blogging the beltway
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New Role: Vindication for Susan Rice?
(The Root) — Susan Rice, whose rumored nomination to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state was torpedoed because of the controversy surrounding the September 2012 deaths of American foreign-service members in Benghazi, Libya, will become America’s next national security adviser. Rice will become the second woman, second black woman and, coincidentally, the second woman…
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Obama on Judicial Nominations: 'Don't Play Games'
(The Root) — In a statement from the White House Rose garden today, President Obama announced his nomination of three candidates for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. One of them: Judge Robert Leon Wilkins, an African-American Harvard Law School graduate and former law-firm partner currently serving as a…
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How DOJ Media Scandal Could Hurt Obama
(The Root) — John McCain once famously called members of the media his “base,” a statement on the fact that even when he was at odds with his own party, he could count on the media to give the “maverick” a fair shake. But according to reports, McCain felt that his base turned on him…
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The Man Who Blew the Whistle on the IRS
(The Root) — If you have followed any of the Internal Revenue Service scandal (hopefully here at The Root), you may have noticed two things: Three congressional hearings have uncovered exactly nothing relevant; and the wearer of the white hat, for once, is a black man. J. Russell George, a graduate of Howard University, is…
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IRS's Lois Lerner Does Obama No Favors
(The Root) — It seems that Lois Lerner, the head of the IRS Exempt Organizations division who is at the center of the Internal Revenue Service scandal, can’t get out of her own way. First her apology for her division’s targeted scrutiny of conservative groups — to neutralize fallout over a forthcoming audit (pdf) —…
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Could Chelsea Hurt Hillary?
(The Root) — By all accounts the 2016 presidential election is Hillary Clinton’s to lose. It should be. After all, it is arguable whether there has ever been a more qualified candidate in terms of experience, since she has served in the Senate, the Cabinet and the White House — for two terms, no less…
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How the IRS Scandal May Hurt Obamacare
(The Root) — So what if Senate Democrats foiled House Republicans’ repeal of Obamacare — for the 37th time? GOP lawmakers are drawing renewed hope of blocking the law’s enactment from, of all things, the IRS scandal. What does the Internal Revenue Service have to do with the Affordable Care Act? Everything. Since the government…
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Did Michelle Obama Send Jay-Z a Message?
(The Root) — Celebrity commencement addresses usually follow a pretty predictable formula: a few jokes and a few words of wisdom, delivered by someone successful, rich or famous (often all of the above) in hopes of inspiring a new class of graduates to become equally successful (or rich, or famous) someday. Rarely do such speeches…
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The IRS Scandal: A Reality Check
(The Root) — For the Obama administration’s critics, Steven T. Miller, the ousted chief of the Internal Revenue Service, might now serve as the face of the overreaching, politically intimidating and criminal behavior of big government under this president. That message is filtering from Republicans amid Miller’s testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee…
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Should It Be a Crime to Expose One to HIV?
(The Root) — It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. You raise your child to be cautious about strangers, only to discover that an adult you entrusted with his or her care is the one you should have feared most. A mother in Cahokia, Ill., is currently grappling with this harsh reality after discovering that a teacher’s…