The NYT’s Adam Nagourney explains today that the [tag]GOP[/tag] made a concerted effort a few years ago to reach out to [tag]African-American[/tag] voters — including Ken Mehlman’s acknowledgement that Republicans were “wrong” to try to “benefit politically from racial polarization” — but it hasn’t worked out the way the party had hoped. The reality is […]
This may or may not be of interest, but an unaired, 13-minute documentary of Al Gore and his family in the summer of 2000 has worked its way onto Google video. The video was shot by Spike Jonze (yes, that Spike Jonze) and shows a very relaxed, self-effacing Al Gore. I don’t know any of […]
Four years ago, the [tag]neocons[/tag] argued that “regime change” in Iraq was key to spreading freedom and establishing stability in the [tag]Middle East[/tag]. [tag]Bush[/tag] listened — and things haven’t worked out particularly well. The neocons have adapted their strategy and now believe invading Iran is the key to the regions problems. Richard Perle, Newt Gingrich, […]
Back in May, the Department of Justice’s [tag]Office of Professional Responsibility[/tag] was prepared to launch an investigation into how and why the agency’s lawyers approved the president’s warrantless-search program. The probe came to a sudden halt, however, when the OPR discovered it had been “denied [tag]security[/tag] [tag]clearance[/tag]s for access to information about the N.S.A. program.” […]
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: * A new Rasmussen poll in Rhode Island offers discouraging news for Sen. [tag]Lincoln Chafee[/tag], “whose support has gone from bad to worse,” highlighting why this is a key Dem pick-up opportunity. Chafee […]
A not-so-liberal emailer contacted me over night with a fair argument about today’s vote in the Senate about expanding [tag]stem-cell[/tag] [tag]research[/tag]. The email suggested a certain hypocrisy: if we know [tag]Bush[/tag] is going to [tag]veto[/tag] the bill, then there’s no point in going through the motions. I’ve criticized lawmakers repeatedly for wasting time on legislation […]
The simmering debate between [tag]Howard Dean[/tag]’s [tag]DNC[/tag] and [tag]Rahm Emanuel[/tag]’s [tag]DCCC[/tag] over how best to allocate the party’s resources probably won’t end, at the earliest, until Wednesday, Nov. 8 (the day after the midterms). Emanuel wants to focus limited resources on the most competitive races as part of a drive to win back the House […]
In light of the Republican uproar over the [tag]DCCC[/tag]’s web [tag]video[/tag] that included a brief still shot of [tag]coffins[/tag] of U.S. troops — the GOP said it was “despicable” to use such imagery in a political context — maybe the right can explain why it’s perfectly acceptable for Republicans to run similar ads. Using vivid […]
I find this frustrating on multiple levels. Federally funded “[tag]pregnancy resource centers[/tag]” are incorrectly telling women that [tag]abortion[/tag] results in an increased risk of [tag]breast cancer[/tag], infertility and deep psychological trauma, a minority congressional report charged yesterday. The report said that 20 of 23 federally funded centers contacted by staff investigators requesting information about an […]
Here’s how the LA Times described one of the stranger moments I’ve seen in a long while between two heads of state. Entering the meeting room, as relayed by a Russian television camera, [tag]Bush[/tag] headed directly behind [German Chancellor [tag]Angela Merkel[/tag]], reached out and, placing both hands on the collar of her gold jacket, gave […]