I’m a little disappointed that multiple instances of plagiarism led to the resignation of a top White House aide yesterday. It’s not that Tim Goeglein had a good excuse (he didn’t), and it’s not that he deserved to keep his job (he didn’t), it’s just that I’d much prefer to see White House officials resign […]
It’s admittedly difficult for a political controversy to pick up steam when major news outlets pretend the story doesn’t exist. But John McCain’s embrace of anti-Catholic evangelist John Hagee is starting to look like the littler scandal that could. Not that the major dailies are helping. The NYT today ran an 855-word story on Hillary […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Another rough day in the markets: “Stocks fell sharply Friday after a series of depressing economic and earnings reports and high oil prices stoked concerns about the health of economy. The major stock indexes fell more than 2 percent, with the Dow Jones industrials closing down more than 300 […]
Texas Democrats will go to the polls on Tuesday in a key contest, but it won’t be as easy as simply watching a primary or a caucus. Texas, just to keep things interesting, has a hybrid system that includes both a primary and a caucus. It’s complicated, confusing, and frustrating, but those are the rules, […]
For the first six years of his presidency, Bush followed a fairly predictable model when it came to appointments and key government posts. He would appoint an unqualified hack to run and/or oversee an important agency, congressional Republicans would approve said hack, and when the hack screwed up, a GOP-led Congress would balk at any […]
Way back on Feb. 12, the day Barack Obama cruised to easy victories in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, Hillary Clinton’s campaign was already busy building up firewalls. Indeed, that afternoon, Clinton’s travel schedule didn’t include stops in any of the states voting that day, or in any state voting in February, but […]
At yesterday’s White House press conference, a reporter asked the president about Barack Obama’s position that the United States should be willing, after careful diplomatic legwork, to talk to our international rivals. Q: [A]s President, you have obviously considered and rejected this approach. And I’m wondering if you can give us a little insight into […]
John McCain, especially of late, likes to emphasize to reporters how much he values treating people with “respect,” and his desire to have a presidential campaign where rivals honor each other’s differences. And yet, he loves the grammatically wrong “Democrat Party.” The WSJ’s Laura Meckler decided to ask him about the disconnect. Given McCain’s reputation […]
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: * After experiencing a financial rough patch, it looks as if the Clinton campaign is back on firm ground, raising $35 million in February, more than double her January haul. “It was incredibly […]
It’s just not that unusual for a presidential candidate to rely on the politics of fear. LBJ’s “Daisy” ad certainly set the bar, but we’ve seen plenty of egregious examples in the post-9/11 era, usually from the right (“If you vote Democrat, Osama bin Laden will kill your dog.”). With this in mind, the new […]