Bush’s State of the Union message last night was the usual Rorschach test that people tend to view according to their previous conceptions of Bush and his policies. His basic message: Iraq’s doing relatively well, we need to cut pork. … Continue reading →
It’s common knowledge that President Bush’s approval ratings still hover somewhere in the 30th percentile, where they’ve lingered for the last two years, with only short forays into the 40s. One would think this proves that Bush is a lousy … Continue reading →
It’s not new information. But this seems to come straight from the horse’s (Saddam’s) mouth and, if true, ought to obliterate the “Bush lied about WMDs” meme. Yeah, right. Dream on, you say. To recap: if Saddam took steps to … Continue reading →
Have you noticed how unpopular Bill Clinton has become of late, even with Democrats who formerly were charmed by him? Michael Weiss has. What’s going on? Most Republicans always hated him, and I must confess I was never especially fond … Continue reading →
Many liberals I know are enthralled with Obama. In New Hampshire during the primary campaign, where voters get to see the candidates up close and personal, he made a very strong impression. As far as I could tell, this was … Continue reading →
You may recall I wrote a series of posts about the Democrats’ proposals to block the surge and its funding (see this, for example). You may also recall I recently wrote about an effort by Bush to lock in an … Continue reading →
One of the biggest stories of the NH primary is the failure of the polls to have accurately predicted the results. It’s not that it’s so unusual for polls to be incorrect, but for so many to be incorrect in … Continue reading →
I’ll leave it to other pundits to write reams about the NH primary vote. Let’s just say that NH is a small and quirky state that almost always gives results that are interesting. Often they’re even relevant to what happens … Continue reading →
Which comes first, democracy or security? It’s a trick question, like the one about the chicken and egg. The truth is they must come simultaneously. And ay, there’s (as Hamlet would say) the rub, because in chaotic third-world nations—Pakistan comes … Continue reading →
Ah yes, the election. It seems I can’t ignore it after all. The news is all about the decline of the old frontrunners (Clinton, Giuliani) and the rise of the new challengers to frontrunner status (Obama, Huckabee), the candidates de … Continue reading →
My first thought late last night on hearing the news of Chavez’s defeat in yesterday’s referendum was, “Great (and surprising)!” My second thought was a more cynical one: “How bad must the defeat really have been for Chavez to announce … Continue reading →
The headlines blared the recent Australian election news: “Bush Loses Another War Ally” (Chicago Tribune) and “Ally of Bush is Defeated in Australia” (NY Times) were typical. And true, as far as they go. Prime Minister Howard was indeed a … Continue reading →