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30 Jun 2011 15:24

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U.S.: Robert Gates awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

  • Last day on the job: The path Robert Gates took as a defense secretary for successive administrations (under the control of different parties) is very unique, and as such you can understand President Obama wanting to give him this sort of an honored send-off. You can be sure that Gates feels the love. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 15:27

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Politics: Morale going from bad to worse at Gingrich campaign

  • 2 top fundraising staffers quit Newt’s flailing presidential campaign source
  • » The good ship Newt continues to sink: It was just twelve days ago that the Gingrich campaign suffered a high-level exodus of staffers. Now comes the news that two more have jumped ship — fundraising director Jody Thomas, and fundraising consultant Mary Heltman. If there’s one thing a presidential campaign needs, it’s having its money in order — departing staffers, however, accused Gingrich of having less interest in political spending than on chartering luxury jets. We’re at the point of considering this campaign little more than an exercise in raising Newt’s profile — he just doesn’t seem serious about it.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2011 15:08

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Politics: Herman Cain believes homosexuality is both a sin and a choice

  • I believe homosexuality is a sin because I’m a Bible-believing Christian, I believe it’s a sin. But I know that some people make that choice. That’s their choice… I believe it is a choice.
  • GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain • Speaking to CBS News reporter Brian Montopoli in an interview yesterday. You know, we’ll admit we expected this sort of stuff out of Rick Santorum, but we’re pretty surprised Herman Cain has made casual bigotry such an element of his campaign (you may also recall that he refused to appoint any Muslims to his hypothetical cabinet). Cain is, despite the utterly absurd things he’s said the past few days, a man of undeniable charisma and energy, and frankly if he focused on promoting himself as a successful self-made man he could be a real player in this election. Of course, that’s the grisly nature of the GOP primary process; you have to swing hard right to get the gig, then hard back to the center to win a general election. In any event, Herman Cain in his own words is very rapidly removing himself from the ranks of politicians with independent or mainstream appeal. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2011 16:13

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Politics: How would the Cain administration view legislating?

  • 3 pages maximum for any bill signed into law by President Cain source
  • » A true political outsider: It’s understandable that career politicians are constantly seeking to distance themselves from their own experience levels in government — the concept of the “outsider” marching into D.C. to clean house is very appealing, if not terribly realistic. Having a genuine outsider, though, with no governmental record to run away from, carries with it the risk that said person won’t really understand how government operates. Whether this is the case for Herman Cain, or he was just trying to win some easy appeal from a partisan crowd is unknown. That said, it’s a remark that if taken seriously does not make Cain seem like a terribly serious candidate, his other advantages (charisma chiefly among them) aside. Or, maybe he’s just trying to save paper by forcing the bills to hit his desk double-sided in 3-point type. That’s a possibility, too.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 May 2011 13:45

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Politics: Rumors swirl on possible Giuliani run, ’cause someone has to

  • Run Rudy Run: You may have noticed a lot of nail-biting amongst establishment Republican figures in the last couple days, with the news that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels wouldn’t be running causing a bit of an “oh my god, we don’t have many electable candidates here” sort of panic. But never fear, GOP, your knight in shining armor could be coming. Reports are swirling that Rudy Giuliani, seeking redemption for his disastrous 2008 campaign (record-setting for its waste and futility, as he spent over $50 million to net just one delegate), may throw his name into the ring once more. Said Rep. Peter King: “If he were to make the decision today, he would run.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2011 16:56

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World: Nigerian Presidential election goes to Goodluck Jonathan

  • Goodluck Jonathan wins in Nigeria: So says Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, but his political opposition has claimed intimidation, ballot stuffing, and the like. Project 2011 Swift Count, a Nigerian election observer, sought to rebut that claim — while they acknowledged that violence, intimidation and illegal voting took place in isolated incidents, they say their reports from a random group of 1,468 polling stations suggest this didn’t change the eventual outcome. Nonetheless, many Nigerians have been hurt in an outbreak of election day riots, a grim and depressing reality to be sure. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 1 Comment • Permalink

19 Aug 2010 10:58

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Politics: Obama should really think harder about where he vacations

  • People would rather see their President in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, or the Wisconsin Dells than in the Kennedy realm of Cape Cod.
  • Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley • Regarding Obama’s upcoming vacation to Cape Cod. While presidents are likely to get criticism no matter where they vacation, Obama’s is even more acute because, well, the economy’s in the crapper, and it feels a tad tone-deaf. He should really consider what Bill Clinton did, according to journalist Ken Walsh, an expert on presidential retreats: “President Clinton, for instance, took polls to figure out where he should go on vacation when he ran for re-election. He took polls to figure out where Americans want the president to go. Well [it was] national parks, so President Clinton went to national parks.” So yeah, Obama, you should head to Montana, not send Michelle to Spain. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Nov 2009 13:37

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Politics: The speech we missed Sarah Palin give on election day 2008

  • It’s been just 68 days since that afternoon in Dayton, Ohio, when Sen. McCain introduced me as his running mate. He is truly the maverick. My fellow Americans, tens of millions of you shared our convictions and gave us your votes. And I thank you for your confidence. We were facing tough odds and formidable opponents.
  • The words of 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin • In a speech she would have given had John McCain won the presidency last year. Palin didn’t get to give a losing speech, either – McCain’s handlers decided it was best to let the old man handle the loss himself. If the former Alaska governor had given a losing speech, she would have said this: “I wish Barack Obama well as the 44th president of the United States. If he governs America with the skill and grace we have often seen in him, and the greatness of which he is capable, we’re gonna be just fine.” This is painful to look at now, considering how dirty American politics have gotten. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2009 09:55

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Politics: Daily Poll: An absurdly early 2012 GOP presidential straw poll

  • The Washington Post’s Monday Fix got us to thinking this week due to their power list of Republicans in 2012. Sarah Palin is on top of it. And in a minor upset, Tim Pawlenty is in front of Mitt Romney. And Mike “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” Huckabee is standing pat in fourth. Now, we know it’s early and it doesn’t mean anything, but we’d like to know who you’d most likely vote for in 2012, if given the choice. This is obviously unscientific and mostly for fun. And feel free to tell us how much you hate (insert object of scorn here) in the comments.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

23 Aug 2009 20:47

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World: Afghan prez candidate Abdullah Abdullah sez the election was rigged

  • The initial reports we are receiving are a bit alarming, I must say. There might have been thousands of violations throughout the country, no doubt about it.
  • Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah • Discussing the results of Friday’s election. He says that his team has lodged more than 100 complaints in the election. No matter the results of the election, current president Hamid Karzai will likely not win the election the first time – he needs to win by more than 50% to avoid a runoff. Preliminary results will be announced on Tuesday. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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