I don’t care that John McCain is extremely wealthy. I don’t care that he became wealthy by marrying into a wealthy family. I don’t care about his Armani clothes, his multiple luxurious homes, his wife’s private jet, or his Black Centurion American Express card. His enormous wealth is his business (though it does strike me […]
House Committee recommends contempt charges for Rove
Three weeks ago, Karl Rove blew off a congressional subpoena and refused to testify on the scandal surrounding the politicization of the Justice Department. Today, the House Judiciary Committee recommended contempt charges against Rove for his defiance. The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines, 20 to 14, to cite Mr. Rove for defying its […]
How low can McCain go?
In case there were any lingering doubts, we’ve officially made the transition from Silly Season to Stupid Season. Here’s the McCain campaign’s new TV ad, for example, that reinforces the obvious fact that anyone who still respects John McCain as a credible man of character simply isn’t paying attention. I’m pretty comfortable, at this point, […]
In context, Obama’s humble; but out of context…
It’s as if the media is trying to make the presidential race — arguably, the most important in a generation — as mind-numbing as humanly possible. Take this truly ridiculous WaPo item today. In his closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday night, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger, according to a […]
Wednesday’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: * A biopsy of John McCain’s latest facial spot turned out to be negative: “A biopsy of a spot removed from the right cheek of Senator John McCain revealed no evidence of skin […]
‘A pure attack tone could be perilous’
Want to read something funny? I mean, genuinely hysterical? Take a look at the memo distributed by the McCain campaign in early March, immediately after John McCain officially secured the Republican nomination. “It is critical,” the memo explained, “as we prepare to face off with whomever the Democrats select as their nominee, that we all […]
Cutting the legs out from under McCain’s Landstuhl smear
From the “credit where credit is due” file, I argued the other day that news outlets were repeating the McCain campaign’s demonstrably false smear about Barack Obama and wounded U.S. troops in Germany, but neglecting to point out reality. As far as the public was concerned, McCain was making an attack; Obama said the attack […]
When the ‘presumptuous’ meme jumps the shark
I vaguely recall some news items from New Year’s about a group of scholars issuing a list of words to be banished from the lexicon for “misuse, overuse and general uselessness.” Among the selections from 2007 were “under the bus,” “it is what it is,” and “perfect storm.” It’s only been two weeks, but if […]
Did the McCain campaign give up on its lobbyist ban?
There were a couple of weeks in May that were rather embarrassing for the McCain campaign. McCain had developed a reputation as a politician who had little use for high-priced DC lobbyists, but it quickly became obvious that his entire campaign operation was being run by … high-priced DC lobbyists. In one eight-day stretch, McCain […]
The AP’s Fournier considered role with McCain campaign
The practice of jumping between the political and media worlds is not especially uncommon, and journalists routinely leave news outlets to pursue opportunities in professional politics. David Axelrod, the Obama campaign’s chief strategist, used to be a reporter. Linda Douglass, up until recently employed by National Journal, also joined Obama’s team. In perhaps the most […]