Exactly one year ago tomorrow, the Office of the Vice President gave up on the notion that Dick Cheney isn’t really part of the executive branch. In the midst of an oversight fight regarding the handling of classified material, the OVP had made the absurd argument about Cheney’s branch, but on June 27, 2007, the […]
I’m not entirely clear on whether we’re supposed to call them “Obamacans” or “Obamacons,” but either way, there’s a small-but-high-profile group of conservatives who, for a variety of reasons, are supporting Barack Obama. Some of the names are well known in certain political circles, but hardly household names (Doug Kmiec, Jeffrey Hart, Armstrong Williams, Richard […]
Just a few months ago, in his first major address on foreign policy, John McCain stated his intention to kick Russia out of the G-8. In rather belligerent tones, reminiscent of the Cold War, McCain said he would not tolerate “Russia’s nuclear blackmail or cyber attacks,” and suggested Russia is not a democracy “committed to […]
John McCain clearly wants to make unflattering Barack Obama comparisons, but he seems to be having a little trouble with cultural references. A couple of weeks ago, McCain said Obama reminds him of William Jennings Bryan. Given that Bryan last ran for president literally 100 years ago, this was something of a dud. Shortly thereafter, […]
While there’s plenty of activity at the Supreme Court this morning, the real fireworks are going on across the street at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, where John Yoo and David Addington are responding to lawmakers’ questions. Well, “responding to” is probably a little strong. Let’s say they’re engaged in some kind 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: * A group of Quinnipiac polls conducted for the WaPo and the WSJ found some more encouraging news for Barack Obama in four key battleground states. The poll found Obama leading by five […]
It’s hard to believe that after over two centuries, the Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on whether the 2nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to “keep and bear arms.” This morning, that changed. The Supreme Court says Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices’ first major pronouncement on […]
In December 2003, Dick Cheney said the White House would not engage North Korea. “We don’t negotiate with evil; we defeat it,” the VP explained. And for quite a while, that was the totality of the Bush administration policy towards North Korea. Bush once shouted to Bob Woodward, “I loathe Kim Jong Il!” Soon after, […]
That Barack Obama’s detractors would play the race card against him in this election was never really in doubt. That one of the most blatant, racially-charged comments would come from Ralph Nader, however, comes as a bit of a surprise. Ralph Nader’s presidential candidacy has received little media attention, but his latest critique of Barack […]
When dealing with truly heinous crimes, especially those dealing with children, it’s difficult to separate emotional reactions from constitutional standards. That is, however, what the judicial branch is for, and what the Supreme Court attempted to do yesterday. The death penalty is unconstitutional as a punishment for the rape of a child, a sharply divided […]