The Washington Post’s Dana Priest is a great reporter. Her work on the scandalous treatment of recovering veterans at Walter Reed earner her a well-deserved Pulitzer. But once in a while, a newspaper will ask a reporter to take on assignments that aren’t especially well suited to the journalist’s strengths. Last week, for example, the […]
For weeks, the line in Republican/media circles was that Barack Obama either has or will move towards John McCain’s position on Iraq policy. Time’s Mark Halperin called the shift, that never actually happened in reality, “one of the biggest things that’s happened so far in the general election.” Charles Krauthammer said Obama is “done” erasing […]
Matt Yglesias had a very good item this morning, noting the “debacle” for the Republican approach to foreign policy. [McCain had] spent, several weeks with the main theme of his campaign being, quite literally, to criticize Barack Obama for not having been physically present in Iraq recently. This (of course) got Obama to go to […]
Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei have an interesting item in the Politico today that’s generating quite a bit of attention, about John McCain’s series of verbal “gaffes.” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said “Iraq” on Monday when he apparently meant “Afghanistan”, adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition. […]
Well, I’ve finally seen everything. John McCain, who enjoys more media affection than any political figure in recent memory, has taken to complaining that reporters are overly fond of Barack Obama. The video is a three-minute montage the McCain campaign put together with “evidence” of the media’s pro-Obama bias. Most of the clip is made […]
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: * Barack Obama and John McCain will briefly share a stage on Aug. 16, at the Rev. Rick Waren’s Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif. They’ll appear together for a moment, but Warren […]
At a fundraiser in April, Barack Obama was asked, long before he’d locked down the nomination, about the kind of qualities he’s looking for in a running mate. “I would like somebody who knows about a bunch of stuff that I’m not as expert on,” he said. “I think a lot of people assume that […]
Once in a while, Bob Novak can really cause a stir. Take this report from last night, for example. Sources close to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name […]
George W. Bush has been exceedingly stingy when it comes to presidential pardons and commutations, issuing fewer than any modern president. But as Bush’s presidency winds down, there’s some talk about the president using his powers to help conceal some of the administration’s own transgressions. As the administration wrestles with the cascade of petitions, some […]
The conventional wisdom tells us that Barack Obama’s principal weakness as a presidential candidate is foreign policy and national security. Obama hasn’t spent a lot of time abroad; international affairs isn’t perceived as an area of his expertise; and he did not serve in the military. Obviously, then, Obama’s ongoing trip to the Middle East […]