In honor of Veterans’ Day, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) wrote a joint-post for Wired’s Danger Room on the thousands of U.S. troops who return home only to find that their jobs (and benefits) are gone. In 1994, Democrats in Congress and the Clinton White House successfully passed a law […]
For years, John McCain has claimed to be a reform crusader, decrying the role of outside groups in the political process. Now, with his presidential campaign struggling, and his coffers running low, an outside group is stepping in to give McCain a hand when he needs it most. The so-called Wounded Warriors Act, legislation intended […]
I don’t care that Rudy Giuliani is a thrice-married serial adulterer. I care that there’s one level of scrutiny for Democratic presidential candidates, and an easier one for Republicans, when it comes to personal lives. Greg Sargent notes today that the Washington Post’s David Broder chatted with readers late last week, and there was a […]
I tend not to pay too much attention to Hollywood news, better yet the details of box-office receipts, but apparently, conservatives have been closely following opening-weekend numbers for politically-themed movies. And they want to gloat. According to the AP, “Bee Movie” was #1 this week, followed by “American Gangster,” and “Fred Claus.” Coming in fourth […]
The reason presidential campaigns focus so much energy, attention, and resources on the early primary states is painfully obvious. No one needs a PhD in poli sci to know that winning early contests gives successful candidates everything they want and need to propel their campaigns (positive media attention, money, momentum), while candidates who falter in […]
One of Ron Paul’s selling points as a presidential candidate is his willingness to reject Republican orthodoxy. As the theory goes, the modern-day GOP has been taken over by neocons and religious extremists, and Paul’s libertarian-brand conservatism rejects both. Given that most liberals have a similar disdain for the Podhoretz and Dobson crowds, Paul has […]
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: * Edwards strikes the right note on Veterans’ Day: “John Edwards will announce today a $400 million plan to increase awareness and treatment for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Edwards’ plan would […]
Given his background and experience, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) probably expected his presidential campaign to be in better shape by now. He’s excellent in the debates, he can speak with authority on matters of foreign policy, and he’s been around long enough to know how to play the game. He’s even delivering some nice anti-Giuliani […]
There was a point in the early summer in which it looked like John Edwards looked at Barack Obama as a rival to be targeted. Edwards publicly questioned Obama’s electability, and accused the Illinois senator of “stealing” some of his policy proposals. As a strategy, this made perfect sense. With Hillary Clinton leading the field, […]
With the Bush administration re-writing the privacy rule book — and in some cases, simply throwing it away — it probably shouldn’t come as too big a surprise that Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, wants the American electorate to expect privacy to mean something different from now on. (thanks to Zeitgeist […]