So here’s what we know for certain today that we could only bet on last Monday morning: Mike Huckabee is out. Newt Gingrich is officially in. Jon Huntsman finally broke cover. And Ron Paul is back.
And just like that, the …
2012
Huckabee’s ‘Heart Says No’ on 2012
Mike Huckabee announced Saturday night he would not take another shot at the White House, telling viewers tuned into his Fox News talk show that he had made a “spiritual” decision not to run. The former Republican governor of …
Newt Gingrich Courts Hispanic Voters
Hispanics are not a typical target demographic for Republicans seeking a presidential nomination. Rather, since at least 2007, GOP candidates tend to jump all over each other to prove that they will take a tougher, no-amnesty line on immigration. But Newt Gingrich is breaking from the pack.
Will bin Laden Bluster Help Obama Weather Iran Debate in 2012?
There have been innumerable references in the wake of the death of Osama Bin Laden to Barack Obama’s 2007 assertion that he would go into Pakistan to kill the al-Qaeda leader with or without Islamabad’s permission.
What most have forgotten is that the saber-rattling threat was crafted specifically to counter a dovish gaffe.
What Can Mitt Romney Say About Health Reform?
Mitt Romney hasn’t officially filed to run for President. He has no campaign manager. He hasn’t been to first-in-the-nation Iowa so far this year. Yet at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center …
Pawlenty in Iowa: Let’s Get This Campaign Started
It’s a long way from Abbottabad and the White House Situation Room, but in Adel, Iowa, last night, about 100 locals turned up at their town library to take the measure of a leading GOP presidential candidate, Tim Pawlenty. With …
The Clown Candidacy
In the annals of political reportage, I thought perhaps we’d hit bottom last week with this: a fake journalist interviewing a fake presidential candidate about a campaign that will never exist. Meghan McCain and Trump banter …
The Men Behind The Dueling Draft Donald Trump Websites
Did you hear about Donald Trump? He tied for first place in the CNN poll, after coming in second in the NBC/WSJ poll. He wrote a scathing letter to the New York Times, and another to Vanity Fair. He is considering running as an independent. He met with Mike Huckabee. He has a beef with Bill Cosby. He talked with Reince Priebus. He thinks …
Donald Trump 2012 Rising
In 1999, Garry Trudeau, the author of the comic strip Doonesbury, parodied the likely stump speech of Donald Trump, the billionaire brand and building builder, who was then considering a run for the Reform Party nomination for President of the United States. It went like this: “Biggest! Best! Me! It’s unbelievable! Biggest! Mine! …
Where The Money Is: Michele Bachmann Tops Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney has one of the best Rolodex’s of rich people in Republican politics. Michele Bachmann says stuff that makes people love her or hate her. In our modern age, which one of the two prospective presidential contenders do you think raised more money in the first quarter of 2011?
Bachmann, of course. She pulled in $2.2 million, …
Gambling on 2012: How the GOP Hopefuls Handle Casino Cash
The Center for Public Integrity came out swinging Fridaywith a blistering story alleging that “Newt Gingrich is straddling a fine line” by taking millions of dollars from a Las Vegas Casino boss, while at the same time trying to court evangelical voters for the 2012 nomination. But I would not put all my chips on that claim.
There …
Tim Pawlenty, Seeking Definition, Purchases An Online Video Pose
“The first duty in life is to assume a pose,” wrote Oscar Wilde. “What the second duty is, no one has yet discovered.” A cynic might say the same of Presidential politics. Barack Obama posed as the bearer of hope. George W. Bush posed as a compassionate conservative. John McCain posed as a maverick.
Perhaps more than most, Tim …
Nevermind Tim Pawlenty’s Announcement Of A Future Announcement, Let’s Look At The 2012 GOP Maps
At 3 p.m. today, anyone with a working Facebook account can get exclusive access to an announcement that has already been announced, setting the stage for further announcements about Tim Pawlenty’s desire to be President of the United States. Such is the absurdity of modern presidential politics that candidates create news events out of …