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Commentary by Robert D. Novak

Most Recent Releases

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April 26, 2008

McCain's Money Mess By Robert Novak

Big-time Republican contributors are complaining that prospective presidential nominee John McCain is poorly organized for the campaign and off to a bad start in raising money.

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April 24, 2008

Deepening Democratic Dilemma By Robert Novak

When exit polls for the Pennsylvania primary came out late Tuesday afternoon showing a puny lead of 3.6 points for Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama, Democratic leaders who desperately wanted her to end her candidacy were not cheered.

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April 21, 2008

What's the Matter With Obama? By Robert D. Novak

Traveling the country the past few months, I have encountered habitual Republican voters so entranced by Barack Obama's potential to lead the nation that they plan to vote for him in November. Once Hillary Clinton's defected supporters return to loyalty, Obama Republicans could produce a Democratic presidential landslide. But Obama's current missteps jeopardize their support and imperil his election.

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April 19, 2008

Whither Hagel By Robert D. Novak

Friends of Sen. Chuck Hagel, the Senate's sharpest critic of President Bush's Iraq policy, say there is no chance he will endorse a Democrat for president this year.

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April 17, 2008

Bush: Don't Shield Journalists By Robert D. Novak

The bad news last week for conservative Republican Rep. Mike Pence was private confirmation that his proposed law protecting journalists from runaway judges was opposed by President George W. Bush himself, not just inflexible Justice Department lawyers.

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April 14, 2008

Hillary's Strategist By Robert D. Novak

Immediately after Mark Penn resigned as Hillary Clinton's chief strategist a week ago, he was on the phone with at least two prominent Democrats to assure them that nothing had changed.

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April 12, 2008

Making Joe Go By Robert D. Novak

Sen. Joseph Lieberman's friends are certain that if Democrats expand their one-vote Senate edge in this year's elections, they will kick him out of the Senate Democratic caucus and, therefore, oust him as Homeland Security Committee chairman.

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April 10, 2008

Wall Street in D.C. By Robert D. Novak

At last Thursday's Senate Banking Committee hearing on the government's historic bailout of Bear Stearns, two questions were expected.

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April 7, 2008

Obama's Gun Dance: A Commentary By Robert Novak

Barack Obama, who informs campaign audiences that he taught constitutional law for 10 years, might be expected to weigh in on the historic Second Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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April 5, 2008

GOP vs. Paulson: A Commentary By Robert Novak

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan for curing ailing financial markets received poor grades privately from House Republican leaders, though they mostly refrained from public criticism that would give Democrats ammunition in an election year.

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April 3, 2008

Heeding Labor's Demand?: A Commentary By Robert Novak

President Bush next week will send Congress a trade agreement forcing Democrats there to make an unpleasant choice. Will they follow the bidding of organized labor and reject a pact negotiated more than a year and a half ago with the country's strongest ally and best customer in South America?

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March 29, 2008

Portman for VP By Robert D. Novak

While Sen. John McCain will not decide on a vice president for many months, Rob Portman gets the highest marks inside the Republican presidential candidate's organization.

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March 27, 2008

McCain's Payroll Prize: An Inside Report By Robert Novak

A major strategist in John McCain's campaign was asked privately this week whether his candidate might propose cutting the payroll tax.

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March 24, 2008

Deepening Democratic Dilemma By Robert D. Novak

Barack Obama's speech last week, hastily prepared to extinguish the firestorm over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, won critical praise for style and substance but failed politically.

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March 20, 2008

Finance's "New Day" By Robert Novak

The Federal Reserve's unprecedented bailout of Bear Stearns was crafted not at the White House or Treasury, but in secret by a New York central banker whose name is unknown to Washington power brokers and was a Clinton administration presidential appointee.

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March 17, 2008

Democratic Racial Divide: by Robert D. Novak

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Geraldine Ferraro often has seemed puzzled during nearly 24 years since she was thrust from obscurity as a congresswoman from Queens to become the first woman nominated for vice president of the United States.

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March 15, 2008

Governor Bloomberg? By Robert D. Novak

The disgraced Eliot Spitzer had hardly resigned as governor of New York when Republican strategists began calculating a return to power in Albany via New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

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March 13, 2008

W.'s Gun Battle: by Robert Novak

Preparing to hear oral arguments Tuesday on the extent of gun rights guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has before it a brief signed by Vice President Cheney opposing the Bush administration's stance

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March 10, 2008

McCain vs. the Addicts: By Robert D. Novak

WASHINGTON -- The congressional Republican establishment's charade, pretending to crack down on spending earmarks while actually preserving their uncontrolled addiction to pork, faces embarrassment this week when the Democratic-designed budget is brought to the Senate floor.

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March 8, 2008

Mark Penn’s Boast and Florida Follies: An Inside Report by Robert D. Novak

Conservatives and party regulars were not happy about the selection of Carly Fiorina to head the Republican National Committee's "Victory 2008" campaign raising funds for the presidential election.