Guest Post by Morbo Now that you’ve finished off the last of the Halloween candy, it’s time to get ready for this year’s “War on Christmas.” That’s right — the Religious Right is already cranking up this nonsense. It does not matter that there is no “War on Christmas.” The very phrase has become such […]
Guest Post by Morbo Just how out of it is the Religious Right when it comes to sex education in America? Consider this: A recent poll shows that 67 percent support the distribution of contraceptives in public schools. The new poll by the Associated Press-Ipsos shows that most people favor a system of parental consent, […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Say hello to your next Attorney General: “Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California say they will support Michael Mukasey’s nomination to be attorney general. Both are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.” * This has the potential to be very interesting: “Secretary of […]
It’s obviously just a conversation piece, meant for water-cooler fodder, but it’s Friday afternoon, and I kind of like mulling over pieces like these. London’s Telegraph has finished its lists of the most influential liberals and conservatives in the U.S. Some of the finalists are, well, odd. First up, the libs. Bill Clinton is #1, […]
In Tuesday night’s debate for Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton’s rivals went after her fairly aggressively on everything from consistency to integrity to electability. The frontrunner appeared a little rattled at time, but in the end, Clinton was probably no worse for wear. But it’s the post-debate spin that’s turned out to be more provocative. […]
There’s been some grumbling of late that if Senate Dems successfully defeat Michael Mukasey’s Attorney General nomination, the Bush White House may just turn around and offer someone even worse. Mukasey’s future remains in doubt, but that’s one scenario Dems need not fear. President Bush yesterday warned Democrats that if they do not confirm his […]
For five years, the Bush White House has had no more reliable an ally on Iraq policy than John McCain. So it was more than a little odd to hear the presidential hopeful lash out at his top Republican rivals today for not doing more to question the president’s Iraq strategy. …McCain broadened his broadside […]
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has been a little off-track the past couple of weeks. The gospel concert in South Carolina was a dumb mistake, compounded by additional dumb mistakes. Taking on Social Security solvency proved to be very unhelpful. He took the right stands on telecom immunity and the Mukasey nomination, but only after others […]
When the Washington Post added Michael Gerson, Bush’s former chief speechwriter, to its stable of columnists, I tried to give Gerson the benefit of the doubt. He’s a former journalist, he can turn a phrase, and when it comes to former speechwriters joining major papers, William Safire sets a pretty low bar. With that in […]
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: * John Edwards’ campaign has released probably the hardest-hitting spot of the Democratic campaign, issuing a YouTube clip this morning accusing Hillary Clinton of engaging in the “politics of parsing.” * Speaking of […]