During this whole Rev. Wright brouhaha I’ve had a Chris Rock bit (from Bigger & Blacker, 1999) in the back of my mind: A brother in his sixties hates everybody. He can’t stand white people. Why? Because old black men went through real racism. He…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
According to Marc Ambinder, Rush Limbaugh said of Obama after his speech today: (He) is not an agent of racial healing, he is a product of it. Limbaugh wouldn’t recognize “an agent of racial healing” if he saw one–or maybe he would, and maybe he…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
From WaPo: McCain said it was “common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that’s well known. And it’s unfortunate.” A few moments later, Sen. Joseph…
Derek Bridges
2 Min Read
Barack Obama’s speech today (here’s a link to the video) was certainly more than “just words.” He spoke to the American people as an adult, unflinching in his assessment of the pain and bitterness many Americans feel: I can no more disown (Rev. Wright) than…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorced yesterday. Mills received a $48.6 million dollar settlement, or about $34,000 for every day she was married to him. She also received $70K a year as child support for their 4-year-old daughter. However, Mills said the settlement would require…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
War Room: When she stepped up to the dais, Clinton too remembered the harrowing Balkan adventure. “I remember landing under sniper fire,” she recalled. She and her retinue were then sent “running with our heads down to our vehicles.” Her courageous fellow travelers for that…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
Tug-O-War for John McCain’s soul or some fascimile (LA Times): Simes said McCain, one of the Nixon Center’s advisors, has privately assured prominent supporters in the traditional foreign policy camp that “his more exuberant statements don’t necessarily reflect his real views.” “John is a traditional…
Derek Bridges
6 Min Read
Barack Obama tried Friday to clear the deck with the Tony Rezko and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversies. What’s interesting is how he went about doing it. He appeared on Fox, CNN, and MSNBC Friday evening, but during the day he met with Chicago reporters…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
NYT: Some Clinton backers said they were intentionally withholding their contributions to the party, arguing that Howard Dean, the D.N.C.’s chairman, has left the situation in the hands of the states and the candidates, as opposed to exercising leadership to resolve it. “My wife and…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
Cover your eyes. No, I mean your ears. Brace yourself: Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter and two of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s top aides yesterday blasted Barack Obama’s campaign for allegedly diminishing and disrespecting Pennsylvania’s presidential primary. OMG! What did the Obama campaign do? Did it say…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
AP: LSU officials have agreed to pay football coach Les Miles at least $3.75 million a year for five years, part of a renegotiated contract deal after the Tigers won the national championship. The contract change will ensure Miles is among the top paid college…
Derek Bridges
3 Min Read
Barack Obama needs to deal more forcefully with the viral video that’s going around of his pastor, Rev. Jerimiah Wright, suggesting blacks should sing “God Damn America” instead of “God Bless America.” As hilzoy notes , it’s not Wright’s anger that’s at issue: I do…
Derek Bridges
1 Min Read
Comment is free …, Michelle Goldberg (h/t Jonathan Chait): Yes, (Linda Hirshman) allows, “maybe Obama is the best candidate, and these highly educated women, with their greater political savvy, have recognised his value.” But then she spends the rest of the column pondering other, apparently…