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: * A few weeks ago, we learned of leaked portions of Rudy Giuliani’s presidential playbook, given to the New York Daily News by a still-unknown GOP rival. Today, the Daily News’ Ben Smith, […]
One of the key domestic policy initiatives of the last State of the Union was a discussion of energy independence, so it came as little surprise that the president would revisit the subject this year. It must poll well. Unfortunately, there are a few problems with Bush’s energy agenda. OK, more than a few. President […]
Over the last decade or so, official responses to the State of the Union — Republicans responding to Clinton, Dems responding to Bush — haven’t gone particularly well. Some have even joked about a “curse,” leading to either ineffective speeches, political peril, or both. I think it’s safe to say Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has […]
For all the talk earlier this week about the president using the State of the Union to “change the subject” away from Iraq and onto domestic policy, Bush addressed the war in Iraq quite a bit last night. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much to offer. There were the three key sentences on what Bush wants. […]
As a political geek, I look forward to State of the Union addresses, no matter who’s president. These speeches, at a minimum, nearly always make for great political theater, and capture the political world’s attention. I usually enjoy the spectacle of it all. Bush, for all of his many tragic flaws, is capable of delivering […]
I’m afraid I’ll be away from my computer at 9 (ET), and won’t be able to comment on the president’s State of the Union address until morning. But that’s no reason not to have an open thread on the big occasion. In fact, I’ve obtained an advance copy of the entire text, which, if recent […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Remember way back in July 2005 when Plame-related speculation began to shift to Ari Fleischer? There was a good reason — he told “multiple reporters” about Joseph Wilson’s wife. In exchange for his testimony, Fleischer received immunity from prosecution. * The latest BBC poll on global opinions of the […]
There was an interesting exchange during yesterday’s White House press briefing that went largely unnoticed. A reporter asked Tony Snow, “Is Iraq the most important issue facing the U.S.?” Rather than answer with the obvious response (which is “yes”), Snow said, “[I]t’s hard to say…. Americans also have a lot of other domestic concerns.” Now, […]
Because I’ve been critical of the Washington Post’s John Solomon lately, particularly his odd front-page piece on John Edwards selling his house, I thought it only fair to note that Solomon defended his reporting during an online WaPo chat today. While I applaud Solomon for discussing his work with readers, I’m afraid his justifications were […]
Like Kevin Drum, I wasn’t expecting too many fireworks from Scooter Libby’s criminal trial. These showdowns are often anti-climatic, at least as far as dramatic you-can’t-handle-the-truth moments go, and while the evidence presented was sure to be fascinating, day-to-day developments would likely be fascinating only to the lawyers. Or so I thought. With jury selection […]