Clark Hoyt, the NYT’s public editor, wrote an item in January exploring the paper’s decision to hire Bill Kristol as a columnist, a move Hoyt described as a “mistake.” For his part, Kristol has spent the last two months proving Hoyt right. In his latest gem, Kristol picks up on the conservative attack of the […]
When it comes to broadcast media, it’s increasingly common for networks to move away from hiring journalists to offer analysis and commentary, and towards professionals from the industry itself. In the world of sports, that means putting retired athletes in the booth instead of journalists or professional broadcasters. In the world of politics, that means […]
It was, to my mind, arguably the single most hackish moment of John McCain’s career. Last April, desperate to convince Americans that he was right about Iraq, the senator toured Baghdad’s Shorja market, bragged about how safe it was, and touted his experience as proof that Americans were not getting the “full picture about what’s […]
A year ago, Bear Stearns — up until fairly recently a leading investment, securities and brokerage firm — saw its stock trading for $170 a share. By the end of the calendar year, it was about $88 a share. As recently as four days ago, it was $57 a share. Yesterday, the entire company, in […]
As a rule, Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican, has generally been considered a “team player” in his party. He hasn’t always been quite as conservative as some of his rank-and-file colleagues, but on the big issues, Davis has always stood toe to toe with his Republican caucus. It’s why he was rewarded a few […]
The president spoke to the Economic Club of New York on Friday, delivering a speech that was apparently intended to help reassure the markets and investors that the Bush administration is aware of the economic downturn, and is prepared to take steps to address the problem. I think it’s safe to say that Bush came […]
In the midst of an unpopular military campaign, one senator took a firm stand for troop withdrawal, regardless of conditions on the ground. He insisted that waiting for democracy to “flourish” is folly, and America would be better served if locals were to “police themselves.” Asking American military personnel to prevent violence between one group […]
After John McCain and Hillary Clinton both ran campaign ads touting their abilities to answer the White House phone at 3 a.m. and deal with an unknown crisis, it’s become one of the more talked about facets of the campaign. But exactly how often does a president get a 3 a.m. call, and what’s expected […]
After the Iowa caucuses in early January, we saw tallied results that showed Barack Obama picking up 16 delegates. That number, though, was actually a projection of expected results when the Iowa Democratic Party met for its state convention. As it turns out, Obama ended up doing even better. Democrat Barack Obama expanded his fragile […]
Shortly after Super Tuesday, DNC Chairman Howard Dean sounded a relatively optimistic note, noting his belief that Dems will have a nominee “sometime in the middle of March or April.” If not, Dean said, he intended to “make some kind of an arrangement.” Well, it’s the middle of March, and road ahead still looks awfully […]