It was 10 years ago, give or take a few days, that President Bush delivered a State of the Union address with a passage alluding to an "axis of evil" and asserted that the world's leading rogue regimes -- Iran, Iraq and North Korea, by name -- and terrorist groups like Al Qaeda threatened world peace. David Frum, who had a hand in crafting the speech, writes that it has … [Read more...] about So What If Bush’s ‘Axis Of Evil’ Speech Has Held Up? The World Has Change For The Better
The Think Tank Song
Think tanks have become extraordinarily important in generating the ideas and the rhetoric that permeate our politics — often for the worse. This poem is a first person account of a typical think tanker's rise to prominence... The Think Tank Song For many long years I felt ineffectual A misunderstood and ignored intellectual My theories (though brilliant) were hooted … [Read more...] about The Think Tank Song
Mitt Newt and Jobs
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Why Does the Catholic Church Enjoy IRS Protection?
WASHINGTON - The answer is simple. Because no Republican or Democratic politician has the courage to challenge them. This could apply to any religious institution meddling in politics, which the Catholic Church continues to do religiously without repercussions. E.J. Dionne reveals why: That is why it is so remarkable that he utterly botched the admittedly difficult question … [Read more...] about Why Does the Catholic Church Enjoy IRS Protection?
Brain Dead?
Richard Cohen writes this morning that Herman Cain's endorsement of Newt Gingrich is proof positive that the Grand Old Party is brain dead: It’s hard to know who is the more ridiculous figure — the grandiloquent, bombastic and compulsively dishonest Gingrich, or the beguilingly ignorant Cain, a man who has never held elective office and who was reduced to … [Read more...] about Brain Dead?
[video] WSJ Report: Gender Gap in Florida Will Favor & Stick With Romney
In South Carolina, predictions of Mitt Romney being favored to win in part because women would go for him over Newt did not materialize. And to be clear, we're not talking the gap between how men versus women vote for Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich. We're talking about the gap between who women prefer between the two candidates. This time around, in Florida, people seem much … [Read more...] about [video] WSJ Report: Gender Gap in Florida Will Favor & Stick With Romney
Debate Drought: Bad News for Newt
No GOP slugfests for the next three weeks—-how will we get through the month? Sunday Gingrich gave us some venom to go, in the parking lot of a Florida mega-church with a Starbucks in the lobby, tagging Mitt as a "pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase moderate from Massachusetts" with "money from Wall Street" to spread lies about him, "as big an outrage as I've had … [Read more...] about Debate Drought: Bad News for Newt
The GOP’s Anti-Gingrich Campaign
MIAMI -- When the empire strikes back, it hits hard. The Republican establishment is deploying every weapon and every soldier -- even Bob Dole -- in an increasingly desperate attempt to pulverize the Newt Gingrich rebellion. Eventually, the shock-and-awe campaign may work. But then what? In the establishment's best-case scenario, the party is left with Mitt Romney, a … [Read more...] about The GOP’s Anti-Gingrich Campaign
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act
In Throw Them All Out, Peter Schweizer argues that Congress is a route to riches that is exempt from the same sort of laws that govern mere mortals. He shares an anecdote about George Washington Plunkitt and "honest graft" that reflects the largess of Tammany Hall, New York's infamous political machine. He argues that modern Congressional graft is more insidious. Schweizer … [Read more...] about The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act
If Newt Loses It’s Still Far From Over, But For The GOP It’s Over Bar The Shouting
Vote for Newt. Annoy a liberal. ~ SARAH PALIN When the sun comes up tomorrow in the Sunshine State, it is probable that Mitt Romney will have bounced back from his drubbing in South Carolina and defeated Newt Gingrich in the latest installment of the see-saw race for the Republican presidential nomination despite fellow serial adulterer Herman Cain's last-minute endorsement … [Read more...] about If Newt Loses It’s Still Far From Over, But For The GOP It’s Over Bar The Shouting
America: ‘Land of Inequality’ (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany)
Has American society given up one of its foundational principles - that anyone who hunkers down and works hard can make it? Columnist Reymer Kluever of Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung explains President Obama's State of the Union change in political tact by pointing out that since the 1970s, the United States has become one of the least fair industrialized countries in terms of … [Read more...] about America: ‘Land of Inequality’ (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany)
Truly Weird Performances: An Elderly Mae West’s Last Film (Cringeworthy Musical Excerpt with Timothy Dalton)
Here's a little "gem" that's camp -- so say the least. In 1978, 30s, 40s sex symbol Mae West released her last film, "Sextette." She was -- depending on which account you believe -- in her 80s or 90s (she reportedly had a hearing aid in her ear). She was shot through cameras that blurred her face a bit so she looked younger. West did all her old moves, her voice inflections … [Read more...] about Truly Weird Performances: An Elderly Mae West’s Last Film (Cringeworthy Musical Excerpt with Timothy Dalton)
Quote of the Day: Sarah Palin on Why Florida Republicans Should Vote for Newt Gingrich
Our political Quote of the Day comes from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin: “Vote for Newt. Annoy a liberal. Vote Newt. Keep this vetting process going, keep the debate going.” And so it comes down to this. The vote -- that little thing that so many Americans died for more than two centuries to make sure all Americans had -- should be used to "annoy" someone with … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Sarah Palin on Why Florida Republicans Should Vote for Newt Gingrich
The Enigma Of Juan Williams
After being fired from NPR I could understand why Juan Williams would take a big bucks gig from FOX. He had not done any serious journalism for a few years and he was not getting any younger. The money probably looked good. I must admit I lost a lot of respect for him never the less. But as Ed Kilgore points out Williams is not playing by the FOX … [Read more...] about The Enigma Of Juan Williams
Nancy Reagan Disputes Gingrich’s Quote Context on Ronald Reagan Passing “Torch” To Him
Surprise, surprise: it now turns out that former First Lady Nancy Reagan has let it be known that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is not using the quote Ronald Reagan made about supposedly passing the "torch" to Gingrich properly: Calling himself “the legitimate heir to the Reagan movement,” Newt Gingrich recently cited a 1995 speech by Nancy Reagan in which the former … [Read more...] about Nancy Reagan Disputes Gingrich’s Quote Context on Ronald Reagan Passing “Torch” To Him
What the Republican Primaries of 2012 Are Telling Us
One tie, one win, one loss... and now, on the eve of the Florida primary, Willard Mitt Romney appears to be coasting toward his party's nomination. At least that's what the professional soothsayers are telling us, and I won't dispute their wisdom even though the actual nominating convention is still seven long months away. With Newt Gingrich fading fast, nobody in the … [Read more...] about What the Republican Primaries of 2012 Are Telling Us
Selling the New Nixon: Roving Pavlov Ailes The Nation
I think this is the conclusion. But this isn't easy stuff, and the preceding parts (see below for index) were meant to set you up for the finale. And fireworks, we got! Strap in, pilgrims ... Ivan Petrovich Pavlov Selling the New Nixon, part i (2011/12/01) Selling the New Nixon – A Clockwork Luntz (2011/12/05) Selling the New Nixon – What Ailes Us … [Read more...] about Selling the New Nixon: Roving Pavlov Ailes The Nation
Sarah Palin Isn’t Who She Used to Be
WASHINGTON - Sarah Palin rose to power in Alaska by taking on Republicans in her own state on ethics, something I cover in my new book The Hillary Effect. It's the very thing Tom Brokaw is talking about regarding Newt Gingrich in the Romney ad above, though Brokaw, and NBC are protesting. The Romney hashtag for it is #Newtorious. You don't need partisan rhetoric or his … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin Isn’t Who She Used to Be
Newt Gingrich Toxic Waste
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Bella Santorum Is Getting Better, But There Is No Hope For Her Father
It's been a rough few days for the three-year-old daughter of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who remains in a hospital with pneumonia. The longshot candidate described Bella Santorum's improvement on Sunday as "a miraculous turnaround" and it may indeed be a God job. But the top flight medical care she is getting at a Washington, D.C. area hospital may … [Read more...] about Bella Santorum Is Getting Better, But There Is No Hope For Her Father