Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State?!

The big political news this morning is the buzz surrounding speculation that Hillary Clinton could be tabbed as Secretary of State. Politico's Mike Allen: Several Obama transition advisers are strongly advocating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for secretary of state, a move that would create the ultimate “Team of Rivals” Cabinet, according to officials involved in the discussions. President-elect Obama has narrowed the ...

SNL Parodies Palin, Debates

"Saturday Night Live" is continuing to weigh in heavily on the presidential race, hitting Sarah Palin and John McCain hard in last night's installment. Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," again appearing as the Republican vice presidential candidate in an opening sketch. Saturday night's show — the third of the season for the NBC comedy ...

Are All Anti-Obama Ads Racist?

A concern that I've expressed since the days of the primary campaign is that, because Barack Obama looks black, virtually any criticism lodged against him can be seen in racial terms.  (The same was true of gender in any attacks against Hillary Clinton.)   The latest example is the bold proclamation from TIME's Karen Tumulty: "McCain Plays the Race Card."  His ...

Hillary Convention Speech: I Question the Timing

It's 10:13 Eastern time and Hillary Clinton hasn't spoken yet.  Granting that large numbers of people live in other time zones, it strikes me as awfully odd that they saved the premier speech of the night for so late. Perhaps she insisted on a 3 a.m. speaking time?

Can Hillary Convince Supporters to Back Obama?

Hillary Clinton's speech is the big draw tonight at the Democratic Convention.  She's going to have to convince a lot of people  -- perhaps starting with herself -- to put aside their grudges and voter for Barack Obama to be the next president. Matt Yglesias echoes my longstanding view that this will happen organically and notes a recent parallel: As you may ...

McCain Recycles 3 A.M. Ad

We  all knew this would happen sooner or later:  John McCain is using Hillary Clinton's "3 a.m." spot against Barack Obama. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT CLINTON AD: It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone? ANNCR: Uncertainty. Dangerous aggression. Rogue nations. Radicalism. HILLARY CLINTON: I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to ...

Race Still Tied After Biden Pick

CNN is breathlessly reporting that Barack Obama and John McCain are now tied and that the selection of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate has hurt the ticket. It’s a dead heat in the race for the White House. The first national poll conducted entirely after Barack Obama publicly named Joe Biden as his running mate suggests that battle for the ...

Why Not Hillary?

The GOP has come up with a clever yet bizarre line of attack on Barack Obama: How dare he pass over Hillary Clinton for Joe Biden as his running mate? As WSJ's Amy Chozick reported last night, Team McCain debuted a new spot, "Passed Over," at 3 a.m.: The timing is a reference to Hillary Clinton’s national security ad during the ...

VP Speculation Heats Up

All indications are that Barack Obama has made his choice for running mate and will announce it today. Through some combination of clever public manipulation to throw people off the scent and wishful thinking on the part of those with a stake in the outcome, the guesses as to who it'll be are all over the map. Obama's stated criteria: "I want ...

Clinton Supporters Want To Lose Again For Catharsis

Marc Ambinder dutifully reports that the ordinary kabuki theater of the Democratic convention will now include an extra layer of double-secret kabuki theater so Clinton supporters will feel better about themselves. Jeff Jarvis is right: journalists and their employers must end the farce now. The conventions now only exist to feed the fantasies of political reporters who dream of a “brokered ...