It seems almost odd in retrospect, but when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, John McCain was not an enthusiastic supporter of a military confrontation. At the time, McCain said, “To start putting American troops into that kind of meat grinder I just don’t think is a viable option.” As the first Bush administration began […]
Clinton’s path to the nomination gets longer, more circuitous
The NYT’s Adam Nagourney explains today that the Clinton campaign is looking at the landscape, and sees a difficult path to the nomination. The campaign does, however, have some key metrics in mind that, they hope, could make matters easier. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton needs three breaks to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator […]
McCain isn’t the only one confused about al Qaeda
There weren’t a lot of newsworthy tidbits in the president’s speech about Iraq and the Middle East yesterday; it was more or less boilerplate language and arguments. The war is worthwhile, victory is around the corner, history will justify Bush’s actions, etc. But it’s probably worth noting that the president’s arguments as they relate to […]
Media interest in the stained blue dress begins anew
Over 11,000 pages of Hillary Clinton’s schedules from her years as First Lady were released yesterday, with hungry reporters anxious to dig in. At first blush, their anticipation is not unfounded — getting a better sense of how Clinton spent her years in the White House could bolster or undermine her claims about her experience, […]
Wednesday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Bush gave another big speech on Iraq today; I didn’t watch: “President Bush on Wednesday declared that “the successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable” as he gave a rousing defense of the war on its fifth anniversary before a receptive but not overwhelmingly enthusiastic Pentagon audience…. The […]
Huckabee — yes, Huckabee — comes to Obama’s and Wright’s defense
I didn’t really expect Mike Huckabee to go on MSNBC this morning to defend the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama, but once in a while, a person will surprise you. From the transcript: HUCKABEE: [Obama] made the point, and I think it’s a valid one, that you can’t hold the candidate responsible for everything […]
Abu Ghraib torturer blames media for scandal
Everyone, pretty nearly everywhere, has seen the images of abuse at Abu Ghraib. The name of the prison alone has become synonymous with torture and humiliation, and the acts committed by Americans weakened our collective name on the global stage like almost nothing else in recent years. Oddly enough, reflecting on the events, one of […]
What global warming and the ‘End Times’ have in common
In “This Week in God” the other day, I noted that the Southern Baptist Convention agreed to adopt a new, more progressive declaration on global warming. In a welcome change, the new position explained, “Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless […]
Obama: McCain ‘fails to understand’ consequences of war in Iraq
On Monday, Hillary Clinton gave a big speech on Iraq in DC, hitting John McCain for supporting the Bush policy, and hitting Barack Obama for not having done more to stop the Bush policy. Today, speaking in North Carolina, Obama gave his big Iraq speech, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the start of the […]
McCain compounds al Qaeda gaffe by repeating for a fourth time
When John McCain got confused yesterday about Sunni and Shiite, Iran and al Qaeda, his campaign issued a statement insisting that McCain “misspoke and immediately corrected himself.” The explanation is far less plausible when McCain makes the same mistake and pushes the same bogus argument four times in two days. This time, in a statement […]