Comedian Chris Rock used to have a bit in his stand-up routine about how running for president was the single most arrogant thing a person could do. I don’t remember Rock’s exact words, but as I recall, he’d say, “Presidential candidates look at all of these problems and think, ‘I’m the perfect person to fix […]
Clinton challenges both McCain and Obama on Iraq
I did a radio show yesterday, and the host asked me, “If you were Hillary Clinton’s top campaign strategist, what would you tell her to do right now?” I said, “Go after McCain with a vengeance.” Throwing the kitchen sink at Obama helped deliver wins in Ohio and Texas, but the campaign has not fundamentally […]
Kristol corrects — has he done Obama a favor?
Following up on an earlier item, the NYT’s Bill Kristol has added a correction to his Obama hit-job from this morning: “In this column, I cite a report that Sen. Obama had attended services at Trinity Church on July 22, 2007. The Obama camapaign [sic] has provided information showing that Senator Obama did not attend […]
A closer look at the so-called ‘Limbaugh effect’
We’ve all heard quite a bit of talk lately about Republicans crossing over to vote in Democratic primaries, largely to help Hillary Clinton, which some have started calling the “Limbaugh Effect” (the far-right blowhard has encouraged listeners to back Clinton, in the hopes she’ll undermine Barack Obama before the general election). I’ve only seen a […]
McCain, Cheney reject Petraeus analysis of Iraq
The debate over the U.S. policy towards Iraq (and the debate over the debate) has taken several twists and turns over the course of five long and painful years, but if there’s one thing I thought the entire Republican establishment agreed on, it’s this: don’t disagree with Gen. David Petraeus. His judgment is sacrosanct, his […]
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: * Campaigning in Indiana over the weekend, Barack Obama continued to respond to the controversy surrounding his former pastor. The NYT noted that Obama implored an Indiana audience to set aside racial divisions […]
Kristol should at least pretend to care about fact-checking
Clark Hoyt, the NYT’s public editor, wrote an item in January exploring the paper’s decision to hire Bill Kristol as a columnist, a move Hoyt described as a “mistake.” For his part, Kristol has spent the last two months proving Hoyt right. In his latest gem, Kristol picks up on the conservative attack of the […]
Rove joins the media, but is he ‘fair-minded’?
When it comes to broadcast media, it’s increasingly common for networks to move away from hiring journalists to offer analysis and commentary, and towards professionals from the industry itself. In the world of sports, that means putting retired athletes in the booth instead of journalists or professional broadcasters. In the world of politics, that means […]
McCain’s market and the Mahdi militia
It was, to my mind, arguably the single most hackish moment of John McCain’s career. Last April, desperate to convince Americans that he was right about Iraq, the senator toured Baghdad’s Shorja market, bragged about how safe it was, and touted his experience as proof that Americans were not getting the “full picture about what’s […]
Fasten your seatbelts, put your trays up, and put your chairs in the upright position
A year ago, Bear Stearns — up until fairly recently a leading investment, securities and brokerage firm — saw its stock trading for $170 a share. By the end of the calendar year, it was about $88 a share. As recently as four days ago, it was $57 a share. Yesterday, the entire company, in […]