Max Blumenthal had a much-discussed report yesterday in which he noted that Joe Lieberman “is scheduled to headline Pastor John Hagee’s 2008 Christians United For Israel Washington-Israel Summit this July 22. In accepting Hagee’s invitation, Lieberman became the most senior elected representative confirmed to appear at the annual gala.” I was actually curious to see […]
Given recent campaign rhetoric, the upcoming meeting of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, and the airing of HBO’s “Recount,” there’s been quite a bit of talk this week about popular political will, some of it misguided. National Review’s Rich Lowry, for example, seems confused. Back in 2000, Democrats were contemptuous of rules and technicalities […]
On those rare instances in which top Bush administration officials leave and denounce their former colleagues, the loyal Bushies have a handful of go-to attacks they rely on to blame the messenger. The options include calling the former official “disgruntled” (used against former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill); “out of the loop” (used against former counter-terrorism […]
Good news — as far as a few unhinged conservative activists are concerned, you can now go back to enjoying Dunkin’ Donuts without inadvertently supporting a terrorist-sympathizing ad campaign. For those of you who don’t read reactionary right-wing blogs, Dunkin’ Donuts recently unveiled an ad featuring television personality Rachael Ray, holding a latte, standing in […]
Over the weekend, John McCain hosted an event at his home, ostensibly as a social occasion, but what actually appeared to be something of an audition opportunity for three possible Republican running mates — Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. By some estimations, Crist […]
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 some movement on the superdelegate front over the last 24 hours. If my count is right, Barack Obama has picked up four new supporters, worth 3.5 superdelegate votes — Colorado’s […]
After having first endorsed the decision to strip Florida and Michigan of its convention delegates, the Clinton campaign reversed course and insisted that the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee seat the full delegations from both states, even though voters in the states were told in advance that their votes wouldn’t count, and even though the […]
John Harris noted the other day, “The signature defect of modern political journalism is that it has shredded the ideal of proportionality.” Important stories, resulting after extensive journalistic work, go by unnoticed, while trivial stories — “the kind that are tailor-made for forwarding to your brother-in-law or college roommate with a wisecracking note at the […]
I honestly thought the McCain campaign’s reliance on high-priced corporate lobbyists couldn’t be any more ridiculous. I obviously underestimated the McCain campaign’s propensity for wrongdoing. Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s national campaign general co-chair was being paid by a Swiss bank to lobby Congress about the U.S. mortgage crisis at the same time he […]
About two years ago, on the South Lawn of the White House, Bush and Scott McClellan appeared together to announce the press secretary’s departure. After thanking him for his service, the president said, “One of these days he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas, talking about the good old days […]