Republicans are undoubtedly going to have a good November, but University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato makes a pretty bold claim: Given what we can see at this moment, Republicans have a good chance to win the House by picking up as many as 47 seats, net. This is a “net” number since the GOP will probably lose several of its own congressional districts in Delaware, Hawaii, and Louisiana. This estimate, which may be raised or lowered by Election Day, is based on a careful district-by-district analysis, plus electoral modeling based on trends in President Obama’s Gallup...
Continue reading..."You got the Belgians running Europe?"
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s memoir is on sale today, alongside a lengthy profile/preview of the book in the Washington Post. Based on the tidbits from the profile, I may just have to snag A Journey: My Political Life (What an original and totally interesting title!). The Post piece mostly centers on the backstabbingly close relationship Blair had with his successor Gordon Brown. There’s this little tidbit regarding how Blair felt about Presidents Clinton and Bush, both of whom with which he shared close relationships. Blair first visited with George W. Bush at Camp David in...
Continue reading...Yes, it's hot outside, but the Potomac River is really not a good place to go swimming
As if we needed another reason to avoid swimming in the Potomac River, now we have to be afraid of…sharks? Willy Dean has an incredible fish tale to tell. On Tuesday, he caught a shark while on the Potomac River in St. Mary’s County, Md. Don’t believe him? He has the pictures to prove it. Dean put out a net Monday at Cornfield Harbor in the Potomac three miles north of Point Lookout with hopes of catching cow-nosed rays for a Solomons Island Marina biologist. When he checked Monday night everything seemed normal. But when he checked again Tuesday...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Thursday, 2 September 2010
Good morning, folks. Tiger’s getting a new place. Now, your morning constitutional: President Obama urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to not let the opportunity for a permanent peace deal slip away on the eve of new direct talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. According to a new report, the recession and tougher border security have resulted in fewer illegal immigrants entering the U.S. On the other hand, over the last two decades, the number of children born to immigrants has doubled, while the number of children born to native-born Americans has...
Continue reading...Vanity Fair has a new piece on Sarah Palin, and it's somehow way more awesome than you'd expect
Seriously, this thing is amazing. Here are some choice parts On Sarah the Hunter: This whole hunter thing, for Sarah? That is the biggest fallacy,” says one longtime friend of the family. “That woman has never hunted. The picture of her with the caribou she says she shot? She got out of the R.V. to pose for a picture. She never helps with the fishing either. It’s all a joke.” On rumors that their marriage was rocky: One person who has been a frequent houseguest of the Palins’ says that the couple began many mornings with screaming...
Continue reading...Why did Murkowski lose?
David Weigel offers a post-mortem, as well as how it was her ability and willingness to work across the aisle that brought her down: The post-election gloating over Murkowski’s problems revealed the problems conservatives had with her. She voted for the Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008. In October 2009 she said she was “open” to compromise on cap-and-trade legislation if it expanded drilling and nuclear power. She had a moderate record on abortion, siding with liberals on some matters of federal funding for the procedure. And she occasionally spoke dismissively of Sarah Palin. Tell me if I’m missing...
Continue reading...An Iraq vet reacts to the end of combat in Iraq
Ryan Gallucci, an Iraq veteran and the editor at American Veteran Magazine, says it best: Tonight, President Barack Obama announced that combat operations in Iraq have ended for the United States, to which I say, as a veteran of the conflict, it’s about time. I was happy to hear the President acknowledge that through the hard work of America’s military men and women, our nation succeeded in its missions, affording Iraq the opportunity to pursue a prosperous future. The President was also clear to note that the American commitment will continue in a variety of ways. When...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Good morning, folks. Conan’s going to tell us the name of his new show today. Now, your morning constitutional: Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates presided over a ceremony this morning to mark the transition of military operations in Iraq. President Obama is looking to make progress on the three “big” tasks in the Middle East—Iraq, Iran and Israel—a task that eluded his predecessors. Inheriting Iraq: Haunting images from the war Obama didn’t want. Senator Lisa Murkowski has conceded her race for reelection against primary opponent Joe Miller, who narrowly beat her. Fidel Castro...
Continue reading...What does the new Oval Office say?
Somewhat strangely, when President Obama took office, he opted to eschew tradition and not change anything about the decor of the Oval Office. Well, while the president was on vacation last week, he finally put his own personal stamp on the office. The Oval got new furniture, a new rug and new wallpaper. He kept the pictures of Washington and Lincoln, as well as the desk (“The Resolute”). What’s interesting, however, is not the new decor (stately, yet bland—I actually really liked the old carpet) is that he chose to have the carpet bordered by some historical...
Continue reading...No more printed Oxford English Dictionary?
Sad news for bibliophiles: The Oxford English Dictionary as we know it may never be printed (in full) again. Nigel Portwood, the CEO of the Oxford University Press, told the Sunday Times (behind a pay-wall, damn you Murdoch), via the Telegraph: “The print dictionary market is just disappearing, it is falling away by tens of per cent a year,” Nigel Portwood, the chief executive of OUP, told the Sunday Times. Asked if he thought the third edition would be printed, he said: “I don’t think so.” The current printed dictionary, the second edition, which was released in...
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