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 new CNN poll of New Hampshire Republicans shows Rudy Giuliani dropping fast, and Mitt Romney solidifying his lead. As of now, Romney is out in front with 33% support, followed by […]
Rudy Giuliani was treated for prostate cancer. John McCain has been treated for melanoma, the most serious type of skin malignancy. Fred Thompson was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. And as the LA Times’ Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar explained in a good piece today, all three could be denied healthcare insurance under their […]
The New York Times has an encouraging front-page piece today about many families in Iraq finding that they can exhale for the first time in quite a while, thanks to modest improvements to security. The piece noted one Shiite librarian in southern Baghdad who is “one of many Iraqis who in recent weeks have begun […]
In April, when U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Rachel Paulose was appointed, the controversy was almost immediate. First, her predecessor, Thomas Heffelfinger, resigned under suspicious circumstances. Second, Paulose, at 34 the nation’s youngest chief federal prosecutor, treated herself to an elaborate “coronation,” complete with a Marine Corps honor guard and choir. Third, she clashed with her […]
All the usual caveats apply — it’s just one poll, there are still six weeks until the caucuses, anything can happen, the margin of error is important, and Iowa is a notoriously difficult place to conduct reliable polls, in part because it’s hard to know exactly who is going to caucus. But having said that, […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Congressional Republicans are still running for the exits: “In a surprise move, Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.) announced Monday that he will not be seeking a fifth term.” The 37-year-old Ferguson claimed, of course, that he wants to spend more time with his family, but it’s worth noting that he […]
One never knows what’s going to spur an ongoing controversy among leading media figures. Given some of the nonsense that captures journalists’ attention, I suppose it’s good news that there’s been so much interest in Ronald Reagan’s “states’ rights” speech in Philadelphia, Mississippi, 27 years ago. If you’re just joining us, the Great Krugman-Brooks Feud […]
There was a point a few months ago in which the anticipation in Republican circles about Fred Thompson’s candidacy was palpable. The GOP’s three most-competitive candidates — Romney, Giuliani, and McCain — each caused consternation, for one reason or another, among conservatives, and Thompson was going to be the guy on the white horse who […]
The mass exodus of the president’s top advisors isn’t quite over yet; Frances Fragos Townsend has decided to cash in on her White House experience and enter the private sector. Fran Townsend, the leading White House-based terrorism adviser who gave public updates on the extent of the threat to U.S. security, is stepping down after […]
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but it appears that Rudy Giuliani plans to use the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as some kind of selling point for his presidential campaign. Shocking, I know. Apparently, this surprising revelation has just reached the New York Post, which reported this morning that Giuliani is apparently starting […]