When Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi spoke to a joint session of Congress last week, the rhetoric sounded awfully familiar. Indeed, since the address was a de facto campaign event for Bush, it was hardly surprising that Allawi would use GOP talking points in talking about the war and insurgency. But leave it to the […]
A week after Sen. Linc Chafee (R-R.I.) indicated he won’t vote for Bush on Election Day, the Republicans apparently aren’t sure what to do with him. Now that he has announced that he doesn’t plan to vote for President Bush in November, Sen. Lincoln Chafee said, the White House has a blunt message for him: […]
Last week, we got a hint that the Bush campaign was getting a little nervous about defending the disaster in Iraq, especially as John Kerry became more aggressive and assertive in his criticisms. “[Bush officials] are clearly worried that this could take a nasty turn,” said one senior Republican strategist who joined a conference call […]
I’m still working on a good name for this week’s presidential debate. The “Meeting in Miami”? A little dry. “Fun in the Sun?” It may not be fun — and it’s at night. The Note is going with “The Clash in Coral Gables,” but do enough people outside Florida know where Coral Gables is? I’ll […]
If you thought it was embarrassing that Republicans are offering $4,000 to health care consultants who can find senior citizens who are willing to speak out in favor of Bush’s new Medicare scheme, it was just the start of genuine (and amusing) desperation on the issue. A Carpetbagger regular named Katie alerted me to an […]
The conventional wisdom is that John Kerry picked a popular, telegenic, and charming running mate, only to keep him well hidden. What’s worse, we’re told, John Edwards is too nice to deliver the tough blows against Bush and Cheney. The truth is, John Edwards isn’t hiding and he’s hardly holding back. In recent weeks the […]
Before 2001, only three presidents in American history have served a full term and not vetoed anything (Adams I, Jefferson, and Adams II). With the ink on his veto pen having gone dry, George W. Bush is not only prepared to join a pretty select group, he’s about to become the first president in 176 […]
It’s hard to count all the mistakes the Illinois Republican Party made when it selected Maryland’s Alan Keyes to run as its Senate candidate. Party fundraising has been hurt, the down-ballot ripple effect may help Dems in Congress and the state legislature, and, naturally, the GOP has all-but lost a Senate seat that it currently […]
The AP had a terrific item over the weekend under the headline, “Bush Twists Kerry’s Words on Iraq.” It was the kind of fact-checking the media, especially the AP, is supposed to do. It captured the ongoing problem Bush has with the truth, in this case, as it relates to what John Kerry actually says […]
After last week’s bizarro fest, in which Bush and Allawi wanted America to know how stable and secure Iraq is, it was good to hear someone acknowledge that the insurgency in Iraq is getting worse, not better. Of course, this person runs the risk of drawing Bush’s wrath. After all, to notice publicly that Bush […]