For a variety of conservatives, most notably Rudy Giuliani and Joe Lieberman, supporting aggressive counter-terrorism measures isn’t enough. Credibility on national security is based largely on whether someone is willing to use the words “Islamic” and “terrorism” next to each other. It’s worth noting, of course, that the president, who enjoys the enthusiastic support of […]
I noted earlier that the top four Republican presidential candidates angered the religious right by blowing the first-ever “Values Voter” debate. But my friends at Right Wing Watch reminded me that one of the most interesting parts of the debate wasn’t who was there, or what was said, but rather, the song that got the […]
As you may have heard, Sen. John Kerry spoke and answered questions at the University of Florida yesterday. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a particularly noteworthy event, but when it came time for one particularly animated student to ask the senator a question, events quickly spiraled out of control. (This video includes quite a bit of […]
Last week was supposed to be a crossroads in the debate over Iraq policy. Testimony from Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker would captivate Capitol Hill; a prime-time speech from the president that pointed to the end of the surge would bring some comfort to the nation; and a controversial ad from MoveOn.org would […]
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: * Barack Obama will unveil a new tax plan today, which will propose more than $80 billion in annual tax relief for workers and seniors funded by an increase on wealthier investors. According […]
In case there was any doubt that the religious right’s power is on the wane, even in Republican circles, the evidence was quite clear last night in South Florida. Several evangelical groups co-hosted what they labeled the “Values Voter Debate,” featuring theocratic right-wing luminaries like Phyllis Schlafly, Roy Moore, Paul Weyrich, Don Wildmon, Rick Scarborough, […]
Over the last couple of years, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) has been one of the chamber’s least progressive on foreign policy. It’s why it came as such a surprise to see the senator, who has only supported toothless measures in the past, raise the specter of a funding cut-off yesterday. Congress should look at cutting […]
Following up on yesterday’s item, the Politico’s Jonathan Martin asked yesterday why John McCain’s claim about being a Baptist matters. The notion of being identified with one Protestant denomination but attending services at another doesn’t strike me as terribly odd or really all that uncommon. Is the fuss in South Carolina because McCain pointed out […]
With the nomination of retired federal judge Michael Mukasey as Attorney General, the White House seems to realize that its biggest hurdle may be on the right, not the left. The NYT reported today that Bush aides have made “a furious attempt” to “sell the nomination to conservatives. As part of the effort, six “leading […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Rudy Giuliani has been taking quite a few swings at MoveOn.org over the last several days. This afternoon, MoveOn swung back. * On a related note, Dick Cheney waded into the fight himself today, saying, “The attacks on him by MoveOn.org in ad space provided at subsidized rates in […]