As Americans prepare to hold their noses for the next four days so as to not inhale the stench eminating from the GOP convention in New York, a step back to the 2000 Republican gathering is in order. Let's journey back to August 3, 2000, when then Governor George W. Bush accepted his party's nomination […]

Perhaps the only joys in watching the Republican National Convention are the rich servings of irony. Served fresh in virtually GOP speech, these morsels of sweet revenge help slow my otherwise inexorably rising bile. It is worth bearing in mind that the Republican platform calls for a ban on same-sex marriage and equates the rights […]

During the first night of the Republican Convention in New York, John McCain and Rudy Guiliani were effusive in the their praise of President Bush's war-time leadership. They are dead wrong. As the current situation on the ground and history alike show, Bush's conduct of the war has been misguided, ineffective and yes, cowardly. As […]

During a recent campaign stop, President Bush gave West Virginians a preview of the GOP convention and his reelection theme for the fall. Bush summarized his "Ownership Society", stating that "when you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country." The Ownership Society is Bush's attempt to offer the "vision […]

Within minutes of Senator John Edwards’ selection by John Kerry as his running mate, the Republicans started their predictable onslaught of attacks on his national security experience and high-profile career as a trial lawyer. An instantaneously updated GOP web site called Edwards “a disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal and friend to personal injury trial lawyers.” Trent Lott (whose wistful, […]

That giant sucking sound you may have heard last week was the last vestiges of American unilateralism spinning down the drain. Perhaps barely noticed in the din and drumbeat of the Reagan commemoration, the short and unhappy life of President Bush’s policy of “America Alone” mercifully came to an abrupt halt. In securing passage of a U.N. […]

Now that the orgiastic collective mourning of Ronald Reagan is complete, we can from the distance of a week honestly reflect on the legacy of Ronald Reagan.  Here is a look back at the man and the myth, in his own words and those of who (threoretically) admired him. Ronald Reagan's Halo Former President Ronald Reagan […]

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, George W. Bush has made national security the foundation of his reelection effort. To no one’s surprise, the self-proclaimed “war president” is running on a theme of “steady leadership for changing times.” Given the traditional advantage the GOP has enjoyed with voters on defense and […]

During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan quickly deflated Jimmy Carter’s reelection bid with a simple question, asking the American people, “are you better off today than four years ago?” The answer, at a time of high unemployment, staggering inflation, spiraling energy prices, and hostages in Tehran, was an obvious - and devastating - no. […]

During the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush was asked to name his favorite philosopher. He memorably answered Jesus Christ, because “he changed my heart.” Now in 2004, it’s time to ask Bush the obvious follow-up: what would Jesus do? Given W’s well-publicized memory lapses (“What did I do in Alabama for a year in 1972-3? […]