There is so much excellent reporting in this McLatchy feature about Brigadier General Qassam Suleimani that it is hard to pick a choose the best nuggets. To my mind, there are two crucial takeaways from this piece: 1. It’s another reminder that the Iranians have as much, if covert, sway in the current ruling alliance [...]

Favorite moment: Watching Ben Affleck harangue a McCain senior staffer about the press’ overly favorable treatment of McCain, then slip seamlessly into an equally passionate rant about the press’ overly favorably treatment of Obama. “Sure, I’m gonna vote for the guy,” he said, “But they’re being way too easy on him.” Asked if he was [...]

Well, if Karen can–so can I. The highlight for me was hanging with three members of the cast of The Wire–Sonja Sohn (Det. Kima Griggs), Jamie Hector (Marlo Stansfield) and Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Senator Clay Davis). All three talked about how tight the cast had gotten over the years; how much more interested in politics [...]

Our colleague Amy Sullivan was at Reverend Wright’s appearance this morning at the Press Club and writes about it for Time.com. Her assessment: Maybe Barack Obama skimped on his contribution when the offering plate came past at Trinity United Church of Christ. Or perhaps he nodded off during one of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermons. It’s [...]

Everything Michael had to say about the dinner is true, but as my family’s obsession with “The Office” has been well documented in this space, I thought I would share the highlight of my evening. Huffpost captured the moment. You can scroll down here to see it … and Swampkid #2′s birthday present. P.S.: B.J. [...]

Though I would not employ the same adjectives, I just wanted to endorse Joe’s comments on the apparently shifting tone of the McCain campaign. A couple months ago, I wrote with some admiration about the “high standards” that the campaign seemed to be adopting in dealing with partisan gunslingers. As campaign manager Rick Davis wrote [...]

So Barack Obama graciously says that Reverend Wright’s comments are a legitimate political issue and this is John McCain’s response? If this be an honorable campaign, I wonder what McCain would consider the gutter to be. A reminder: This is Obama’s former minister. Obama has repudiated Wright’s wrongs in no uncertain terms. What McCain is [...]

Oy. And furthermore, I’ve been to dozens and dozens of African-American church services over the years, including the investiture of one of my friends as an AME minister two years ago, and I have very rarely, if ever, heard the kind of rants that are part of Reverend Wright’s canon. Yes, as many have pointed [...]