At first blush, this report in the New York Sun seems to have very little relevance to the presidential campaign. Republican or Democrat, will make a Syrian-Israeli peace agreement a priority only if the two sides, meeting now in Turkey, make substantial progress before the inauguration. That is what a foreign policy adviser to Senator […]
Republican keynote address to feature a noun, a verb, and 9/11
When it comes to Democratic conventions , the party tends to look for keynote speakers who have a vision for the nation’s future — Barack Obama, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, and Mario Cuomo come to mind. Republicans seem to prefer a different tack. Four years ago, the party picked Zell Miller for the gig. Eight […]
McCain accuses Obama of getting ‘testy’ over patriotism charges
Yesterday, speaking to the VFW’s national convention, Barack Obama explained, “I have never suggested that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now, it’s time for him to acknowledge that I […]
Lieberman agrees to speak at the Republican National Convention
Eight years ago, Joe Lieberman was the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate. Four years ago, he was a Democratic presidential candidate hoping to defeat George W. Bush. Two years ago, he was seeking the Democratic nomination for Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seat and begging Barack Obama to campaign with him. And this year, he’ll be addressing […]
Wednesday’s campaign round-up
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own Koupit Priligy , but may be of interest to political observers: * Would he make us wait until Saturday to learn about the running mate? “Barack Obama’s campaign confirms that the Illinois senator will hold an event in his home state […]
To borrow a Douglas Adams line, ‘Don’t panic’
Well, the needle on the Democratic Anxiety O’ Meter seems to have moved this morning, from “Deep Anxiety” to “Near-Panic.” A few developments have made the dread more palpable than usual. Development #1 — A new LAT/Bloomberg poll shows Barack Obama’s national lead over John McCain down to just two points Taking conditions may restrict […]
When party platforms cease to matter
It became something of a running joke in 1996, when Bob Dole publicly conceded, many times, that he hadn’t even read the Republican Party’s platform. ”I have due respect for the platform,” Dole said at one point after his convention. ”I read a lot of parts that I thought were essential.” Twelve years later, we’ve […]
Newsweek’s Alter: ‘McCain should stop lying about his opponent’
Two weeks ago, it seemed Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter had just about had it with John McCain. The columnist said he’s “misread McCain,” who, it turns out, is “a surprisingly immature politician” who may not be “ready to lead.” Alter’s piece concluded that McCain had “mortgaged his precious personal honor.” But underlying Alter’s argument is that […]
Biden denies VP speculation, while Team McCain eyes Lieberman
Given that there’s very little actual news when it comes to the presidential candidates’ running mates, it seems almost silly to examine (and overly interpret) what little news there is to glean. And yet, the political world wants to talk about little else, so we might as well go over what we’ve got. Late yesterday, […]
Why Rachel Maddow getting her show matters — a lot
I’m very rarely encouraged by any of the decisions made by major news outlets. Yesterday afternoon, however, was a spectacular exception. Rachel Maddow has been sounding off about politics on MSNBC so often she might as well have her own show. And now she does. The liberal commentator and Air America radio host, who has […]