In looking for a historical parallel for the war in Iraq, political observers everywhere are drawing comparisons to other historic military campaigns. In just the last few days, I’ve seen three major comparisons — but only one seems to be on the right track. The LA Times, for example, noted a parallel to World War […]
It was only a matter of time before Bush’s approval rating dropped from the 40s to the 30s. And here we are. George W. Bush’s overall job approval ratings have dropped from a month ago even as Americans who approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president are turning more optimistic about […]
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: * Disappointing GOP leaders who hoped he’d take on Katherine Harris in a primary, MSNBC blowhard Joe Scarborough announced over the weekend that he will not run for the Senate in Florida next […]
The last several months haven’t been great for progressive voices seeking paid air time on TV. In January, MoveOn.org raised enough money to buy an ad during the Super Bowl, but CBS rejected it, noting its “long-term policy not to air issue ads anywhere on the network.” Just a few weeks prior, CBS and NBC […]
The far right was none-too-pleased when CBS aired the “Victoria’s Secret Lingerie Show” in 2002 and 2003, flooding the network and the FCC with organized outrage. In 2004, the network balked at bringing the show backing, suggesting to many that conservative activists had won. In the broader culture war, it was seen as a victory […]
I can appreciate the fact that Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) is an enthusiastic supporter of the war in Iraq. I can also understand that Allen is going to run for president in 2008 and doesn’t want to say anything now that his rivals might use against him. But if he’s going to praise a debacle, […]
It doesn’t happen often, so when high-profile figures in the mainstream news media express the same frustration with their industry that the rest of us feel, it’s noteworthy. For example, sports broadcaster Bob Costas routinely sits in for Larry King on CNN. But last week, he decided he couldn’t, in good conscience, guest host the […]
When the president expressed his support for public schools teaching intelligent-design creationism alongside real science, the intellectual wing of the Republican Party cringed. Bush’s own science advisor, John Marburger, “evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology” and “intelligent design is not a scientific concept.” For that matter, even the less-than-intellectual wing wasn’t happy with Bush’s […]
If the 2004 presidential campaign were decided on campaign songs, Kerry would have won in a landslide. Our guy had Springsteen’s “No Surrender” — which, not incidentally, Springsteen performed live at several Kerry rallies — while their guy had “Still the One,” which led to rock legend John Hall issuing a cease and desist order […]
Guest Post by Morbo Every now and then you read something in the paper that just causes your head to explode. I had one of those moments recently while reading a Washington Post story headlined, “U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved In Iraq.” The second paragraph of this story by reporters Robin Wright […]