Defense Secretary nominee [tag]Robert Gates[/tag], this morning. Asked if he thought the United States was winning the war in Iraq, Defense secretary nominee Robert Gates answered with a simple “no.” Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D- Michigan, asked the question during Gates’ Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. George W. [tag]Bush[/tag], six weeks ago: […]
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: * According to The Des Moines Register, “Sen. Hillary Clinton began making calls Monday to Iowa Democrats about the state’s political landscape with an eye toward its 2008 presidential nominating caucuses…. ‘She’s begun […]
I’ve grown increasingly frustrated of late with what passes for John McCain’s “straight talk,” in large part because it usually doesn’t make a lot of sense. Consider his latest gem. John McCain, who’s positioning himself as the GOP primary’s uber-hawk, today made it clear that there’s only one option he considers unacceptable for Iraq: compromise. […]
I “met” Tom Schaller a little more than three years ago after he wrote a provocative piece for the Washington Post arguing that Democrats should stop trying to compete in the South, especially in regard to presidential politics. I’d written something rather critical of Tom’s Post piece, prompting him to email me with a detailed […]
I should probably make one thing clear about the 2008 race and The Carpetbagger Report: I plan to remain neutral, at least as far as the Democratic primary race goes. I like several of the major candidates, but won’t officially take sides. Readers can expect me to say supportive and derogatory things about each of […]
For far too many on the right, Iraq can’t be Bush’s fault because, well, it just can’t. To hold him responsible for the calamity would be to label his presidency a tragedy. This is not to say the “blame game” should be avoided, only that fingers should be pointed away from the commander in chief. […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Sen. Diane Feinstein, the soon-to-be Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, is preparing to introduce legislation requiring paper trails for all electronic voting. As she said in a statement, “We must do everything we can to restore confidence in the outcomes of elections by helping to ensure that every […]