PERRspectives: April 2008 Archives

April 2008 Archives

	Bush Jawbones Congress, Not OPEC, Over Oil Prices One day after the price of oil hit a record of $119 a barrel, President Bush predictably pointed the finger of blame at Congress. During his often bizarre press conference Tuesday, Bush lambasted Capitol Hill for the skyrocketing oil prices which have more than tripled during his tenure. But while the President dredged up proposals from his first term, one Bush promise was notably absent from his blame game. Yesterday, George W. Bush's campaign 2000 boast that he would "jawbone"... more Posted on April 30, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Obama Disavows Wright; McCain Still Silent on Hagee, Armageddon and Iran Barack Obama in no uncertain terms today made a clear break with his incendiary former minister, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. But despite Obama's disavowal of his one-time pastor's outrageous statements, the media spotlight continues to shine on Wright. Meanwhile, John McCain has maintained his silence on the dangerous vision of Armageddon and Iran held by his own pastoral supporter, John Hagee. In the wake of Wright's erratic grandstanding at events on Sunday and Monday, Senator Obama made it clear he... more Posted on April 29, 2008 \| Comments (9)

	Democrats Losing the Character War Two recent polls suggest that Democrats are winning minds but losing hearts in the war for the White House in 2008. Despite surveys showing that Americans consistently prefer Democratic positions over those of Republicans across virtually every issue, a new Rasmussen poll found voters trust John McCain more than either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. And last week, an AP/Yahoo poll revealed no difference in voters' candidate preferences even when it came to the election's most important issue, the economy.... more Posted on April 29, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain's Age-Old Punchline: "I'm Older Than Dirt" Back on November 30, 2006, future Republican presidential nominee John McCain joked, "I'm older than dirt." A year and a half later, DNC research director Mike Gehrke was reprimanded for agreeing with him. Last week, Gehrke appropriated a joke from Jay Leno, all in the name of a little ageist fun. As ABC's Jake Tapper reported, Gehrke showed the poor judgment of using his own Facebook page to pass along Leno's quip: "You know what you call someone who digs... more Posted on April 28, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain-Hagee Armageddon Watch: Day 61 On Sunday, Barack Obama appeared on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace and marked an end to the right-wing network's 772-day "Obama Countdown Clock." Meanwhile, another clock, this time for Republican John McCain, keeps on ticking. 61 days after accepting his endorsement, the media has not asked - and John McCain has not answered - whether or not he agrees with Pastor John Hagee that war with Iran is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy of Armageddon. On February 27,... more Posted on April 28, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	Supreme Court OKs Indiana ID Law, GOP Vote Suppression Strategy Just one day after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told Americans to "get over" the 2000 decision that handed the presidency to George W. Bush, the Supreme Court today rubber stamped an essential tactic in the all-out Republican war to suppress the turnout of minority - and likely Democratic - voters. By a 6-3 vote, the Court upheld an Indiana voter identification law purportedly designed to address what most experts deem a non-existent problem. By so doing, the Roberts Court... more Posted on April 28, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain's Answer for Poverty? eBay! In Martin County, Kentucky this week, John McCain added another one his "Forgotten Places" to the growing list of places his campaign would now like to forget. With a straight face, McCain told the residents of the economically devastated region that eBay represents their economic future. And he did so by appropriating the words of Meg Whitman, who just happens to be not only McCain's national campaign co-chair, but the former CEO of eBay. As NPR reported this morning, McCain... more Posted on April 25, 2008 \| Comments (35)

	McCain, Hagee and the Media's Missing Question on War with Iran In New Orleans as part of his so-called "Forgotten Places" tour, former Navy airman John McCain found himself evading incoming flak over the most recent comments of Pastor John Hagee. Coming just days after George Stephanolous lobbed him a Hagee softball, McCain faced questions over Hagee's assertions that "God's hand" was behind Hurricane Katrina because New Orleans was a "sinful city." But still absent from the media discussion about John McCain and his supporter the End-Times Pastor Hagee is the... more Posted on April 24, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	Bush Gave Green Light for Israeli Settlements in Secret '04 Letter A hallmark of the Bush presidency has been the public disavowal of actions already taken in secret. In just the latest episode of Bush White House duplicity, the Washington Post revealed today that President Bush in 2004 secretly approved the expansion of existing Israeli settlements on the West Bank despite his stated policy to the contrary dating back to the start of his first term. As the Post details, the letter George W. Bush personally delivered to then Israeli Prime... more Posted on April 24, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Two Cheers for Jenna Bush With her presidential wedding just weeks away, First Daughter Jenna Bush will once again be the subject of celebrity and political gossip alike. Just a few years ago, the bar-hopping the Bush twin seemed destined to follow in her father's footsteps as a Republican Party Animal. As it turns out, on abstinence policy and the election of John McCain - two issues near and dear to her GOP father's heart - Jenna Bush may not be much of a Republican... more Posted on April 24, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	McCain Turns to Bush '00 Formula: "A Different Kind of Republican" As this week's "Forgotten Places" tour of America shows, John McCain doesn't merely represent a continuation of George W. Bush's tenure in the White House. He's planning on traveling the same road to get there. Facing an American electorate which overwhelmingly rejects his policies across virtually every issue, John McCain is running as a "different kind of Republican." And that makes him no different from the Republican George W. Bush of 2000. As McCain travels to Selma, Youngstown and other... more Posted on April 23, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	VP Hopeful Mitt Romney Attacked McCain's Temper In the wake of the Washington Post's article Sunday on John McCain's legendary temper, pundits, politicians and armchair psychologists alike are weighing in on the Arizona Senator's litany of f-bombs, fisticuffs and frothing. But while McCain spokesman Mark Salter called the Washington Post piece "99% fiction," one national Republican leader has already taken great pains to back up its account. Mitt Romney, the man who would be John McCain's running mate, in January decried "the McCain way" of uncontrolled fury... more Posted on April 22, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	McCain Retreats in his War on the UN The Los Angeles Times reports today that Republican nominee John McCain has begun a quiet retreat from the centerpiece of his foreign policy vision, a so-called "League of Democracies." First unveiled in May 2007 and a highlight of his March 26 national security address, McCain despite his past angry criticism of America's European allies envisioned a league of democracies which could "act with great influence and power, both economically and militarily." Unfortunately for McCain, what thrills his neoconservative backers is... more Posted on April 21, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain's 24 Hour Flip-Flop on the Bush Economy Ever since Ronald Reagan famously asked Americans in 1980 if they were better off now than four years ago, answering the question has been a pre-requisite for aspiring White House hopefuls. This week, Republican nominee John McCain twice tried to supply a response when asked about the eight years of the Bush economy. His changing answers of "yes" and "no" on consecutive days set a new flip-flopping record, even for John McCain. On April 17th, Senator McCain was interviewed on... more Posted on April 20, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	10 More Questions John McCain Will Never Be Asked In the wake of Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous' abominable performance in the ABC Democratic debate Wednesday, I created a list of 10 debate questions John McCain will never be asked. (The Real McCain author Cliff Schecter subsequently featured my list over at The Huffington Post, AmericaBlog and Crooks and Liars.) Now, as it turns out, this Sunday's guest on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous is none other than Arizona Senator and Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Here, then,... more Posted on April 19, 2008 \| Comments (4)

	Media Hype Faux Fingergate, Ignore McCain Flipping Off Clintons In just the latest sad chapter in the decline and fall of the American media, press outlets are claiming that Barack Obama gave Hillary Clinton the finger during a recent campaign event. Despite the obvious video evidence that Obama was inadvertently scratching his cheek as he spoke, Fox News, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post (just to name a few) all ran with stories raising the specter of Fingergate. Sadly, back in 1998, one of the... more Posted on April 19, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Two New Reports Slam Bush on Iraq, Afghanistan Two new reports released Thursday offer a devastating assessment of President Bush's leadership as commander-in-chief. First, the GAO concluded that "al-Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack the United States and had succeeded in establishing a safe haven in Pakistan's border area." Then just hours later, a study from the National Defense University proclaimed the Iraq war "a major debacle" whose outcome was "in doubt." Together, they paint a damning portrait of Bush's failures in the global war on terror.... more Posted on April 18, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	10 Debate Questions John McCain Will Never Be Asked While the liberal blogosphere and media critics alike are fuming over the deplorable gotcha-fest that was the ABC Democratic debate yesterday in Philadelphia, conservative talking heads are positively ecstatic. In the New York Times, David Brooks called the questions on lapel pins and the Weather Underground "excellent." The excreable Michelle Malkin snarked, "How dare they explore questions of character, truthfulness, and judgment?" And over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey offered "kudos to ABC News" while noting "John McCain has to... more Posted on April 17, 2008 \| Comments (26)

	Politics, Entertainment and the ABC Debate Debacle Media critics and the liberal blogosphere alike are apoplectic about Thursday night's abominable ABC Democratic debate in Philadelphia. But lost in the outcry over what the Washington Post deemed a "shoddy" and "despicable" performance by moderators George Stephanopolous and Charles Gibson is a snapshot of the future of American politics. When politics is just another form of entertainment, the ABC debacle is what you get. Back in February, I delivered a presentation titled, "That's Entertainment: Politics as Theater in Campaign... more Posted on April 17, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Laura Bush, Cindy McCain to Host Morning Shows In case anyone still doubted the transformation of American politics into just another form of entertainment, news that Laura Bush and her would-be Republican successor Cindy McCain will soon be hosting NBC's Today Show and ABC's The View should be a case in point. And to be sure, millions of Americans will see the two Republican women presented as the very models of the modern First Lady. On Tuesday, April 22nd, Mrs. Bush will co-host the 9 AM hour of... more Posted on April 17, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain's Deficit Attention Disorder Back in 2002, Vice President Cheney famously told Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter." Now just two months after promising to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term, self-described Reagan foot soldier John McCain has decided he agrees. Before abandoning his balanced budget pledge during his Pittburgh address yesterday, McCain had made it a feature on the campaign trail. For example, during a February 15th rally in La Crosse, Wisconsin, "McCain promised... more Posted on April 16, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	For McCain, Silence on Religion is Golden Just one day before lambasting Barack Obama over his recent comments about religion, John McCain was a no-show at Sunday's CNN Compassion Forum on faith. That's because when it comes to discussing his own religious beliefs, the Republican presidential nominee believes that silence is golden. And judging by the fawning stories from the Washington Times, CNN and the Politico, the press corps seems to agree. But McCain's reticence to speak about his faith doesn't represent a generational preference for private... more Posted on April 15, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	April 15th is John McCain Tax Flip-Flop Day As ABC News helpfully reminds us, April 15th is John McCain Tax Flip-Flop Day. McCain, as you'll recall, twice voted against President Bush's budget-busting tax cuts for the richest Americans who need them least. But having undergone a supply-side conversion on the road to the White House, John McCain now wants to make them permanent. John McCain's gymnastic flip-flop on the Bush tax cuts ranks among his greatest acts of political contortion. What he once opposed as fiscal recklessness and... more Posted on April 14, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	McCain Goes Both Ways on Press Shield Law Addressing the annual meeting of the Associated Press, John McCain stayed true to form in his ongoing courtship of the media. Pandering to what is in essence his base, McCain proclaimed his support for a proposed federal press shield law. Then in typical fashion, McCain joined President Bush in decrying the use of confidential sources by the New York Times and others to expose White House criminality. During his remarks, McCain used the press shield issue to woo a press... more Posted on April 14, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Pope Benedict and the Crisis of the American Church In advance of his first papal visit to the United States this week, Time this morning examines the clergy sex abuse challenge Pope Benedict will face here. But missing altogether from the analysis of that continuing crisis in the American Catholic Church is any discussion of then Cardinal Ratzinger's essential role in perpetuating it. Time highlighted the daunting task awaiting Benedict XVI as confronts an American church wrestling with demographic upheaval and still grappling with the fallout from its sex... more Posted on April 14, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, Varmint Hunters In presidential politics, when the going gets tough, the wannabe tough go for their guns. So almost exactly a year after failed Republican White House contender Mitt Romney comically declared himself a "hunter pretty much all my life," Hillary Clinton today bragged about her gunslinging past. Hoping to capitalize on Barack Obama's gaffe about "bitter" small town people and their guns, Hillary like Mitt before her joined the ranks of varmint hunters. Speaking to a crowd in Indiana, Clinton portrayed... more Posted on April 13, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Triple Whammy for State Health Insurance Mandates Over the past several days, a flurry of stories has raised red flags about the prospects for state-based health care mandates. On Saturday, the AP reported that soaring costs are buffeting the pioneering insurance mandate program in Massachusetts. Just days earlier, the New York Times described a Massachusetts primary care system now swamped with new enrollees seeking treatment. And complicating matters further, the deepening recession is hitting state budgets hard, producing a financial crisis almost certain to halt the expansion... more Posted on April 13, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Will Obama Relive Hart's '84 New Jersey Nightmare in Pennsylvania? On several occasions, I've suggested that the Obama-Clinton slugfest bears an uncanny resemblance to the 1984 Democratic race between Walter Mondale and Gary Hart. Now just two weeks out from what could be his make-or-break moment in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama may be about to relive Gary Hart's '84 New Jersey nightmare. Alas, the God and guns of Obama's "bitter" people in the Keystone State may have the same devastating impact as Hart's "samples at a toxic waste dump" in New... more Posted on April 11, 2008 \| Comments (9)

	Bush Approval, Consumer Confidence Hit New Lows Three new surveys released today document the steep descent of President Bush, and with him, the American economy. While Bush's approval rating reached a new low of 28% in the AP poll, three quarters of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal believe that the United States is in a recession that has yet to hit bottom. So it comes as no surprise that American consumer confidence spiraled down to its lowest level in 26 years. Of course, there was... more Posted on April 11, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain Flip-Flops on Foreclosure Crisis In order to secure the Republican presidential nomination, John McCain has reversed course on almost every issue he once held near and dear. Now with the general election contest underway, McCain is starting his predictable walk-back from the hard right abyss. Just days after proclaiming his adamant opposition to federal intervention in the housing market crisis, McCain yesterday announced half-measures to support "deserving" homeowners on the edge of foreclosure. Given his Scrooge-like pronouncements just two weeks ago, to call McCain's... more Posted on April 11, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	The Bush League Economy in a Picture Once in a rare while, a single image tells you everything to know about the American economy. On Wednesday, the New York Times featured a simple chart showing that President Bush has presided over the first post-World War II economic expansion in which Americans' median family income declined. If the American Dream is defined in part as each generation doing better than the one before, then the Bush League Economy can officially be declared a nightmare. David Leonhardt's devastating piece... more Posted on April 10, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Right Assails Diversity Staging at Obama Event Over at the Weekly Standard, Michael Goldfarb takes the Obama campaign to task for deploying the "diversity police" during an appearance by Michelle Obama today at Carnegie Mellon University. But while the campaign staff's efforts to produce a multi-racial backdrop may have been ham-handed, they pale in comparison to the comic Republican attempts to create the illusion of any minority support at all. As the university's student paper described it: While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the... more Posted on April 9, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Five Questions for Petraeus and Crocker In their testimony before Congress today, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker began painting a picture of American progress in Iraq. But even as the United States faces a diminishing threat from Al Qaeda thanks in part to former Sunni insurgents the U.S. has largely co-opted, American forces find themselves increasingly engaged in an intra-sectarian Shiite conflict in which Iran is seemingly backing all sides. And with General Petraeus calling for an indefinite pause in the drawdown of U.S.... more Posted on April 8, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Israeli Settlements and the Return of McCain's Hagee Problem Just when it seemed John McCain had weathered the storm over endorser John Hagee's rabid anti-Catholicism, the Texas pastor announced his latest effort to accelerate Armageddon. In the face of U.S. policy opposing the expansion of Isaeli settlements in the West Bank, Hagee's Christian United for Israel (CUFI) announced a $6 million donation to help do just that. So while John McCain may believe that in Washington John Hagee is "doing the Lord's work in Satan's city," he certainly is... more Posted on April 7, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	The C-Word and McCain Family Values Just days after a glowing AP profile of Cindy McCain, it turns out that John McCain's second marriage hasn't always been the picture of marital bliss. Apparently, McCain's ongoing anger management issues include calling his wife the C-word. That's one of the emerging stories in Cliff Schechter's new book, The Real McCain. As Raw Story excerpted, McCain in a heated 1992 public exchange with his wife went beyond his usual expletive-filled rage and allegedly dropped the c-word. Three reporters from... more Posted on April 7, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain's Dishonest Defense of "100 Years" in Iraq On Sunday, John McCain renewed his defense of a 100 year American presence in Iraq. Just days after his campaign accused Barack Obama of "dishonesty" and "nonsense talk" over Obama's claim that McCain "willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq," the Republican nominee on Fox News again compared Iraq to Japan and South Korea. By doing so, John McCain once again showed that he fundamentally misunderstands - or worse still, willingly misrepresents - both... more Posted on April 6, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	John McCain's Health Care Crisis John McCain is facing a major health care crisis. Not so much his own, though questions abound about the Republican presidential nominee's bouts with skin cancer. No, as the Boston Globe details, it is the feeble McCain health care plan itself which is terminally flawed. Which isn't to say McCain's age and medical history aren't a concern of his campaign. While the McCain camp has repeatedly delayed releasing his medical records, the New York Daily News is reporting that McCain... more Posted on April 6, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	CNBC's Kudlow to McCain: Americans Need an Economic Enema The American economy is in recession and according to Larry Kudlow, that is a cause for celebration. On Friday, the National Review regular and CNBC host praised three months of job losses as "an economic cleansing" and beamed that "recessions are therapeutic." And by all indications, Kudlow's prescription of an economic enema for the American people is one shared by John McCain. Given the confluence of grim economic news, Kudlow's flippant "let them eat cake" attitude was all the more... more Posted on April 5, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Top 10 Darrell Issa Hall of Shame Moments Darrell Issa's (R-CA) stunning statement reducing the 9/11 attack on the United States to a "simple" plane crash is just the latest outrage from the execrable California Republican. After all, the one-time accused car thief turned car alarm magnate attacked the families of dead Blackwater contractors, accused Valerie Plame of perjury and played a vital role in purging a U.S. attorney, just to name a few others. Yet less than five years after he cried like a baby while announcing... more Posted on April 4, 2008 \| Comments (9)

	The Politico's Half-Story on McCain's Religion In the Politico this morning, Jonathan Martin offers what the New Republic deemed a "smart piece" about John McCain's religious beliefs. But in describing McCain's reluctance to speak publicly about his faith ("McCain Shies Away from Religion Talk"), Martin tells only half the story. Given that John McCain is now the de facto leader of God's Own Party, his contradictory and suspiciously-timed statements regarding his religious conversion is a story that still needs telling. In his piece today, Martin notes... more Posted on April 3, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	John McCain's Bio Waste All this week, Republican presidential nominee John McCain is highlighting his biography during a "Service to America" tour designed to reintroduce himself to voters. Unfortunately, with each new stop, McCain only raises disturbing new questions about his past. McCain's bio-waste troubles started almost immediately. At his first appearance Monday in Meridien, Mississippi, McCain used the context of the nearby naval air station named for his grandfather to extol his family's long history of military service. But while he boasted that... more Posted on April 2, 2008 \| Comments (4)

	Hillary - I'm Like Rocky; Stallone - I Like McCain In Philadelphia on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton once again showed the dangers of confusing fact and fiction. Still weathering the criticism for a fictionalized account of her excellent Bosnia adventure in 1996, Clinton compared herself to Philly's screen boxing legend Rocky Balboa. Sadly, Balboa's alter ego Sylvester Stallone already endorsed John McCain. You can't blame her for trying. Speaking to a gathering of the Pennsylvania AFL CIO, Hillary Clinton cast herself as the underdog Rocky going the distance: "Let me tell... more Posted on April 2, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	New Baptist John McCain Returns to His Old Episcopal High School In the latest stop on his biographical trip down memory lane, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain returned to his old high school in Alexandria, Virginia. As it turns out, that may have been an odd choice for a man trying to reintroduce himself to the American people. Years after leaving the august halls of Episcopal High School, John McCain became a Baptist. To be sure, John McCain's visit to his old stomping grounds certainly won't convince many Americans that... more Posted on April 1, 2008 \| Comments (6)

	Ralph Reed Joins Scooter Libby as Right-Wing Novelist In conservative political circles, you can't keep a bad man down; he'll just come back and write a novel. And so comes word that former Christian Coalition wunderkind, Jack Abramoff crony and failed Georgia GOP candidate Ralph Reed is joining Scooter Libby, Lynne Cheney and Bill O'Reilly among the pulp pushers of the right. On Monday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Reed will soon publish his first novel, Dark Horse. As to its subject, the AJC speculates only, "The... more Posted on April 1, 2008 \| Comments (0)