As president, George W. Bush loves to talk to those who visit the Oval Office about the rug on the floor. (He claims to have tasked Laura Bush with helping come up with a design that communicated “optimistic person” to those who saw it.) But as governor, Bush wasn’t excited about his carpet; he was […]
The Rezko controversy — a non-scandal revisited
Earlier this week, at that very contentious debate for the Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton falsely insisted that Barack Obama had said he “really liked the ideas of the Republicans over the last 10 to 15 years.” Obama responded that he was fighting Republican ideas when Clinton was “a corporate lawyer sitting on the board […]
Friday’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: * Two weeks before New Yorkers vote in their presidential primary, the New York Times endorsed Hillary Clinton: “The potential upside of a great Obama presidency is enticing, but this country faces huge […]
CNN benches Carville, Begala
The problem first emerged way back in March. On the “Situation Room,” James Carville, a contracted CNN political commentator, offered some relatively mild criticism of Barack Obama. Carville said the Illinois senator was “less-than-impressive” at a recent health care forum, adding, “[Obama] needs to get up to speed on a couple of these issues.” Under […]
Fox News’ John Gibson backs down over Ledger mockery
Once in a while, even a wacky Fox News personality finds it necessary to walk his comments back. On his Fox News show [yesterday], John Gibson apologized for his recent comments mocking the death of actor Heath Ledger. “I’m sorry that some took my comments as anti-gay and insensitive,” said Gibson. “Once again, to anyone […]
Delegates, superdelegates, and brokered conventions … oh my
The likelihood that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination will not be wrapped up before the convention seems, at least to me, remote. It could happen, and it’d be kind of fun to watch if it did happen, but a brokered convention probably isn’t in the cards. That said, given the competitive nature of […]
Don’t know much about foreign policy
Just how far gone is the Republican presidential field? We’re still hearing talk about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction. RUSSERT: Governor Huckabee, was the war a good idea, and is it worth the cost in blood and treasure? HUCKABEE: I supported the president when he led us into this, as did the Democrats. […]
I used to watch debates so you wouldn’t have to
Debate fatigue, my friends, has set in. Particularly when it comes to the Republican field — one can only hear, “Reagan … Hillarycare … 9/11 … illegals” so many times — it’s increasingly difficult to justify staying up past bed time to watch these guys struggle to discuss policy issues. With that in mind, I […]
Thursday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Given the pressures he’s facing in his House district, I suppose the timing was right for Dennis Kucinich to step aside: “Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second bid for the White House. In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the congressman said he was quitting […]
The perception of who’s fighting fair (and who isn’t)
While the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to trade shots, both sides are simultaneously characterizing the other as the aggressor. The motivation, of course, is obvious: voters have (some) tolerance for political disputes in the heat of a competitive presidential campaign, but no one likes a bully. Greg Sargent, in a terrific […]