(Update: This list has been revised and updated.) At this point, I’m inclined to publish a new-and-improved version of John McCain’s Greatest Flip-Flops about once a month. I was concerned for a while that McCain would discover the importance of consistency at some point, and make my flip-flop list less important, but so far, that […]
Poll trajectory points to trouble for Clinton campaign
About a month ago, Gallup released a poll showing Hillary Clinton suffering from what it called an “honesty gap.” When poll respondents were asked about the candidates’ honesty and trustworthiness, John McCain did very well (67%-27% in his favor), Barack Obama did nearly as well (63%-29% in his favor), while Clinton fared poorly (44%-53% against […]
Much to be desired from McCainonomics
A couple of weeks ago, John McCain, in a high-profile speech, unveiled his response to the mortgage crisis. After it was universally panned as a bad joke, McCain scrapped his own proposal and tried again. Considering the Republican candidate’s admission that he doesn’t understand economics, it was an inauspicious start to unveiling his economic policy […]
Tuesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Bloodshed in Baghdad: “Car bombs and a suicide attacker struck crowded areas in Baghdad and former insurgent strongholds to the north and west of the capital Tuesday, killing dozens and breaking a recent lull in violence in the predominantly Sunni areas. The attacks were a deadly reminder of the […]
Bush admin. backs down on fraud and abuse
As a rule, Americans probably don’t expect government officials to go out of their way to protect waste, fraud, and abuse, but then again, the Bush administration includes a special group of people. Earlier this year, the Justice Department proposed new rules requiring U.S. contractors to report any and all waste, fraud, or abuse they […]
McCain gets donuts; Obama gets likened to a terrorist
I know I mentioned this yesterday, but it’s still bugging me, and Dana Milbank’s piece on the subject helped drive the point home nicely — the national media establishment isn’t just McCain’s base, it’s a role the media seems anxious to solidify. Appearing before the nation’s newspaper editors yesterday, AP Chairman Dean Singleton pressed Barack […]
Progressive Media USA hits McCain with ‘Out of Touch’ ad
Following up on an item from last week, independent efforts to help “define” John McCain while the Democratic nominating race continues got off to a very rough start, in large part because Democratic investors have been focused more on the Democratic primary than their Republican opponent. Progressive Media USA, however, stepped up to pick up […]
Did the ‘bitter’ flap affect the race?
The awkward political reality of every campaign controversy is that every story has to be considered on two levels: on the merits and whether it will “matter.” If the needle doesn’t move, the story is deemed irrelevant. The interest in Barack Obama’s “bitter” comments, for example, has left the political world with bated breath, wondering […]
Relying on bogus retention argument, McCain opposes modernized GI Bill
Just a few days ago, appearing on ABC’s “The View,” John McCain talked about the importance of increasing the size of the U.S. military. To entice more volunteers, he said, the government should focus on incentives: “[O]ne of the things we ought to do is provide [the troops with] significant educational benefits in return for […]
Tuesday’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 Clinton campaign strongly hinted over the weekend that it would use the “bitter” flap for the basis of an attack ad against Barack Obama, and last night, the campaign followed through […]