At least they didn’t try to burn him at the stake

Long-time readers know that I take a certain amount of pleasure in mocking Florida, where I was born and raised. There’s just something … unique about it. Take, for example, a Tampa-area school firing a substitute teacher for doing a magic trick for his students. The telephone call that spelled the end of Jim Piculas’ […]

When your opponent won’t say what you want him to say, doctor the clip

It sure would make political attacks easier if we could take interviews from people we don’t like, rearrange their words to make them say what we want to hear, and then attack them for it. Sure, it would be deceptive and unethical, but just think how much more efficient smear campaigns could be. Why wait […]

The danger of McCain hiring a team of lobbyists: their clients

The Republican establishment was surprised this week when John McCain passed over Paul Manafort as his national convention manager, instead tapping Doug Goodyear, CEO of the Washington-based DCI Group lobbying/consulting firm. It was part of a disconcerting pattern — McCain rails against the influence of powerful corporate lobbyists, but surrounds himself with nothing but powerful […]

McCain tripped up (again) on abortion-rights inconsistencies

Shortly before the Republican South Carolina primary in 2000, John McCain and George W. Bush got into a rather heated exchange at a debate over abortion and the GOP platform. McCain caught Bush in an uncomfortable contradiction — the then-Texas governor opposed abortion rights, supported an exception for rape, incest, and a woman’s health, but […]

Abusing ‘the power of 41’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) sat down the WSJ’s James Freeman this week, and noted, after more than a year of record-breaking obstructionism, he’s rather pleased with himself. (thanks to V.S. for the tip) “When I woke up after the election in November 2006,” Mr. McConnell says, “I realized I was going to be […]

Is the Keating Five scandal off limits?

Last night, at an Obama town-hall event in Oregon, Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-Ore.) was rather candid in his criticism of John McCain, and broached a subject we generally hear very little about. DeFazio, an Oregon superdelegate who endorsed Obama today and introduced him at the event, went on an extended critique of McCain, saying voters […]

The right’s indifference to al Qaeda’s recruiting

John McCain appeared on The Daily Show this week, and Jon Stewart raised a point that conservatives generally don’t want to hear. “Don’t you think, these past few years, in terms of a recruiting tool for bin Laden and al Qaeda, I mean, let’s say al Qaeda is trying to fire up their base,” Stewart […]

Tackling Clinton’s campaign debts

Among the difficulties facing Hillary Clinton’s campaign right now is a bleak financial picture. The campaign has been broke before, but bounced back at key intervals. Now, however, Clinton spent heavily on a lackluster performance in North Carolina and Indiana, the results did not spur a new round of contributions, and her debts are beginning […]

That Wacky Intelligent Designer!

Guest Post by Morbo I’ve never seen a real platypus, but I’d like to. I’ve been interested in these animals since I was kid and someone gave me a book about odd animals of the world. And the platypus is definitely odd. It has a bill like a duck and lays eggs but is covered […]

Go take it off the mountain

Guest Post by Morbo So there’s this 40-foot cross atop a hill in Holmen, Wisc. The problem is, the property is owned by the local government. Apparently, it’s quite a deal. They light it up every March, and you can see it from miles away. Of course, not everyone is in favor of the government […]