It seems like quite a while ago, but earlier this year, Rudy Giuliani actually intended to be a force in the Iowa caucuses. He campaigned frequently in the state, held a lot of town-hall meetings, and through around June, actually lead in Iowa polls. Then, of course, Republicans got a good look at the guy, […]
Culture warrior Huckabee saw a lot of enemies
It’s been days since we learned about another intemperate, intolerant remark from Mike Huckabee before he became a presidential candidate, so I suppose we were due for a new round of revelations. Mother Jones’ David Corn delivers. To briefly recap, the past couple of weeks have been painfully revealing for the former Arkansas governor. In […]
When bogus far-right claims lead to bogus far-right journalism
No political ideology has a lock on veracity, and anyone, on either side of the aisle, can make up tall tales, only to see like-minded supporters fall for the con. But I suspect the Francisco Nava story has embarrassed a whole lot of conservatives this week. On Friday, Nava, a junior at Princeton who studies […]
Tuesday’s political 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: * Bill Clinton went a little off message yesterday, telling supporters of his wife’s presidential campaign yesterday, “Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a […]
Huckabee touts ‘the celebration of the birth of Christ’ in ad
By all indications, American presidential campaigns have featured television campaigns for about six decades. Over that period, presidential hopefuls have made just about every appeal imaginable, but it appears that none have ever actually used the word “Christ.” In this sense, Mike Huckabee, whose first TV ad boasted that he’s a “Christian leader” (in all […]
When defense spending soars to unseen heights
Most of the political establishment agrees that federal defense spending is entirely off-limits — if you look askance at Pentagon funding, you’re necessarily “weak” and insufficiently supportive of the military. As a result, every Bush administration request for defense expenditures has been met by Congress, without exception. But it’s worth pausing once in a while […]
Bob Kerrey digs a little deeper, lobs bogus ‘madrassa’ claim
Over the weekend, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) raised a few eyebrows after an event in Iowa in which he endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Kerrey, who’s always had a reputation for pushing the rhetorical envelope with freewheeling and provocative remarks, offered some provocative comments about Barack Obama. “It’s probably not something that appeals to […]
Dodd wins temporary victory, FISA bill pulled until January
Despite opposition from progressive leaders and activists, yesterday’s debate on FISA — and retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with Bush’s warrantless-surveillance scheme — was poised to go very badly. The political establishment had all but decided that this was a good bill, the media was treating the debate as a nuisance, and when […]
Monday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * A growing number of U.S. military officials are pressuring the White House to “accelerate a troop drawdown in Iraq and bulk up force levels in Afghanistan.” Apparently, conditions in the “other” war are deteriorating quickly, and some administration officials now believe Afghanistan may pose a “greater longer-term challenge than […]
The ‘Huckabee Panic’ revisited
Following up on the extensive discussion over the weekend about the conservative establishment’s aversion to Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, Andrew Sullivan notes just how far this sentiment goes among leading bloggers on the right. Ace, for example, who few would consider a moderate, is even willing to vote for Hillary Clinton over the former Arkansas […]