CBS screws up again

It’s as if the network wants to be humiliated. There’s no other way to explain it. Earlier this month, we learned that the Bush administration was launching a massive taxpayer-funded television ad campaign to promote its Medicare bill. Instead of using $9.5 million from the Health and Human Services budget to provide health care for […]

The odd conditions that have made civil unions the new middle ground

I remember when Howard Dean first started running for president in 2002, his support for Vermont’s civil unions law was supposed to be an almost disqualifying part of his record. Dean refused to back gay marriage, but his signature on the state’s civil unions bill — which came, effectively, under court order — allegedly put […]

More reasons to be skeptical about Calhoun’s story

The AWOL scandal has obviously faded a bit. That’s a shame, because there are key questions that remain unanswered. Realistically, though, it’s hard not to notice that the controversy isn’t dominating the way it was just a week ago at this time. I think there are probably at least three reasons for this. One, the […]

Kerry and Edwards lead Bush in national poll

If you had any doubt about the benefits of the Dems’ nominating process so far, look no further than the latest poll from USA Today/CNN/Gallup. In a hypothetical, general election match-up, Kerry leads Bush 55% to 43% among likely voters. More surprisingly, Edwards also leads Bush by a similar margin, 54% to 44%. I know […]

Proof that Bush doesn’t get past the sports section of the paper

One of my favorite Bush quotes of all time was a comment about his interest in the news. In a Fox News interview on Sept. 22, 2003, Bush explained his newspaper reading habits. “I glance at the headlines, just to get kind of a flavor,” he said. “I rarely read the stories, and get briefed […]

The woe of the ‘in-between’ states

Wisconsin’s primary is put on the schedule as a critical test — the last major challenge in a delegate-rich state before Super Tuesday. With this in mind, it’s easy to forget that the next important date on the calendar is not March 2; it’s February 24. Sure, Super Tuesday is the largest voting day in […]

Maybe the Dean campaign reads my site after all

I don’t like to brag, but I did call this one. The debate over whether Dean would drop out or keep fighting missed the third option: suspending campaign operations. Dean will still be on the ballot, he’s not endorsing anyone, and he’ll still use his delegates at the convention. Dean won’t actually be a candidate […]

‘It is wrong to discriminate… based on discrimination’

The president’s habit for offering embarrassing “Bushisms” is apparently spreading to other administration officials. The Washington Post noted today that the Office of Special Counsel publishes information offering government employees information about discrimination and their rights in the workplace. For years, this information has contained information about discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation. Naturally, the […]

Maybe Bush should tout his job-related program activities

The funniest AP feed I’ve seen in a long while: The White House backed away Wednesday from its own prediction that the economy will add 2.6 million new jobs before the end of this year, saying the forecast was the work of number-crunchers and that President Bush was not a statistician. White House press secretary […]

Chandler wins big in Kentucky’s 6th CD

As probably everyone knows by now, Ben Chandler (D) beat Alice Forgy Kerr (R) in yesterday’s special election in Kentucky. Chandler didn’t just squeak by; he won big — 55% to 43%. A 12-point victory in a conservative Southern district? Sweet. Considering this was the first race of 2004, and the Republican establishment’s candidate was […]