First Dude By Susan Estrich
First Dude. That's what they call him in Alaska. It's OK. Todd's Ok. Whatever. He smiles at Greta Van Susteren. Not a touch of noblesse. More like plan old politesse.
Political Commentary
Most Recent Releases
September 17, 2008
September 16, 2008
Democrats Face Historic Voter Hurdle
Much has been made this year about how the fundamentals favor the Democrats. An unpopular Republican president, a war that has dragged on beyond the limits of public tolerance, a declining number of people identifying as Republicans and a worrisome economy all set the stage for the Democrats to reclaim the White House.
September 14, 2008
Old Enough To Fight, Old Enough To Drink By Debra J. Saunders
At age 18, an American can enlist in the military, vote, sign a contract, get married, have an operation -- hey, in California, a 14-year-old can have an abortion without telling her parents -- but he cannot buy a beer. Not legally, anyway.
September 13, 2008
McCain Flies His Campaign Past Obama By Michael Barone
John McCain was trained as a fighter pilot. In his selection of Sarah Palin, and in his convention and campaigning since, he has shown that he learned an important lesson from his fighter pilot days: He has gotten inside Barack Obama's OODA loop.
September 12, 2008
Say It Ain't So, Joe By Susan Estrich
Sometimes Joe Biden, bless his good intentions, doesn't know when to stop. I won't recount past instances of this -- I'll leave that to the RNC -- but the most recent is a painful example of what happens when a short answer will do and you give a long-winded one instead.
September 12, 2008
The Sarah Surge in Black and White By Lawrence Kudlow
It's so much fun reading the newspapers these days. The Sarah surge continues to dominate all the political news, while the Palin-McCain -- er, McCain-Palin -- ticket is forging ahead in the polls.
September 11, 2008
Two Bridges to Nowhere By Joe Conason
Is Sarah Palin the implacable pit bull of government reform, lipstick and all? The latest Republican campaign commercial pictures her in heroic terms at the side of John McCain as one of the "original mavericks," declaring that she "stopped the bridge to nowhere."
September 11, 2008
Lipstick, Dipstick By Debra J. Saunders
"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday -- thereby spawning one of those vacuous debates that will consume at least two days of air time on cable news talk shows.
September 11, 2008
GOP Back On The Polarization Trail By Froma Harrop
"We grow good people all across America, with honesty, sincerity and dignity." No, Sarah Palin didn't say that. She said, "We grow good people in our small towns" and listed the above virtues.
September 11, 2008
Obama vs. Obama By Dick Morris
Now that the conventions are over, it is evident that the battle of John McCain is over (McCain won) and the battle of Barack Obama will determine the outcome of the election.
September 10, 2008
Don't Blame Oprah By Susan Estrich
Poor Oprah. Of course, Oprah is not poor by anyone's definition (we should all be so poor), but she found herself between a rock and a hard place on the question of whether to invite the newest, and right now probably the biggest, celebrity in the world on her show. To do Sarah or not to do Sarah? No good answer.
September 10, 2008
The GOP Resurrection By Tony Blankley
In the past 30 years or so, since presidential conventions no longer actually have decided the nominees, their usual purpose has been to focus and project a positive image of the already chosen candidate (and, of course, disparage the opponent). But last week in St. Paul, Minn., the GOP convention was different.
September 9, 2008
Immigrants and the Safety Net By Froma Harrop
The conservative economist Milton Friedman famously said, "You can't have free immigration and a welfare state." He was right. You can't flood our labor markets with illegal workers paying little in taxes -- and provide good government benefits for everyone.
September 7, 2008
Romancing the Vote By Debra J. Saunders
The 2008 Republican National Convention had too much in common with the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
September 6, 2008
There's Something Missing in St. Paul By Lawrence Kudlow
On CNBC Wednesday night, Jack Welch, GE's CEO from that firm's salad days in the '80s and '90s, pointed out the dangers of a three-house Democratic sweep.
September 6, 2008
The Battle of the Party Themes By Michael Barone
The national conventions are political shows staged to influence voters. Soon, we can measure the bounce that the two tickets have received from their gatherings.
September 5, 2008
The Old John McCain By Debra J. Saunders
"I miss the old John McCain." It's a refrain I hear on a regular basis, most often from people who are Barack Obama voters no matter what.
September 5, 2008
Democrats in Trouble By Dick Morris
The convention floor was abuzz all yesterday with the news of the CBS poll showing a dead tie (42-42) in the presidential race. And the poll, conducted through Wednesday, couldn't reflect the impact of John McCain's speech, or the full impact of Sarah Palin's late Wednesday night.
September 5, 2008
The Big 5-0 By Susan Estrich
He hit it this week. The big 5-0. No, I'm not referring to the age -- an age that, whatever anyone says, is not the new 30. It's still 50. It's something no one I know looks forward to unless they are ill and afraid they won't make it that far.
September 4, 2008
Sarah Palin Strikes Back By Debra J. Saunders
"The Republican Party will not stand by while Gov. (Sarah) Palin is subjected to sexist attacks," Carly Fiorina, the former head of Hewlett-Packard and constant McCain booster, told a press conference at the Republican National Convention Wednesday. "I don't believe American women are going to stand for it either."
