John McCain, recognizing the importance of Latino voters in the upcoming election, spoke to the National Council of La Raza yesterday. He told the audience, “I do ask for your trust,” adding, “I think I have earned that trust.” I know McCain often has a dry sense of humor, and in this case, I can’t […]
In March, when John McCain appeared at a gathering of the nation’s newspaper editors, he was greeted by two journalists from the Associated Press, who extended the Republican senator a box of his favorite donuts (“Oh, yes, with sprinkles!” McCain said). One of the journalists was the AP’s DC bureau chief, Ron Fournier. We talked […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse: “Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in heavy fighting Sunday at a military base in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, according to a Western official. The attack was the deadliest against U.S. forces in the country since 2005.” * The AP noted that […]
This is almost certainly going to sound nitpicky, if not actually petty, but bear with me. It’s not unreasonable to note that John McCain continues to make references to a country that doesn’t exist. At a press conference in Phoenix today, for example, McCain referenced Czechoslovakia. Again. “I was concerned about a couple of steps […]
About a month ago, Bush, McCain, and congressional Republicans were without any real ideas about energy policy. Pressed on what to do about gas prices, the president told reporters, “[T]here is no magic wand to wave right now.” In fact, the president repeated the line three times, as if to say, “Don’t ask me; I […]
In recent weeks, as the McCain campaign has become more reckless in its attacks, the presumptive Republican nominee and his allies have begun going after Barack Obama’s integrity. McCain’s campaign has said Obama should not be “taken at his word,” and his “word cannot be trusted.” McCain was asked directly whether he questioned Obama’s patriotism, […]
Regular readers know that I’ve been highlighting some of the unusually bad coverage of the presidential campaign from the Associated Press. It’s been striking, in part because it’s unexpected — the AP has not exactly earned a reputation of being the Fox News of wire services. For the AP to do so many poor reports […]
Last week, Carly Fiorina, a leading McCain advisor/surrogate and the Republican National Committee’s “Victory Chairman,” was discussing consumer-driven health insurance when she proposed “a real, live example which I’ve been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won’t cover birth-control medication. Those women would like […]
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: * Voter-registration numbers in Florida look very good for Democrats: “The numbers are ominous for Republicans: Through May, Democratic voter registration in Broward County was up 6.7 percent. Republican registrations grew just 3 […]
Barack Obama’s consistent opposition to the Bush/McCain policy in Iraq has been encouraging, but in advance of an upcoming trip to Baghdad, Obama is facing a reporter/Republican uproar about inconsistencies in his position — which appear to exist only in the minds of his detractors at the McCain campaign, the RNC, and the newsrooms everywhere. […]