Month: August 2006
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Bush to campaign for George Allen
The Houston Chronicle reports that President Bush is coming to Virginia to campaign for George Allen next week. Will the President disavow Allen’s remarks? So far, the White House is dodging the question: White House spokesman Tony Snow abruptly cut off a question about whether Bush had anything to say [about the macaca incident]. “If
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Self-parody alert: The TNR defense of Coulter
The legacy of Michael Kinsley, the former editor of The New Republic and Slate, continues to rot center-left opinion journalism. The problem is that his writing and editing have elevated the “surprising” and “counter-intuitive” article above all else. The formula is always “I’m a liberal, but I think [something liberals don’t typically think]” or “Everything
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McCain tells monkey joke at Allen rally
John McCain came to Virginia to campaign for George Allen yesterday and inadvertently reinforced the “macaca” gaffe that Allen is trying to downplay: Maybe somebody should have clued in Sen. John McCain. First, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., wound up a few dozen veterans with a “we win, they lose, there’s no substitute victory” strategy for
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George Allen’s newest “macaca” alibi
According to Hotline On Call, Senator George Allen’s campaign is peddling a new excuse of his offensive “macaca” gaffe — it was a combination of “mohawk” and “caca” made up by his campaign staffers: What does Macaca really mean? Three Virginia Republicans confirmed to the Hotline that several Allen campaign aides and advisers are telling
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Does “macaca” hurt George Allen for 2008?
Given George Allen’s ugly racial history, will the “macaca” gaffe hurt his prospects for the 2008 presidential nomination? Back in April, I noted that Ryan Lizza’s devastating Allen cover story in The New Republic had no effect on futures market prices for his 2008 presidential candidacy. Will “macaca” be different? Here are live charts of
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George Allen’s “macaca” gaffe
According to the Washington Post, Senator George Allen, the 2008 presidential contender with an ugly history of exploiting racial issues, has described his senatorial opponent’s non-white staffer using a word meaning monkey: S.R. Sidarth, a senior at the University of Virginia, had been trailing Allen with a video camera to document his travels and speeches
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A less weaselly picture?
Back in May, “The Fool” posted one of my favorite Brendan-hating comments ever: Is it just me or does everyone else cringe when they see Hyhan’s smug mug pictured on this web page. That picture just screams, “Look at me! I’m such a weasel!” Well, there’s a new picture of my smug mug up on
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Comparisons to Saddam and (maybe) Hitler
Since 9/11, pundits and politicians have frequently compared their opponents to terrorists, Saddam Hussein, and the Taliban. Michael Crowley at TNR has flagged the latest offender: a Daily Kos diary post that is currently featured on the Kos homepage which includes this charming image: As Crowley wrote, “I don’t think you have to be a
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The nasty rhetoric of Joe Lieberman
Ben Fritz (my friend and former Spinsanity co-editor) has a great post about the nasty rhetorical tactics of Joe Lieberman: [N]ot only does Joe Lieberman neglect to criticize George W. Bush, he’s starting to talk like George Bush. He’s specifically picking up one of Bush’s worst, most anti-democratic, rhetorical tricks, one we criticized extensively in
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Heritage Foundation authoritarians?
Heritage Foundation senior foreign policy analyst John Hulsman, who was fired for criticizing the President’s policies, describes the idyllic atmosphere inside the think tank to TNR’s Spencer Ackerman: When [Hulsman] arrived [at Heritage] in 1999 to revitalize its European studies program, Heritage seemed an exciting and intellectually open place to work. “It was always a