Kenneth Baer

The closing “God bless America, and good night” of George W. Bush’s State of the Union address this week will signal not just the official ending of his speech but also the end of the debate surrounding Bush’s last major pronouncement, his second inaugural address. Before we consign the inaugural address to the anthologies and […]

Democrats are ready to put 2004 behind them — and who could blame them? After raising more money than ever before and building a turnout operation for the ages, Democrats this week will join the world in watching George W. Bush take the oath of office once again. While this image will be a bitter […]

For those Democrats unable to escape to Barbados or Tuscany, the past week has been one of intermittent moping punctuated with long bouts of commiserating and a general inability to get out of bed. In between the finger-pointing and self-flagellation, most Democrats in Washington have been maniacally surfing the web, scouring the papers, and watching […]

One deeply ingrained political superstition is to never talk about what will happen after the election until your candidate has won. These days, for instance, no matter what the polls say, every speechwriter pens both a victory and a concession speech (and now a third speech in case of a tie). But at the risk […]

In 1960, the bosses who delivered the election to John F. Kennedy were Richard Daley of Chicago, John Bailey of Connecticut, and courthouse rings throughout the South. In 2004, the boss who may deliver the election to John F. Kerry is The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. As far as I know, Springsteen has never delivered even […]

Most people travel to Israel to see the past. I went there last week and glimpsed the future. In a country where more than 920 people have been killed since the second intifada started in September 2000, life goes on. People go to work. Like in the U.S., the high-tech sector that powered economic growth […]

On Monday, the Bush campaign released its latest campaign ad, called “Intel.” Looking at its name, one would think the ad lays out the president’s plans for intelligence reform or touts his administration’s record on preventing terrorist attacks. But it doesn’t. Rather, the ad attacks John Kerry for allegedly missing 76 percent of the hearings […]

On Monday, the Bush campaign released its latest campaign ad, called “Intel.” Looking at its name, one would think the ad lays out the president’s plans for intelligence reform or touts his administration’s record on preventing terrorist attacks. But it doesn’t. Rather, the ad attacks John Kerry for allegedly missing 76 percent of the hearings […]

On Monday, the Bush campaign released its latest campaign ad, called “Intel.” Looking at its name, one would think the ad lays out the president’s plans for intelligence reform or touts his administration’s record on preventing terrorist attacks. But it doesn’t. Rather, the ad attacks John Kerry for allegedly missing 76 percent of the hearings […]

More than 24 million viewers, 100,000 balloons, and one 50-minute acceptance speech later, the results are in: The Democratic Convention has given John Kerry the “bounce” of a bowling ball. The Democratic ticket is now running even with or behind George W. Bush, and Republicans note with glee that the last presidential candidate not to […]