At first blush, this may seem like a harmless error of no consequence. But it’s significant, in part because it undermines the central focus of John McCain’s campaign, and in part because it fits into a disconcerting pattern. Speaking before the Associated Press’s annual meeting yesterday, McCain was asked whether he would consider “diverting troops […]
Recent revelations that the president and his top cabinet members “discussed and approved” specific interrogation techniques, including torture, has renewed speculation about possible criminal activities in the Bush White House. Highlighting the president’s admission about personally approving the discussions, the Washington Post’s Dan Froomkin noted, “If you consider what the government did to be torture, […]
It’s almost as if Joe Lieberman wants to sound like Zell Miller. Yesterday, Bill Kristol compared Barack Obama’s “bitter” remarks from last week to Karl Marx’s famous maxim about religion being the “opiate of the people.” Hours after Kristol’s piece hit newsstands, Lieberman appeared on the “Brian and the Judge” radio show, and was asked […]
Far-right efforts to define Barack Obama as The Other have been relatively subtle over the last couple of months. A little emphasis on Obama’s middle name here, a little talk about flag lapel pins there. We always knew what was coming, but we could also tell the Republican efforts hadn’t started in earnest. It appears […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * We now have right-wing Republican members of Congress referring to Barack Obama as “that boy.” The lawmaker, Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), has since apologized. * On the Hill, Dems and Republicans finally seem to agree on one part of Iraq policy: “From the fiercest war foes to the most […]
ABC News reported a few days ago that a group of so-called “Principals” — including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet, Attorney General John Ashcroft, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice — met dozens of times in the White House to “discuss and approve” […]
Last week, Barack Obama indicated that, despite previous talk to the contrary, he’s prepared to opt out of the public-financing system in the fall, should he win the Democratic nomination. There’s some debate as to whether Obama actually pledged to stay in the system, but in either case, John McCain, hoping to pressure Obama to […]
At this point, Democrats everywhere are pretty familiar with the Senate caucus’ “Lieberman Problem.” Aside from his problematic votes and rhetoric, Joe Lieberman wants, apparently more than just about everything, to be the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. If Harry Reid denied him the gavel, Lieberman would leave the party, […]
A few weeks ago, Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter raised the notion of a fallback job for Hillary Clinton, if the whole presidential campaign didn’t quite work out: governor of New York. Alter’s pitch was sound, if not altogether persuasive, noting that Gov. David Paterson (D) is off to a rough start, and some executive experience in […]
A couple of weeks ago, The Nation’s Chris Hayes noted, “I was just on a conservative talk radio show where the host accused the Obamas of being Marxists. Really! I told him I spend my whole time on the left and I literally know one Marxist. One! It’s a fascinating trope of conservatism that despite […]