Thompson remembers the Schiavo controversy, snubs far-right base

In mid-September, while campaigning in Florida, Fred Thompson was asked for his thoughts on the Terri Schiavo case from 2005. Thompson pleaded ignorance. “That’s going back in history,” he said. “I don’t remember the details of it.” It seemed a little odd. 2005 wasn’t all that long ago. In fact, Thompson helped prep John Roberts […]

Tuesday’s political round-up

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: * Politico: “The Obama campaign has scheduled a conference call with campaign manager David Plouffe and other top aides to re-assure gay donors and other backers who are angry at the inclusion of […]

The Abdallah Higazy farce

Yesterday, Kevin Drum asked a good question: “Is there really as little interest in the Higazy redaction story, from both left and right, as a quick search of Google Blog indicates? … [It] sure seems like a juicy story, but it’s not getting much play today.” I read that and thought, “Now, which one was […]

McCain wants another ‘seven or eight months’ in Iraq

War supporters have historically talked about staying the course in six-month increments. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), apparently, wants to expand the timeline a bit. (via ThinkProgress) Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., predicted the next eight months will reveal whether the battle against insurgents in Iraq will be won, and, if not, the American people […]

The problem with Obama’s ‘gospel tour’

It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. Late last week, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced it had recruited several gospel acts for a tour of South Carolina. As campaign strategies go, this didn’t look controversial — a gospel tour, featuring predominantly African-American artists, would target black evangelical voters in an early primary […]

One out of 56 is not ‘most’

In Sunday night’s debate for Republican presidential candidates, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tried to reinforce his opposition to abortion rights on historical grounds. “There are some real issues out there in this country we need to be fighting for on behalf of the people. Now, one of them, quite frankly, I do believe, is […]

The self-parodying Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week kicks off

It’s a genuinely tough call. One is certainly tempted to ignore David Horowitz’s “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week,” which kicked off yesterday, because it’s just too absurd to even bother. Or one could marvel at “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week,” and offer a reminder of just how far gone today’s conservative movement really is. Let’s go with the latter. […]

Monday’s Mini-Report

Today’s edition of quick hits. * Almost immediately after Bush asked for more Iraq money from Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the White House not to expect lawmakers to “rubber-stamp” the latest request. “In the coming weeks, we will hold it up to the light of day and fight for the change of […]

CNN’s Beck finds the political lining to California’s wildfires

The devastating fires continue to ravage southern California. At least one person has been killed, dozens have been injured, and hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes, including a quarter-million people in San Diego alone. Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds consumed huge swaths of bone-dry Southern California on Monday, burning dozens of […]

Rangel rips Rudy’s risque record

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton booster, went where few have dared to tread — he went after Rudy Giuliani’s scandalous personal life. In a cover story on Giuliani in this week’s New York Observer, Rangel went after Giuliani in unusually personal ways, expressing […]