In “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” King Arthur and his knights come across Camelot, and at least initially, couldn’t be more pleased. After thinking it over, and considering exactly what goes on inside Camelot, Arthur concludes, “On second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.” I’ve come to think of […]
It’s likely my standards are low, but I’ve been relatively pleased that the presidential race has featured very little talk about the Lewinsky scandal. Going into the race, I was a little worried the media would be preoccupied with this nonsense, and Republican candidates, anxious to score cheap points, would make hay of the decade-old […]
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: * NYT notices John Edwards’ Iraq policy: “John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader […]
It’s been brewing for quite a while, but over the last couple of days, a lot of prominent Democratic bloggers have been hammering Barack Obama for using “conservative frames” to advance his candidacy. It’s counter-intuitive, of course, given the circumstances — Obama is a top challenger for the Democratic nomination, so one assumes he’d be […]
After a year of presidential politics, it’s hardly a secret that the Republican Party is burdened with a none-of-the-above problem — the GOP has, at various times, had about a dozen candidates seeking the party’s nomination, and none of them can draw support from all the various Republican constituencies. It seems hard to believe, but […]
Yesterday, the wives of two of the leading Democratic candidates sparred over the limits of the federal matching-funds system. It’s a point I’ve been wondering about for months. …Elizabeth Edwards isn’t happy with what Michelle Obama is saying on the campaign trail about the effects of John Edwards’ decision to accept federal matching funds for […]
I’m a little skeptical that high-profile endorsements matter much to voters, but there were two pretty surprising announcements yesterday that certainly raised eyebrows. Ralph Nader, for example, who is still pondering his 716th presidential bid as an independent, urged supporters to back John Edwards. Ralph Nader unleashed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday — criticizing […]
I hesitate to give too much attention to Mike Huckabee’s promote-my-ad-for-free attack, but Michael Crowley raises a good point. About mid-way through the ad, during a litany of accusations against Mitt Romney, Huckabee criticizes his rival with this data point: “No executions.” Apparently, Huckabee — you know, the evangelical, pro-life Republican — is going after […]
It’s tempting to skip past Richard Cohen columns just as a matter of habit, but today’s op-ed is so odd, one wonders how Washington Post editors even let it run. The piece, ostensibly, is about taking Barack Obama to task over a misleading statistic he used in a speech. But the piece starts out badly […]
After having watched every major debate for both parties’ presidential candidates, I can certainly understand the temptation on the part of organizers to limit participants. The more candidates on the stage, the greater the need for shorter answers and fewer questions. Having said that, this just isn’t kosher. Republican Rep. Ron Paul and his supporters […]