Politics
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Oh, Yeah. Bush Is Still in Office
For another year. Greenwald regarding Mukasey’s testimony yesterday: None of what he said yesterday is extraordinary, despite how radical and jarring it is. Mukasey repeatedly insisted that even his most lawlessness-endorsing views are within our political mainstream, and he’s right about that. It’s now been seven years that our country has functioned under the radical
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Obama’s Critics to the Left
I see that Nader has announced that now Edwards is out, he might consider throwing his hat in the ring. He considers Obama to be too mediocre a candidate and is disappointed that someone with his community-organizing background is not a more articulate voice for the concerns of the poor. This has been a criticism
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The Clinton Co-Presidency
I’ve been thinking that the real importance of Bill’s "energetic" interventions on behalf of Hillary has less to do with his controversial statements and more to do with a growing perception that he is running for co-president. The real ‘Bill problem’ might be that he is starting to turn people off to the idea of
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American Folly, American Decline
From today’s NYT Magazine: Condoleezza Rice has said America has no “permanent enemies,” but it has no permanent friends either. Many saw the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as the symbols of a global American imperialism; in fact, they were signs of imperial overstretch. Every expenditure has weakened America’s armed forces, and each assertion of
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South Carolina (updates 1-6)
I’m writing this just before Obama’s speech. Happy that there were no big negative surprises and that the margin of victory appears to be so large. I haven’t been reading any blog responses so far, just watching MSNBC coverage. I’m kind of amazed that everybody (except Pat Buchanan) is convinced that Bill Clinton’s race innuendo
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Managing the Fear Factor
During my sophomore year in college I lived on the same floor in a dormitory/apartment with some guys who were into heavy-duty weight-lifting. They were very nice guys, the kind who would give you the shirts off their backs if you were in need on one. They were not particularly testosterone driven–they were, in fact,
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Debate Strategy (Second Update Wed. )
I don’t think that most people really care who was right or wrong in a debate; it’s more a question of how the candidates handle themselves and what they reveal about who they are in a stressful situation. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that the candidates get it on. I think it’s important
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What Obama Said
"I think we’re in one of those times right now where people feel like things as they are going aren’t working, that we’re bogged down in the same arguments we’ve been having, and they’re not useful. The Republican approach, I think, has played itself out. I mean, I think it’s fair to say that the
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That’s the Point, Joe
Joe Klein on the Clinton race strategy: There will be those who say that the Clintons intentionally brought this on–with their sleazy horde of surrogates making race references over the past few weeks–but I’m not convinced of that. I am, however, afraid that all this race talk has made Barack Obama’s candidacy -all about race,
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The Eberneezer Baptist Church Speech: Only Connect
These are the closing paragraphs of Obama’s speech today for those who haven’t read the whole thing: So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to