Granted, I already mentioned this just a couple of posts ago, but upon further reflection (and upon seeing a bunch of other good posts about this elsewhere), it probably deserves an item of its own. In his State of the Union address last night, Bush boasted, “We are grateful that there has not been another […]
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: * Today is the day for the Republicans’ closely-watched Florida primary, and with the polls tight, McCain and Romney didn’t hold back yesterday: “Mitt Romney branded John McCain a closet liberal Monday, an […]
The president’s State of the Union was effectively divided into two halves: domestic concerns and foreign policy. If Bush’s body language and tone of voice are any indication of his personal interests, he went through the motions on the first part, and seemed a little more engaged on the second. Of course, engagement and coherence […]
In 2001, when the White House decided it would work with congressional Dems on No Child Left Behind legislation, Dems made one thing perfectly clear: no vouchers. Plenty of ideas were on the table, but there was simply no way Dems would support a national plan that used public funds to subsidize tuition at religious […]
In the midst of a likely recession, and instability in the global markets, the president devoted 149 words of his State of the Union address to the economic downturn and what he wants to do about it. Conversely, he gave almost exactly the same amount of attention to decrying congressional budget earmarks. “The people’s trust […]
After watching the president’s 53-minute address to Congress last night, I feel pretty comfortable saying the state of the Union is … listless, frustrated, and ready to move on. That applies equally to Bush and his audience. The funny thing is the Bush White House has been offering something of a mixed message for the […]
I’m afraid I’ll be away from my desk during tonight’s address, but we’ll offer full team coverage* on the president’s State of the Union address in the morning. Instead, I thought we’d mark the big occasion with a SOTU open thread. Well, maybe “big occasion” is a little strong under the circumstances. My friends at […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The news we were hoping for: “The fight goes on. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) cloture vote failed 48-45 just now, well short of the 60 votes necessary. In the end, four Dems crossed over to vote with the Republicans: Sens. Mark Pryor (D-AR), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Blanche […]
John Cole noted this morning, “I honestly cannot recall a State of the Union address which has received less hype.” Neither can I. Usually, even for lame-duck presidents, the SOTU is a pretty significant moment of political theater. I remember the last addresses for Reagan and Clinton drew quite a bit of attention, but going […]
I keep looking for the issue that will drive Republicans away from John McCain for good. Today, in the WSJ, John Fund brings up yet another problem for the senator: judicial nominations, which is at or near the top of priorities for conservatives. Nothing would improve Mr. McCain’s standing with conservatives more than a forthright […]