What is the role of the media in a democratic society? In examining the contents of Scott McClellan's new book, O Globo of Brazil's chief foreign affairs columnist William Waack writes: "In light of what has happened since 2003, it's easy to say today that some examples of the always admired American press (The New York Times, CNN, Newsweek, and others) could have been more … [Read more...] about McClellan Highlights American Media’s ‘War Within a War’
You Have To Pick and Choose Your Crazy Folk Carefully
When crazy folk talk, people listen. Especially when that crazy folk is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (via Agence France Presse): Ahmadinejad says Israel will soon disappear Jun 2 08:43 AM US/Eastern Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted on Monday that Muslims would uproot "satanic powers" and repeated his controversial belief that Israel will soon … [Read more...] about You Have To Pick and Choose Your Crazy Folk Carefully
More Signs Hillary Clinton Will Soon Quit The Democratic Race?
Is this all overdosed-on-politics tea leaf reading, or are we now seeing accelerating indications that Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton will soon head for the exit door of the 2008 Democratic Presidential race racetrack? ABC's Political Radar has this: Speaking to a crowd in Milbank, SD former President Bill Clinton admitted that today could be the last time he has … [Read more...] about More Signs Hillary Clinton Will Soon Quit The Democratic Race?
Last Exit to Graceland; or, “When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It.”
Someone call Yogi Berra. Hillary's ripping him off. Here's what she told reporters en route to South Dakota last night: "It is not over 'til it's over." Thanks for the clarification. ********** She prefaced that remark with this: "My political obituary has yet to be written, and we're going forward." Well, of course, she's going forward to Montana and South … [Read more...] about Last Exit to Graceland; or, “When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It.”
In Praise Of Gas Taxes (Poetic Commentary)
Gas prices paid by Western Europeans are much higher than those paid by Americans. But at least Europeans get something good back for their pain at the pump—first rate public transportation infrastructures. What's our own return from gas prices that have risen almost a buck a gallon in recent months? In Praise Of Gas Taxes I know free markets generate A host of things … [Read more...] about In Praise Of Gas Taxes (Poetic Commentary)
Hypersensitivity at Work
RCP's Tom Bevan is forced to revise the title of a post about Hillary possibly calling it quits tomorrow night. See his update paragraph at the end. … [Read more...] about Hypersensitivity at Work
Clinton Obama
Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen … [Read more...] about Clinton Obama
Kennedy Has Successful Surgery
Brain surgery on Senator Edward Kennedy has been completed successfully according to news reports. Kennedy travelled to Duke University in North Carolina for a procedure to reduce the tumor and will next undergo radiation therapy in Massachusetts. Interestingly Kennedy was awake during the entire procedure and doctors predict he will suffer no lasting effects. I do … [Read more...] about Kennedy Has Successful Surgery
Jumping to the November Contest
David Lee Roth famously sang, in a Van Halen classic, "Might as well jump." And thus, we will do just that -- vaulting over the SD and MT primaries tomorrow in order to (finally) focus on the race to November. Though today's head-to-head polls between Obama and McCain are not reliable predictors of what will happen in November, they are a decent starting point for the … [Read more...] about Jumping to the November Contest
William Kristol Drops the Other Shoe for Hillary
When Hillary the other day unfortunately--and unintentionally, she says--intimated that she is staying in the presidential race at least until June because, you never know, “something” could happen, I am sure she never counted on Conservative Fox contributor William Kristol to be the one that would “drop the other shoe” on Obama. While the “shoe” was not exactly as big as … [Read more...] about William Kristol Drops the Other Shoe for Hillary
A Little Perspective, Please
Which of these three items is the most important and might derail a presidential campaign? * Bill Clinton continuing to chase anything in a skirt, according to a new Vanity Fair story. * Michele Obama using the word “whitey” in unknown context, according to rumors. * John McCain calling his wife a four-letter word for her vagina, according to first-hand … [Read more...] about A Little Perspective, Please
Wheezing and Whining: The Self-Glorification and Self-Condescension of Hillary Clinton
This, from the NYT, bothers me: "In many ways, Mr. Obama is wheezing across the finish line after making a strong start: He has won only 6 of the 13 Democratic contests held since March 4, drawing 6.1 million votes, compared with 6.6 million for Mrs. Clinton." I do not dispute the numbers -- Hillary has won more votes and contests since March 4 -- but how is Obama's … [Read more...] about Wheezing and Whining: The Self-Glorification and Self-Condescension of Hillary Clinton
Ted Kennedy’s Crisis
As we near the fortieth anniversary of Robert Kennedy's assassination this week, Ted Kennedy will be fighting for his life today in six hours of "extremely risky" surgery for a brain tumor at Duke University Medical Center. He has always been a survivor, outliving a plane crash, the plunge of a car into deep waters and the violent death of two brothers to fill out a long and … [Read more...] about Ted Kennedy’s Crisis
Clinton Sheds Staff Amid Signs Of Wind Down — Almost (UPDATED)
Is Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton now winding down her campaign with the shedding of staff as a key indicator? Or is is this merely a sign that the primary season is over and now she moves it to a new phase -- kind of a political guerrilla warfare phase to pick off superdelegates or get ready in case some new rumored bombshell about front runner Senator Barack Obama … [Read more...] about Clinton Sheds Staff Amid Signs Of Wind Down — Almost (UPDATED)
It’s Unity Day
Maybe they should have invited supporters from the Clinton and Obama campaigns and the DNC: At my kids' school (preschool through fifth grade) today, they're participating in Unity Day. Here's the description for this year from a note I received: This year's games are based on the television show "Survivor." Embrace the theme, be creative, and most of all, have fun with it! … [Read more...] about It’s Unity Day
The Great Mainstream Media Implosion
As someone who bled printers ink at newspapers for 35 years and has a second career as a blogger, the big message in former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's blockbuster of a book is not that George Bush is a resume without a man, that there was an orchestrated effort to lie to a public traumatized by the 9/11 attacks in the run-up to the Iraq war, or that Karl Rove … [Read more...] about The Great Mainstream Media Implosion
Religion & Science, God & Politics: not such strange bedfellows after all
John Gray, author of Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia, reviews David Berlinski's The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions in the Globe and Mail Saturday: The idea that the practice of science is at odds with religious commitment has long been part of conventional wisdom. In the 18th century, the philosophers of the French … [Read more...] about Religion & Science, God & Politics: not such strange bedfellows after all
Much ado about “Whitey”
While I have avoided covering this rumor here on these pages, this week we may finally see an end (one wary or the the other) to speculation about an alleged tape showing Michelle Obama saying "Whitey" in a racially charged speech. While real data on this has been impossible to locate, finger pointing has gone on from all sides. Some charged that no such tape even exists and … [Read more...] about Much ado about “Whitey”
The Politics of Humanitarian Aid (Guest Voice)
This Guest Voice post is by journalism professor and author Walter Brasch who is also a syndicated newspaper columnist and radio commentator, and president of the Pennsylvania Press Club. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers. The Politics of Humanitarian Aid by Walter Brasch President Bush was justifiably … [Read more...] about The Politics of Humanitarian Aid (Guest Voice)
India’s Powerful Muslim Seminary Opposes Terrorism
Senior clerics from the 150-year-old Muslim seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, which is said to have inspired the Taliban, have issued an edict saying they wished to wipe out terrorism. The Indpendent reports: "The Deoband institute was established in the aftermath of the 1857 uprising against British rule, an uprising that was brutally suppressed by the imperial forces. Highly … [Read more...] about India’s Powerful Muslim Seminary Opposes Terrorism