Once in a while, I’ll hear some of Barack Obama’s detractors — from both sides — argue that he’s been lax in offering detailing policy proposals. I’ve never entirely understood the line of attack — both the Obama and Clinton campaigns have been extremely forthcoming when it comes to presenting a detailed platform, filled with […]
A couple of weeks ago, John McCain talked about the importance of increasing the size of the U.S. military. To entice more volunteers, he said, the government should focus on incentives: “[O]ne of the things we ought to do is provide [the troops with] significant educational benefits in return for serving.” A few days later, […]
The General Services Administration generally isn’t one of those departments that captures the public’s attention. The GSA is, by design, a behind-the-scenes agency — it helps other parts of the government function by managing federal contracts. In recent years, however, the GSA has found itself under the spotlight, after the White House tried to exploit […]
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: * There’s been a flurry of superdelegate endorsements over the last 24 hours. Hillary Clinton picked up the support of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton of Missouri, and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO president […]
The always-creative team of Dick Cheney and his lawyers are at it again. The lawyer for US vice-president Dick Cheney claimed [Monday] that the Congress lacks any authority to examine his behaviour on the job. The exception claimed by Cheney’s counsel came in response to requests from congressional Democrats that David Addington, the vice-president’s chief […]
That John McCain is getting a free ride from the media hardly seems controversial anymore, so it was encouraging to see the Washington Post’s Shailagh Murray concede yesterday that reporters haven’t subjected the Republican nominee to the kind of scrutiny he deserves. (via ThinkProgress) St. Paul, Minn.: Hi Shailagh — thank you for taking my […]
The “Annenberg Political Fact Check,” a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is often relied upon for objective, non-partisan analysis of campaign commercials. When candidates or parties try to get away with playing fast and loose with the facts, Annenberg’s goal is to set the record straight. Which is […]
It’s one thing for a good presidential candidate to embrace a bad idea. It’s worse when the candidate knows it’s a bad idea. It’s worse still when the candidate attacks her rival for failing to embrace a bad idea. And it’s the worst when the candidate feels so strongly about the bad idea that she […]
After John McCain unveiled more details on his healthcare plan yesterday in Tampa, the Politico ran this headline: “McCain moves to middle on health care.” Given that any policy proposal aiming for the “middle” is perceived as moderate and sensible, the spin on McCain’s plan was obviously positive. But spin aside, the policy itself leaves […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * More discouraging economic news: “From soaring gas prices to weaker job prospects, Americans are gloomier about the economy than just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. They’re so anxious that fewer people say they are planning to take a vacation than in 30 years. And those are worrying signs […]