Nixon was one, who were the other three?

Because some of my readers are political junkies just as much as I am, one of you noticed that I said yesterday that Nixon was one of only four presidential candidates to get more than 60% of the popular vote and asked who the other three were. Because I aim to please, here’s the list: […]

Where’s the vote update I promised you?

I mentioned yesterday that I’d let you know the outcome of the Senate vote on what’s left of the faith-based initiative. Unfortunately, they never got to the bill, so there’s been nothing to report. It’s on the schedule for today and I’ll let you know what happens. (In some ways, this is unnecessarily building up […]

George McGovern’s legacy and why it’s important in 2004

Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post’s media critic, was commenting this morning that the debate over the war in Iraq had a little bit of something for everyone: multilateralists vs. unilateralists, military vs. media, Defense Department vs. State Dept., and so on. When Kurtz, who tends to lean Republican, mentioned what was in the debate for […]

What’s left of the faith-based initiative will be voted on today

In a few hours, the Senate is going to vote — and will almost certainly pass — what’s left of President Bush’s “faith-based” initiative. If the bill reaches Bush’s desk, as seems likely, the White House will probably put its best face on it and claim that this is a major victory. For those of […]

2 million and counting

In case you missed it, Reuters reported yesterday that, for the first time ever, there are 2 million people in our nation’s prisons and jails. This number, remarkably, is double the incarcerated population of 1990. One in every 142 Americans is behind bars. I know this story didn’t get much play in the media, but […]

Bob Graham raised $1 million — almost entirely through phone calls

Since I’ve talked about all of the other Dem candidates’ first quarter fundraising, I feel compelled to give more information as it becomes available. Bob Graham, a Carpetbagger sentimental favorite, raised $1 million in Q1, placing him far behind Dean ($2.6 mil), Lieberman ($3 mil), Gephardt ($3.6 mil), Kerry ($7 mil), and Edwards ($7.4 mil). […]

Why polls on the war lack meaning for me

I’m a voracious reader of polls; I almost don’t care what the topic is. With that in mind, I’ve noticed several recent surveys from the last week or so regarding the war in Iraq. Not surprisingly, a strong majority of Americans are supporting the military, the war, and the president during the conflict. An ABC/Washington […]

2013 America is wondering what we’re up to

One of my favorite Jerry Seinfeld bits is about the eternal struggle between Night Guy and Morning Guy. Night Guy, for example, likes to stay out late and drink too much. There’s an important early meeting tomorrow morning at work? That’s Morning Guy’s problem! Morning Guy, naturally, hates Night Guy. Morning Guy has to deal […]

Turning a battle field into a mission field

Imagine for a moment that you’re a U.S. soldier fighting in Iraq. Your environment is hot and dry — all the time — and your unit hasn’t had the time or the wherewithal to do much bathing. An Army officer, who claims to have your interests in mind, has a 500-gallon pool of refreshing, clean […]

Kerry’s speech responding to his critics

Following up on my post yesterday about Kerry taking off the gloves with his chickenhawk critics, Salon was kind enough to post the transcript of Kerry’s speech in Georgia on Thursday. It’s really a good speech, well worth reading. The more Kerry gives speeches like this one, the better he’ll do in the campaign. Oddly […]