At this point, I’ve lost count of exactly how many ad/videos the McCain campaign has released mocking Barack Obama’s so-called “celebrity” status. I suspect we’re approaching double digits by now, and the problem with diminishing returns is rather obvious. It’s one thing for a campaign makes a spot or two to make a point, it’s […]
Monday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The offensive continues in Georgia: “Russian forces continued airstrikes against targets in this central Georgian city Monday as Moscow’s troops moved deeper into Georgian territory around the western town of Senaki. The airstrikes and ground movements came despite an announcement by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday that military operations […]
McCain, Georgia, and change you can Xerox
There was a point, in the spring, when the media was abuzz with talk of “plagiarism.” Apparently, Barack Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), who are friends, shared some a few rhetorical lines. Politicians do this all the time, both Obama and Patrick had each other’s permission, and there was nothing untoward about it. […]
The ‘Veterans’ Vote’ is far from locked up
A couple of months ago, Time magazine posed the question: “Does McCain Have a Vets Problem?” The question hardly fits into the existing media narrative — John McCain is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He shouldn’t, the argument goes, have any trouble winning over the support of other veterans. But the narrative is […]
‘I know Hawaii is a state, but…’
Stephen Hess, a presidential historian with the Brookings Institution, noted the other day, “Anybody who picks on [Barack Obama] for going to Hawaii is really looking for something to pick on.” Dr. Hess, meet ABC News’ Cokie Roberts. “I know Hawaii is a state, but …” Roberts said, before recommending Myrtle Beach, S.C., as a […]
Watching McCain’s credibility go up in smoke
John McCain’s efforts in opposition to the tobacco industry have come up quite a bit lately. A McCain campaign ad unveiled last week noted that he “has taken on big tobacco.” A few days later, the campaign released another ad, featuring Democratic praise for McCain’s work against Big Tobacco. McCain even boasted of his efforts […]
Lieberman hopes to buy some Democratic goodwill
Joe Lieberman, whose recent partisan conduct has been wearing on the nerves of congressional Democrats, no doubt realizes that he’s burnt some bridges with his former party. Lieberman is also no doubt aware of the fact that if the Senate Democratic caucus grows next year, which is likely, the chances of him remaining as a […]
Monday’s campaign round-up
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: * The schedule for the Democratic National Convention is coming together, and according to a press release sent out yesterday, Michelle Obama will speak on Monday night, and Hillary Clinton will speak on […]
McCain cozies up to … Ralph Reed?
As part of his new-found interest in appearing independent again, John McCain and his aides like to remind folks about his role in taking on Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Republican lobbyist. It’s not an entirely unreasonable pitch; McCain did some decent work on the scandal in the Senate. McCain is bragging about his role now, […]
Neocons still love that Cold War mentality
When Robert Kagan… The details of who did what to precipitate Russia’s war against Georgia are not very important. Do you recall the precise details of the Sudeten Crisis that led to Nazi Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia? Of course not Koupit Lioresal v Praze , because that morally ambiguous dispute is rightly remembered as a […]