Following up on an item from last week, independent efforts to help “define” John McCain while the Democratic nominating race continues got off to a very rough start, in large part because Democratic investors have been focused more on the Democratic primary than their Republican opponent. Progressive Media USA, however, stepped up to pick up […]
The awkward political reality of every campaign controversy is that every story has to be considered on two levels: on the merits and whether it will “matter.” If the needle doesn’t move, the story is deemed irrelevant. The interest in Barack Obama’s “bitter” comments, for example, has left the political world with bated breath, wondering […]
Just a few days ago, appearing on ABC’s “The View,” John McCain talked about the importance of increasing the size of the U.S. military. To entice more volunteers, he said, the government should focus on incentives: “[O]ne of the things we ought to do is provide [the troops with] significant educational benefits in return for […]
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: * The Clinton campaign strongly hinted over the weekend that it would use the “bitter” flap for the basis of an attack ad against Barack Obama, and last night, the campaign followed through […]
At first blush, this may seem like a harmless error of no consequence. But it’s significant, in part because it undermines the central focus of John McCain’s campaign, and in part because it fits into a disconcerting pattern. Speaking before the Associated Press’s annual meeting yesterday, McCain was asked whether he would consider “diverting troops […]
Recent revelations that the president and his top cabinet members “discussed and approved” specific interrogation techniques, including torture, has renewed speculation about possible criminal activities in the Bush White House. Highlighting the president’s admission about personally approving the discussions, the Washington Post’s Dan Froomkin noted, “If you consider what the government did to be torture, […]
It’s almost as if Joe Lieberman wants to sound like Zell Miller. Yesterday, Bill Kristol compared Barack Obama’s “bitter” remarks from last week to Karl Marx’s famous maxim about religion being the “opiate of the people.” Hours after Kristol’s piece hit newsstands, Lieberman appeared on the “Brian and the Judge” radio show, and was asked […]
Far-right efforts to define Barack Obama as The Other have been relatively subtle over the last couple of months. A little emphasis on Obama’s middle name here, a little talk about flag lapel pins there. We always knew what was coming, but we could also tell the Republican efforts hadn’t started in earnest. It appears […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * We now have right-wing Republican members of Congress referring to Barack Obama as “that boy.” The lawmaker, Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), has since apologized. * On the Hill, Dems and Republicans finally seem to agree on one part of Iraq policy: “From the fiercest war foes to the most […]
ABC News reported a few days ago that a group of so-called “Principals” — including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet, Attorney General John Ashcroft, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice — met dozens of times in the White House to “discuss and approve” […]