There was a vote last night in the Senate on the war supplemental, which included the Webb/Hagel GI Bill. The spending bill, including the expanded education benefits for veterans, passed overwhelmingly (92 to 6), and will be added to the $165 billion that the House and Senate have already approved for the wars in Iraq […]
Earlier this week, Focus on the Family’s James Dobson went after Barack Obama with a vengeance. Today, the Family Research Council, which Dobson helped form, goes after Obama on abortion. The ad, which will reportedly begin airing today in Cincinnati, Dallas, and Atlanta, features Obama telling a church congregation, “We need fathers to recognize that […]
Just this week, a group of Republican senators re-introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution, which, as we know, would ban gay marriage. And once again, the language is pretty straightforward: Section 1. This article may be cited as the `Marriage Protection Amendment’. Section 2. Marriage in the United States shall consist only of […]
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: * When it comes to helping Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama is putting his money where his mouth is: “Senator Barack Obama said on Thursday that he had written a personal check of $2,300 […]
In December, “60 Minutes” ran one of my favorite “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” stories, featuring Army Sgt. Darren Manzella, who’d been deployed twice during the war in Iraq. During his first deployment, Manzella, a medic with a field artillery unit in Baghdad, earned a combat medal for rendering treatment under fire. “I’ve treated everything from […]
In his first presidential campaign, eight years ago, John McCain went out of his way to avoid talking about his military background. Four years ago, when John Kerry campaigned in part on his military service, McCain criticized him for it, saying he was “sick and tired of re-fighting the Vietnam War.” McCain even disparaged Kerry […]
Joe Lieberman, now fully immersed in his role as an attack dog for John McCain’s campaign, had an interesting chat with ABC News’ Jake Tapper yesterday, and touched on a few topics of note. Lieberman’s future was of particular interest, and whether his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is […]
As a rule, Republicans appreciate the value in defining the Democratic presidential nominee, and the GOP is usually pretty good at it. In 2000, Al Gore, they said, was an “exaggerator.” This was not only effective, thanks to a quick embrace by the media, it was part of a narrative — when Gore takes credit […]
Certain policy issues become associated with an ideology or political party by virtue of emphasis. The left talks about healthcare, the right thinks the status quo is acceptable, so healthcare becomes a “liberal” issue. The right wants to change immigration laws, so it’s perceived as a “conservative” issue. Now, both sides sometimes want to call […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Oh my: “A barrage of bad news including a new record high for oil sent Wall Street plunging Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in nearly two years. Oil’s surge past $140 a barrel was just one of the day’s troubling […]