One of the week’s more contentious disputes came between Barack Obama and John McCain over benefits for the troops, highlighted by McCain’s opposition to a bipartisan expansion of the GI Bill. Obama questioned McCain’s priorities; McCain lost his cool and attacked Obama for not having served in the military; and the dispute got a little […]
Vice President Warner?
Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) certainly looked like a top-tier presidential contender last year, and had begun taking steps towards throwing his hat in the ring. In the 11th hour, however, Warner backed off, ultimately deciding to run for Virginia’s open Senate seat. Bu as it turns out, Warner still has a decent chance […]
Poll points to ‘racial challenge’ for Obama
Newsweek published the results of a new poll, which shows John McCain doing quite well among white voters, leading Barack Obama by 12 (52% to 40%), and leading Hillary Clinton by four (48% to 40%). This isn’t especially surprising — white voters overall preferred Bush to Kerry in 2004, Bush to Gore in 2000, Dole […]
Obama gives Clinton a pass on RFK ‘assassination’ remark
As a rule, when a rival makes a mistake — or, at least, something perceived as a mistake — a candidate is supposed to pounce and exploit the error. In the midst of the frenzy surrounding Barack Obama’s “bitter” comments, for example, Hillary Clinton was rather aggressive in pushing the argument that Obama’s remarks were […]
For GOP, panic ‘is in the wind’
Six months out, those who feel confident about how the presidential campaign is going to play out are probably kidding themselves. There are too many variables, and the race will take too many twists and turns. Nevertheless, the Republican establishment is looking ahead. How confident are they? That depends who you ask. On Thursday, the […]
Voodoo economics doesn’t die, it just gets picked up by new GOP candidates
It’s not exactly a shocking revelation that John McCain’s budget numbers don’t add up. Presidential candidates’ numbers are often rather pie-in-the-sky, and political observers have been conditioned to give campaigns at least a little leeway and wiggle room. But from time to time, it’s worth keeping in mind that McCain’s budget promises aren’t just wrong, […]
The request that Democrats aren’t supposed to make
I’ve been toying with an idea the last few days, and this reference in an AP article helped encapsulate the point. In the same editorial board meeting, [Hillary] Clinton said ”it is unprecedented in history” for political activists to urge a candidate to withdraw when his or her chances of winning the nomination appear remote. […]
Bush can’t pack ’em in the way he used to
In 2004, Bush won Arizona by double digits. This year, with Arizonan John McCain leading the Republican ticket, it stands to reason there’d be quite a bit of excitement among the state’s GOP elite. And yet, the enthusiasm is surprisingly underwhelming. (via Eric Kleefeld) A Tuesday fundraiser headlined by President Bush for U.S. Sen. John […]
McCain spins like a top on immigration flip-flop
John McCain’s incoherence on immigration policy has quickly gone from problematic to humiliating. The poor guy has spun himself into a box he can’t seem to get out of. Just Thursday, in a relatively high-profile speech in California, McCain went back to the position he’d given up to win the Republican nomination. McCain boasted about […]
Those McCain tax returns that we would ‘never’ see
The Obamas released tax returns for both Barack and Michelle. The Clintons released returns for both Bill and Hillary. But when John McCain released his tax returns in April, we were told that Cindy McCain’s tax documents would remain private. It’s not too hard to understand why. The McCains are extraordinarily wealthy — one might […]