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: * The Obama campaign unveiled its first new TV ad in a while, called, “America’s Leadership.” The spot focuses on Obama’s bipartisan work on counter-proliferation, with Obama explaining, “The single most important national […]
Barack Obama’s NYT op-ed yesterday was the first part of a two-pronged strategy. The second is an address, billed by the Obama campaign as a “major speech,” on Iraq, Afghanistan, and national security. (It’s streaming live now, if you’re inclined to tune in.) Contending that the U.S. is not pursuing a sound strategy for keeping […]
It may be a little late in the game for a massive new White House scandal — Bush leaves office in 188 days — but selling access to leading administration officials in exchange for foreign contributions to Bush’s library may prove to be a very awkward controversy for the president. We covered this on Sunday, […]
For a while, Republicans were defending their call for coastal drilling by claiming that the Chinese were drilling in Cuban waters. This proved to be false (though many on the right repeat the claim anyway). So, conservatives have moved onto a new talking point: coastal drilling is safe for the environment, because recent hurricanes didn’t […]
John McCain, recognizing the importance of Latino voters in the upcoming election, spoke to the National Council of La Raza yesterday. He told the audience, “I do ask for your trust,” adding, “I think I have earned that trust.” I know McCain often has a dry sense of humor, and in this case, I can’t […]
In March, when John McCain appeared at a gathering of the nation’s newspaper editors, he was greeted by two journalists from the Associated Press, who extended the Republican senator a box of his favorite donuts (“Oh, yes, with sprinkles!” McCain said). One of the journalists was the AP’s DC bureau chief, Ron Fournier. We talked […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse: “Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in heavy fighting Sunday at a military base in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, according to a Western official. The attack was the deadliest against U.S. forces in the country since 2005.” * The AP noted that […]
This is almost certainly going to sound nitpicky, if not actually petty, but bear with me. It’s not unreasonable to note that John McCain continues to make references to a country that doesn’t exist. At a press conference in Phoenix today, for example, McCain referenced Czechoslovakia. Again. “I was concerned about a couple of steps […]
About a month ago, Bush, McCain, and congressional Republicans were without any real ideas about energy policy. Pressed on what to do about gas prices, the president told reporters, “[T]here is no magic wand to wave right now.” In fact, the president repeated the line three times, as if to say, “Don’t ask me; I […]
In recent weeks, as the McCain campaign has become more reckless in its attacks, the presumptive Republican nominee and his allies have begun going after Barack Obama’s integrity. McCain’s campaign has said Obama should not be “taken at his word,” and his “word cannot be trusted.” McCain was asked directly whether he questioned Obama’s patriotism, […]