FRC’s Washington Briefing: McCain Condemns Torture

McCain was the first presidential candidate to speak at the Family Research Council’s “Values Voter” Summit today here in Washington. There was a fair amount of what those in the biz call “red meat”: a full-throated defense of “the unborn” (McCain noted that not only do “they have no rights,” and that they can’t even [...]

SwampCast: Romney’s Religious Righties

A quick look at why Romney cares so much about the evangelical vote in South Carolina.

In the Arena

As I was saying about Gates…

He’d make an estimable SecDef in a Democratic administration. This latest, via Michael Duffy, is more evidence

Mukasey Says He’ll “Take a Look” at Siegelman Case

Drip, drip, drip. In an exchange with Senator Chuck Schumer during his confirmation hearings, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey said today that he’d be willing to take a look at evidence of political interference in the prosecution and conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman — after Siegelman completes the appeals process. Mukasey is making [...]

Edwards: Soooooiiiieeeeeee, Piggy Pig Pig

From the Edwards campaign: “While John Edwards was in rural Iowa yesterday talking about his plans to help family farmers, the Clinton campaign was in Washington, DC planning an event with the lobbyists from the biggest corporate agriculture company in the world. The difference between John Edwards and Hillary Clinton could not be more clear. [...]

SCHIP: The Override Attempt Fails

No real surprise here: The House fell short in its effort to override President Bush’s veto of legislation expanding SCHIP, the state children’s health insurance program. However, the vote shows a fairly dramatic shift on the issue since the bill first passed in August. That earlier vote was 225-204; today’s was 273-156, which is just [...]

Colbert Nation

So between the making his campaign announcement on late night television, flogging a book, and writing a New York Times op-ed column, what part of Stephen Colbert’s run for the presidency is supposed to be, you know, parody?

In the Arena

Memo To…

Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, Mike Gravel etc. etc…How about you?

Brownback to Drop Out

This report via AP: WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday. Brownback, a long-shot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan. He raised a little [...]

In the Arena

The Decline of American Influence

Nice that the President protested his relevance at his same-old, same-old press conference yesterday–but there have been a spate of stories about America’s growing irrelevance overseas, led by this one today in the New York Times, about the Iraqis turning to China and Iran to construct electric power plants. This is particularly significant because America’s [...]