Obama and the New Party: Guilt by vague and unsubstantiated association

Over at The Corner, Peter Kirsinow revisits the claim that Obama was a member of the “socialist” New Party during his run for the Illinois State Senate. Kirsinow’s point rests on the following false claim of equivalence:

Within days

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Bin Laden [heart] John McCain

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for John McCain on the endorsement front. First, Christopher Buckley — the son of National Review founder William Buckley — announced his support for Barack Obama. Then, Colin Powell provided one of…

Sarah Palin wants to reinvent political campaigning

Sarah Palin is dissatisfied with the prevailing model of mass politics:

On the tarmac, Palin also referred to robocalls as “inside baseball,” suggesting it was not her call for the campaign to randomly call voters with negative attacks

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Palin on SNL: Post-Weekend Wingnut Roundup

Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live preoccupied rightward-leaning political observers for a few hours before Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama changed the subject. But they were an amusing few hours, as conservatives — underscoring how badly things appear…

No Smear Left Behind: Wingnuts at the End of the Road

David Corn has a comprehensive rundown of the anti-Obama talking points that are already gurgling to the surface from the ruptured pipes of the right wing sewer system. The short version?  Obama will enable terrorists to enter the…

Todd Palin: As a power behind the throne, First Dude abides

Though he is not officially a member of the executive branch, Todd Palin is renowned for attending meetings with the governor and legislators or other public officials, many of whom have described his (almost totally silent) presence as odd or even discomfiting. Todd Palin, for example, has been copied on e-mails related to policy and personnel matters, and he’s taken numerous trips — with and without his wife — as a representative of the state.

By his own account, Palin regards none of this as inappropriate.

Science: 2, Sarah Palin: 0

For the past two years, Sarah Palin has proposed the incredible argument that declining beluga populations in Cook Inlet are not, in fact, a bad thing. Not surprisingly, Cook Inlet — located south of Palin’s hometown of Wasilla —…

After the Party: Pondering Palin’s Homecoming

Let’s say it’s mid-August 2008. You’re a nationally unknown governor from a geographically large, demographically insignificant state. You’re young and chipper, you’re overwhelmingly popular with your constituents, and you have a bright political horizon before you — a dead-lock…

Commander in Chief: Alaska’s crumbling National Guard

For the next several weeks — and perhaps beyond — it will be important to remember the following two principles:
(1)  Every critique of Alaska is a critique of Sarah Palin;
(2)  Every critique of Sarah Palin is…

Branchflower’s Troopergate report: Palins’ behavior ran afoul of Gov. Sarah’s ethics statute

The floral essence of the Branchflower report is simple: For the first 18 months of her administration, Palin allowed the resources of her office to be used to further a private grievance against a state employee. Given the almost total lack of cooperation offered by Palin, her attorney general, and nearly a dozen state employees who refused to comply with legislative subpoenas, the report is surprisingly courteous to the governor. It concludes that while Palin was empowered by the state’s constitution to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan without cause, she was nevertheless not free to use her public office to pursue an essentially private vendetta against Wooten, whose misconduct had already been investigated and reprimanded.