May 16, 2008
'Obama Fires Back at Bush' (Ron Christie)
I just caught the headline above emblazoned on The Washington Post website. At issue, of course, is the speech President Bush delivered before the Israeli Knesset that apparently has Sen. Obama tied up in knots. To set the table, here are the president’s remarks:
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush told the Israeli lawmakers. "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." > Read More
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What's This May 8, 2008
Operation Chaos (Ron Christie)
I read with interest the prominently displayed article in The Washington Post this morning asserting that conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” unfairly led to a narrow victory by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the tight Indiana primary held Tuesday. According to the Post, Limbaugh’s listeners recalled their “illicit pleasure” in voting for Clinton to sully and muddy the waters for Obama.
And this is a news story? How about the robo-calls that Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign allegedly made in several states asking Republicans to vote for him in open primaries? Is it fine for Democrats to ask Republicans to vote for them in open primaries but somehow improper or sinister when the equal but opposite scenario occurs? > Read More
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What's This April 15, 2008
Obama’s Chickens Coming Home to Roost (Ron Christie)
Like sands passing through an hourglass, Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) actions of late seem to reinforce the notion, tick by tick, that he is out of touch with the American people. Months ago we heard Michelle Obama note that for the first time in her life she was proud of her country. Comment misunderstood, we were told. Point taken out of context.
Next, Obama’s spiritual beacon and personal minister uttered his famous comments that continue to reverberate to this day. First Sen. Obama hadn’t heard the comments, and then he wasn’t in the pew when they were uttered. Finally, the junior senator from Illinois assured us that if Wright hadn’t stepped down as minister, Obama would have left the church. Once again, comments misunderstood, we were told. Points taken out of context for political gain. > Read More
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What's This March 31, 2008
Let’s Have an Honest Discussion on Race (Ron Christie)
Driving in to work this morning, I was stunned that local radio host Chris Plante on Washinton, D.C.'s WMAL invited his listeners to have an open and honest discussion on race. What with all the excitement generated by Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) “seminal” speech — remarks that my friend Chris Matthews has labeled as being worthy of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln?
In any event, an African-American caller phoned in to say that White America is to blame for most of the crime, drugs and woe that befall the black community. As incredulous as I was, another called opined that whites operate on an unequal playing field and that blacks just do the best they can under the circumstances.
As we come upon the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King (April 4), I can’t believe we’ve fallen so far away from the spirit and hope of his dream here at the beginning of the 21st century. What happened to being judged by the content of one’s character rather than the color of one’s skin? What happened to the calls for self-reliance and responsibility? > Read More
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What's This March 24, 2008
The Kilpatrick Indictments (Ron Christie)
Another week, another mea culpa from a high-profile black politician. What in the world is going on? Last week, the barely inaugurated governor of New York admitted that he had not one but several extramarital affairs with a variety of women. Never mind that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) was forced to resign from office over a sex scandal — I only wish that Gov. Peterson had decided to reveal his own related news before rather than following his inauguration.
Why? Because it brings up questions of how elected officials go about protecting and defending the trust that the public has placed in them as individuals to represent their interests. Which leads us to the immediate case with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) of Detroit. How in the world did he find himself in this mess? > Read More
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What's This March 3, 2008
Do Clinton and Obama Favor a Strong National Defense? (Ron Christie)
I’ve listened with interest over the past several weeks as the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for president try to outdo each other by proposing one new program after another. National healthcare for all? A public service academy? Cutting off funds for the war in Iraq to pay for education and other priorities? We’ve heard all of these themes and more as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) try to out-duel each other to spend our hard-earned tax dollars.
What I haven’t heard, however, is a proposal or initiative aimed at our armed forces community. Has anyone heard Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama propose a multibillion-dollar program for our men and women in uniform? Improving housing at our bases both here and abroad? Setting aside billions of dollars to provide armor, bombs and bullets to fight and win the war on terrorism? I didn’t think so. > Read More
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What's This February 11, 2008
Super-Delegate Democracy? (Ron Christie)
I’d like to believe my colleague Dick Morris and his assessment about the state of the race for the Democratic candidate for president. Namely, I’d like to believe that Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) will prevail in his contest over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).
Obama has racked up an impressive number of victories in the past several weeks and he is likely to sweep the “Potomac Primary” being held in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland tomorrow. Obama has shown strength in the Northeast, Midwest and the West Coast. In short, Obama has amassed a remarkable number of supporters, black and white, rich and poor, who are willing to pull the lever for him from coast to coast. Sen. Clinton, as has been widely discussed, has shown resilience on either coast (read: New York, California and Northeastern states). > Read More
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What's This January 25, 2008
The New York Times Endorsement (Ron Christie)
This morning The New York Times endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president. Big deal. The once-great paper has been eclipsed by the Internet, cable television and other news outlets. Once hailed as the paper with “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” the Times of late has been deeply tarnished by plagiarism scandals and a seeming simple-minded obsession against conservatives in general and President Bush in particular.
In a way I’m glad the Times endorsed Clinton, as it foreshadows her defeat in November if past predictions are indicative of future results. In 2004 the paper endorsed Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) over President Bush. In 2000, the paper endorsed Al Gore over George Bush. You get the picture. Big deal.
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What's This January 23, 2008
The Clintons, MLK and Obama (Ron Christie)
I have found myself more and more troubled as the Clinton Machine seeks to derail the candidacy of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Sure, politics is a vicious game and the Clintons are well seasoned in the art of hand-to-hand combat.
No, what disturbs me most about the Clintons is the manner in which they have targeted the senator and initiated a disingenuous campaign where they claim they would never focus on race — all the while focusing on race in the campaign.
I first took stock of this when the husband of former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen alluded to Obama’s drug use and then noted it would be the Republicans who would make an issue of it, not the Democrats. Hmm … I wonder who brought that up in the first place? Team Clinton. > Read More
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What's This January 10, 2008
Political Weather Forecast (Ron Christie)
In a bid to spice things up while talking about the prospects of the winners and losers now that the 2008 presidential cycle is under way, I thought I would take a different tack and offer posts that frame the issues similar to that which we hear in weather forecasts. Let me know what you think. I’ll start today with forecasting and handicapping the Republican field.
Following the Iowa caucus last week and the New Hampshire primary last night, where do the candidates stand as they leave the Granite State and head to Michigan and points farther south?
The Republican field:
Sen. John McCain: Mostly sunny with a chance of showers developing late. > Read More
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