It’s a shame when current events make one cynical, and it’s tempting to see stories like this one as nothing but a big win for the United States, but there’s that gnawing skepticism that comes from a series of similar announcements that weren’t what they appeared to be. U.S. and Lebanese agents have foiled terrorist […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * [tag]Scott Howell[/tag] has made some highly noteworthy campaign ads lately. In 2004, he helped orchestrate the Swiftboat smear against Kerry. In 2005, he created TV ads against Tim Kaine in Virginia, claiming […]
Yesterday’s [tag]White House[/tag] event for Canadian Prime Minister [tag]Stephen Harper[/tag] was a fairly big deal for the recently-elected head of state Canada’s government. Harper, a conservative, has come under fire repeatedly for his defense of the Bush administration, and his ideological alliance with [tag]Bush[/tag], so Harper no doubt wanted yesterday’s joint press conference to go […]
USA Today ran an encouraging front-page article today about Americans who are [tag]volunteer[/tag]ing their time more than any time in recent memory. There’s just one detail the article left out. College graduates, shaped by such events as Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are applying to service organizations such as […]
It’s hard to imagine a [tag]CNN[/tag] on-air journalist sitting down with the [tag]president[/tag] for an hour-long interview without making any real news, but yesterday, [tag]Larry King[/tag] managed to pull it off. The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley noted that everyone, regardless of their profession, seems anxious to talk to King because they know the interview […]
I didn’t expect much progress in [tag]Georgia[/tag], but yesterday’s ruling on [tag]gay marriage[/tag] from New York’s highest court was disappointing. When Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage in November 2003, gay rights advocates imagined a chain reaction that would shake marriage laws until same-sex couples across the nation had the legal right […]
I tried to watch the [tag]Lieberman[/tag]-[tag]Lamont[/tag] [tag]debate[/tag] last night with an open mind. I make no secret of the fact that I prefer the latter to the prior, but I wanted to consider their debate performances without that bias in mind. And the one thing that I came away with was a surprise: I hardly […]
I’m generally not sensitive about these kinds of things, and when a conservative blog criticizes something I’ve written, I usually just blow it off. But today The Politburo Diktat had an item suggesting that I, among others, was one of the “lefties” who was wrong about a missile-defense system. Let’s explore that for a moment. […]
Yesterday’s [tag]White House[/tag] press briefing was dominated by questions about North Korea’s missile test launch this week, and reporters quizzed [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] about whether a U.S. military response is under consideration. Snow dismissed the speculation. “The United States has…robust and mobile military capabilities. But again, I want to steer you away. There are attempts to […]
The Washington Post considered the global landscape today in a front-page piece and concluded that Bush has more challenges than he knows what to do with — or may be prepared to handle. From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with [tag]Russia[/tag], the […]