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'Transcripters' Make Birthers Look Smart
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2012 CommentHere's something I never thought I'd write: There's actually a dumber group of loopy, conservative, wing-nuts out there than birthers. The group is called "transcripters," and they are bound and determined to get a hold of President Obama's post-secondary grades in order to prove that—wait for it—he wasn't a good student.
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Why the Media Is Giving Romney a Pass on Trump's Birtherism
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2012 CommentSo what’s up with the free pass Mitt Romney is getting on prominent supporter Donald Trump’s loud-and-proud birtherism? I have a theory.
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Why Is Mitt Romney Embracing Birther Donald Trump?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2012 CommentSo Mitt Romney's newest fundraising effort involves not only appearing with the world's most famous birther, Donald Trump, but also dining with him and a lucky, raffle-winning supporter. OK, I give up: What exactly is Romney thinking?
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The Right's Fixation With 'Vetting' Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 CommentThe Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf has a devastating vivisection today of Breitbart.com's "The Vetting" series, which purports to give Barack Obama's background the thorough scrubbing that conservatives feel the media failed to before the 2008 elections.
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Obama Discovers Lobbyists Are Hard to Get Rid Of
Tweet Share on Facebook May 21, 2012 CommentThe Washington Post had a story yesterday, which is generating some Internet buzz, detailing how often registered lobbyists visit the Obama administration. It illustrates both the intractability of the system as well the limitations of campaign rhetoric.
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The Birthers Are Back, Might Keep Obama Off Arizona Ballot
Tweet Share on Facebook May 18, 2012 CommentThe birthers are back, baby. Oh you might have thought that President Obama's producing his long form birth certificate last spring might have been the proverbial stake through the heart of birtherism (the belief that the president is ineligible for his office because he was not born in the United States of America), but staking only kills vampires, and the birthers are more aptly compared to zombies: implacably shuffling forward no matter how many holes you shoot in (in this case) their theories.
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The Right's Peculiar Obsession With Jeremiah Wright
Tweet Share on Facebook May 17, 2012 Comment (24)It's often said that generals have an unfortunate tendency to fight the last war. Judging by a leaked "super PAC" ad campaign apparently being contemplated against President Obama, some Republican political strategists have the same problem. After nearly four years of an Obama presidency, they're still fixated on Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
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No Joke: George W. Bush Writing a Book on Economic Growth
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2012 Comment (47)Sometimes you have to ask yourself if something is genuine or whether the keen minds behind The Onion have managed to hack reality. To wit: Former President George W. Bush is writing a book on—wait for it—strategies for economic growth.
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Mitt Romney’s Memory Hole
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 Comment (12)It's funny what Mitt Romney can and cannot remember (or maybe that should be can and cannot "remember"), be it about bullying in high school, or cold, harsh behavior toward congregants in his church.
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JFK, LBJ, Schlesinger, Caro, and the 'Argument Without End'
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2012 Comment (1)Several years ago I was at a cocktail party at my parents' New York City apartment, chatting with the historian Robert Caro. I noticed that smoke seemed to be emanating from his person and said, "I'm not sure how to put this, Bob, but, umm, are you on fire?" He pulled open his jacket and we were both startled to find that its lining was smoldering and then alight. Apparently his jacket had dangled over a candle when he was leaning over a table and it caught.
