Joe Scott 3: The Body Politic

After the Split: Labor Resurgence?

31 July 2005 |permalink | email article

The House of Labor is now divided. At issue: major implications for 2006 state and national elections, the fate of a special California election this fall and continued solidarity within the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

Last… read full story

CIA Leak Case: Unraveling Coverup?

28 July 2005 |permalink | email article

The outcome of a federal probe into the leaking of a CIA agent’s identity could linger well past a grand jury term in October, creating a period of uncertainty for President Bush and senior aides - and most important,… read full story

LAX: Scary Runways, Scary Landings

26 July 2005 |permalink | email article

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s two-day trip to Washington confirms that he will be an effective advocate for federal aid to assist transit and security needs in Los Angeles.

He met with key Republican House chairmen, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, National Intelligence… read full story

Fight or Regroup

25 July 2005 |permalink | email article

Pumping iron was a lot easier. Politics just got more difficult for celebrity Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After cancelling a multi-million dollar publishing contract which raised conflict of interest questions- and with his poll numbers even lower than President Bush… read full story

Focus on Rove, not Roberts

22 July 2005 |permalink | email article

President Bush, because of consigliere Karl Rove, executed a deft maneuver in advancing the announcement of Judge John Robert’s nomination to the Supreme Court. To the chagrin of Democrats, stories about Rove’s possible involvement in the federal leak investigation… read full story

A Political Tower of Jelly?

20 July 2005 |permalink | email article

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has morphed from bodybuilder to film action hero to accidental governor, promised to make 2005 a “year of reform” in California. He’s called a special election to fulfill that promise with three controversial initiatives on the… read full story

The Villaraigosa Rumor

18 July 2005 |permalink | email article

Only weeks after he became mayor of Los Angeles this month, the rumors began - first in the Daily News, and later in the weekly Downtown News and Los Angeles Independent - that Antonio Villaraigosa might weigh a run… read full story

Protecting Confidential Sources

15 July 2005 |permalink | email article

A national debate has erupted within the Scribbling Class over the right of journalists to protect their confidential sources. Some snapshots:

New York Times columnist Frank Rich framed the issue last Sunday in noting that “it’s hard to be… read full story

Bolton: Waiting for the Recess

14 July 2005 |permalink | email article

I raised a question last week about the fate of John Bolton, the outspoken conservative who often criticizes the United Nations and is President Bush’s faltering nominee to be ambassador to the world organization: Is Bolton Toast?

The answer… read full story

Global Warning: The Odd Couple

10 July 2005 |permalink | email article

Global warming was a priority at the Group 8 summit in Scotland. But a negative President Bush blocked efforts by Prime Minister Tony Blair to get agreement on specific targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. How did a… read full story

Is Bolton Toast?

09 July 2005 |permalink | email article

John Bolton, President Bush’s confrontational choice to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations, remains in political limbo.

With the months-long battle over Bolton’s nomination no longer headline-grabbing news,… read full story

Supreme Court Nomination War

03 July 2005 |permalink | email article

It’s a day about the Declaration of Independence but also a moment to cherish the independence of the United States Supreme Court. The unexpected resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, whose 24-year tenure was pivotal in often… read full story

Alcalde Villaraigosa: L.A. Dreamin’

02 July 2005 |permalink | email article

After former Chief Justice Earl Warren, then 83, administered the oath to Councilman Tom Bradley as mayor in 1973, I asked the native Angeleno about the impact on the city of having its first black mayor. He replied, “This… read full story