The Kicker

While talking about how hard campaigning can be, during an interview with Cindy McCain, Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren articulated for Mrs. McCain what it is that reporters do (speaking for herself? for the group?): VAN SUSTEREN: All we do is try to find things to pick at you about, anything we can possibly unearth, […]

Two Associated Press headlines today: “Obama ropelines: bouncing babies, controlled chaos” “McCain ropelines: more discipline, less chatting” (… and also, apparently, “bouncing babies,” if the accompanying photo is to be believed). So: Which sounds like more fun to you? This Tale of Two Ropelines can be summarized by the way the AP “defines,” for campaign […]

As mentioned in passing in this earlier post, the morning after her SNL appearance, being in town and all, Gov. Palin sat down for an interview with WWOR-TV’s (New York) My9 News (local press being political candidates’ favorite sort of press in the later stages of the campaign). While My9 News highlighted Palin’s response to […]

Remember “McCain/Palin Tradition,” Hank Williams, Jr.’s re-working of his song “Family Tradition” that was unveiled last week on the campaign trail (and played and replayed on cable news)? You know: Like a mama bear in Idaho She’ll protect your family’s condition If you mess with her cubs She’s gonna take of the gloves It’s an […]

The only “press conference” Gov. Sarah Palin has conducted to date as the vice presidential nominee took place on “Saturday Night Live?” And it went (after the real Palin took over for Tina Fey’s Palin, who actually fielded a few questions): PALIN: No, I’m not going to take any of your questions, but I do […]

Tucker Bounds, cable news’s favorite McCain campaign spokesperson, to MSNBC’s Tamran Hall this morning: HALL: Let’s also talk about the impact this endorsement [Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama] could or could not have. You’ve got Governor Kaine in Virginia saying it could have an impact there, you’ve got a lot of military families there. Representative […]

Two things I know to be true: 1. This photo of Colin Powell, retired general, former Secretary of State, and Object of Admiration of pretty much everyone, is unfortunate. And also kind of funny. But mostly unfortunate. 2. The existence of this photo provides no evidence of any kind that Powell will be endorsing Barack […]

Is there anything the political press loves more than a good mystery? Who will the candidates choose as their Veep nominees? Will Candidate A be mean to Candidate B during the debates? So many searing questions to be answered! By the press, of course! So today brings the latest Burning Mystery to be focused on […]

How can you tell that a campaign concept has made it into the public consciousness? It’s a joke on SNL: Every election is a learning opportunity. In 2000, the country learned about hanging chads and the mechanics of voting in a distant Florida county. In 2004, evangelical voters and swift boats claimed the headlines. And […]

At a rally in North Carolina yesterday, Joe Killian, a reporter for the Greensboro News & Record, got kicked to the ground by an angry McCain-Palin supporter. The assault came after Palin had finished speaking, when Killian was trying to speak with a group of Obama protesters who’d been escorted out. A “large, bearded man […]

SNL is at it again:

You may have heard of Torturing Democracy, a documentary film exploring the Bush administration’s interrogation strategies and policies, written and produced by Frontline‘s award-winning Sherry Jones. The film will air on New York’s WNET tonight, and in other public television markets around the country over the next few weeks. However, The New York Times reports […]