Fortune magazine asked Barack Obama about what he sees as the most serious long-term threat to the U.S. economy. His answer sounded pretty good: “If we don’t get a handle on our energy policy, it is possible that the kinds of trends we’ve seen over the last year will just continue. Demand is clearly outstripping […]
Huckabee rejects ‘internet driven drivel’ about Obama
As unsuccessful presidential candidates go, Mike Huckabee has done a fine job of keeping himself in the spotlight. He’s a Fox News contributor; he’s formed a new political vehicle for himself; he raised a few eyebrows with his bashing of Libertarians; and he even defended Barack Obama once his former pastor starting drawing media attention. […]
Monday’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: * In a speech in Fresno, John McCain will unveil a plan to encourage automakers to sell alternative fuel vehicles. “For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a […]
Obama, Mudcat, and the elusive ‘Bubba Voter’
I’ve never been especially convinced by Dave “Mudcat” Saunders’ worldview when it comes to Democrats and rural voters, but I generally find his perspective interesting enough to at least consider, whether I end up agreeing with it or not. With that in mind, I found the Weekly Standard’s Matt Labash’s new cover story on Mudcat, […]
When ‘The Free One’ becomes ‘The Failed One’
At first blush, there’s nothing especially wrong with the notion of the U.S. government trying to improve the nation’s image in the Middle East. After the attacks of 9/11, American officials knew we had some work to do in the region. After the fiasco in Iraq, those same officials surely noticed that the nation’s reputation […]
Legendary comedian George Carlin dies at age 71
Some friends got tickets to a George Carlin show years ago, and I went along, at the time, for the fun of it. I’d seen some of Carlin’s work on TV, and I knew of his cultural (or counter-cultural) significance, but I didn’t fully appreciate his genius. And then I saw him. And heard his […]
Coverage of the war has been ‘massively scaled back this year’
Last week, Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News, appeared on “The Daily Show,” and shared her frustration about the lack of coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the American media. Asked how she gets through to the network, Logan said, “Generally what I say is, ‘I’m holding the armor-piercing […]
Kristol thinks Bush may leave Obama with a crisis with Iran
As Bill Kristol sees it, if John McCain wins in November (or the White House believes McCain will win in November), Still-President Bush is content leaving a confrontation with Iran to the future. If Barack Obama wins, or appears poised to win, Bush may go ahead and force the issue. “[I]f the president thought John […]
Three in 10 acknowledge racial prejudice
It’s hard to characterize these results on the racial/political landscape as encouraging. As Sen. Barack Obama opens his campaign as the first African American on a major party presidential ticket, nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according […]
McCain can spark controversy on either side of the border
It’s not especially unusual for presidential candidates to engage in foreign travel during the campaign, though it may be slightly counterintuitive (candidates usually want to impress voters here, instead of heading abroad). With that in mind, at first blush, John McCain’s speech to the Economic Club of Canada the other day wouldn’t seem especially interesting. […]