Tim Fernholz

Conservatives are in a lather about The New York Times’ decision not to print an op-ed by John McCain that attacks Barack Obama’s Iraq policy. (Apparently the paper would have considered a different draft). Putting aside the quality of the op-ed, which in typical style attacks Obama without putting forth any definite policy, there’s some […]

Once again, a foray into the white papers that make our world go round. Better than First Class. In addition to tax breaks, the super-rich are getting discounts when the take private jets, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies. While a commercial flight pays $2,014 in taxes to fly from New […]

During the most awkwardly conceived exercise of Washington Post self-promotion in recent memory, ace national security reporter Dana Priest responded to a question on Iraq’s importance in the 2008 elections: Obama started out more radical and, as we have seen, is moving to the center. My bet would be that McCain drops his surge idea–too […]

A really excellent reported piece in the Times today taps into a broad swathe of Iraqi public opinion on withdrawal. Most seem to support it with some reservations about the timing and a few worry that the Iraqi Army will be unable to provide security without the backing of American troops. But presumably the first […]

Obama’s nearly-record-breaking June fundraising haul — $52 million! — ought to change the media narrative for the next few days. The campaign claims an average donation of $68. Assuming those numbers hold up when we get the full FEC reports, they support Obama’s justification of his decision to back out of public financing — that […]

Yet another puzzling factor in the Iraq debate are the conservative types and media figures (see the third graf) who think it is so crazy for Obama to talk about Iraq policy before he visits the country. Is his arrival in Baghdad going to lead to some great epiphany? Between news reports, easy access to […]

I have to disagree with Matt’s observation that people didn’t use to say “surge” much, since one of the best parts of John Kerry’s 2004 campaign was his late-primary surge, and his saying-surge obsession which occurred, I think, around Iowa-time. William Safire wrote a whole column about it during the general election, but the best […]

Well, as long as James Kirchick has a weeklyish column in Politico, I’ll have a weeklyish blog post where I point out all the errors, or as many as I find. For someone who often claims that liberals don’t take conservative ideas seriously, how little respect Kirchick has for liberal ones. Take his riff on […]

Ben Smith flags an important section of Obama’s interview with Larry King, in which Obama discusses the rumors that he is a Muslim: You know, this is actually an insult against Muslim-Americans, something that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I’ve been derelict in pointing that out. You know, there […]

The news of a Bush administration adviser selling influence in exchange for Presidential library donations ought to make it clear of the need for transparency in these institutions. Between this case and former President Bill Clinton‘s shady fundraising for his own legacy palace, these projects have become no more than lame-duck slush funds. In fact, […]