Obama
The Americans accuse the French of being too ambitious in Mali as British involvement grows
It might have been pushed down the news agenda this week by David Cameron’s Europe speech and the bad economic news, but the situation in Mali is offering us a… Continue reading
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The Connecticut shooting
The news coming out of Connecticut is just awful. 18 children have been gunned down at their school and, reports suggest, that another nine people—including the gunman—are also dead. The… Continue reading
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The Continental Divide: Why are Red States So Red and Blue States So Blue? - Spectator Blogs
So, for the third time in the last four American elections it looks as though this contest is gonna be a close one. As in 2004, however, the narrow-but-significant advantage… Continue reading
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New, Improved, Human, Mitt Romney Still Faces Demographic Difficulties - Spectator Blogs
Traditionally – that is, for the last 50 or so years – Labor Day is considered the “official” start of the Presidential campaign. Since Labor Day is today t’s OK… Continue reading
6 CommentsObama’s Polish Blunder
In Washington, as Andrew Sullivan reminds us, a gaffe is when a politician inadvertently blurts out what they actually believe. It is always occasion for equal measures of embarrassment and… Continue reading
6 CommentsWill Obama Dump Biden for Hillary?
Mike Tomasky enters the Veepstakes with a variation on a well-worn theme: Will Barack Obama replace Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton? This is a Question To Which The Answer Is… Continue reading
4 CommentsObama’s Evolution
Yesterday, Barack Obama came out of the closet and acknowledged what we’d all suspected for a long, long time: he supports extending the civil recognition of marriage to same-sex couples.… Continue reading
3 CommentsThe Limits of Political Speech: Talking About Everything Just Makes It Worse
The Sunday Telegraph was sensible enough to publish a pleasing article by Brother Hoskin last weekend in which our man took the temperature of political speech-making in Britain today and,… Continue reading
4 CommentsToday in Stupidity: Who Lost Syria?
Perhaps I should apologise to Leon Wieseltier? His recent column is not a patch on Jennifer Rubin’s latest screed which may be the most stupid and contemptible thing I’ve yet… Continue reading
6 CommentsWar Games: Syria & Iran Edition
The past is always a different, better place and never more so than when commentators dip into American history to salvage some justification for their favoured approach to any contemporary… Continue reading
3 CommentsCameron & Obama Play Winston Churchill Bingo
If you thought Winston Churchill wouldn’t be mentioned until the second sentence of today’s "Obama-Cameron" op-ed in the Washington Post then, by gum, you’re a mug. Of course the old… Continue reading
5 CommentsShocker! Cameron Snubs Republicans!
Nile Gardiner is always good for a laugh and his latest contribution to the Telegraph is no exception. Apparently David Cameron, visiting the US this week, will rue the day… Continue reading
6 CommentsAfghanistan Isn’t Working
For years now, Afghanistan policy has been governed by a simple question: Do the unknown costs of leaving Afghanistan trump the known costs of staying in Afghanistan? Until now the… Continue reading
5 CommentsMitt Romney: The Man From Nowhere
In as much as it is possible to feel sympathy for a man seeking the American presidency while possessing a $250m fortune, Mitt Romney is an unusually pitiful figure. He… Continue reading
7 Comments2012: Last Chance Republicanism?
How large are the stakes in this year’s American presidential election? Pretty huge if you’re a Republican. Jon Chait has an excellent piece in New York magazine explaining how the… Continue reading
5 CommentsRick Santorum: As Electable As George Wallace
On the other hand, Jonathan Chait makes an argument that, though "electability" is notionally Mitt Romney’s greatest strength, there’s reason to suppose he’s no more electable than Rick Santorum. It’s… Continue reading
2 CommentsHalftime in America
Is this Chrysler ad, aired during the Superbowl, political? Sure it is, in the way that almost any call to ur-American greatness ends up being political. But it’s not necessarily… Continue reading
4 CommentsEd Miliband is No Teddy Roosevelt
This is, I know, a statement of the obvious but Ed Miliband is no Teddy Roosevelt. There are two reasons to be thankful for this. First, TR was really a… Continue reading
1 CommentBoringly, Mitt Romney is the Republican Party’s Presidential Nominee
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” So said Sherlock Holmes and he might have been talking about the 2012 race for… Continue reading
4 CommentsNewt Gingrich is Not John Kerry. That’s His Problem.
In the end your view of the battle for the Republican party’s presidential nomination comes down to the degree of confidence you have that Republican voters, especially but not exclusively… Continue reading
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