In September, PBS hosted a Republican presidential candidates’ debate at historically black college in Baltimore — and all of the top four GOP candidates decided to skip it. This followed close on the heels of a Univision-hosted Republican debate in Miami on Latino issues — which was cancelled when all but one candidate declined invitations. […]
MSNBC, allegedly the network that’s interested in moving to the left, reported this morning on the 16-count indictment brought against Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani’s close associate. The network showed viewers this on-screen headline: “9/11 Hero Indicted” Look, there were a lot of heroes in New York City on 9/11, but if there’s any evidence at […]
Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising that various presidential candidates are going to insist that they, and they alone, are uniquely suited to combat global terrorism. Some of the arguments are coherent but unpersuasive (John McCain emphasizes that he’s the only candidate who served in the military), while other arguments are plainly ridiculous (Rudy Giuliani […]
Conservatives have offered a wide variety of inane and offensive arguments in support of torture, but Chuck Colson, the Watergate felon turned prominent Christian-right activist, is the first to characterize torture as a noble act of civil disobedience. (via Steve M.) Inflicting bodily or psychological harm on a helpless captive would be inconsistent with the […]
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: * In an interview with the WaPo, Barack Obama explained his approach to negative campaigning. “I want to campaign the same way I govern, which is to respond directly and forcefully with the […]
As recently as a few weeks ago, it looked like the religious right’s leading groups and activists were coalescing around Mitt Romney, the one candidate they think is both credible and capable of beating Giuliani in the primaries. Bob Jones III and Mark DeMoss threw their support to the former governor; James Dobson seemed to […]
Three weeks ago, the president raised eyebrows around the world when he alluded to “World War III” during a press conference in response to a question about Iran. A reporter asked whether he believes Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon, leading Bush to say, “[I]f you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems […]
It’s hard to say for sure when the “silly season” started in the media’s coverage of the presidential campaign. If there was a “serious season,” it was exceedingly short. I’m afraid I missed it. But yesterday was unusually inane. A waitress at an Iowa diner noted that Hillary Clinton and her campaign aides had recently […]
A year ago, 84% of Philadelphia voters rejected Rick Santorum as their senator. Naturally, the “liberal” Philadelphia Inquirer responded by hiring him as a columnist. (One assumes he’ll refrain from highlighting local issues, considering that he’s lived in Virginia for several years now.) Often, with political celebrities who become columnists, ghostwriters step in to actually […]
When a mayor’s police chief gets indicted on federal corruption charges, it’s obviously a pretty tough development for that mayor to spin. Of course, the new criminal charges against Bernie Kerik aren’t just another indictment, and Rudy Giuliani is not just another mayor. Indeed, yesterday’s developments have the capacity to permanently undermine Giuliani’s presidential campaign. […]