Wesley Clark gets unexpected boost from Milosevic trial testimony

Obviously, having a U.S. general testify at a war crimes tribunal for an evil murderer he helped capture is an important development and Wesley Clark’s testimony against Slobodan Milosevic will help put a very bad guy away for good. But looking at this from a purely political perspective, this also looks like a win for […]

It’s okay to criticize Howard Dean, but not like this

Regular readers know that I’m not Howard Dean’s biggest fan. He’s not as far down on my list as, say, Joe Lieberman, but there are at least four other Dem candidates that I’d rather see get the party’s nomination. With this point in mind, I’m certainly not opposed to criticizing Dean honestly and frequently. You […]

A quick break for crass commercialism

The holiday season is upon us and that means one thing — celebration of religion. Oh wait, that’s not it. The one thing is, of course, honoring family and tradition. No, that’s not right either. I remember now. The holiday season means one thing above all else — shopping. It occurred to me that some […]

This guy has been hired as one of our security guards?

One of my regular readers, whom I fondly refer to as Dr. Who, noticed an odd quote in an MSNBC story about Iraqis’ reaction to Saddam Hussein’s arrest. The story played it pretty straight, quoting some Iraqis who were thrilled by the news and others who were disappointed. But at the end, there was this: […]

Breaux is the latest Southern Dem senator not to run for re-election

Confirming months of rumors, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) has decided not to seek re-election to the Senate. To state the obvious, his departure will make it even more difficult, if not impossible, for the Dems to mount a successful drive to re-take the Senate in 2004. Were Breaux to run for a fourth term, his […]

Why I have no idea who’ll benefit politically from Hussein’s arrest

Whenever anything on the magnitude of capturing Saddam Hussein happens, there are immediate questions about “what this means.” What will it mean for Bush’s poll numbers, will it begin to slow Howard Dean down, will it help Dem candidates who voted for the war resolution, and so on. I don’t mean for this to sound […]

Be sure to vote in Nader’s online survey

The official Ralph Nader exploratory committee has, believe it or not, posted a “questionnaire” asking people to vote on whether they’d “support a Ralph Nader candidacy for President.” At your earliest possible convenience, head over there and register your thoughts. There’s even a little box at the end, where participants are invited to “express your […]

Saddam Hussein is captured

I don’t think I have any brilliant insight or unique analysis to offer on the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, but I have a few thoughts to share. First, let me be among the last to state the obvious: Hussein’s capture is an obviously good thing. He was a brutal dictator with a record […]

More fall-out from the Iraqi reconstruction contracts debacle

I know it’s a competitive category, but I feel compelled to nominate the decision to bar France, Germany, Canada, and Russia from Iraq reconstruction contracts as The Dumbest Thing The Bush White House Has Done Lately. It’s tough to choose sometimes, but this one really is breathtaking. Bush personally began defending the move yesterday, though, […]

Dean may be popular with N.H. Dems, but they may not be enough for the general election

In the 2000 election, Al Gore only lost one state in the Northeast — New Hampshire, where he came up just 7,000 votes short. As has been well documented, a Gore victory in the Granite State would have been enough to win the election, even without Florida. Going into 2004, Dems have been looking at […]