GOP Hearts Condi, H.W. Bush Disses Norquist Tax Pledge, and More

Worst Congress Ever?

There’s a case to be made that the 112th Congress is the worst in U.S. history. Consider, for example, that the Congress President Harry Truman dubbed the “do-nothing Congress” was more productive than the current one. Another thing to take into account: This week, the House voted for the 33rd time to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Also take into consideration the record low approval ratings of Congress—so low, in fact, that they are less than half of what Richard Nixon’s were during Watergate. Those are just some of the 14 reasons The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein lists for why this Congress is the absolute worst. (Read more)

Bush Takes on Norquist Over No-Tax Pledge: George H.W. Bush isn’t a fan of Grover Norquist’s “no-new-taxes” pledge — a favorite among many conservatives — and other such strict agreements. In an interview with Parade magazine, the former president said: “The rigidity of those pledges is something I don’t like. The circumstances change and you can’t be wedded to some formula by Grover Norquist. It’s—who the hell is Grover Norquist, anyway?” (Read more)

Republicans Are Crushin’ on Condi: It’s only a matter of time before someone comes out with an “I have a crush on Condi” video, especially if rumors are to be believed that the former secretary of state is the front-runner to become Mitt Romney’s running mate. (Then again, the Drudge Report, which ran the Condoleezza Rice item Thursday, also said earlier this week that President Obama used to be a CIA spy in Pakistan.) It seems, however, that Moammar Gadhafi was not alone in his affections for Rice. According to Politico, Republicans are pretty smitten with her and the idea of a Romney-Rice ticket. (Read more)

GOP to Romney—Release Your Taxes Already: Democrats are no longer the only ones calling for Mitt Romney to release his taxes; a growing chorus of Republicans is joining them. Among those pushing Romney is Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, who told CNN, “His personal finances, the way he does things, his record, are fair game.” Other Republicans, including former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina have also said that Romney should release additional returns. (Read more)

Romney Sits Down for TV Interviews: Friday is shaping up to be a big day for the Mitt Romney campaign—and not just because of all the drama surrounding his Bain Capital record. Romney will sit down for five—that’s right, five—television interviews. And it’s not just on the GOP favorite Fox News Channel, but ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN as well. Presumably, he’ll address the Bain controversy head-on. Or, since this is Romney we’re talking about, he’ll dodge the questions. (Read more)

Video of the Day: Remember when everyone was all up in arms because Geraldo Rivera said Trayvon Martin was shot because he was wearing a hoodie? Well, he’s at it once more, this time claiming George Zimmerman’s police interviews about the shooting proved he “was right about the hoodie” and that Zimmerman attacked Martin because “he was wearing thug wear.” Not that Rivera likes to brag about that or anything. Rivera bragging? Never.

— Posted by Tracy Bloom