Two weeks ago, at the ABC Debate, Joe Lieberman finally got in the Presidential race. Will he go anywhere? Lieberman won his media accolades by being forceful, well reasoned and comfortable. Lieberman's other advantage was the wallpaper of humdrum he was competing against. Kerry tried to grab the spotlight by tussling with Dean; but
At Least in His Birthplace I was in the Republic of Georgia, mucking about in its upcoming elections and fighting for democratization and the pro-Western New Rights party. While there, I couldn't resist a quick visit to Gori, the hometown of one Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, aka Josef Stalin. Stalin grew up poor, living with
You know the candidates have begun to seriously hate each other when they break out the D and T words. "I'm Disappointed in..., very Disturbing comments..., quite Troubled by..., a sad but Telling indicator", etc. This D and T routine is a polite but completely transparent way to have a slappy fight while maintaining
Suddenly, Sen. John Edwards has become the moneybags of the Democratic field. Edward's $7.4 million shocker has impressed the media, put him firmly back into the race, and probably caused an epic story of regret to be poured into the ears of Bob Shrum's bartender. Can a well-funded Edwards actually win? Perhaps. First, Edwards
A group of Republican politico friends and I hold a semi-annual dinner where we eat big steaks and spin yarns about our past adventures in politics. "So Reagan turns to the Pope and says..." You get the idea. This year's cow slaughtering conclave was held last week. Inevitably the juicy topic of the Democratic
The Fog of War What does war with Saddam mean for the Democratic Presidential race? First, the rattle of politics has come to an appropriate halt while all Americans rally behind our forces. The Democratic candidates will await hints of the outcome, careful not to step in front of a far bigger force than
Give Me Money...That's What I Want For the Democratic presidential field it is a nervous time. In a few weeks the books will close on the 1st quarterly FEC report and reveal each campaign's fund-raising success from Jan. to March. Soon, the money cards will be naked on the table. Finance strength is the
On issues of War and Peace, Public Opinion has Proven an Unreliable Guide Much of the recent debate over the Bush administration's Iraq policy has centered on two foolish ideas. The first is that the goal of American foreign policy should be to make certain the United States is "liked" by as many other
"Backseat Driving" is a column penned by GOP consultant Mike Murphy. A veteran of the presidential primary campaign wars from cycles past, Murphy is covering the WH '04 Dem campaigns through the lens of a strategist, or to be more blunt, as a backseat driver. Remember, it's a column so the opinions are his
Today, we debut our first ever column within the confines of The Hotline. Penned by once-and-future GOP strategist Mike Murphy, the witty wordsmith will do what we enjoy doing best -— "Backseat Drive" the '04 Dem WH race. Murphy, a veteran of many WH campaigns (including Lamar Alexander in '96 and more famously John