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08 Election

War Is Over (If Maliki Wants It)

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: October Surprise, Timetable, United Nations, Sovereignty, Iraq, Campaign, War Is Over if You Want It, Withdrawal, Bush, Iran, 2008, Sofa, Bridge Agreement, War Is Over, 2008 Campaign, Un, Status of Forces Agreement, Prime Minister, John McCain, Time Horizon, Yoko Ono, War, 2008 Elections, Democracy, 08, 2008 Election, Agreement, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, John Lennon, 08 Campaign, Sovereign, Bridge, Sadr, 2008 Presidential Race, Bilateral, Purple Finger, Nouri Al Maliki, Aspirational Goal, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Without a microscopic examination of the seething cauldron of Iraqi partisan politics, it's safe to say that Maliki knows which way the wind is blowing. The Iraqi people want to know -- "when is the U.S. leaving?"

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Obama Frames Iraq Right, Bush And McCain Slow To React

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.22.2008 | Politics

Read More: Al Qaeda, Troops, Timetable, American, Iraq, Campaign, Withdrawal, Military, Surge, 2008, Occupation, 2008 Campaign, Status of Forces, Parliament, John McCain, War, 2008 Elections, Congress, Democracy, 08, 2008 Election, Surrender, Election, Barack Obama, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, 2008 Presidential Race, Maliki, Politics News
Chris Weigant

McCain's going to have to come up with some new spin to explain why Obama and Maliki are now singing from the same songbook on timetables for withdrawal.

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Friday Talking Points [38] -- Whiners And Cheeseheads

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.19.2008 | Politics

Read More: National Convention, Timetable, Pow, Fisa, Immunity, Campaign, Withdrawal, Telecom, Rnc, Nuts, 2008, Sofa, Mccain Flip-Flop, Dennis Kucinich, Midotw, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Status of Forces, Leni Riefenstahl, Football, Amnesty, Democrat, Nuremberg, 08, Acceptance Speech, Platform, Democrats, Barack Obama, Election, Sister Soulja, 08 Election, Stadium, Elections, Mddotw, Martin Luther King, Whiners, Maliki, Russ Feingold, Cheesehead, Speech, Senator, Impeachment, Iraq, Pittsburgh, Anniversary, Denver, King, Republican, Lion of the Senate, Phil Gramm, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Mental Recession, Green Bay Packers, John McCain, Mlk, Prisoner of War, 2008 Elections, Jesse Jackson, Green Eggs and Ham, 2008 Election, Teddy Kennedy, Recession, 08 Campaign, Convention, 2008 Presidential Race, I Have a Dream, Telecommunications, Medicare, Steve Schmidt, Flip Flop, Steelers, Broncos, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Welcome back to Friday Talking Points, after a one-week hiatus! While plenty has happened in the past two weeks which bears close and careful analysis...

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The Coming Together Of McCain And Obama On Iraq

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: Doublethink, John McCain, Petraeus, Timetable, Iraq, 2008 Elections, Media, Campaign, 08, Policy, 2008 Election, Withdrawal, Election, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, 08 Election, Iraq War, Middle, Elections, Troop Withdrawal, 08 Campaign, Surge, Troop, 2008, 2008 Presidential Race, Victory, 2008 Campaign, Politics News
Chris Weigant

McCain knows that the electorate wants America out of Iraq, even faster than Obama has proposed. He also knows that his ties to Bush's foreign policy are an albatross around his neck.

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Electoral Math, From Knucklebiter To Landslide

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.08.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, Election Day, Battleground States, Safe States, Landslide, 2008 Elections, 08, Campaign, Electoral College, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Electoral Math, 08 Campaign, 2008, Electoral, Electoral Map, 2008 Presidential Race, 2008 Campaign, Election Outcome, American Idol, Obama Landslide, Prediction, Politics News
Chris Weigant

I am ready to take a look at the map and do some electoral math. Now, we're still pretty far out from Election Day, but we've got to start somewhere.

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Friday Talking Points [37] -- Welcome, New Readers

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.05.2008 | Politics

Read More: GI Bill, Speech, Friday Talking Points, Fisa, Chris Dodd, Immunity, Campaign, Sewage Plant, Presidential Memorial Commission, Republican, Telecom, Bush, Talking Points, 2008, John Kerry, Midotw, Waste, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Spin, 2008 Campaign, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Grover Norquist, San Francisco, Tan, Sewage, John McCain, Beating His Wife, Amnesty, Democrat, 2008 Elections, 08, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, Mddotw, 2008 Presidential Race, Harry Reid, Democratic Underground, Flip Flop, Milquetoast, Du, Politics News
Chris Weigant

McCain flip-flops on torture, tax cuts, the religious right, Roe v. Wade, lobbyists, gay marriage, creationism, Iraq, talking to enemies, and just about any other subject you care to name.

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Precedent George Bush

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.03.2008 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, Party Loyalty, Speech, Loyalty Oath, Mister Precedent, Cheney, Chris Dodd, Campaign, Telecom, Presidential-Powers, 2008, National Security, Separation-of-Powers, 2008 Campaign, Independent Counsel, Justice, Stonewall, Commander in Chief, Executive Privilege, John McCain, War, Amnesty, Scientist, Congress, 2008 Elections, 08, Stonewalling, Justice Department, Soviet, Subpoena, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, Investigation, 08 Election, Precedent, Elections, 08 Campaign, Constitution, 2008 Presidential Race, Watergate, Executive Branch, Alberto Gonzales, Nixon, Party Card, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Bush's term in office will be remembered for the precedents it set, particularly in relation to the presidential power, and the separation of powers between the three branches of U.S. government.

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Friday Talking Points [36] -- End The Media's Pro-McCain Bias! Now!!

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.28.2008 | Media

Read More: Boeing, Tim Russert, Cindy McCain, Nuremburg, Pow, Fisa, Immunity, Campaign, Telecom, Contract, 2008, John Kerry, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Glenn Greenwald, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Tax Return, Airbus, Amnesty, Nbc, Democrat, 08, Air Force, Democrats, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Martin Luther King, Mddotw, Gotcha, Tanker, Wiretapping, 60 Minutes, Warrantless, Russ Feingold, Thomas Eagleton, Cia, Clayton Williams, Jobs, Media, Bush, Republican, Vietnam, Bias, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Waterboard, Keating Five, War Crime, Hanoi Hilton, Keating, John McCain, Mental Health, Military Record, Rape, Mlk, Prisoner of War, 2008 Elections, War Criminal, Scandal, 2008 Election, Lobbyist, Meet the Press, Northrop Grumman, Prisoner, 08 Campaign, Steny Hoyer, 2008 Presidential Race, Telecommunications, 1972, Al-Libi, Form 180, Torture, sf180, Media News
Chris Weigant

McCain has joked that the media is "his base" of support. It was a funny line, but there is a truth at its core: the media has been hard on Obama but unbelievably light on McCain. And this has to stop. Now.

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Obama Should Go North To Alaska

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Corruption, Ted Stevens, Ethan Berkowitz, Bribery, 50 State Strategy, Don Young, Campaign, FBI Raid, Republican, Bribe, Mark Begich, 2008, Ethics, 2008 Campaign, Graft, John McCain, Alaska, House, Democrat, 2008 Elections, 08, Bridge to Nowhere, 2008 Election, Democrats, Scandal, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, Earmarks, 2008 Presidential Race, Senate, Earmark, Anchorage, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Alaska is going to be very close this year. This stems from Republican office-holders apparently trying to take the "first in political corruption" award away from Louisiana.

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Friday Talking Points [35] -- Tim Russert Memorial Edition

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.21.2008 | Politics

Read More: White House, House Republican, Campaign Committee, Ron Paul, Mark Pryor, Tim Russert, Delahunt, Al Franken, Bob Barr, Campaign, Swiftboat, Bill Nelson, Virginia, Embezzling, New Mexico, 2008, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Midotw, Smears, Audit, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Electoral College, Larry Hunter, Gas, Impeach, Libertarian, Massachusetts, 08, Democrats, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Oil Men, Constitutional Amendment, Mddotw, Arkansas, Obstructionist, Hillary Clinton, Senate, Popular Vote, Embezzlement, Gop, Mudslinging, Impeachment, Cheney, Dianne Feinstein, Democratic, Waxman, Swift Boat, Bush, Republican, Unemployment, Smear, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Obstructionism, 2008 Campaign, Wes Clark, Taxes, John McCain, Zombies, Rotting Corpse, Gas Tax, Windfall Profits, 2008 Elections, 2008 Election, Scandal, Oil Companies, Meet the Press, 08 Campaign, Tax, 2008 Presidential Race, Oil, Mtp, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Nobody seriously annoyed me this week, but I will launch a pre-emptive finger-wagging, to anyone on the left who can't resist the urge to be disrespectful of Tim Russert's memory right now.

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Interview With Al Franken

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.13.2008 | Politics

Read More: Populism, Al Franken, Democratic, Democratic Farmer Labor, Campaign, Democratic Party, Paul Wellstone, Senator, Jesse Ventura, 2008, Populist, Norm Coleman, Snl, 2008 Campaign, 2008 Senate Race, Comedy, Rush Limbaugh, Comedian, Franken, Democrat, 2008 Elections, 08, DFL Party, 2008 Election, Minnesota, Democrats, Election, Interview, 08 Election, Nomination, Elections, Progressive, 08 Campaign, Nominee, Saturday Night Live, Senate, Dfl, Minnesotan, 100 Days, Politics News
Chris Weigant

For all the people who scoffed at the idea of a former comedian running for such a high public office, it can now be strongly stated that Al Franken's Senate campaign is definitely no joke.

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What A Long, Strange Primary Trip It's Been

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: Caucus, Puerto Rico, Democratic, Primary Schedule, Campaign, Delegate, South Dakota, Comeback Kid, African-American, Picks, Pledged Delegates, Primaries, Montana, Mike Huckabee, 2008, Pick, Superdelegates, John Edwards, Super Tuesday, 2008 Campaign, Black, Delegates, John McCain, Primary, Mitt Romney, Democrat, 2008 Elections, 08, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Contest, 08 Campaign, Vote, 2008 Presidential Race, Hillary Clinton, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Rather than a Vince Lombardi halftime pep talk about giving 110% in the second half, I'd like to review where we've been so far. This will be my final "picks" article for 2008.

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A Feel-Good Moment: Ed Rollins Hears "Death Knell" For GOP

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.27.2008 | Politics

Read More: Schadenfreude, Puerto Rico, Gop, Face the Nation, West Virginia, Oregon, Democratic, Primary Schedule, Campaign, South Dakota, Appeasement, Republican, Bush, Picks, Primaries, Montana, 2008, Pick, 2008 Campaign, Bob Schieffer, Mississippi, Death Knell, John McCain, Primary, Charles Crist, Democrat, Kentucky, 2008 Elections, 08, Ed Rollins, Knesset, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Contest, 08 Campaign, Third Term, 2008 Presidential Race, Hillary Clinton, Republicans, Rollins, Politics News
Chris Weigant

John McCain "can't win" if he's seen as "the Bush third term" -- this, from a Republican?

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Debate Questions I'd (Still) Like To Ask

Chris Weigant | Posted 04.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Al Qaeda, Debate, Assault Weapon, Cia, Marijuana, Guantanamo, Gun Control, Fisa, Medical Marijuana, Iraq, Campaign, Wright, Bush, Handgun, Democratic Nominee, Guantanamo Bay, 2008, Schedule I, Tax Holiday, Reverend, Telecom Immunity, Schedule II, 2008 Campaign, Black, Capital Gains, Democratic Debate, Taxes, Flag Burning, Gun, Gas Tax, Interrogation, Army Field Manual, Mlk, Telecom Amnesty, Democrat, 2008 Elections, 08, 2008 Election, Nafta, War on Terror, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Second Amendment, Elections, Income Tax, 08 Campaign, Martin Luther King, Present Votes, Tax, Wiretapping, 2008 Presidential Race, Telecommunications, Warren Buffett, Hillary Clinton, Debates, Senate, Warrantless, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Unfortunately these questions remain largely unanswered, almost two months after the last debate.

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