Just 10 days ago, DNC Chairman Howard Dean struck a relatively impatient note about the party’s presidential nominating contest, telling CNN that he wants uncommitted superdelegates to “say who they’re for starting now.” He added, “We cannot give up two or three months of active campaigning and healing time. We’ve got to know who our […]
One of these things is not like the other
Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute recently said, “I don’t think anybody’s numbers add up when they run for president. I do fear that (McCain’s) don’t add up the most.” That’s not exactly the impression the New York Times wants to convey. In a front-page piece yesterday, the NYT analyzed the fiscal plans presented […]
Obama vs Wallace, Round 1
About half-way through his interview on “Fox News Sunday” yesterday, Barack Obama, in response to a question about his propensity to toe the party line, said, “There are a lot of liberal commentators who think I’m too accommodating.” The irony, of course, is that Obama was saying this on Fox News, which led many to […]
‘What is left is the Cliffs Notes of the news’
Time for a quick quiz. Question #1: when Barack Obama campaigned in Altoona, Pa., a few weeks ago, what was his bowling score? And question #2: name one thing — anything — about Joe Biden’s healthcare plan. Elizabeth Edwards makes the point today that, thanks to media coverage, we can all immediately answer the first, […]
Hanging ‘100 years’ around McCain’s neck
The McCain campaign doesn’t seem especially concerned about Democratic attacks that he’s running to give the nation a third Bush term. He doesn’t seem to care when people highlight his age. He shrugs off questions about his reputation as a hothead with a nasty temperament who flies off the handle on a regular basis. He […]
Terry McAuliffe gets stuck
If I were to pick a specific date for when the Clinton campaign’s tactics began to cause real consternation in Democratic circles, I’d have to go with Jan. 25. At that point, Clinton had won a couple of impressive victories (New Hampshire, Nevada), and Obama had won a couple of his own (Iowa, South Carolina), […]
Obama still pushing back on pins, patriotism, and politics
In my heart of hearts, I don’t really believe there are any Americans who would base their presidential vote on flag pins and the Star Spangled Banner. People can and do back (or oppose) candidates for some pretty superficial reasons, but no one’s that dumb. My hunch is that voters, when it comes to Barack […]
The law should probably be followed — on a case-by-case basis
John Yoo may no longer be in the Bush administration, but his arguments for letting administration officials break the law when they think they should have apparently lingered inside the Justice Department. The Justice Department has told Congress that American intelligence operatives attempting to thwart terrorist attacks can legally use interrogation methods that might otherwise […]
McCain’s principles are leaving, on a jet plane
John McCain, back when he was a champion of campaign-finance reform, fought for a measure requiring presidential candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets. Around the same time, McCain also vowed not to rely on his wife’s considerable personal wealth to finance his presidential campaign. It looks like both of those […]
Just what CNN needed, a Bush sycophant
For reasons that I’ll probably never quite understand, CNN invited former White House press secretary Tony Snow to join what the network bills as the “best political team” on television, overlooking Snow’s record of, well, being something of a Republican hack. Snow made his debut yesterday on the “Situation Room.” How did it go? Well, […]