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A Party Ready for Grim News
Tweet Share on Facebook December 15, 2006 CommentEveryone in Washington is wishing Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota the best. He was rushed to the hospital the other day with bleeding in the brain due to a rare congenital vessel malformation. He seems to be doing well, according to sketchy medical reports, though his prognosis remains muddy.
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Bush: Probing for a Solution in Iraq
Tweet Share on Facebook December 12, 2006 CommentIt's interesting, to say the least, that the president has decided to do an intensive review of where we are in Iraq. Obviously, the report of the Iraq Study Group–a political gift to the president–has inspired the White House to do some thinking, and that's a great idea. (Why it hasn't been done before is the mystery.) And it's also smart that the president not rush into any national speech without studying all his options, so today's announcement that there won't be any Christmas fireside chat is fine.
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Gates's Honest Answer on Iraq
Tweet Share on Facebook December 5, 2006 CommentIt's not exactly good news, but it is refreshing to hear the nominee for defense secretary give an honest assessment of the war in Iraq. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, a Democrat, asked a point-blank question: Is the United States winning the war in Iraq? The point-blank answer: "No, sir." With that answer, Bob Gates virtually assured his confirmation to take Donald Rumsfeld's job. He came across in this morning's hearings as the anti-Rumsfeld: not arrogant, not completely convinced he is right about everything, willing to look for new solutions, unwilling to sugarcoat what is a bad–and deteriorating–situation in Iraq.
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Iraq Study Group: Baker & Co.'s Burden
Tweet Share on Facebook November 28, 2006 CommentPity the poor Iraq Study Group. Never has so much been expected from so few: They began toiling in relative obscurity–as much as these wise men are able. They include a couple of former secretaries of state (James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger), a former White House chief of staff (Leon Panetta), a former presidential best friend (Vernon Jordan), and a former Supreme Court justice (Sandra Day O'Connor). Quite a group. And, as one member told me, "The expectations of our group are far beyond what we anticipated."
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Pelosi: Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory
Tweet Share on Facebook November 17, 2006 CommentTalk about stepping on your own story. There she was, the first female speaker of the House, voted in by acclamation, and what does Nancy Pelosi do? She ensures that the headlines are instead about her defeat–in backing a candidate for majority leader, Rep. John Murtha, who lost. And not only did he lose to Rep. Steny Hoyer–he was thumped, as the president might say. And that loss became her personal loss. Most Democrats–particularly the new ones–just scratched their heads and asked why.
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Senate Control: Watch the Battlegrounds
Tweet Share on Facebook November 7, 2006 CommentIt's finally here–and those of us who have had to cover this midterm election from start to finish couldn't be happier. It's been a long, nasty, exhausting, and interesting season. And tonight we'll see whether the House changes hands–from Republican to Democratic–for the first time in 12 years, and whether the Senate follows suit. At this point, the House turnover almost seems like a done deal–with some seats lost because of scandal, others because of the war and the economy. The Democrats need six seats to win the Senate, but that could prove to be more problematic–so keep your eyes on battleground states like Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, and Montana.
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John Kerry Redux
Tweet Share on Facebook November 1, 2006 CommentIt was like watching a bad dream–the ghost of elections past, John Kerry, rising again–to make a mistake, then try to correct it–and, in the process, handing the Republicans an issue. It was something that left the Democrats cringing: They had "won" the month of October, were heading into the homestretch, and there he goes again. He made a mistake–a bungled joke about how if you're a young person and you don't work and study hard and go to college, you wind up in the armed forces. He should have just apologized and left it at that. In other words, don't become a distraction when the Democrats are doing just fine.
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For GOP, Get-Out-the-Vote Plan May Be Too Little
Tweet Share on Facebook October 24, 2006 CommentThe Washington Post/ABC News poll out today brings unhappy news for a Republican Party worried about retaining control of both houses of Congress. It seems, according to this survey, that the GOP is losing the voters both sides covet the most–independents. And they're not losing them on the economy. They're losing them on a single issue–Iraq–that is clearly becoming the dominant theme in this campaign. And that's not good for Republicans.
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Parties Deal With a Shifting Election
Tweet Share on Facebook October 17, 2006 CommentOvernight, then Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker once said, can be a lifetime in politics. And we have seen that this election cycle already–with the Mark Foley scandal affecting House races around the country. Put that on top of the war in Iraq, questions about the economy, and an unpopular president, and come up with an obvious conclusion: This is not a great time for any Republican to be running for re-election.
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Is All Politics Local?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 11, 2006 CommentThat's going to be the interesting question to watch this campaign year, and no one really knows–not yet, at least. To wit: Do the national polls, which show a distrust for Republicans, an interest in changing control of the Congress, and a widespread dislike for the war in Iraq, mean that the Republicans are cooked? As Tip O'Neill used to day, "all politics is local." Except when it's not.
