Obama Gets High Marks
A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Americans think Barack Obama is handling the transition well and picking an outstanding team. Gallup's Jeffrey Jones: Americans widely approve of Barack Obama's decisions, announced on Monday, to name Hillary Clinton secretary of state and to ask Robert Gates to stay on as secretary of defense. [...] During the recent period of speculation that Obama would ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 3, 2008 08:58
Chambliss Wins Runoff, Denies Democrats 60 Seats
Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss easily won his runoff against Democrat Jim Martin, 57.4 to 42.6 according to the current uncertified totals. NYT notes, [caption id="attachment_28185" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Senator Saxby Chambliss and his wife, Julianne, celebrating his victory on Tuesday in Atlanta. (Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times)"][/caption] The margin was far greater than the three percentage points that ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 3, 2008 07:25
Holder and the Rich Pardon
Richard Cohen and Ezra Klein are very disturbed by Attorney General-designate Eric Holder's role in Bill Clinton's 11th hour pardoning of Marc Rich. Kevin Drum finds Holder's role "disturbing" but not disqualifying and hopes he's learned his lesson. I'm by no means a Clinton fan but the idea that Holder should be held accountable for Clinton's corrupt use of his plenary ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 2, 2008 12:35
Americans Too Free?
While I'm socially conservative on most issues, I'm by no stretch a Social Conservative. Yet I agree with Rod Dreher's rebuttal to those who argue that the salvation of the Republican Party will come from expelling the Religious Right: John McCain didn't get his clock cleaned because of his ardent advocacy for unborn life or his stout defense of traditional ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 2, 2008 11:59
What’s the Opposite of Schadenfreude?
A Media Bistro announcement in my inbox informs me that, Gawker.com video editor Richard Blakeley postponed the [monthly Media Meshing] party to next week to accommodate holiday hangovers, but he exclusively told The Press List that December's Meshing will be the last. Blakeley says he's doing away with the popular event because the economic crisis has left many media people unemployed ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 1, 2008 15:43
Obama’s Short National Security Team
Jim Geraghty notes, as many of us did, that the lectern and microphone placement at today's press conference made Barack Obama's national security team look quite short. The notable exception was National Security Advisor designee Jim Jones, who at 6'5'' towered over the proceedings. My guess is that the rest of them won't be asked to join in any of Obama's ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 1, 2008 15:03
Jim Jones Outstanding National Security Advisor Choice
It's official, General James L. Jones, chairman of the Atlantic Council, was appointed this morning by President-elect Barack Obama as the 21st National Security Advisor. [caption id="attachment_28051" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="General James Jones at the Atlantic Council"][/caption] In "General James Jones: Seasoned Leader, Strategic Thinker, and Statesman," The Editors of the Council explain why this is a superb choice.Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 1, 2008 11:00
Cutting Defense to Fund National Security?
We're about to see a great shift in resources from the military to other actors, David Sanger argues. In a New Atlanticist piece called "Obama's Foreign Policy Shift," I join Matt Yglesias in proclaiming this "a really good idea."Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 1, 2008 09:30
OTB Radio - Tonight at 7 Eastern
The next episode of OTB Radio, our BlogTalkRadio program, will record and air live tonight from 7-8 Eastern. Dave Schuler and Steve Verdon will join me to discuss Barack Obama's cabinet choices, the continuing economic meltdown, and whatever other topics we meander into. Please join us. We'll also be taking your calls at (646) 716-7030. You can play the show, subscribe ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on November 26, 2008 17:19
McCain Ads That Didn’t Run
Most of John McCain's television spots, going back to the primaries, were simply dreadful. Now, Fred Davis III, the "advertising whiz" behind these atrocious ads, is whining to TIME's Michael Scherer that McCain wouldn't let him run some particularly clever ones. What if the McCain campaign had run ads using footage of Barack Obama dancing with Ellen DeGeneres to show ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on November 26, 2008 07:55
