James Dobson’s Focus on the Family issued an alert to its membership yesterday bragging about the latest New York Times poll, which, the group said, showed that “America’s young people continue to track conservative” on social issues. It took some breathtaking spin to reach this conclusion. The survey collected opinions of 17- to 29-year-olds. Sixty-two […]
Obama homophobic?
I have to admit, I’m puzzled by the reaction in some corners to what seemed like one of the more amusing and lighthearted moments of last night’s debate. NPR’s Michel Martin asked the candidates, “[W]hat is the plan to stop and to protect these young people from this scourge?” When it was Joe Biden’s turn, […]
Bush identifies the wrong ‘main enemy’
Oddly enough, the president used to be fairly responsible when describing al Qaeda’s role in Iraqi violence. Not too terribly long ago, Bush described “the terrorists affiliated with or inspired by al Qaeda” — not even the network itself — as the “smallest” component of violence in Iraq. And then, as the political winds shifted, […]
‘The move is highly unusual’
As disappointing as this week has been at the Supreme Court on a wide variety of issues, the justices may help redeem themselves by granting cert in an important habeas case out of Guantanamo. Rejecting Bush administration arguments, the Supreme Court reversed course and agreed Friday to review whether Guantanamo Bay detainees can use the […]
Friday’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: * A reporter asked John McCain whether he’d consider ending his presidential campaign in light of his sagging poll numbers and subpar fundraising totals. “That’s ridiculous,” McCain said. “Why in the world would […]
Listening to the generals
The president delivered a speech yesterday at the Naval War College, rehashing most of what you’d expect him to say about the war in Iraq. (Surprise, he’s optimistic and sees a lot of “progress.”) When he opened the floor to questions, however, the audience seemed a little skeptical. Q: Mr. President, I just returned from […]
Dangerous bomb deactivated in London
While some of the recent alleged terrorist plots in the U.S. haven’t withstood much scrutiny, it looks as if London avoided a serious terrorist incident today. Police in London say they have deactivated a bomb packed with nails and capable of creating huge casualties, raising renewed fears of a terrorist strike almost two years after […]
Adventures in Fox News polling
As Eric Kleefeld noted, there’s a real gem towards the end of the latest Fox News poll (.pdf). This has to be a first. In its new poll, Fox News asked what may well be the ultimate in jingoistic, rally-around-the-flag questions — and the Democrats came out on top: “If there is an all-out war […]
I watch presidential debates — so you don’t have to
Last night’s debate of Democratic presidential candidates was the third of the campaign, and though it was dedicated largely to domestic issues and challenges facing the African-American community — there were no questions, for example, about the war in Iraq — it was probably the most substantive of the three. It was the first debate […]
Thursday’s Mini-Report
Today’s edition of quick hits. * TPMM: “Scooter Libby has a new name: inmate number 28301-016. That’s according to the Bureau of Prisons, which is ready and waiting for Libby’s arrival. After losing a motion earlier this month to delay his first day in prison, Libby’s currently trying a last ditch appeal before reporting to […]