Every time an article like this appears, or like this; and every time left-leaning blogs post stories like this (“the big one”?), or like this; every time a second of media airtime, an inch of print, or an ounce of effort goes into excoriating Alberto Gonzales, George Bush is thrilled. Just like I said four months ago, Democrats are squandering their political capital by continuing to make this such a […]
We are staying with our friends Marcy and Randy Boyd in their home on the east side of Madison, and as usual I’m struck by the differences between the Midwest and California. Most prominent is the fact that there is so much land here; it doesn’t feel like everything is so crowded and pinched together. An example: While Randy and Marcy were at work Friday morning, we took their dog […]
My wife and I watched most of the French Presidential debate between Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal last week, and although I can’t say we understood all (or even most) of it, we were struck by how different the Sarkozy/Royal debate was to the Presidential debates here in the U.S. Seated across from each other at a table, with a running clock to ensure both had the opportunity to speak […]
I just can’t get too fired up over the latest ‘scandal’ involving the forceable ouster of several U.S. Attorneys. Although I think it was a bad idea for a number of reasons, the bottom line is that the replacement of political appointees for political reasons just doesn’t fire me up. Nor does another example of the incompetence of the Bush administration. I do believe that point has been more than […]
France has a unique 2-stage Presidential electoral process. All candidates from all political parties participate in the first stage, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the second stage. In 2002, this system resulted in a second-stage meeting between the popular, centrist candidate (Jacque Chirac) and the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, with the the large Socialist Party unrepresented. This year a similar possibility exists. Although the two main candidates […]
Following an effective appearance on national television last week, the Socialist Party candidate, Segolene Royal, has pulled even in the polls with the center-right (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, or UMP) candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy, according to this article in Le Figaro. Sarkozy had previously held a solid 8% to 10% lead before the appearance. Royal came across on TV as more likable than Sarkozy according to this article, although Sarkozy […]
The first stage of the French presidential election is in April, and so far the moderate-right candidate Nicholas Sarokzy has a growing lead over the Socialist candidate Segolene Royal. Although Ms. Royal is perhaps the most photogenic politician in the history of the world, she has stumbled in her campaign several times by making ill-considered remarks that mark her as, perhaps, not-ready-for-prime-time. Mr. Sarokzy, surprisingly, seems to be doing well […]
Suzie and I, a little behind the times, recently watched (for the first time) the entire seven seasons of the excellent TV show The West Wing in a period of about 2 months. We even managed to get the boys interested in it. The article below, in my old college-town newspaper, reminded me of the last season, when the Jimmy Smits character (Matt Sanchez) started his campaign for the Presidency. […]
In my hometown of Iowa City, Iowa, there is a well-known and well-loved breakfast/lunch diner-type joint called the Hamburg Inn No. 2. It has great cheap food (scores of different omelets, including my favorite, the Iowa Omelet), and is always crowded. Two U.S. Presidents, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, have eaten there. You can see pictures of Clinton here (oh my, Bill, you are seriously overdressed for the Hamburg Inn); […]
The Grump must confess that he has not followed the Valerie Plame/Libby Lewis leak story in detail. But one thing the Grump recalls firmly is the absolutely unequivocal statement by George Bush shortly after the row started, to the effect that leaks were wrong and that if someone in his administration leaked something, well then he was going to bring the hammer down on them. Now we hear the President’s […]