Today’s edition of quick hits. * More discouraging economic news: “Consumer confidence plunged, the wholesale inflation rate soared, the number of homes being foreclosed jumped, home prices fell sharply and a report predicts big increases in health care costs. Consumer confidence weakened significantly as Americans worry about less-favorable business conditions and job prospects. The New […]
I’ve been following John McCain’s travails with the Federal Election Commission with great interest, in part because the senator seems to want to pick a fight with Barack Obama over their relative commitments to public financing, and in part because it’s a rather blatant example of McCain blowing off the rules — Bush/Cheney-like — the […]
Remember, CNN pays this guy lots of money. This morning on NPR, host Steve Inskeep asked right-wing pundit Glenn Beck who the “rising star” is in the conservative movement. Beck’s response? Defeated senator Rick Santorum. “I think the guy is a Winston Churchill in many ways,” said Beck. “You know, there’s really only one guy […]
As a rule, Israel blogging isn’t really on my beat, but Barack Obama spoke with about 100 members of Cleveland’s Jewish Community yesterday morning, and offered an interesting perspective on U.S.-Israeli affairs. “I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you’re […]
Some attempted smears are so special in their inanity, it’s tempting to pause to appreciate just how stupid they are. They’re almost impressive in their idiocy, so you want to treasure it as an example of what a determined far-right news outlet is capable of. Take this fine example from the far-right Washington Times, by […]
When it comes to the nation’s finances, Republicans in Washington have shown, shall we say, a certain lackadaisical attitude. Deficits, debts, expensive tax giveaways, lax regulations on the financial industry, Enron-omics — when it comes to looking after our money, GOP officials don’t exactly inspire confidence. But what about when they’re tasked with looking after […]
The growing chorus isn’t exactly subtle: Hillary Clinton, loser of 11 consecutive contests, is now expected to bow out and allow us to all shift into general election mode. For much of the political world, the race for the Democratic nomination is effectively over, and Clinton isn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all herself, […]
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: * Chris Dodd will endorse Barack Obama today at an event in Ohio. In an email to supporters Tuesday morning, Dodd wrote, “While both of our party’s remaining candidates are extremely talented and […]
I’m starting to think the adulation for John McCain among New York Times columnists is making the transition from odd to unhealthy. Last week, Nick Kristof praised McCain for pandering and lying, but only because McCain is bad at it. Yesterday, apropos of nothing, Bill Kristol praised McCain for being patriotic. Today, David Brooks, demonstrating […]
For all the offensive officials in the Bush administration, it’s worth pausing a moment to celebrate when one of them leaves government service. William J. Haynes II has served as general counsel at the Pentagon, where he was best known for having written the Defense Department’s infamous 2002 policies endorsing torture against terrorist suspects (in […]