Gary Hart declines to throw his hat in the 2004 ring

Former senator and two-time presidential candidate Gary Hart decided not to run for the Democratic nomination in 2004. It’s a little surprising to see Hart choose not to enter the race since every indication for the last four months has been he would announce his candidacy any day now. Hart told reporters, “I’ve concluded that […]

Indiana Jones DVDs due in November

This is a political blog, and I really wasn’t going to mention this, but as a personal favor to my best friend Maverick, I’m throwing it in as the last post of the day. (Mav, this is your official Carpetbagger birthday present) As the headline explains, the long-awaited DVD set for the Indiana Jones trilogy […]

Bush manages to offend Mexico and Canada on the same day

I’ve marveled, on more than a few instances, at the Bush administration’s disinterest in and occasional outright hostility for diplomacy. No modern president has done more to alienate so many U.S. allies in such a short period of time. During the buildup towards war in Iraq, the Bush administration worked to bully its way through […]

Deep budget cuts in a time of huge tax cuts

I freely admit there are many things I just don’t understand. I’ll never comprehend the appeal of disco, AT&T’s decision to hire Carrot Top as a spokesperson, and how to justify massive tax cuts for the wealthy at a time of deep budget cuts that actually hurt people. There are four truths occurring simultaneously and […]

Bill Bennett to stop gambling

In the interests of wrapping up the Bill Bennett gambling story, I wanted to point out that America’s virtue czar has said he will no longer gamble. In a written statement issued by the conservative advocacy group he helped to create, Empower America, Bennett said he will no longer be a high-stakes gambler. “It is […]

One final thought on who won the Dems’ South Carolina debate

Last night, I went back and read the transcript of the Democratic presidential candidate debate in South Carolina and noticed something new. Yesterday I said there was no clear winner from the debate. Today I’d like to take that back. The winner was Bill Clinton. Time and again, the candidates relied on President Clinton’s successes […]

The punditocracy reacts to the Bill Bennett gambling story

Bill Bennett is one of those public figures that is so widely known among Washington insiders and political reporters, that a controversy such as the one that came out Friday was bound to get serious attention. The news that Bill Bennett has what can fairly be described as a “gambling problem” spread like wildfire over […]

Dems should ignore Bob Novak’s advice about health care

During the Dems’ big South Carolina debate on Saturday night, candidates spent a lot of time discussing health care policy. Gephardt, in particular, was anxious to discuss the merits of his plan for universal health care and defend the proposal against criticism from several rivals. The next day, conservative columnist Bob Novak was on Meet […]

No clear winner from the Dem debate in South Carolina

As you’d imagine, I taped and enjoyed the first debate featuring all nine of the Democratic presidential candidates over the weekend. There weren’t many surprises in the South Carolina event, but the debate ended up being more substantive than I had expected and I think nearly all the candidates made a fairly good impression. In […]