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Mary Lynn Jones

Mary Lynn F. Jones is a Washington-based writer. Her work has also appeared in The Chicago Tribune, National
Journal, the Washington Business Journal and Barron's Guide to the Most
Competitive Colleges. A native Washingtonian, Jones has been a regular
political commentator for WMAL-AM and has made numerous radio and television
appearances, including on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation"
and Fox
News Channel. Mary Lynn received her master's degree in journalism from
Columbia University and her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.

Recent Articles

Local Zero

Mary Lynn JonesJul 22, 2003

One of the few bright spots in the recent $350 billion tax cut is that $20 billion was given to states to help them face budget shortfalls. Unfortunately, a similar provision to help the nation's cities and counties didn't end up in the legislation that President George W. Bush signed.

This omission is just another example of Bush's skillful use of political posturing. He gets the credit for giving individuals -- especially wealthy ones likely to donate to his campaign -- tax cuts and doesn't take the blame for decisions by states and local governments to cut services, raise taxes or both.

Hidden Treasure

Mary Lynn JonesJul 21, 2003

The impressive Bush fund-raising machine lived up to expectations last week when Federal Election Commission (FEC) documents showed that the president had raked in $34.4 million in the second quarter of this year. But there were some hopeful signs for Democrats, too, in the numbers behind the numbers.

New Math

Mary Lynn JonesJul 14, 2003

For a while, the Democrats' entire election strategy for 2004 seemed to be: Wait for George W. Bush to make a mistake, seize upon it and ride it to victory. The president's handling of the Iraq War aftermath may be just the mistake they were waiting for.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 40 percent of Americans now feel that the war was not worth fighting (compared with 27 percent in late April). A roughly equal number, 41 percent, disapprove of the way Bush is currently handling Iraq. The situation in Iraq is affecting Bush's overall approval rating, too, which now stands at 59 percent.

Mission: Imperfect

Mary Lynn JonesJul 07, 2003

According to President Bush, the war with Iraq has been over for more than two months. But the dozens of families of soldiers killed since May 1 would likely tell you a different story.

Three more soldiers were killed over Independence Day weekend, including one who was buying a soda at a student center. On Sunday, The Washington Post published photos of the soldiers who have died since the Iraq War "ended." Many of them were in their early-to-mid-20s. Meanwhile, those Iraqis aligning themselves with the United States also face danger: Last week, seven U.S.-trained Iraqi police officers were killed in an Iraqi-led attack.

Conjuring Camelot

Mary Lynn JonesJun 30, 2003

In speeches by many of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, two names keep coming up: George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy. It's no surprise that the candidates keep mentioning Bush -- after all, he's the man they're trying to defeat. But why are the Democrats invoking the name of a president who was killed 40 years ago?

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