The New Republic perplexes me. It has some of the best and smartest writing around. And then it allows John McCain, whose lack of knowledge about Iran is encyclopedic, to hold forth in its pages. McCain, blustery as ever, wants regime change. Amen to that. But his vague, neocolonial sense that (a) we can help [...]
Walter Shapiro, writing after swings through Kentucky and South Carolina, raises the caution flag for his profession. What we are witnessing in this election cycle is the slow death of traditional statewide campaign journalism. I noticed the same pattern (and the same nearly reporter-free campaign trail) in Kentucky last month as I covered libertarian Rand [...]
More great reporting from Dexter Filkins. This confrontation between Karzai and his intelligence minisiter Amrullah Saleh–widely seen among the Americans as among the most competent members of Karzai government–has been the talk of Kabul and Washington this past week. My sources say that the confrontation got very hot, a major screaming match. My sources also [...]
There are various opinions being slung about this week, a year after the rigged Iranian elections. This, by Fouad Adjami, is probably the best of them–though it is marred, in the end, by the notion that Barack Obama could have done more, could have done something to support the rebellion that took place, briefly, in [...]
In his first television ad of the general election, Jerry Brown makes it clear he’s running again Sarah Palin Meg Whitman.
Ben Smith has nabbed a letter from some wealthy Republican donors urging others to send money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Smith notes, rightly, that this is further evidence that although RNC Chair Michael Steele is no longer in the spotlight as a liability to the party, he’s still being marginalized – in an [...]
Sure it’s a longshot. An asteroid-hitting-the-earth sort of longshot, even. But just imagine if Jim DeMint were to have, say, some terrible skeleton in his closet that emerges a few days before the election. This man would then become a U.S. Senator: But precious as a Senate seat may be, would the freakshow sure to [...]
For anyone interested, tune in C-SPAN3 right now to watch the conference on the financial regulatory reform bill live. The House and Senate versions are already very similar but the largest sticking point remains language authored by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln requiring banks to spin off their in-house derivatives trading desks. The provision [...]
