http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ en-us 2010-02-09T17:30:55-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022328.php TUESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits: * Iran: "Brushing aside international calls for stricter sanctions against it, Iran said Tuesday it had begun enriching uranium for use in a medical reactor to a higher level of purity, raising the... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T17:30:55-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022327.php YOU FIRST, KIT.... It must be a day that ends in "y" -- a clownish far-right lawmaker is calling for another administration official to resign. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) called on Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan's resignation on Tuesday.... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T16:40:06-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022326.php THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS IN 2010.... In theory, this should be a straightforward exercise. Unemployment is painfully high, and threatens a fragile economic recovery. The stimulus package approved last year has made a considerable difference in improving the jobs landscape, but... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T15:35:13-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022325.php BRENNAN MAKES IT PLAIN....John Brennan, President Obama's senior counterterrorism adviser, has, as Adam Serwer noted this morning, "become the point man for the administration's pushback against GOP criticism on national security. " That appears to be a good move --... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T14:55:51-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022323.php STEELE REDISCOVERS THE 'RACE CARD'.... Michael Steele's first year as chairman of the Republican National Committee has not gone well. There have been controversies surrounding his gaffes, his budget, his lucrative side deals, his mismanagement, and his tantrums. Talk of... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T14:10:16-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022320.php THE CASH-AND-TRASH STORY GETS MORE HUMILIATING.... In one of the more entertaining moments of President Obama's recent chat with House Republicans, the president offered a spirited defense of the stimulus package that rescued the economy. Obama noted a certain inconsistency... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T13:25:53-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022319.php ABOUT THOSE PROSECUTION STATISTICS.... As baseless Republican criticism of administration counter-terrorism policies has intensified, the president's team has come up with some pretty straightforward defenses. When the GOP gets hysterical over trying accused terrorists in the U.S. justice system, Obama... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T12:40:29-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022318.php TUESDAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn't generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers. * Any chance Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes, who narrowly lost to Gov. Pat Quinn... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T12:00:57-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022317.php TOO WEAK AND TOO TOUGH AT THE SAME TIME.... I suppose it was only a matter of time before far-right voices started criticizing President Obama for having too much success killing terrorists. Here's former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen, writing, "Dead... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T11:25:22-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022316.php EVEN DUMBER THAN WE THOUGHT.... Former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) once claimed to have valuable foreign policy insights to offer because Vladimir Putin had flown over her state. She wasn't kidding. Nevertheless, Palin still feels comfortable talking about... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T10:45:23-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022315.php GOP'S WALL STREET OUTREACH HAVING AN EFFECT.... It didn't generate nearly as much attention as Democrats had hoped, but the WSJ ran a provocative item late last week about Republicans trying to solidify their relationships with Wall Street. As the... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T10:15:53-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022314.php SHELBY SHAKEDOWN SHUTDOWN?.... It was one of the more audacious gambits of the 111th Congress -- Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) placed a blanket hold on several dozen administration nominees, holding them hostage until the senator was paid off in earmarked... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T09:30:47-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022313.php NELSON'S LOVE OF OBSTRUCTIONISM.... President Obama last year nominated Craig Becker to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. There can be no doubt about Becker's qualifications -- he's been an associate general counsel for the Service Employees International Union... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T08:45:32-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022312.php WILLING TO TALK -- WITH PRECONDITIONS.... When President Obama announced on Sunday that he would host bipartisan talks on health care reform in two weeks, he offered congressional Republicans something of an opportunity. If the GOP wanted a chance to... Steve Benen 2010-02-09T08:00:41-05:00 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022307.php MONDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits: * Iran: "Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday that it will start producing higher-grade enriched uranium, prompting the United States and France to call for tougher U.N. sanctions against the... Steve Benen 2010-02-08T17:30:24-05:00