About two weeks ago, Anne-Marie Slaughter, the dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, wrote a much-discussed Washington Post piece about bipartisanship. I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone who found Slaughter’s item worthwhile — it seemed to praise bipartisanship for the sake of bipartisanship. It was Broderism at its least helpful. […]
A couple of weeks ago, actor/senator/lobbyist Fred Thompson, a leading GOP presidential contender despite not having launched a campaign, lost his campaign manager, research director, and spokesperson in the course of a couple of days. Apparently, he fired his economic advisor, too. In his latest column, Thompson argues that Bush’s economic policies are superior to […]
The NYT’s Michael Gordon has developed an unfortunate habit. Bush administration officials and U.S. military leaders will pass along sensational tips about Iran intervening in Iraq to the detriment of American troops. Gordon, who wrote several wrong articles about Iraqi WMD before the invasion, dutifully passes along the administration’s line with minimal scrutiny. (E&P noted […]
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: * Bill Richardson unveiled his policy on a national healthcare system yesterday, though he went into far less detail than his top-tier rivals. “Speaking in Iowa, the New Mexico governor said he would […]
When describing the nation’s counter-terrorism campaign, we generally hear quite a bit about a “generational” conflict, but John McCain kicked things up a notch the other day, claiming the “global war on terror” will last quite a few generations. “I … firmly believe that the challenge of the 21st century is the struggle against radical […]
Al Gore seems all-too-aware of what the reality-based community is up against. Research aimed at disputing the scientific consensus on global warming is part of a huge public misinformation campaign funded by some of the world’s largest carbon polluters, former Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday. “There has been an organized campaign, financed to the […]
I can appreciate the fact that Kansas Republican Party is deeply divided between moderates and far-right activists. I can also understand the GOP’s desire to have Republican officials endorse other Republicans. But loyalty oaths? Seriously? (via Kos) The state Republican Party is forming a loyalty committee so that it can punish officers who endorse or […]
Usually, if a presidential candidates’ debate offers something truly memorable, it’s from one of the candidates, or perhaps an exchange between candidates. Last night, in a debate sponsored by the AFL-CIO, the most memorable moment came from the audience. Steve Skvara, a retired steel worker from Indiana, with tears in his eyes, asked a poignant, […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * If the New York Post is right (which is not always a gimme), the New York Times is poised to give up on its TimesSelect project and will re-open its op-ed page, for free, online. “The timing of when TimesSelect will shut down hinges on resolving software issues associated […]
I’d be remiss if I neglected to mention this gem from today’s WaPo. The Bush administration plans to leave oversight of its expanded foreign eavesdropping program to the same government officials who supervise the surveillance activities and to the intelligence personnel who carry them out, senior government officials said yesterday. The law, which permits intercepting […]