WATER COOLER
The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
Latest Blog Entries
Cato's president forced to step down
The Cato Institute's co-founder and president, Edward Crane, has been forced out by the libertarian organization’s board of directors, according to inside sources. John A. Allison, former chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation, will take over as interim president.
PICKET: NY-4 GOP primary candidate fights county 'machine'
New York’s 4th congressional district GOP primary is on Tuesday. Two Republicans, Francis X. “Fran” Becker, a Nassau County legislator, and attorney and former Hofstra University law professor Frank Scaturro are fighting it out to face Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat, in the general.
WISER: Attack of the drones
The use of unmanned aircraft systems or drones along the U.S. border with Mexico has been well-documented, but a recent law and actions by the Federal Aviation Administration have raised concerns that drones could soon be employed nationwide to monitor civilians.
PICKET: David Brock super PAC provides cover for its donors and Obama
However, two years later, the Obama campaign is finding that donations bundled so neatly by high dollar fundraisers are not coming in as easily. so President Obama’s campaign turned to Super PACs that Obama once vilified and the Obama campaign’s super PAC, Priorities USA, according to USA Today, can team up with another super PAC known as American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC started by Media Matters founder and president David Brock.
PICKET: Gohmert to Holder: Can't make same 'inadvertent' claim more than once
Gohmert Challenges Justice Department on Attorney General Holder’s “inadvertent” claim to Senate Judiciary Committee
PICKET: (VIDEO) Obama's and Holder's contradictory fast and furious time line
President Barack Obama asserted executive privilege moments before the House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday sat down to discuss the contempt charge against Attorney General Eric Holder relating to his non-compliance to the committee's subpoena for thousands of documents regarding the botched gun-walking operation known as "fast and furious."
PICKET: Oversight Committee votes to place Holder in contempt...Dems defend exec privilege
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, discussed why she believed the President could assert executive privilege today. President Obama did this in order to withhold documents relating to the Fast and Furious investigation Congressman Darrell Issa's Oversight Committee has subpoenaed.
PICKET: Boehner, Cantor Announce House Fast & Furious Contempt Vote Next Week
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) issued the following statement after the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee approved a resolution holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for his refusal to turn over subpoenaed documents related to the Fast & Furious operation
PICKET: Oklahoma CD-2 GOP primary candidate under the gun
A six person GOP primary for Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district is coming up next week on June 26, and the race for the retiring Rep. Dan Boren brings about interesting issues with it. One of the candidates, Markwayne Mullin, a local businessman and rancher, released a poll last week showing him with a wide margin lead of 15 points to the second place GOP candidate.
PICKET: Senators to IRS - Congress has made privacy the rule not the exception
Eleven Republican Senators on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) citing concerns over privacy protections and requested additional information regarding the agency's request of private donor information from organizations seeking tax exempt status.
PICKET: Caroline Kennedy's kumbaya with Obamas after reported snubs
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline sent Obama supporters a note on Father’s Day on Sunday praising not only President Barack Obama but also first Lady Michelle Obama. Under normal circumstances this e-mail would be par for the course. After all, the late Senator Ted Kennedy endorsed Mr. Obama during the Democratic primary in 2008 and half of the Kennedy family followed Senator Kennedy’s lead on his endorsement. However, according to the New York Times #1 bestselling book The Amateur by Ed Klein, Caroline Kennedy was snubbed by both Barack Obama and Michelle the moment Mr. Obama took the oath of office.
PICKET: (VIDEO) Obama 2011 - I can't stop deportations by executive order
On Friday, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that will allow illegal immigrants who came to the United States before they were 16 years old and are younger than 30 years of age to be allowed to remain in the country without the fear of being deported. This announcement is contradictory to the president's remarks over a year ago
PICKET: (AUDIO) Rep. Steve King to sue Obama admin over amnesty order
Rep Steve King, Iowa Republican, and Vice Chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee, said he plans to sue the Obama Administration over its decision to halt deportations of young illegal immigrants.
PICKET: Van Jones group uses NAACP style racism ad tactic against ALEC
Color of Change, a left wing attack group founded by former White House Green Jobs Czar Van Jones, is on a mission to smear the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a 30 year-old non-partisan membership association for “conservative state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty.” As a result of the organization’s successful assistance to lawmakers in state legislatures it has made them the target of liberal smear campaigns.
PICKET: The devil no longer wears Assad
Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour will welcome President Barack Obama to an $80,000 plate fundraiser in New York City at Parker's Manhattan penthouse on Thursday. While such an event is not necessarily unusual for the president these days, what is odd is the latest content to come out of the pages of Wintour’s high profile fashion magazine.
