In January, when John McCain indicated his willingness to leave U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years, it was the single greatest gift the Republican candidate could have given to Democrats. The biggest goals for Dems in defining the GOP nominee is that he a) represents more of the same; and b) wants to keep […]
Hillary Clinton gets stuck on Bosnia
Bloggers have been on this story for a while, but now that there’s video, and it was a slow news day on the campaign trail, it appears the rest of the media is catching up. For the Clinton campaign, that isn’t good news. As part of her argument that she has the best experience and […]
Cheney: Bush ‘carries the biggest burden’ in Iraq
ABC News aired an interesting interview with Dick Cheney last night — it was a pleasant surprise to see the VP willing to chat with a network other than Fox News — that covered quite a bit of ground relating to Iraq. “The president carries the biggest burden, obviously,” Cheney said. “He’s the one who […]
Monday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * At the breaking point in China: “One policeman was killed and several others injured in riots Monday in western Sichuan province, China’s state media reported…. Xinhua also said that 381 people involved in protests in another Sichuan county, Aba, had surrendered to police, according to local authorities.” * XM […]
The campaigns and the 4,000th Iraq fatality — one of these things is not like the other
Fairly early this morning, Barack Obama’s campaign released a statement on the milestone of the 4,000th U.S. military fatality in Iraq: “It is with great sadness that we have reached another grim milestone in Iraq, with at least 4,000 of our finest Americans having been killed. Each death is a tragedy, and we honor every […]
Clinton wants Obama to lose the nomination, not the election
The fact that Hillary Clinton continues to fight on, despite practical hurdles that appear insurmountable, has led some to argue that she’s intentionally trying to undermine Barack Obama’s general-election prospects, possibly to improve her own chances in 2012, or to maintain the Clintons’ collective role as the leaders of the Democratic Party. Either way, the […]
McCain shouldn’t count on too much support from state GOP committees
And I thought Republican committees at the federal level were in trouble. At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance than ever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubled times, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt, scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the […]
Dems surging in party ID numbers
It’s easy to get discouraged watching the Democratic presidential race, and start to wonder just how badly the prolonged process will undermine the party’s chances in November. But don’t feel too despondent — this is the kind of edge that can pay significant dividends on Election Day. The Democratic Party has increased its margin in […]
Rove: war opposition ‘may pose a threat’ to Dems
I wouldn’t want to alarm anyone, but it appears that Karl Rove isn’t an especially honest person. Yes, this may come as a surprise to, well, maybe somebody out there, but his latest Wall Street Journal column helps drive the point home. For example, the man the president affectionately called “Turd Blossom,” devoted much of […]
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: * AP: “Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton called on President Bush on Monday to appoint ‘an emergency working group on foreclosures’ to recommend new ways to confront the nation’s housing finance troubles. The New […]