McCain: "The Eddie Haskell of Politics" The New Republic.
Reporter and longtime John McCain coverer Amy Silverman of Arizona's New Times has an astounding long feature detailing the senator's history in Arizona politics. Silverman has compiled a treasure trove of data on McCain's political biography--all of public record, but long buried in Arizona, it seems--including episodes in which she was an actor. She details the circumstances of some of the most unsavory political moments of McCain's public life, including the Keating Five scandal, barbs and brawls that reek of misogyny, and his steady courtship of the press. It's a must-read; some of the details are really cutting:
Posted Fri 7:42 AM EST (249)
US hunters claim to have found Bigfoot Philippe Naughton. Times (UK).
Two American hunters say they have a bit of a surprise in their freezer: a Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. The pair, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, say that they discovered the body of the mythical apeman in a remote forest in northern Georgia - USA not Eastern Europe - about two weeks ago.
Posted Thu 9:11 AM EST (228)
Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’ KATHARINE Q. SEELYE. New York Times.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.
Posted Mon 7:49 AM EST (208)
Barack Obama's purpose-driven gamble Mike Madden. Salon.
LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- One of the candidates for president strolled onto the stage at a massive megachurch in suburban Orange County Saturday night and started joking easily with the Rev. Rick Warren, maybe the most popular evangelical leader in America -- but just plain "Pastor Rick" to the candidate. He talked about his certainty that "Jesus Christ died for my sins, and I am redeemed through him," said Americans should be soldiers in the fight against evil and defined marriage as between a man and a woman -- "and God is in the mix." This particular Christian candidate was so on his game that after a segment on domestic policy ended, Warren told him -- his mic still live as the TV feed cut to commercial -- "Home run." Oh, and John McCain was there, too.
Posted Sun 8:26 AM EST (188)
Et Tu, Wall Street Journal? Dan Eggen. Washington Post.
Every once in a while, the White House sends out a blast e-mail titled "Setting the Record Straight," usually taking issue with a press report or criticism that the Bush administration finds wanting. The targets are often news organizations that conservatives consider part of the hated liberal media, such as recent missives against the New York Times and NBC News. So it had to mark some sort of watershed last week when Bush's press office sent out its latest e-mail complaint -- this time directed at that leftist bastion, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page.
Posted Mon 8:10 AM EST (182)
Pootie-Poot Comes Home to Roost Dan Froomkin. Washington Post.
At the end of the week, one thing is clear: President Bush is finally aware of the dark side of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man whose soul he so famously declared as trustworthy, the man he affectionately nicknamed Pootie-Poot.
Posted Fri 11:35 AM EST (175)
Feeding the Beast CHRISTOPHER MORAFF. In These Times.
When President Bush exits the White House in January, he will leave behind a federal government in shambles. Since his first term, Bush has pressed forward with a radical view of the executive branch. Beyond adopting autocratic positions on foreign policy and taking broad liberties to subvert the Bill of Rights, Bush has waged a quieter — and perhaps more damaging — war at home against the very agencies under his charge.
Posted Mon 8:37 AM EST (150)
The Candidate We Still Don’t Know FRANK RICH. New York Times.
AS I went on vacation at the end of July, Barack Obama was leading John McCain by three to four percentage points in national polls. When I returned last week he still was. But lo and behold, a whole new plot twist had rolled off the bloviation assembly line in those intervening two weeks: Obama had lost the election! The poor guy should be winning in a landslide against the despised party of Bush-Cheney, and he’s not. He should be passing the 50 percent mark in polls, and he’s not.
Posted Sun 7:52 AM EST (147)
You can't be serious: How a comedian became the most influential voice in American politics Leonard Doyle. Independent.
When Jon Stewart inaugurated his fake news anchor on The Daily Show eight years ago, his goal was to send up the hyperbolic and manufactured controversy of US Cable News and, if possible, be even more outrageous. Now, in a wonderful through-the-looking-glass moment, he has supplanted the subjects of his mockery in the country's current affairs consciousness, and finds himself crowned the bemused voice of reason in an insane world.
Posted Tue 6:43 AM EST (143)
Obama's Hillbilly Half-Brother Threatening To Derail Campaign The Onion.
BOONEVILLE, KY—Barack Obama's once-commanding lead in the polls slipped to two points Monday, continuing a month-long slide that many credit to the recent appearance of the Democratic candidate's heretofore unknown half-brother, Cooter Obama.
Posted Fri 2:45 PM EST (132)
Reporter and longtime John McCain coverer Amy Silverman of Arizona's New Times has an astounding long feature detailing the senator's history in Arizona politics. Silverman has compiled a treasure trove of data on McCain's political biography--all of public record, but long buried in Arizona, it seems--including episodes in which she was an actor. She details the circumstances of some of the most unsavory political moments of McCain's public life, including the Keating Five scandal, barbs and brawls that reek of misogyny, and his steady courtship of the press. It's a must-read; some of the details are really cutting:
Posted Fri 7:42 AM EST (249)
US hunters claim to have found Bigfoot Philippe Naughton. Times (UK).
Two American hunters say they have a bit of a surprise in their freezer: a Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. The pair, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, say that they discovered the body of the mythical apeman in a remote forest in northern Georgia - USA not Eastern Europe - about two weeks ago.
Posted Thu 9:11 AM EST (228)
Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’ KATHARINE Q. SEELYE. New York Times.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.
Posted Mon 7:49 AM EST (208)
Barack Obama's purpose-driven gamble Mike Madden. Salon.
LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- One of the candidates for president strolled onto the stage at a massive megachurch in suburban Orange County Saturday night and started joking easily with the Rev. Rick Warren, maybe the most popular evangelical leader in America -- but just plain "Pastor Rick" to the candidate. He talked about his certainty that "Jesus Christ died for my sins, and I am redeemed through him," said Americans should be soldiers in the fight against evil and defined marriage as between a man and a woman -- "and God is in the mix." This particular Christian candidate was so on his game that after a segment on domestic policy ended, Warren told him -- his mic still live as the TV feed cut to commercial -- "Home run." Oh, and John McCain was there, too.
Posted Sun 8:26 AM EST (188)
Et Tu, Wall Street Journal? Dan Eggen. Washington Post.
Every once in a while, the White House sends out a blast e-mail titled "Setting the Record Straight," usually taking issue with a press report or criticism that the Bush administration finds wanting. The targets are often news organizations that conservatives consider part of the hated liberal media, such as recent missives against the New York Times and NBC News. So it had to mark some sort of watershed last week when Bush's press office sent out its latest e-mail complaint -- this time directed at that leftist bastion, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page.
Posted Mon 8:10 AM EST (182)
Pootie-Poot Comes Home to Roost Dan Froomkin. Washington Post.
At the end of the week, one thing is clear: President Bush is finally aware of the dark side of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man whose soul he so famously declared as trustworthy, the man he affectionately nicknamed Pootie-Poot.
Posted Fri 11:35 AM EST (175)
Feeding the Beast CHRISTOPHER MORAFF. In These Times.
When President Bush exits the White House in January, he will leave behind a federal government in shambles. Since his first term, Bush has pressed forward with a radical view of the executive branch. Beyond adopting autocratic positions on foreign policy and taking broad liberties to subvert the Bill of Rights, Bush has waged a quieter — and perhaps more damaging — war at home against the very agencies under his charge.
Posted Mon 8:37 AM EST (150)
The Candidate We Still Don’t Know FRANK RICH. New York Times.
AS I went on vacation at the end of July, Barack Obama was leading John McCain by three to four percentage points in national polls. When I returned last week he still was. But lo and behold, a whole new plot twist had rolled off the bloviation assembly line in those intervening two weeks: Obama had lost the election! The poor guy should be winning in a landslide against the despised party of Bush-Cheney, and he’s not. He should be passing the 50 percent mark in polls, and he’s not.
Posted Sun 7:52 AM EST (147)
You can't be serious: How a comedian became the most influential voice in American politics Leonard Doyle. Independent.
When Jon Stewart inaugurated his fake news anchor on The Daily Show eight years ago, his goal was to send up the hyperbolic and manufactured controversy of US Cable News and, if possible, be even more outrageous. Now, in a wonderful through-the-looking-glass moment, he has supplanted the subjects of his mockery in the country's current affairs consciousness, and finds himself crowned the bemused voice of reason in an insane world.
Posted Tue 6:43 AM EST (143)
Obama's Hillbilly Half-Brother Threatening To Derail Campaign The Onion.
BOONEVILLE, KY—Barack Obama's once-commanding lead in the polls slipped to two points Monday, continuing a month-long slide that many credit to the recent appearance of the Democratic candidate's heretofore unknown half-brother, Cooter Obama.
Posted Fri 2:45 PM EST (132)
Edwards, McCain, Adultery Andrew Sullivan. The Atlantic.
A lively exchange on Fox News. Sean Hannity's head explodes, which is always good television at the thought that the same standards applied to Democrats should apply to Republicans.
Posted Thu 4:01 PM EST (239)
An Obama Swift Boater Gets Off Easy David Corn. CQ Politics.
One perpetual problem of the MSM was illustrated by The New York Times on Wednesday: the inability to call plainly a lie a lie. Or a liar a liar.
Posted Thu 6:45 AM EST (224)
This Time, the World Is Not Buying It Paul Craig Roberts. Anti-War.
The success of the Bush Regime's propaganda, lies, and deception with gullible and inattentive Americans since 9/11 has made it difficult for intelligent, aware people to be optimistic about the future of the United States. For almost 8 years the US media has served as Ministry of Propaganda for a war criminal regime. Americans incapable of thinking for themselves, reading between the lines, or accessing foreign media on the Internet have been brainwashed. As the Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, said, it is easy to deceive a people. You just tell them they have been attacked and wave the flag. It certainly worked with Americans.
Posted Sat 8:15 AM EST (203)
Memo From a Poison Penn Colbert I. King. Washington Post.
Say you find yourself seated on the train behind two white supremacists who are beside themselves over the possibility that Barack Obama could become America's first black president. They are so fired up, they fail to notice you. The men are discussing the urgent need to derail Obama's candidacy.
Posted Sat 8:01 AM EST (184)
The Condi Fallacy Matt Cooper. Portfolio.
Unless there's a wild surprise and Condoleezza Rice is chosen as John McCain's vice presidential nominee, she will probably fade into relative obscurity after January 20. She could enjoy the vaunted life of a former secretary of state, lucrative corporate board memberships like the ones she held before being appointed National Security Adviser in 2001. She was on the Chevron board as well as those for Hewlett Packard and Charles Schwab. And she could continue speaking out on foreign policy issues. But it will be a life lived mostly out of the spotlight. I've tried to understand why Condi Rice is such an enigma.
Posted Fri 11:26 AM EST (180)
AP Accidentally Calls Lieberman A Prick Huffington Post.
One of the most amusing typos of the season turned up for awhile overnight in a major Associated Press dispatch. Some in the liberal blogosphere, who have often criticized Sen. Joe Lieberman -- the Democrat turned Independent who has endorsed John McCain -- found it all too apt.
Posted Tue 10:26 AM EST (163)
Russia Is Not Jamaica MAUREEN DOWD. New York Times.
WASHINGTON America’s back in the cold war and W.’s back on vacation. Talk about your fearful symmetry.
Posted Sun 7:50 AM EST (149)
FAA Tapes Reveal Drama of Obama Jet Incident BRIAN ROSS, JOSEPH RHEE, and ERIC LONGABARDI. ABC News.
The incident involving Sen. Barack Obama's campaign plane last month was much more serious than the airline or the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to FAA control tower tapes obtained by ABC News.
Posted Fri 8:00 AM EST (144)
Is McCain another George W. Bush? Jack Cafferty. CNN.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation. His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans. Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.
Posted Tue 10:23 AM EST (135)
Obama Faces The Smear Machine Eugene Robinson. Washington Post.
Here come the goons, right on schedule. The "author," and I use the term loosely, whose vicious lies damaged John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign has crawled back out from under his rock to spew vicious lies about Barack Obama. Right-wing radio talk-show hosts are dutifully transmitting this concocted venom. This presidential campaign has officially gotten ugly.
Posted Fri 8:13 AM EST (130)
A lively exchange on Fox News. Sean Hannity's head explodes, which is always good television at the thought that the same standards applied to Democrats should apply to Republicans.
Posted Thu 4:01 PM EST (239)
An Obama Swift Boater Gets Off Easy David Corn. CQ Politics.
One perpetual problem of the MSM was illustrated by The New York Times on Wednesday: the inability to call plainly a lie a lie. Or a liar a liar.
Posted Thu 6:45 AM EST (224)
This Time, the World Is Not Buying It Paul Craig Roberts. Anti-War.
The success of the Bush Regime's propaganda, lies, and deception with gullible and inattentive Americans since 9/11 has made it difficult for intelligent, aware people to be optimistic about the future of the United States. For almost 8 years the US media has served as Ministry of Propaganda for a war criminal regime. Americans incapable of thinking for themselves, reading between the lines, or accessing foreign media on the Internet have been brainwashed. As the Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, said, it is easy to deceive a people. You just tell them they have been attacked and wave the flag. It certainly worked with Americans.
Posted Sat 8:15 AM EST (203)
Memo From a Poison Penn Colbert I. King. Washington Post.
Say you find yourself seated on the train behind two white supremacists who are beside themselves over the possibility that Barack Obama could become America's first black president. They are so fired up, they fail to notice you. The men are discussing the urgent need to derail Obama's candidacy.
Posted Sat 8:01 AM EST (184)
The Condi Fallacy Matt Cooper. Portfolio.
Unless there's a wild surprise and Condoleezza Rice is chosen as John McCain's vice presidential nominee, she will probably fade into relative obscurity after January 20. She could enjoy the vaunted life of a former secretary of state, lucrative corporate board memberships like the ones she held before being appointed National Security Adviser in 2001. She was on the Chevron board as well as those for Hewlett Packard and Charles Schwab. And she could continue speaking out on foreign policy issues. But it will be a life lived mostly out of the spotlight. I've tried to understand why Condi Rice is such an enigma.
Posted Fri 11:26 AM EST (180)
AP Accidentally Calls Lieberman A Prick Huffington Post.
One of the most amusing typos of the season turned up for awhile overnight in a major Associated Press dispatch. Some in the liberal blogosphere, who have often criticized Sen. Joe Lieberman -- the Democrat turned Independent who has endorsed John McCain -- found it all too apt.
Posted Tue 10:26 AM EST (163)
Russia Is Not Jamaica MAUREEN DOWD. New York Times.
WASHINGTON America’s back in the cold war and W.’s back on vacation. Talk about your fearful symmetry.
Posted Sun 7:50 AM EST (149)
FAA Tapes Reveal Drama of Obama Jet Incident BRIAN ROSS, JOSEPH RHEE, and ERIC LONGABARDI. ABC News.
The incident involving Sen. Barack Obama's campaign plane last month was much more serious than the airline or the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to FAA control tower tapes obtained by ABC News.
Posted Fri 8:00 AM EST (144)
Is McCain another George W. Bush? Jack Cafferty. CNN.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation. His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans. Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.
Posted Tue 10:23 AM EST (135)
Obama Faces The Smear Machine Eugene Robinson. Washington Post.
Here come the goons, right on schedule. The "author," and I use the term loosely, whose vicious lies damaged John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign has crawled back out from under his rock to spew vicious lies about Barack Obama. Right-wing radio talk-show hosts are dutifully transmitting this concocted venom. This presidential campaign has officially gotten ugly.
Posted Fri 8:13 AM EST (130)