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: * Barack Obama conceded to CNN yesterday that the Jeremiah Wright flap has taken a toll. “In some ways this, this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me […]
It seems almost odd in retrospect, but when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, John McCain was not an enthusiastic supporter of a military confrontation. At the time, McCain said, “To start putting American troops into that kind of meat grinder I just don’t think is a viable option.” As the first Bush administration began […]
The NYT’s Adam Nagourney explains today that the Clinton campaign is looking at the landscape, and sees a difficult path to the nomination. The campaign does, however, have some key metrics in mind that, they hope, could make matters easier. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton needs three breaks to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator […]
There weren’t a lot of newsworthy tidbits in the president’s speech about Iraq and the Middle East yesterday; it was more or less boilerplate language and arguments. The war is worthwhile, victory is around the corner, history will justify Bush’s actions, etc. But it’s probably worth noting that the president’s arguments as they relate to […]
Over 11,000 pages of Hillary Clinton’s schedules from her years as First Lady were released yesterday, with hungry reporters anxious to dig in. At first blush, their anticipation is not unfounded — getting a better sense of how Clinton spent her years in the White House could bolster or undermine her claims about her experience, […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Bush gave another big speech on Iraq today; I didn’t watch: “President Bush on Wednesday declared that “the successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable” as he gave a rousing defense of the war on its fifth anniversary before a receptive but not overwhelmingly enthusiastic Pentagon audience…. The […]
I didn’t really expect Mike Huckabee to go on MSNBC this morning to defend the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama, but once in a while, a person will surprise you. From the transcript: HUCKABEE: [Obama] made the point, and I think it’s a valid one, that you can’t hold the candidate responsible for everything […]
Everyone, pretty nearly everywhere, has seen the images of abuse at Abu Ghraib. The name of the prison alone has become synonymous with torture and humiliation, and the acts committed by Americans weakened our collective name on the global stage like almost nothing else in recent years. Oddly enough, reflecting on the events, one of […]
In “This Week in God” the other day, I noted that the Southern Baptist Convention agreed to adopt a new, more progressive declaration on global warming. In a welcome change, the new position explained, “Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless […]
On Monday, Hillary Clinton gave a big speech on Iraq in DC, hitting John McCain for supporting the Bush policy, and hitting Barack Obama for not having done more to stop the Bush policy. Today, speaking in North Carolina, Obama gave his big Iraq speech, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the start of the […]