It’s only logical for the Senate to question James Dobson, the evangelical Protestant who has a veto over White House social policy. And it will help moderate Americans better understand who really pulls the strings in the Republican party. Money quote:
Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said yesterday that his panel is likely to require Dobson and perhaps others to testify about such purported conversations. Asked on CBS’s “Face the Nation” whether the committee will “bring some of these people who said they were told things that perhaps they shouldn’t have been told, like Mr. Dobson,” Specter replied: “my instinct is that they’ll be called. And the American people are entitled to clarification.”
Specter has expressed interest in Dobson’s comments before, but yesterday marked the clearest signal that the broadcaster may be required to face the 18-member committee in public.
The upcoming hearings (if we get that far) will be the best SCOTUS must-see TV since the Thomas circus. Get your popcorn ready.
THE COMING TAX HIKE: When it comes, remember who is responsible:
To date, the Bush administration has a disjointed, two-track budget policy. It has favored letting Americans keep more of their money via tax cuts while steadily building up the welfare state via unrestrained spending. Over time, that that strategy can’t work. As Milton Friedman and others have long argued, the size of government is found in its total spending and, ultimately, spending is a taxpayer issue. Higher spending and resulting deficits create a constant threat of higher taxes. It’s no surprise that not just Democrats but even moderate Republicans are now arguing that Bush’s recent tax cuts be allowed to expire.
Bush’s long-term legacy will be a much bigger welfare state and much higher taxes. He will have achieved what Ted Kennedy would never have gotten away with. Congrats, conservatives!
The Dish 