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: * In very big 2008 news of a non-presidential variety, two-term incumbent Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), recently named by Time magazine one of the Senate’s five worst members, announced yesterday that he will […]
The writing was on the wall, and today he made it official: Barack Obama announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, with a formal announcement due in Feb. 10 in Chicago. Obama’s move dramatically punctuates the extraordinary arc of a political career for a man who said he had trouble even renting a car […]
Last week was when the Bush White House was finally going to get back on track. No more playing defense, no more delays in presenting a coherent policy for Iraq, no more leaving the bully pulpit empty. The president would take to the airwaves on Wednesday, the White House team would fan out with aggressive […]
Just two months ago, the Iraq Study Group suggested that promoting democracy in the Middle East is a noble goal, but it’s probably not the top priority in the region right now. It prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, just a few weeks ago, to remind everyone of the administration’s agenda and vision: “Rice also […]
Henry Crumpton isn’t a household name, but he has a pretty important job: he’s the Coordinator for Counterterrorism for the State Department. Crumpton recently announced his resignation, and with about two weeks left before stepping down, he apparently feels less compelled to stick to the party line. An ex-CIA operative, Crumpton told NEWSWEEK that a […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Nearly one in five U.S. college students believe Martin Luther King was advocating the abolition of slavery in his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. * Over the weekend, there were rumors that Bush would finally come to his senses on climate change, possibly even making a bold pronouncement […]
In recognition of the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I’d note a terrific column from Rick Perlstein about how and why the right still doesn’t get the civil rights icon. Not too long ago, conservatives considered King an enemy, or at the very least, a leader of a misguided movement […]
Last week, I was willing to cut congressional Dems quite a bit of slack when it came to how best to check the president’s power on escalating the war in Iraq. A non-binding resolution, which seemed to make the GOP uncomfortable, is on the table, and as Barack Obama noted yesterday on Face the Nation, […]
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has spent the better part of two years abandoning every principle he used to care about, reversing course on policies he used to take seriously, and generally kissing up to any far-right activist/group he could find. It was all part of a shameless effort whereby McCain would convince the GOP base […]
We noted earlier that Bush’s “new way forward” in Iraq is drawing criticisms from Shiites, who don’t care for the administration’s orders, and the Sunnis, who believe they’ll receive the brunt of the crackdown on Iraqi violence. Fareed Zakaria noted this week that it’s the Sunnis who have the most to lose right now. (via […]