Most of the presidential campaigns, on both sides of the aisle, have engaged in some fairly aggressive blog outreach lately, including having hired some high-profile bloggers as part of the campaign team. John Edwards hired two — Pandagon’s Amanda Marcotte and Shakespeare’s Sister’s Melissa McEwan. (As far as disclosure is concerned, I’ve talked to Melissa […]
Why did the Bush administration purge 10 U.S. Attorneys before the scheduled end of their appointment? The more we learn about this, the more suspicious it looks. Fortunately, there’s a Democratic Senate now, and the story has caught lawmakers’ attention. We learned last week that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is “transforming the ranks of the […]
Stephen Colbert has a funny bit he’s been doing for a long while about his only “black friend.” He had one, but they had a falling out (the friend attended an anti-war protest), which led Colbert to encourage black people in his audience to contact him, auditioning for the role of being his new black […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Why is the GOP fighting a non-binding resolution with such intensity? Because the public relations involved with a presidential rebuke are awful. * Speaking of which, the House will kick off its debate on a resolution against escalation next week. * Following up on a post from the weekend, […]
In light of Rudy Giuliani’s all-but-announced presidential campaign — he told Fox News last night, “I’m in this to win” — high-profile conservatives are stepping up to welcome him to the race. For example, there’s Tony Perkins, head of the far-right Family Research Council. Tony Perkins… said Monday if Rudy Giuliani wins the GOP presidential […]
Kevin Drum touched on a point today I’ve been kicking around for a long while. I’d love to get some feedback on this. In light of John Edwards’ decision to unveil a fairly detailed health care plan, Mark Schmitt suggests it’s a bad idea — not because of the policy, but because it’s a health […]
Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a couple of interesting comments today while answering questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. (thanks to S.W. for the tip) Defense Secretary Robert Gates held out hope Tuesday that U.S. forces might be able to start leaving Iraq before the end of the year, if daunting conditions including subdued […]
Actor Chuck Norris (yes, that Chuck Norris) wrote a lengthy column this week for World Net Daily that has to be seen to be believed. Norris, who as far as I can tell does not have a background as an historian, explained to conservative readers the appropriate qualifications for the presidency. Rev. Daniel Fosters’ [sic] […]
An awful story has managed to get even more pathetic. (via K.Z. and K.M.) Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is “completely heterosexual” and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser. That is according to one of the disgraced pastor’s overseers, […]
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: * As part of his ongoing pandering to the religious right, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recruited Guy Rodgers, a former national field director for the Christian Coalition, to serve as deputy director of […]