Long-time readers may recall that I’ve been following the efforts of Air Force Maj. Margaret Witt, a poster woman for the Air Force’s flight nurse recruiting program, who excelled during a 19-year military career. In 2003, Witt was awarded the Air Medal for her Middle East deployment and, later, the Air Force Commendation Medal, for […]
Karl Rove’s main contribution to the strategic lexicon is the notion that candidates should identify their big weakness, and their rival’s big strength, and then go barreling head-first in that direction. It’s counter-intuitive, I know. And yet, some candidates seem to like it. Yesterday, for example, John McCain argued that he’s shown better judgment on […]
Just yesterday, I defended Hillary Clinton and her rationale for prolonging the Democratic nominating fight. Given that her own campaign chairman recently said the race would wrap up in early June, and Clinton seemed to honoring a relative cease-fire, there was no real urgency about her withdrawing. As Jay Jacobs, a New York superdelegate and […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The Fed isn’t optimistic: “The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply lowered its projection for the U.S. economic growth this year, citing blows from the housing and credit debacles along with zooming energy prices. It also expects higher unemployment and inflation. Even with the more downbeat outlook, Fed officials left […]
Last week, John Hagee, a televangelist sought out by John McCain for political support, expressed regret to Catholics for his attacks on the Roman Catholic Church (he’s called the church, among other things, “the great whore” and “a false cult system”). This week, it looks like it’s time for yet another apology. John Hagee, the […]
It’s hardly a secret that the Democrats’ strategy for 2008 is premised, at least in part, on tying John McCain to George W. Bush. This isn’t complicated — Bush is the least popular president since the dawn of modern polling; Americans are desperate for a change in direction; and by showing voters that McCain offers […]
One of the points I’ve tried to emphasize with my ever-growing list of John McCain’s flip-flops is that this isn’t just about catching McCain with a bunch of “gotchas.” The point, rather, is to highlight McCain’s malleable principles. As Josh Marshall put it a while back, “McCain is absolutely gung-ho and certain that he’s right […]
I vaguely recall a time — I think it’s the period known as “before 2001” — in which the United States would play a key diplomatic role in bringing Middle East countries to the table for talks. Now, discussions like these seem to fall into the White House’s category of “appeasement.” After eight years of […]
As John McCain has gone through a series of ideological shifts, so too has his approach to lobbyists. For years, McCain dealt with lobbyists the same way most lawmakers do: taking their money and offering them influence. After McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal, for which he was admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee, […]
Federal tax law, as it relates to tax-exempt religious ministries, is pretty clear — houses of worship may not legally intervene in political campaigns, either in support of or opposition to a candidate or a party. Those that violate the law run the risk of losing their tax-exempt status. Once in a great while, unfortunately, […]