He was... "...the meanest, toughest, most ambitious S.O.B. I ever knew but he'll be a hell of a secretary of state." -- Richard Nixon
Alexander Meigs
Haig, Jr.,, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, who served US Presidents Nixon (as a military adviser, deputy assistant for national-security affairs, and chief of staff), Ford (chief of staff), and Reagan (secretary of state),
has died at the age of 85. Haig
commanded a batallion during the Vietnam War (where he was seriously wounded), managed the White House during the Watergate scandal that brought down President Nixon, and was himself a former Presidential candidate.
[more inside]
posted by zarq
on Feb 20, 2010 -
40 comments
Former White House spokesman
Tony Snow developed
colon cancer in February 2005 thanks to having suffered from
ulcerative colitis for much of his life; he died today from that ailment. Snow was a "Fox News Sunday" anchor, a Fox News Channel political analyst, a guest host for Rush Limbaugh's radio program, the host of Fox News Radio's "The Tony Snow Show", and a NPR commentator. Chief of Staff Josh Bolten told staffers that unless they could commit to staying the full remainder of Bush's term, they should leave by Labor Day 2007, prompting Snow's resignation (due to what he said were financial reasons), where he was succeeded by
Dana Perino. He played the guitar, saxophone and
flute and was in a band called Beats Workin'. "Bush's wavering conservatism has become an active concern among Republicans, who wish he would stop cowering under the bed and start fighting back against the likes of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Wilson," said Snow in a column. "The newly passive George Bush has become something of an embarrassment."
posted by WCityMike
on Jul 12, 2008 -
125 comments
It's a year since the untimely
death of
Chris Lightfoot. He had a remarkable
combination of political commitment and technical expertise that led him to develop sites
such as
WriteToThem and
Pledgebank for the splendid political and social
software group,
MySociety.
His political writing brings a sharp and sarcastic wit to bear on such subjects as the
Iraq war, and
ID cards.
There are also some good
rants.
A sad loss to British society.
posted by crocomancer
on Feb 11, 2008 -
6 comments
Saparmurat Niyazov is dead. The self-designated "father of the Turkmen" was the absolute ruler of Turkmenistan for fifteen years, a minor middle-Asian country which would completely escape the notice of the West if it wasn't for
Turkmenbashi's unique form of excess
and its oil. Along with the usual human rights violations and wallowing in wealth -- an estimated $3 billion cached in private accounts -- he dedicated himself to reshaping Turkmen's philosophy and cosmology on a scale to inspire Kim Jong Il. Among his accomplishments are
redefining the ages of Man and
renaming the names of days and months after neutrality, the flag, and Turkmenbashi's mother. Who now will speak up for
Turkmen Melon Day?
posted by ardgedee
on Dec 21, 2006 -
42 comments
Haughey Dead No, not
that one.
Charles Haughey – Former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, and probably the most controversial figure in recent Irish political history, has died of complications arising from prostate cancer.
posted by Sk4n
on Jun 13, 2006 -
26 comments
The Wise Man. George Frost
Kennan, (Feb. 16, 1904 — Mar. 17, 2005). Architect of the Cold War, father of the
Marshall Plan and the
doctrine of
containment in the "
Kennan Century".
In February 1946, as the second-ranking diplomat in the American Embassy in Moscow, he dispatched his famous "
Long Telegram" to
Washington. Widely circulated, it made Kennan famous and evolved into an even better-known work, "
The Sources of Soviet Conduct," which Mr. Kennan published under
the anonymous byline "X" in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs. More inside.
posted by matteo
on Mar 19, 2005 -
22 comments
Congressman dies of rare disease Congressman Bob Matsui, who was recently elected to a 14th term in Congress, has died due to a rare stem cell disease. Matsui, who was one of the leading opponents of President Bush's plan to eliminate Social Security, was the ranking Democrat on the Congressional subcommittee on Social Security.
posted by expriest
on Jan 2, 2005 -
26 comments
