Obama and getting his facts straight

The New Neo Posted on by

Will John McCain end up regretting his challenge to Obama to finally visit Iraq for himself?

Obama’s trip is starting to resemble that of a rock star, with an entourage and a press corps the likes of which even the Pope doesn’t receive. In fact, at this point Obama might say—as John Lennon did before him—that he’s more popular than Jesus, although I’m not totally sure Obama wouldn’t think the theological comparison somewhat apt. Or maybe a Moses analogy would be better, since Obama believes—no, scratch that; he is absolutely certain—that his election will favorably affect the ocean levels. Continue reading →

Estrich is worried—and she knows whereof she speaks

The New Neo Posted on by


Susan Estrich is worried that Obama’s lead in the polls isn’t what it should be at this point. Her opening gambit is pretty funny:

July polls don’t tell you who’s going to win in November. Just ask President Dukakis or President Gore, both of whom were well ahead in July and went on to lose in the fall (although Mr. Gore still doesn’t quite see it that way).

Estrich speaks with the (in her case gravelly) voice of experience. Continue reading →

Suggestion for the McCain campaign

The New Neo Posted on by

Just incorporate a short part of this clip, from 1:10 to 1:18, into some sort of ad. This speech was given in January 2008, back when this sort of statement was still believable:

In case you missed it, here it is:

This is part of what we have to change, you know—folks just willing to say anything to get elected. That’s how Washington works.

But never quite so flagrantly as Obama’s performance in this campaign.

Works for me: the WaPo says Obama is irritational and ahistorical

The New Neo Posted on by

I’ve pointed out before that the WaPo editors seem to have gotten a clue lately about the self-serving awfulness of some of Obama’s recent moves, especially on Iraq.

Well, they’re at it again, with an editorial that hits Obama quite hard despite its calm tone—and they even sneak in a slight defense of Bush’s relative flexibility (gasp!) when compared to Obama’s rigidity on the subject. Continue reading →

Reading the Obama tea leaves at the New Republic

The New Neo Posted on by

In a TNR article with the extraordinary title “Contra Expectations: Obama isn’t Jimmy Carter—he’s Ronald Reagan,” Eli Lake demonstrates exactly what Obama meant when he wrote in his book The Audacity of Hope:

I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.

I’d change Obama’s statement in one way Continue reading →

Slim Pickens for energy alternatives?

The New Neo Posted on by

You’ve probably heard the radio ads. T. Boone Pickens, the man with the thickest Oklahoma/Texas accent any side of the Pecos, has a plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Pickens’ plan relies heavily on wind turbine power and natural gas. Pickens himself has sunk a lot of money into wind power lately, so he stands to gain an awful lot if his plan is implemented.

This doesn’t mean he’s wrong, or that the plan is a poor one. Continue reading →