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Thursday, August 14th, 2008

And So It Goes…

I’ll be taking a blogging hiatus for a few days, and may or may not get in another post after this one. Two things I’ll be watching during my short time away (besides the Olympics - and yes, the Chinese gymnasts were underage - here’s the proof) are the continued flagrant violations of the Georgian […]

11 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards, Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Okay, I’ve Got To Move On…

…Georgia is on my mind, all right, but this IS a political blog, and for several days now, I’ve been dying to draw your attention to the Atlantic’s big story on the Hillary campaign e-mails. No doubt you’ve seen it by now, since I’m so late to the story with my Georgia coverage, but if […]

28 Comments » - Posted in Hillary Clinton, Election 2008 by Mark

Monday, August 11th, 2008

The Georgian Crisis Continues

If I bore some of my long-time readers with my continued focus on this topic, I do not apologize - for there is little else in the world happening now of the import of this. Russia continues to show no signs of letting up, despite assurances it is doing so, and a deepening fear and […]

12 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, POTUS, Foreign Affairs, John McCain by Mark

Friday, August 8th, 2008

Absolutely No News At All Today…

…so I’ll bid you all a good weekend…oh, wait. There’s that Olympics thing, of course. Well, good luck to the Chinese, and hey, ease up on those dissidents, will you? Okay, then, that’s that…
Oh, yeah…the Edwards thing. Well, everyone pretty much said it was happening. I found the Enquirer’s written account pretty convincing, but the […]

12 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards by Mark

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Endgame In Iraq?

Two stories floating around tonight suggesting that an agreement is near on the end of the Iraq War, for all intents and purposes. Both stories agree that the sticking point is legal immunity for American contractors who have worked in Iraq. They disagree on the final withdrawal date of support personnel. The AP says that […]

8 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Iraq, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Evidence, Convincing and Otherwise

Rumors of extra-marital shenanigans have long dogged John Edwards…and it seemed, of late, as if he had finally been caught. There is still a lot of circumstantial evidence suggesting that he is, in fact, romantically involved with Rielle Hunter - but I find the latest wrinkle, a blurry photo by the National Enquirer purporting to […]

11 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards, Domestic Affairs by Mark

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

I Don’t Like The Campaign John McCain Is Running

I wanted a headline that was not coy or indirect, and I think I succeeded. I’m not wading into the swamp of ‘race card’ politics again - I think both sides need to move on, as I’ve made abundantly clear elsewhere. Nor am I going to talk about specific ads - I think we’ve covered […]

61 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

The Race Card: The Public Speaks

Okay, I’m sick of this topic, but we have gone into it in considerable detail in the comments two posts below, so it’s relevant. Rasmussen did a poll, and while the vast majority of the public thinks McCain’s celebrity ad was NOT racist, a slightly smaller majority thinks Obama’s ‘dollar-bill’ comment WAS:
Sixty-nine percent (69%) […]

65 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Elephants, Donkeys, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

The Tiresome “Race Card” Debate

It’s the topic de jeur: Is McCain playing the race card by trying to scare voters from a black candidate? Or is Obama playing the race card by bringing up a mythical smear campaign to win sympathy?
My take follows this excerpt:
Senator John McCain’s campaign accused Barack Obama of playing “the race card’’ on Thursday, citing […]

60 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Closing In On The Veep…

…and all signs seem to point to Kaine:
ABC News’ Teddy Davis, Tahman Bradley, and Ayana Harry Report: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) said Tuesday that Sen. Barack Obama’s, D-Ill., list of possible vice presidential running mates “seems to be getting shorter”.
“There has been a long list. It seems to be getting shorter. And I’m […]

3 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, 2008 News by Mark

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

McCain By Four Among Likely Voters?

I don’t believe it for a minute…but here you go. The more broad-based RealClearPolitics average has Obama by 3.2. I’m more inclined to go with the InTrade crowd, who have Obama leading by nearly 2-1…

9 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, John McCain, 2008 Polls by Mark

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Listen To The Generals, Senator Obama

The Washington Post notes that NOT everyone on Obama’s Iraq trip agreed with his 16-month timetable:
THE INITIAL MEDIA coverage of Barack Obama’s visit to Iraq suggested that the Democratic candidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forces on a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr. […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Iraq by Mark

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

The Surge Is Over…

…and it’s time to state for the record, unapologetically, that it was a massive success:
Admiral Michael Mullen said today that he expects to be able to recommend troop reductions in Iraq this fall, as security gains from the troop surge continue to hold. Mullen made his comments in a Pentagon press conference with Defense Secretary […]

26 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Iraq, Foreign Affairs, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

Let’s Not Lose Sight Of The Forest For The Trees

I know that for Republicans and conservatives who back President Bush and Senator McCain, it is more than a little dispiriting to read almost daily now how the Iraqi government has apparently decided, whether for political reasons or our of real conviction, to all but endorse Barack Obama. Today brought more stories in this vein:
[…]

9 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, POTUS, Iraq, 2008 News by Mark

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Lest Anyone Think I’m Dodging The Story…

…I’m well aware that the Iraqi Prime Minister gave a boost to the Obama campaign by seemingly endorsing a quicker troop withdrawal than either Senator McCain or the Bush Administration is in favor of, and indeed, in seemingly direct contradiction of the recent joint statements of the Iraqi government and the Administration of a general […]

10 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, POTUS, Iraq, John McCain, 2008 News by Mark

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Foolish Consistency?

So says the Washington Post editorial board regarding Obama’s apparent non-change of heart on Iraq:
BARACK OBAMA yesterday accused President Bush and Sen. John McCain of rigidity on Iraq: “They said we couldn’t leave when violence was up, they say we can’t leave when violence is down.” Mr. Obama then confirmed his own foolish consistency. […]

12 Comments » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT, Barack Obama, Iraq, Foreign Affairs, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Okay, Okay, I Got Busy

I meant to blog on Bernanke’s comments today, and I’m long overdue in touching base on Iraq - but I’m out of time, so I’ll be lazy and just throw up a related post to yesterday’s. Here’s Hitchens the Great on the Barack New Yorker cover:

Satire, according to Jonathan Swift, is “a mirror wherein every […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Hitchens the Great, Barack Obama by Mark

Monday, July 14th, 2008

The Death Of Satire

So finely tuned is the public nose in the age of blogging that it detects the scent of outrage and scandal in the most innocuous of places. The New Yorker, as you’ve no doubt heard by now, has as its latest cover a broadly satirical representation of the more far-fetched attack lines against Obama embodied […]

12 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, John McCain, 2008 News by Mark

Friday, July 11th, 2008

Dodd? Maybe…But Hillary’s A No Go

At least, that’s the impression you get from following Obama’s VP vetting process.
First up, Hillary:
Is the so-called Democratic ‘dream ticket’ off the table?
Despite speculation that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is seriously considering Hillary Clinton for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic presidential ticket, a former senior advisor to Clinton said Thursday he doesn’t think […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, 2008 News by Mark

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Things I Like About Barack Obama, Part One

It’s not all bad for conservatives and Republicans if Barack Obama wins…there are some very positive things about the man. For example, he’s not Jesse Jackson:
Whatever the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. said in a live microphone on Fox News, it was really, really bad, and none other than his own son seems to know it.
“I’m […]