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 Clinton went a little off message yesterday, telling supporters of his wife’s presidential campaign yesterday, “Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a […]
By all indications, American presidential campaigns have featured television campaigns for about six decades. Over that period, presidential hopefuls have made just about every appeal imaginable, but it appears that none have ever actually used the word “Christ.” In this sense, Mike Huckabee, whose first TV ad boasted that he’s a “Christian leader” (in all […]
Most of the political establishment agrees that federal defense spending is entirely off-limits — if you look askance at Pentagon funding, you’re necessarily “weak” and insufficiently supportive of the military. As a result, every Bush administration request for defense expenditures has been met by Congress, without exception. But it’s worth pausing once in a while […]
Over the weekend, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) raised a few eyebrows after an event in Iowa in which he endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Kerrey, who’s always had a reputation for pushing the rhetorical envelope with freewheeling and provocative remarks, offered some provocative comments about Barack Obama. “It’s probably not something that appeals to […]
Despite opposition from progressive leaders and activists, yesterday’s debate on FISA — and retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with Bush’s warrantless-surveillance scheme — was poised to go very badly. The political establishment had all but decided that this was a good bill, the media was treating the debate as a nuisance, and when […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * A growing number of U.S. military officials are pressuring the White House to “accelerate a troop drawdown in Iraq and bulk up force levels in Afghanistan.” Apparently, conditions in the “other” war are deteriorating quickly, and some administration officials now believe Afghanistan may pose a “greater longer-term challenge than […]
Following up on the extensive discussion over the weekend about the conservative establishment’s aversion to Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, Andrew Sullivan notes just how far this sentiment goes among leading bloggers on the right. Ace, for example, who few would consider a moderate, is even willing to vote for Hillary Clinton over the former Arkansas […]
Following up on an item from yesterday, “60 Minutes” aired a very compelling report late night, highlighting an awkward reality for our war-time military: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” mandates that gay servicemen and women who are open about their sexual orientation have to be discharged and thrown out of the armed forces. But recruiting difficulties, […]
For several years now, White House visitor logs have been a major point of contention with the Bush gang. About a year ago, for example, when Dick Cheney insisted that his visitor logs remain classified, the WaPo sued the administration for access. A federal judge eventually ruled that the logs were public information, prompting Cheney […]
Following up on yesterday’s news, Joe Lieberman officially endorsed John McCain today at an event in New Hampshire. The former Democrat carefully stuck to the Arizona senator’s campaign message. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) Monday crossed party lines to endorse GOP Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) for president, calling him the candidate who can best unite the […]