The economic argument for ending the war

If you’re unmoved by the national security arguments against the war in Iraq, and the strategic arguments, the military arguments, the moral arguments, the personal arguments, the practical arguments, and the diplomatic arguments, there are always the economic arguments. Senator Barack Obama linked the fragile American economy to a “careless and incompetent execution” of the […]

Have reports on the death of the soundbite been greatly exaggerated?

Yesterday, Matt Compton raised an interesting point about voters’ ability to bypass the media “filter” and avoid the ills of modern soundbite journalism. Compton used Barack Obama’s speech on race in America on Tuesday as a key example. If you do a quick survey online (and ignore The Corner) the criticism, such as it is, […]

It’s one daily tracking poll, but…

This Rasmussen poll seems to be getting quite a bit of attention, bolstered in part by a big Drudge headline about McCain’s “double digit” lead. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows John McCain’s lead growing against both potential Democratic opponents. McCain currently leads Barack Obama 49% to 42% and Hillary Clinton […]

Bush admin. uses Department of Education as a GOP campaign tool

If we were making a list of the most offensive things the Bush administration has done to the federal government, the politicization of cabinet agencies would have to be in the top 10. Examples like this one just leave me shaking my head. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was in Minnesota on Tuesday to […]

Note to McCain: When you fall in a ditch, stop digging

Slowly but surely, reporters are picking up on the fact that John McCain’s confusion over Sunnis and Shia, Iran and al Qaeda, is worth a little additional scrutiny. In an interview yesterday with NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) dismissed criticism of his multiple false claims that Iranian operatives are “taking al-Qaeda into Iran, […]

Thursday’s campaign round-up

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 conceded to CNN yesterday that the Jeremiah Wright flap has taken a toll. “In some ways this, this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me […]

Conservatives sure were smart about Iraq — in the early ’90s

It seems almost odd in retrospect, but when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, John McCain was not an enthusiastic supporter of a military confrontation. At the time, McCain said, “To start putting American troops into that kind of meat grinder I just don’t think is a viable option.” As the first Bush administration began […]

Clinton’s path to the nomination gets longer, more circuitous

The NYT’s Adam Nagourney explains today that the Clinton campaign is looking at the landscape, and sees a difficult path to the nomination. The campaign does, however, have some key metrics in mind that, they hope, could make matters easier. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton needs three breaks to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator […]

McCain isn’t the only one confused about al Qaeda

There weren’t a lot of newsworthy tidbits in the president’s speech about Iraq and the Middle East yesterday; it was more or less boilerplate language and arguments. The war is worthwhile, victory is around the corner, history will justify Bush’s actions, etc. But it’s probably worth noting that the president’s arguments as they relate to […]

Media interest in the stained blue dress begins anew

Over 11,000 pages of Hillary Clinton’s schedules from her years as First Lady were released yesterday, with hungry reporters anxious to dig in. At first blush, their anticipation is not unfounded — getting a better sense of how Clinton spent her years in the White House could bolster or undermine her claims about her experience, […]