May 14, 2008
How to judge Clinton’s West Virginia landslide
Hillary Clinton’s huge win in West Virginia throws a wrench in Obama’s “certain victory” in the Democratic primary, said Jennifer Rubin in a Commentary blog, because no one there liked him—not “women, seniors, uneducated, educated, whites, poor people—none of them.” So maybe Clinton is doing Obama “a favor,” said E.J. Dionne in The Washington Post, by exposing his and the Democrats’ “weaknesses” . . .
May 13, 2008
Considering a humanitarian invasion of Myanmar
With Myanamar’s ruling junta blocking much-needed aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis, “it’s time to consider a more serious option: invading,” said Romesh Ratnesar in Time. “Are you friggin’ kidding me?” said James Joyner in Outside the Beltway. It makes more sense to ignore the junta and . . .
May 12, 2008
Could an Obama-Clinton ticket win?
Some members of the Democratic Party are rallying around the idea of an Obama-Clinton “dream ticket,” said James Poulos in London’s The Guardian, but at this point it’s really “now Hillary’s dream.” It’s the Democrats’ best shot, said Steve Mitchell in The Detroit News, but whether it’s a “dream ticket” or a “nightmare ticket” in November . . .
May 9, 2008
Will Myanmar’s junta leaders be swept aside in the storm's aftermath?
Optimists hoped leaders in Myanmar, or Burma, would start cooperating more with the outside world to save survivors of Cyclone Nargis, said The Wall Street Journal, but that looks less likely every day. Watch as the "despots get shoved aside," said the San Francisco Chronicle . . .
May 9, 2008
How McCain and Obama differ on judges
John McCain's "graceful and serious" speech on the need for judges who won't legislate from the bench was a big selling point for his campaign, said Tony Perkins in USA Today. Barack Obama obviously views the role of judges "more expansively," said James Oliphant in Tribune's The Swamp blog . . .
May 8, 2008
Pointing fingers in Myanmar
The devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis was a natural disaster nobody could have prevented, said The Dallas Morning News, but the military regime in Myanmar, or Burma, is killing people even now by delaying aid shipments. U.N. human rights organizations could have helped prevent this calamity, said Joseph Loconte in The Weekly Standard . . .
May 7, 2008
Has Obama left Clinton behind?
Hillary Clinton failed to capitalize on Barack Obama's recent troubles, said Adam Nagourney in The New York Times. Splitting presidential primaries in Indiana and North Carolina "was not a draw." Obama "can certainly breathe easier now," said The Wall Street Journal . . .
May 6, 2008
The last round of the fight between Obama and Clinton?
Democrats vote in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, said Paul Steinhauser in CNN.com, and "the outcome this time could truly be crucial." A big day for Clinton could strengthen her chances, said Adam Nagourney in The New York Times, but "a double Obama victory would almost certainly mean lights out" . . .
May 5, 2008
Where to focus your anger over Jeremiah Wright
The members of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's former church are "angry at the outside world" for painting the minister and the church he built as "a haven of hatred," said Errol Louis in the New York Daily News. Their anger should be focused on Wright, said Leonard Pitts in The Miami Herald ...
May 5, 2008
Will Jindal be McCain's running mate?
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal would make a great pick as John McCain's running mate, said William Kristol in The New York Times. Jindal, 36, would certainly help counter concerns about McCain's age. He would also please conservatives, said Kathryn Jean Lopez in National Review Online. But . . .
May 2, 2008
Can Clinton catch Obama?
Hillary Clinton's campaign suddenly has new hope, said the AP's Beth Fouhy in The Boston Globe, as she gains on Barack Obama in the polls. Yes, but the numbers are still on Obama's side, said Adam Nagourney and Carl Hulse in The New York Times . . .
May 2, 2008
How to ease the global food crisis
There's good reason to applaud President Bush's call for more food aid for poor countries, said the blog To the Center, but "bureaucratic pitfalls" will delay the relief. If we want to help people in Africa fast, said Norman Borlaug and Andrew Natsios in The Wall Street Journal, we should buy the food there . . .
May 1, 2008
A gas-tax holiday: Relief, or pandering?
“We know pandering when we see it,” said The New York Times in an editorial (free registration), and that’s the only word to describe the proposals by John McCain and Hillary Clinton to give drivers a summer gas-tax break. The key to providing relief at the pump is no big secret, said Clifford D. May in National Review Online . . .
Apr 30, 2008
Will repudiating Wright help Obama?
It took longer than it should have, said The New York Times, but now that Barack Obama has “firmly rejected” the “racism and paranoia” of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, the nation can get on with a serious discussion of race. No serious conversation can begin with the kind of “pure, unadulterated horse manure” Obama is selling, said Michelle Malkin in the New York Post . . .
Apr 29, 2008
Voter ID: Stopping fraud, or stopping Democrats?
An Indiana voter ID law upheld by the Supreme Court isn't necessary to prevent fraud, said Steve Benen in The Carpetbagger Report. But it does help Republicans in the state tamp down Democratic turnout. It's "baffling" to hear Democrats complain about this "entirely reasonable" law, said Investor's Business Daily . . .
Apr 28, 2008
McCain: Talking straight, or pandering?
John McCain's straight talk is refreshing, said the Los Angeles Times. Instead of pandering like the Democrats and promising struggling voters "truckloads of aid," he tells them the government can help more by doing less. McCain's gas-tax holiday is a prime example of how deceptive his so-called straight talk can be, said Paul Krugman in The New York Times . . .
Apr 25, 2008
McCain, Obama, Clinton: Who can voters believe?
Politicians often "sugarcoat reality," said David Ignatius in The Washington Post, "but this year's political campaign is becoming an escape to Fantasy Island," and John McCain's claim that military victory is the "easy answer" in Iraq is just one example. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama told their share of "indiscreet" truths and "foolish" lies in the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary, said The Boston Globe . . .
Apr 24, 2008
Are Obama and Clinton hurting their own chances?
The Democrats are setting the stage for their own defeat in November with their bruising primary battle, said Dahlia Lithwick in Slate. “Excuse us if we don't join in the general hand-wringing,” said The Washington Post. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "landed some hard punches" ahead of Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, but nothing that struck us as egregiously out of bounds” . . .
Apr 23, 2008
Was Clinton’s win big enough?
Hillary Clinton “unquestionably met or exceeded expectations” by beating Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, 55 percent to 45 percent, said Noam Scheiber in The New Republic online. But she still didn’t get the “Obama meltdown” she needs to have any real hope of winning the nomination. No, said Dan Balz in The Washington Post, but she got “a much-needed lifeline” . . .
Apr 22, 2008
How Pope Benedict fared in America
Pope Benedict was long seen as a "stay-at-home, traditional guardian of church doctrine," said The Boston Globe, but he "connected with Americans" with "simple preaching" and openness. Whether he meant it to be or not, said Marshall Loeb in MarketWatch, his trip to the U.S. was a "PR coup." . . .
Apr 22, 2008
What Pennsylvania means for Clinton and Obama
Hillary Clinton needs a win in the Pennsylvania primary to preserve her "slim chance of survival," said John Dickerson in Slate. And her staff is confident she'll win big. It might seem like “a paradox,” said Peter Wallsten in the Los Angeles Times, but Barack Obama could be "considered victorious" even if he loses, as long as it's close . . .
Apr 21, 2008
Clinton and Obama: Who’s more negative?
Barack Obama's staff accused Hillary Clinton of running a "100 percent negative" campaign ahead of the crucial Pennsylvania primary, said Marc Ambinder in The Atlantic online. Actually, only 50 percent of her campaign commercials are attack ads. Obama may be denouncing "tit-for-tat politics," said John Dickerson in Slate, but his staff is going after Clinton . . .
Apr 18, 2008
The significance of the pope’s meeting with abuse victims
Don't underestimate the importance of Pope Benedict's "unprecedented" meeting with victims of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, said John L. Allen Jr. in a National Catholic Reporter blog. "The church has refused to do everything possible to heal the wound," said Janet Bagnall in the Montreal Gazette. "And it is still refusing." . . .
Apr 17, 2008
Did Clinton win the debate, or did Obama?
Hillary Clinton clobbered Barack Obama in the Democratic debate, said Jim Geraghty in a National Review blog, like a linebacker blindsiding a quarterback. Sorry, but nothing happened to "magically transform" the race, said Walter Shapiro in Salon, so Obama, "odds-on favorite," won by "not losing." . . .
Apr 16, 2008
Can Pope Benedict heal sex-abuse scandal wounds?
Pope Benedict’s humble apology for the sex-abuse scandal that has torn apart the U.S. Catholic Church was a balm for the soul, said Ari Goldman in the New York Daily News. It was a "deeper acknowledgment" of the suffering than anything yet, said Anna Badkhen in The Boston Globe, but victims want actions, not words . . .
Apr 16, 2008
What ‘bitter-gate’ costs Obama
Polls suggest Barack Obama has lost momentum in Pennsylvania, said Daniel Nichanian in The Huffington Post, but it's impossible to say whether "bitter-gate" is to blame. Of course Obama's remark about "bitter" small-town Americans clinging to guns and religion will cost him, said Kathleen Parker in National Review Online . . .
Apr 15, 2008
Mocking Hillary
Barack Obama had every reason to make fun of Hillary Clinton's sudden enthusiasm for guns, said The Economist. That doesn't mean it's smart for him to attack, said Jennifer Rubin in a Commentary blog. Clinton didn't call small-town Pennsylvanians "irrational gun-toting Bible thumpers; he did." . . .
