I noticed (via Tapped) a hilarious column in yesterday’s Boston Globe. Let’s call it today’s “must-read.” In it, Globe columnist Brian McGrory explained, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, that political reporters have identified the real problem with elections — those damn voters. As McGrory put it: Voters, come in, please. Take a seat. We […]
As I’m sure all of you know by now, Joe Trippi, Howard Dean’s campaign manager, left the campaign yesterday, rather than accept a demotion. Let’s get the obvious observations out of the way. Campaign in disarray after two embarrassing defeats? Check. Campaign paralyzed by confusion and indecision? Check. Panicky supporters? Check. Media drumbeat about Dean’s […]
I had no intention of returning to this issue again, but Bush’s confusion about pre-war Iraq is still troubling me. Bush spoke with reporters briefly yesterday after welcoming Polish President Kwasniewski to the White House. One reporter noted that David Kay, the administration’s hand-picked inspector sent to Iraq to search for WMD, has found nothing […]
To see a once interesting writer fade before our very eyes into a bizarre, incoherent rambler is very sad. The truth is, I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for the New York Times’ Bill Safire. Here’s a man who was a successful speechwriter for Richard Nixon, a best-selling author, and an almost-legendary newspaper columnist for […]
Paul O’Neill, Bush’s former Treasury Secretary, relayed to Ron Suskind recently what it was like to talk to the president about U.S. fiscal policies shortly after Bush’s inauguration. O’Neill, explaining why he believes Bush was “disengaged,” said the initial conversation didn’t go very well. O’Neill said, “I went in with a long list of things […]
I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen or heard someone talking about a Kerry-Edwards ticket for the Dems in 2004. A small sampling of the many observers who’ve brought it up in just the past few days include Saletan, Yglesias, Alterman, the New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg, plus a big item about […]
Yesterday I talked about how off the pollsters were in Iowa last week. Did they redeem themselves in New Hampshire? By and large, yes. Of the five major polls I was watching, all five got the top two correct. One of the outlets — the Marist Institute poll — was almost perfect, predicting a 13-point […]
I mentioned last week that the winner of Iowa does not always go on to win the nomination, in either party. It’s also true that the winner of New Hampshire often goes on to lose the race for their party’s nod. But candidates who win both have always excelled. Throughout November and December, Howard Dean […]
As a practical matter, George W. Bush is not facing a primary challenge for the GOP presidential nomination. But as a literal matter, he is, with unknown people challenging the incumbent for the Republican nod. This sort of thing happens every year, but it never really means anything. Looking over the results from New Hampshire’s […]
You’ve probably seen plenty of analysis on the New Hampshire primary from everyone else, but for what it’s worth, here’s my two cents. In the off chance you rely exclusively on The Carpetbagger Report for information, the final results out of New Hampshire (with 100% of the precincts reporting) are as follows: Kerry — 39% […]