The Carpetbagger Report

Following up on an item from yesterday, Ben Smith had a blockbuster when he reported, “As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons, according to […]

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: * The Democratic presidential race is starting to get very interesting in South Carolina. A new Clemson University Palmetto Poll shows Hillary Clinton holding onto her lead, but by a small margin — […]

As the presidential campaign has unfolded, there have been a handful of Washington Post articles about Democratic candidates that were so awful, I felt genuinely sorry for the newspaper. An odd front-page piece on John Edwards selling his house, a bizarre front-page expose on Hillary Clinton’s charitable donations, and the 1,300-word hit-job on the “controversy” […]

In last night’s CNN/YouTube debate for Republican presidential candidates, perhaps the most memorable, gripping moment came towards the end, when the face on an elderly gentleman appeared on the screen. “My name is Keith Kerr, from Santa Rosa, California. I’m retired brigadier general with 43 years of service, and I’m a graduate of the Special […]

Depending on one’s tolerance and affinity for Ron Paul, one question from last night’s CNN/YouTube debate was either brilliant or offensive. A young man in Arlington, Texas, specifically asked the Texas lawmaker to clear something up for him. “Now, I’ve met a lot of your supporters online, but I’ve noticed that a good number of […]

It’s almost impossible to pick a winner from last night Republican presidential candidate debate in St. Petersburg, Fla., except maybe the entire Democratic field — for more than two hours, the GOP hopefuls made it abundantly clear that none of them should be the president. With the campaign clearly in “crunch time,” and the Iowa […]

Today’s edition of quick hits. * CNN: “President Bush on Wednesday told CNN he would personally ‘facilitate’ peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis but dismissed the idea that he would travel to the region to engage in talks.” The president prefers a kind of hands-off, long-distance style of engagement. That ought to work, right? […]

To hear some of John McCain’s media admirers tell it, “McCain, whether you agree with him or not, has been entirely consistent about the war.” To hear his campaign tell it, “John McCain has mainted [sic] a consistent record on Iraq since the very beginning.” But pesky little details like reality keep getting in the […]

So far, Rudy Giuliani’s scandalous personal life has been largely ignored by major media outlets. One of these days, that’s going to change, and today may be the day. Giuliani is the first thrice-married serial adulterer to ever even run for president, a fact that most reporters have ignored entirely. When the Village Voice reported […]

I’ve heard John Edwards, on several occasions, emphasize that he’s not interested in winning the votes of racists and/or misogynists. As the former senator put it in one recent debate, “If you don’t vote for Hillary because she’s a woman, or you don’t vote for Obama because he’s black, I don’t want your vote.” Among […]