Reporters can talk to the troops, as long as it isn’t before, during, or after Bush’s speech

Last week, I mentioned that Bush was in England touting the beauty and benefits of free speech. I also noted the irony of him bragging about bringing this right to Iraq, despite the fact that Iraqis have been arrested by U.S. troops for criticizing our occupation. On a similar note, I thought I’d mention an […]

Carpetbagger gets noticed by presidential candidates!

In recent months, it’s been a pleasure to find a couple dozen other blogs that have linked to The Carpetbagger Report. As you’d imagine, I sincerely appreciate the support. While I’d never want to minimize my appreciation to these bloggers, I thought I’d also mention how exciting it is to see that a few presidential […]

Latest poll results out of Florida

For a couple of years now, Florida and its 27 electoral votes have been at the center of the political universe. Bush travels to the state constantly, his brother is the state’s governor, and Karl Rove described the Sunshine State in August as “ground zero” in next year’s campaign. At this point, however, it appears […]

When the military said ‘espionage,’ they apparently meant ‘porn’

Since I mentioned in September the arrest of Capt. James Yee, a former military chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, I feel it’s only fair that I also mention that Yee has been released. As you may recall, in September, Yee was arrested and, according to a Washington Post report, charged with a number of crimes […]

Impressions of the Dems’ Iowa debate

Yesterday, Des Moines hosted the fifth of six official DNC presidential candidate debates. While it lacked some of the fireworks seen in other Dem debates, there were some substantive moments. Fortunately, the debate benefited from Joe Lieberman’s absence. It was something of a messy situation for the Connecticut senator — first he said he didn’t […]

The new GOP ad is misleading in more ways than one

Yesterday I mentioned the substantive and political distortions made by the Republican National Committee in its new television commercial that has generated quite a bit of controversy. It turns out, however, that the ad is misleading in yet another way. The New York Times reported today that the GOP ad, which features excerpts from Bush’s […]

When bad things happen to bad people

You’ll forgive me for my schadenfreude-induced smile, but this non-political story was too good to pass up. The KKK was holding an initiation ceremony recently in Johnson City, Tenn., when a participant, 45-year-old Gregory Allen Freeman, fired his pistol towards the sky. Well, what goes up must come down, and the next thing you know […]

The new GOP ad is pretty outrageous

There’s been a mini-firestorm of controversy surrounding the new Republican National Committee TV ad on Bush’s war on terrorism. I wanted to withhold comment until I saw the ad for myself. Now that I have seen it, I can tell you that it’s pathetic. The ad started running in Iowa yesterday, at a cost of […]

Clark fills out staff positions with former Graham aides

Wesley Clark has tapped Bob Graham’s former campaign officials for several key posts. Graham spokesperson Jamal Simmons now has the same job for Clark, as does Graham’s New Hampshire director Steve Bouchard. Now we can add Paul Johnson to the list. Johnson, Graham’s campaign manager, will now be Clark’s campaign manager. Johnson has extensive background […]

Sounds like Fletcher is off to a good start in Kentucky

The Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky’s best and most widely-read paper, had a big scoop last week. Gov.-elect Ernie Fletcher (R), just two weeks after winning his election, assembled a transition team featuring members with close business ties. In fact, the Courier-Journal found apparent conflicts of interest — Fletcher has asked business executives and registered lobbyists serving […]