThinkFast: July 28, 2008 - Monday, July 28th, 2008

The White House has “increased its estimate for next year’s deficit to nearly $490 billion, a record figure that will saddle the next president with deepening budget problems in his first year in office.” The rising deficit “marks a sharp turnaround for Bush’s fiscal legacy. He inherited a $128 billion surplus when he came into [...]

Larry Craig wants to continue ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ - Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Today, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel is holding the first congressional hearings on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 15 years. To mark the occasion, the conservative news outlet CNSNews.com asked some members of Congress if they still support the discriminatory program. Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who was busted last [...]

Sens. Craig and Vitter team up to co-sponsor Marriage Protection Amendment. - Friday, June 27th, 2008

Larry Craig and David Vitter — “two United States Senators implicated in extramarital sexual activity” — have named themselves as co-sponsors of S.J. Res. 43, the Marriage Protection Amendment. If passed, the bill would amend the Constitution to declare that marriage “shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.”

ThinkFast: June 13, 2008 - Friday, June 13th, 2008

“The number of U.S. homeowners swept up in the housing crisis rose further last month, with foreclosure filings up nearly 50 percent compared with a year earlier,” reports the foreclosure listing company RealtyTrac Inc. “One in every 483 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing in May, the highest number since RealtyTrac started the report in [...]

Larry Craig surfaces in contentious Senate GI Bill debate. - Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Huffington Post reports that Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) “quietly created presidential campaign ripples on Tuesday” when he “announced that he would offer an amendment to the forthcoming Iraq war supplemental that would strip the legislation of Sen. Jim Webb’s [D-VA] GI Bill.” Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also played politics with veterans’ [...]

Anonymous Republican Senator Places Hold On Top Justice Department Nominees - Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

The Bush administration has repeatedly attacked the Democratic Congress for stalling on the President’s executive nominees. In January, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said it was unfortunate the Democratic leadership “has not moved forward on its obligation to have hearings and to hold votes.” Last month, Bush said the Senate is treating his nominees as [...]

McCain: ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ If Indicted Congressman Renzi Is Still Part Of My Campaign - Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Last Friday, Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), who is a member of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) National Leadership Team and a co-chair of his Arizona Leadership Team, was indicted for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes. Asked that day about Renzi’s indictment, McCain said he didn’t “know enough of the details to make a [...]

Larry Craig receives standing ovation. - Sunday, February 24th, 2008

The South Idaho Press reports:
A standing ovation for Sen. Larry Craig’s service to Idaho was the highlight of the Mini-Cassia Lincoln Day Luncheon presented by the Republican Party committees of Cassia and Minidoka counties Friday afternoon at Morey’s Steakhouse in North Burley. [...]
Craig was given a painting by renowned local artist Robert Moore. … But [...]

Senate Ethics Committee admonishes Craig. - Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

In a letter released today, the Senate Ethics Committee “publicly admonished” Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) for “attempting to use his public office to get out of his arrest last summer in a Minneapolis airport restroom sting.” The letter, which was signed by all six members of the panel, “also criticized Craig for attempting to withdraw [...]

ThinkFast: January 9, 2008 - Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

President Bush “had a powerful effect” on New Hampshire’s Republican primary. Roughly half of GOP voters “had a negative opinion of the Bush administration, and those voters significantly went for Arizona Sen. John McCain by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.” Of those with a “positive opinion of the administration,” 37 percent voted for Mitt Romney.
There was [...]

Embattled Larry Craig Escapes To Bali To Stall Global Warming Treaty - Monday, December 3rd, 2007

Currently the subject of an ongoing ethics investigation, continued allegations of being gay, and stripped of his leadership positions on the Veterans’ Affairs and Appropriations Committees, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) is seeking temporary solace in the tropical resort island of Bali.
Craig is traveling to Bali this week for the U.N.-led climate change conference as the [...]