January 28, 2008, 7:59pm
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., is defending his decision not to impeach President Bush now one year into Democratic rule of Congress but said in an impromptu interview with a supporter of the idea that impeachment is “not off the table.”
Categories: Michigan, White House, Law & Judiciary, John Conyers
January 28, 2008, 7:13pm
President Bush will answer that question from his perspective later tonight as he gives his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Here are a couple of preview videos, including the speech expectations of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to get you in the mood:
Categories: Nevada, Harry Reid, State Of The Union
January 26, 2008, 4:14pm
President Bush gives his annual State of the Union address Monday and today offered his radio audience a glimpse into the priorities he will discuss in the speech.
Those priorities are economic growth and national security. Here are excerpts of Bush’s radio address:
In this week’s Democratic address, Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota emphasized efforts to boost the economy but also suggested a negative link between economic woes and national security. While praising bipartisan work by Congress and Bush to aid the economy, he also took partisan shots at Bush.
“President Bush has given us a fiscal policy that has piled up mountains of debt by insisting we fight the war in Iraq with borrowed money,” Dorgan said. “Even as his policies have escalated this unbelievable federal debt load, he continues to insist on giving more tax breaks to the super wealthy. Now, the American people know that doesn’t add up. That has to change.”
Categories: Podcast of the Week, Security, Weekly Radio Address, State Of The Union, Economy
January 19, 2008, 4:22pm
Challenging period. Downturn. Continued instability. Jeopardy. Presidents don’t use those kinds of words willingly to describe the American economy, but President Bush did in his weekly radio address today. Bush said the economy is in such bad shape that it needs an artificial boost from the government.
“After careful consideration, and discussion with members of Congress, I have concluded that additional action is needed to keep our economy growing and creating jobs,” Bush said. “Congress and my Administration need to work together to enact an economic growth package as soon as possible.” He said enactment of a stimulus package is “our most pressing economic priority.”
Bush’s goals for the stimulus package are for it to equal about 1 percent of gross domestic product, to encompass broad-based tax relief, and to be immediate and temporary. He said it should be aimed at boosting both business investment and consumer spending.
Separate from the short-term economic stimulus package, Bush urged Congress to make previous tax cuts permanent. “Unless Congress acts,” he said, “the marriage penalty will make a comeback, the child tax credit will be cut in half, the death tax will come back to life, and tax rates will go up on regular income, capital gains, and dividends.”
Democrats also emphasized America’s economic woes in a weekly radio address delivered by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank of Massachusetts. He agreed with Bush that “the need for action is now undisputed, so we should act together and we should act quickly.”
“Democrats stand ready to work with the president and congressional Republicans to put together a bipartisan package, including tax rebates for most Americans and one-time increases in programs directed at those who are bearing the heaviest burdens in this economy,” Frank said. Democrats are “guided by the need for increased assistance to those who are unemployed, to those hit hardest by the increases in food and energy costs, and, importantly, to those who have lost their homes or are struggling to avoid foreclosure.”
Categories: Podcast of the Week, Weekly Radio Address, Taxes, Economy
January 18, 2008, 4:16pm
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