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US job picture isn't drawn in the Oval Office |
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| Topic: Elections |
10:29 pm EDT, Oct 12, 2004 |
Job creation is one of the biggest domestic-policy issues in this year's presidential campaign. But if elected, either candidate will find it hard to set the course of job growth in the $11 trillion-a-year US economy. Its direction is set by more than 130 million workers, long-running technological and demographic trends, and massive flows of trade, investment and spending not easily swayed by any one person -- even if that person is the president. There's no consensus on what's holding back the job market, but most of the big factors often cited by business economists -- high oil prices, technological changes, rapidly rising health care costs, debt-laden and overspent consumers, and a new cost-consciousness and aversion to risk among businesses -- are not under any president's immediate or direct control. This is one of the more insightful "Dr. Obvious Says" articles I've seen in USA Today. I've always been irritated at the way pols take credit and place blame for jobs numbers specifically and the economy generally. US job picture isn't drawn in the Oval Office |
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| Topic: Elections |
4:05 pm EDT, Oct 11, 2004 |
Although every Bush slip gets delighted examination -- he called Kerry "Kennedy" and he said, "Internets"; can you imagine? -- Kerry's minor gaffes attract little notice. When citing his overseas travel in the first debate, Kerry talked of visiting the old KGB headquarters "in Treblinka square." He meant Lubyanka Square; Treblinka was the Nazi death camp. We all make mistakes. How Bush Won Round 2 |
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The Presidential Candidates' 2nd Debate |
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| Topic: Elections |
11:50 am EDT, Oct 10, 2004 |
Q: President Bush, during the last four years, you have made thousands of decisions that have affected millions of lives. Please give three instances in which you came to realize you had made a wrong decision and what you did to correct it. A: I have made a lot of decisions and some of them little, like appointments to boards you've never heard of, and some of them big. On the big questions, I'll stand by those decisions because I think they're right. I've made some mistakes in appointing people, but I'm not going to name them. I don't want to hurt their feelings on national TV. Do you think maybe he was referring to Charles Duelfer? The Presidential Candidates' 2nd Debate |
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The Presidential Candidates' 2nd Debate |
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| Topic: Elections |
4:28 pm EDT, Oct 9, 2004 |
I saw a unique threat in Saddam Hussein -- as did my opponent -- because we thought he had weapons of mass destruction. And the unique threat was that he could give weapons of mass destruction to an organization like Al Qaeda, and the harm they inflicted on us with airplanes would be multiplied greatly by weapons of mass destruction. And that was a serious, serious threat. We all thought there was weapons there, Robin. My opponent thought there was weapons there. That's why he called him a grave threat. I wasn't happy when we found out there wasn't weapons, and we've got an intelligence group together to figure out why. Okay, so let me make sure I understand this. You feared for the safety of the American public. Your fear was founded on the belief that Iraq had WMD. When you found out that Iraq did not have WMD, what was your reaction? A sigh of relief, perhaps, for the safety of the American public? No. Your reaction was unhappiness. Anger. So you were more angry about being wrong than you were happy about being safe? Is that right? Hrm. The Presidential Candidates' 2nd Debate |
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| Topic: Elections |
9:11 am EDT, Oct 8, 2004 |
Doris Kearns Goodwin: History suggests our best presidents acknowledge error, learn from mistakes, grow in the job. Lincoln readily conceded a number of errors. Without acknowledging error, how can you expect to be smarter today than you were yesterday? Ana Marie Cox, editor of Wonkette.com: Personal experience can often change political opinions. So, just hypothetically: Let's say your vice president's daughter was gay ... Oh, wait. Umm ... What if you were responsible for the biggest deficit in American history -- oh, ha. O.K.: Let's say you invaded a country based on faulty intelligence ... Er, oops ... No, we got it: How did "The Pet Goat" end, anyway? Questions for Bush |
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Are You Undecided? Or Not? |
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| Topic: Elections |
9:53 am EDT, Sep 16, 2004 |
I'd like to address this to the Undecideds: I'm on to you. The truth is, Undecideds, you're getting on our nerves. If we really had any brains, we wouldn't spend another second on you, but on the people who can truly make a difference: the "unlikely" voters. Larry David appears in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Are You Undecided? Or Not? |
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| Topic: Elections |
11:47 pm EDT, Sep 7, 2004 |
Before the Republican convention, 86 percent of the population thought Zell Miller was a professional golfer. After the convention, 92 percent of the population would not like to be in his foursome. 76 percent of women think Teresa Heinz Kerry colors her hair. 53 percent of those women would prefer a different color. 42 percent would prefer a different first lady. 70 percent of women who think Mr. Bush is more likeable than their husbands prefer John Kerry. The Latest Poll |
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Mr. Bush and the Truth About Terror |
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| Topic: Elections |
8:41 am EDT, Sep 2, 2004 |
This has been an election season of monumental simple-mindedness, in which the candidates start each day by telling us this is the most important election in the history of the planet, then devote the rest of their waking hours to meaningless sniping. And don't forget about the fire and brimstone. Mr. Bush and the Truth About Terror |
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