Too often, especially among reporters covering a presidential campaign, we first see “pack” journalism, followed at some point by “against the grain” journalism. When it comes to John Kerry’s prospects, we’re apparently just starting to see the latter. It couldn’t come at a better time. “Pack” journalism has reporters scrambling to be on the same […]
I suppose this was inevitable, but it’s painful nevertheless. The House passed legislation today that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words “under God” should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance. […] The bill, which the House approved, 247-173, would prohibit federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from hearing cases […]
The most disturbing piece of direct mail I’ve ever seen — which claims that “liberals” want to “ban” the Bible — was, in fact, a product of the Republican National Committee. The Republican Party acknowledged yesterday sending mass mailings to residents of two states warning that “liberals” seek to ban the Bible. It said the […]
Today’s must-read comes by way of the incomparable Dana Milbank, who noted that Republican arguments that Kerry and the Dems “are giving comfort to terrorists and undermining the war in Iraq” are pushing the boundaries of what has generally been considered acceptable political rhetoric. Appearing in the Rose Garden yesterday with Iraq’s interim prime minister, […]
I’ve heard the expression, “so easy, a child could do it,” but applying it to monkeys is a new one. Nevertheless, as several alert readers noted via email, monkeys have been able to manipulate touchscreen voting machines and manipulate vote totals. By all indications, this is not a joke. Critics of the Diebold touch-screen voting […]
John Kerry has been urging the Bush White House since March to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and start using its excess to help lower oil prices. The White House rejected the idea out of hand. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said…the administration opposed using supplies from the reserve because independent analysts have concluded […]
I’ve more or less sworn off national polling data — it’s a state-by-state race — but the latest poll from NBC/Wall Street Journal had a whole lot of interesting information that warrants attention. Let’s get the horserace out of the way. This poll shows Bush at 48%, Kerry close behind at 45%. Among likely voters, […]
In North Carolina last week, one of the few remaining Christian Coalition affiliates hosted their annual God & Country Banquet. As is often the case, sensible people stood outside and peacefully protested the group, its radical leaders, and dangerous agenda. So far, so good. But one of the featured speakers of the event was far-right […]
Being a press flack can be challenging in general, but I suspect it’s particularly tough when you work for Bush administration officials. After all, how do you defend the indefensible? In at least one case, by “repeating a string of expletives.” The Center for American Progress noted today that Tom Ridge, Bush’s Secretary of Homeland […]
I’ve been a bit of a skeptic about the possibility of Bush bringing back a military draft, but John Kerry struck a reasonable note yesterday on the issue. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, citing the war in Iraq and other trouble spots in the world, raised the possibility Wednesday that a military draft could be […]