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31 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
News in the Driver’s Seat of a Campaign’s Final Days
On Thursday, undecided voters, supporters, and press crowded into the family room of Des Moines contractor Fred Hubbell to watch Senator Dodd’s live interview on MSNBC’s Olbermann Report. Dodd provided an analysis of the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Dodd
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31 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The Genie and the Bottle: Executive Power and the Next President
The question of George W. Bush’s legacy is a fascinating one. I’m thinking less about Iraq and bringing democracy to the middle east, centerpieces of a world view that seems by turns savage and quixotic, than the supervening insistence on executive authority. Over the last seve
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31 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
No Official Role for Bill if Hillary Wins
Hillary Clinton told George Stephanopoulos yesterday that Bill Clinton will have no official role in her administration if she is elected president. "I think he would play the role that spouses have always played for presidents," said Clinton, in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George
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28 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Huckabee Takes Money from Stem Cell, Contraception, Gun Control Groups
Mike Huckabee has already let us know that he wants to be a president for all Americans--not just the ones who share his brand of evangelical social conservatism. And if you are one of the millions of Americans who is gay or believes in gun laws or stem cell research or birth control, the Hu
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28 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Bush on Bhutto Assassination
From the White House, it's all about democracy... and fighting a government of "terror and extremists."
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28 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Giuliani Helped by Bhutto Assassination?
With the good news from the NIE and the "stabilization in Iraq" with the surge, Apocolypse Rudy isn't making much ground with his 9/11 Presidential campaign. But will he benefit from this terrible event in Pakistan?And if he can benefit from it, can any of Strong-on-War Hillary?
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28 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Early Vote States Split on Clinton, Obama
Dems are locked in a tight race now: New Hampshire and Iowa voters are torn between Obama's character and Clinton's experience and it's anyone's guess who the winner will be. Though competitive in Iowa, Edwards falls behind the two leaders in New Hampshire.Clinton currently has the lead in Iowa -
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Who was Benazir Bhutto?
The blogs and papers are filling up with stories of the assassinated Bhutto, and the only thing certain is that people do not agree on her past, nor on Pakistan's future. For some, her death is apparently the end to a Bush-implanted Westernized woman who only served to further destabilize Pakistan
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Welcome to the Dodd Squad
A campaign never rests, not even on Christmas day. Upon landing in Iowa, I met up with the campaign at a Des Moines ice skating rink where a press gaggle observed Senator Dodd, his wife, children, and staffers enjoying an unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon on the ice. The Senator took questions f
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Hillary Pilloried by the Media, Study Shows
Hillary was sabatoged by the media and FOX News actually is fair and balanced, according to the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. The non-partisan, non-profit research group's latest study focused on network coverage of the presidential candidates in 481 election new
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Second New Hampshire Paper Comes Out Against Romney
Is New Hampshire turning its back on Mitt? Last week, the Concord Monitor slammed Mitt Romney for his willingness to say anything to win over New Hampshire primary voters, sentiments echoed yesterday by the Union Leader, the Granite State's largest newspaper. In its endorsement of John McCa
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Benazir Bhutto Killed
The opposition leader of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has been killed in an attack at a political rally. Witnesses report she was fired upon by a gunman at close range, then also a victim to the following explosion. Obviously the attackers did not want a repeat of October, when Ms. Bhutto surviv
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27 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
A Nod to Dodd: Pounding Pavement for Connecticut’s Senior Senator
Well, armchair punditry really got its Christmas wish this year: a deadlocked Presidential nomination race for both parties. But despite all of the prognostication, hand-wringing, and poll scrutinizing, one thing everyone can agree on is that the candidate for whom I am working – Senator Chris Do
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26 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Primary Programming on Veracifier
As we're all getting ready for the primaries, we've got people on the ground all over the country ready to blog for us, too. This week and next you'll hear from Jonathan Backer in Iowa, who is on the ground with the Dodd campaign. They posted this clip of Jonathan on their website and much like
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26 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Huckabee's Immigration Record Now Sore Point for Right Wingers
Huckabee's Right of Right political positioning is enough to terrify most of those on the left, but it's still coming up shy for the new far right in the Republican party. The Washington Times, the District's neoconservative newspaper described by CJR as part of "the media arm of Reverend Sun Myung
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26 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
8 Days Left... Miles to Go
Helping hands are few in Iowa right now as the earliest-ever primaries come right during students' holiday break and usually active student volunteers return home for the holidays. Romney leads the GOP in the 18-29 set in Iowa, and Obama has a fierce command on those under 35. According to the Des
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25 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Christmas with Ron Paul
Last but not least: Christmas with Ron Paul. He has a white tree.
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25 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Christmas with the GOP
Ooh, ooh! Let's go sledding with the Romneys! That's just what I wanted for Christmas... how did he know? Merry Christmas (and nothing else) from the GOP... From Mitt: He can use a shovel! From Rudy: He should not wear red vests... and he's friends with Santa? From Huckabee: Yeah, defin
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25 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Christmas with the Dems
Merry Christmas from Veracifier! Since even the presidential candidates have put their work on hold today (including Mitt Romney; yes, they celebrate Christmas), we thought we'd bring you their "holiday" (although very spruce tree-centric) messages. I'm still waiting for someone to show me a menor
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24 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Dems Won't Cross CBS Writers' Picket Line
The Dems won't cross the CBS writers' picket line for a debate and John Edwards is in the lead in Iowa.
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24 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
FOX Still Hates Huckabee
Now this is something I just don't understand. FOX is actually still treating Mike Huckabee like a liberal. The reason? "The Christian left is taking over." Huckabusting is now a veritable trend on FOX... which leaves us wondering. Who is FOX News leaving its cookies and milk for tonight?
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24 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Hillary Supporters Urged to Caucus...11 Days Late?
Another snafu in the Hillary campaign: they don't have a calendar. Thanks to Josie Hern and Ben Smith at Politico, another misstep by the Clinton team is front and center. At a supporters meeting with Bill Clinton yesterday, these support cards were being handed out like candy, only every single one
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24 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Does Rudy Really Want it?
Not only is it starting to look a lot like Chtistmas, it's starting to look a lot like 2000--at least for Rudy Giuliani. In this New York Times piece from November by Adam Nagourney, aids close to the former New York City mayor speculated that there was more to Rudy's decision to withd
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24 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Monday Morning Must-Reads
Hoover Planned Mass Arrests [AP] Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document. Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, l
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Hillary Steps Up Obama Attacks on the Web
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. It came out yesterday that the Clinton campaign has purchased two anti-Obama websites, signaling another escalation in her self-described attempt to “draw distinctions” between herself and her opponent before the big day in Iowa.Obama has certain
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Romney Redefines Verbs, Rewrites History
It was a big day for Mitt Romney. It seems that famous "religion speech" he gave at College Station is starting to become infamous - and fast. “I saw my father march with Martin Luther King,” he told the audience. Only it seems he didn't see anything. So instead of apologizing, Mitt wax
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Opiner-in-Chief Dodges Hucka-blow, Has Condi Fight Back
Attacked by Huckabee earlier this week for his "bunker approach" to foreign relations, Dubbya told America that he will not be dragged down by into Primary politics. So he sent the lady to do the fightin' for him. Good ole cowboy. "Look, I don't comment on other people's comments," Rice said, t
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Harsh Huckabee
I don't know if Huckabee has missed some of his public image advisor sessions or if he just likes being an insensitive ass at times, but there are a few comments of his at From The Road that have left me confused over what - exactly - he is trying to do. First is his comment on Guantanamo:
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Romney should just learn to shut up.
Update:TPM announced that "in a 1978 interview with the Boston Herald. Talking about the Mormon Church and racial discrimination, he [Romney] said: "My father and I marched with Martin Luther King Jr. through the streets of Detroit." Ouch. Original Article: Romney said he saw his dad march
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21 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Ann Coulter Really Does Not Heart Huckabee
Mike Huckabee’s “I ain’t mad at ‘cha” stance has drawn the ire of holy warrior Ann Coulter. She went on Hannity and Colmes Wednesday to tell god and the world that the Huckster is a champion of sodomy. I know the whole rictus of death thing she has going on is pretty cr
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20 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Stone wants detainees released for fear of creating extremists
Is it time to release thousands of people in Iraqi detention centers? That is the question the commander of the American detention facilities in Iraq is wondering. General Stone does not want their release because they are miraculously 'healed' or proven innocent from whatever it is they were deta
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20 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
¡Adios, Tancredo!
His hardline immigration stance wasn't enough to carry him through the primary season, and so republican Rep. Tom Tancredo is expected to pull out of the race later today. The five-term Colorado congressman is expected to make his announcement at a gathering in Iowa, where he is last in the parade
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19 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
White House Goes After New York Times
In a truly remarkable reversal, the White House accused the New York Times today of misleading the public about its role in the decision to destroy interrogation tapes of two Al-Qaeda suspects.According to the Times story, which ran late Tuesday, accounts from unnamed current and former White Hous
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19 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
TPMtv producer on CNN's American Morning today
Lee Stranahan who made yesterday's hilarious episode of TPMtv was on CNN's American Morning today, discussing his work.
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19 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Romney Can't Find Christmas Values, Only Spars with Polished Preacher
Mike Huckabee, the preacher (but not seminarian... controversy!), has Christmas down pat at this point. And so it's no surprise that his latest political ad includes garland, all manner of ornaments, and a blue spruce.But what is surprising is that Mitt Romney's doesn't. (Wasn't he just telling u
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19 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Rice Rejected! Turkey attacks Iraq as she arrives to make peace
As Veracifier reported: Condoleezza Rice went to Iraq yesterday on a diplomatic visit to calm the Iraqis outrage over the 'US approved' Turkish attacks Sunday. Well, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani refused to see Condi because 500 Turkish soldiers were occupying villages in Northern Iraq as she a
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
US provided Turkey with intelligence to attack the PKK
Condoleeza Rice was in Iraq today on an unannounced diplomatic visit. The obvious assumption was the need for a mediator between Turkey and Iraq over the recent Turkish attacks on the PKK. However, it has been confirmed her visit probably contained more apologies than mediation: The United States
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Dodd Did It! FISA bill shelved until next year
After ten hours of defending our civil liberties Senator Chris Dodd was informed that the FISA bill would be shelved until next year. He gave this awesome closing speech, saying he would be prepared to return next year and filibuster any bill that offers retroactive telecom immunity, just as he was
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Yay Segregation!!
A sad litany of excuses and finger wagging on the Senate floor took place today during a send off for retiring Senator Trent Lott. Orin Hatch, Arlen Specter and Gordon Smith stepped forward to criticize the media for rounding on Lott in 2002 for his comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. Parti
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
User- Submitted Video
Thanks to hyperreal for submitting this video on Republican Values. Is a good reminder if you are thinking of who to nominate for the Golden Dukes...
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Matthews Says Hillary Has Dems By the Balls, Pouts
Chris Matthews is very worried about Bob Kerrey's testicles now that the former Nebraska senator has officially given his endorsement to Hillary. Maybe Kerrey is interested in a post in a future Clinton White House or maybe he just thinks she's the best person for the job. But something in the
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18 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
White House Visitor Log Declared Public, Puts Abramoff in Oval Office Eight Times and Counting
There used to be joke about Bill Clinton dropping trou in the same Oval Office where Reagan never even took off his jacket—the punchline being that Reagan didn’t know he was even wearing a jacket.The funny thing these days—and I don’t mean funny ha-ha—is how much screwing around Bush has m
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17 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Lieberman Backs McCain
Proving yet again that the Gore/Lieberman ticket was doomed from the start, Joe Lieberman took another step away from the Democratic party this afternoon and, following the lead of the Boston Globe, endorsed John McCain for president. Despite the newfound support, McCain is still low in the polls
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17 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Dodd heads filibuster on FISA bill
"The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA. But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retro-active immunity. No immunity, no FISA bill. So if we take the President at his word, he's willing to let Americans die t
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17 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Ron Paul Smashes 24-Hour Fundraising Record....and No One Talks About It.
The first rude awakening of Ron Paul was the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes day. In what is becoming Ron Paul fashion, thousands of supporters made small donations online that amounted to .2 million in their hopes of a 'Ron Paul Revolution.' Most of the main media discarded this as Ron Paul's one boo
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17 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Alive in Baghdad Correspondent Killed in Sadr City
On Friday, 23 year-old Alive in Baghdad correspondent Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi was killed in Sadr City. From the Alive in Baghdad blog: Ali lived in Habibya, it’s considered as a part of the Sadr city. On Friday the 14th at 11:30pm Baghdad time, Iraqi National Guard forces raided the street whe
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17 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Monday Morning Must-Reads
Huckabee's Theology Degree A Little Less than Real [WND] Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee told the Christian Broadcasting Network he had a theology degree, he told voters in Iowa he had a theology degree, he repeated the claim in last month's CNN YouTube debate ... but, his
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14 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
New York SEIU, DC37 Support Clinton
New York's chapter of the Service Employees International Union gave their endorsement to Hillary Clinton Friday afternoon. The most powerful union in the City, SEIU 1199 was backed by its sister chapter, SEIU Local 32BJ, in lending support to the New York Senator. Similarly, DC37, the City's larg
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14 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Our new partners- The Uptake.org
We at Veracifier.com are excited to announce that we are launching a strategic partnership with TheUpTake.org to recruit, train, and showcase independent video journalists from around the country during the 2008 election year. Community driven journalism, whether through tips, comments or indepe
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14 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Last Dem Debate Before Iowa Caucus: Did Someone Win?
"What I like about Iowa is you like underdogs," Richardson told the Iowa audience at the last Democratic debates before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus and the primary season gets hot. So did any of the underdogs use this debate to come out on top? More than ever, it depends who you ask. Marc Abinder at
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13 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Karl in Contempt!
The Politico's got the early buzz... Karl Rove and White House chief of staff Josh Bolton are *almost* in contempt of Congress. The vote was approved earlier today by the House and was then met its necessary approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee. By a 12:7 vote, the resolution will now go to
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13 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Romney a Friend to the ...Secular?
He's a friend to the people... "All of the people." Even the non-religious, he says. You can feel free to disbelieve, as long as you recognize that our nation is founded on God the Creator. So basically he still likes you best if he thinks you'll kneel in prayer. Ah, sweet unity.
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12 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Huckabee Unscathed in GOP Debates
Having overtaken his lead frontrunner Mitt Romney in Iowa, Mike Huckabee rolled confidently into - and through - the last Republican debates today before the Jan. 3 primary.Watch out, Rudy.Giuliani, who still has a hold on the national poll, came under fire for the security costs he expensed to the
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12 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
We're number one! (Well, kind of)
Thanks to the folks at Apple, who put Veracifier as one of their best new podcasts of 2007.
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12 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Waterboarding Is Just Like Swimming!
Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) says waterboarding is like swimming. Grab your floaties, do the backstroke, and, no matter what, wait at least 30 minutes after eating to give it a try. Can't you see it now: the next Hollywood fad, Waterboarding parties. Be sure to bring your own handlers, a towel for biti
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11 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Col. Davis Resigns, Writes LAT Op-Ed: AWOL Military Justice
An interesting Op-Ed appeared in today's LAT: "AWOL Military Justice," by the former Pentagon chief war crimes prosecutor. He says: "I was the chief prosecutor for the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until Oct. 4, the day I concluded that full, fair and open trials were not possibl
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11 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
December 10th White House Press Briefing
She may not have known what the heck the Cuban Missile Crisis was, but White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino was still fresh as a daisy on a dreary Monday. Besides, you pretty much have to exist in a historical vacuum in order to get up and defend this administration every day.
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11 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Huckabee and Giuliani Tied in Two National Polls
Who said this election year was going to be about real issues like immigration and Iraq? O.K. no one ever did, but I was holding out hope—at least until it became clear that Mike Huckabee had enough support to keep his candidacy alive for the long haul. It wasn’t so many weeks ago, after all
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10 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Sun-News Clarifies Candidate Choices
In one of the greatest send-ups of primary confusion yet, the indominable Celia Rivenbark, long my literary hero, cuts through the electoral dross in her latest column to tell the American voterati exactly what their options are this campaign season. If a teletubby Giuliani, pepper-spray moussed M
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10 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The Romney-Medvedev Dynasty
Just picture it: one major, gas guzzling nation headed by a man financially knee-deep in an oil company. Specifically, a state-owned oil company of a former-enemy state whose chairman happens to be its president as well. Sound a little like monopoly? What about a lot frightening. It will be
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10 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Romney Attacks Giuliani’s Economic Record; Left NYC in “Economic Crisis”
My friends Victoria Brown and Peter Hopkins are preparing to launch the Big Think, a new kind of social/ideas network. It looks like it will be great. They interviewed Mitt Romney last week and have posted snippets of their interview online. We can't embed the video, but Romney attacks Giuliani's ec
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10 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Monday Morning Must-Reads
Oprah and Chelsea Hit Iowa [WaPo] Oprah Winfrey put her star power behind Sen. Barack Obama here on Saturday, telling a rapt audience of thousands that she is joining the fight for the White House because she is "so tired" of the status quo in Washington. "You know I've never done this before
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07 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The Feral Ramblings of Mitt Romney
It’s clear to anyone paying attention to the 2008 Republican Primary that Mitt Romney is the most recent in a long line of political aspirants with absolutely no idea why he is running for President. He’s the partisan inverse of John Edwards in 2004, a stand-for-absolutely-nothing mattress sales
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07 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The CIA Torture Tapes
The CIA: Fighting terror torture from sea to shining sea. Especially fighting any and all that might exist, say, in video documentation here at home. Like in their own files.The CIA has admitted that it destroyed video tapes of terror suspects interrogations that used techniques critics have deno
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06 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
More Christmas Trees in Schools! Or, Mitt Romney Talks About Religion, Just Not His
Mitt has a lot to say about faith ... just not a whole lot when it comes to his own. He can talk about the religion of the Founding Fathers, the religion on our dollar bills, and the religion he thinks still has a place in school. But in this much-heralded speech addressing his faith and the role
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06 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Seymour Hersch: WH Already Knew About NIE
Sy Hersch told Wolf Blitzer Tuesday that the Bush Administration has long known what the outcome of the NIE would be -but proceeded with serious sanctions and military threats anyway. And that's a course that the WH clearly intends to still see through; while it might seem a novel concept - respon
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05 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Wednesday Interview: Alive in Baghdad
If it's been awhile since you've seen Alive in Baghdad, you're missing out. AiB's honest coverage and dogged reporting hallmarks them as one of the best sources of journalism around, and we're happy to be able to share them with you once again. For today's Wednesday Interview, we sat down and ta
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05 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The Tides They Are A-Changin'
Rasmussen Reports' daily Presidential Tracking Poll reports a new leader in the Republican presidential race: inside the RNC, they all heart Huckabee. The incredible Huck (quite possibly the most terrifying man in post Rove-Cheney regime politics) stands testament to the Preacher-in-Chief electo
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05 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Thompson Press Release: Huckabee a Court Jester. Also, What NIE?
For weeks now, the Huckabee thread of the campaign narrative has been that the stronger he gets, the more intense the scrutiny he’ll face from the press and his republican rivals. Now that he’s pulled ahead in Iowa, the obvious tactic—and it ain’t hard—is to portray Huck as being that ki
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05 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
At NPR Dem Debate, It's All About Iran
Fireworks sparked over the NIE-focused Democratic attention on the problem (problem?) in Iran at the NPR/Iowa Public Radio radio-only debates Tuesday. The report reverses the commonly held assumption that Iran has actively been working on a nuclear weapon and focuses new attention on the details of
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05 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Bush’s Lame Duck Presidency a Mine Field for Candidates
Arguably, this Bush administration entered lame duck status back in January when the Democrats took control of the both houses of congress. But with this president it’s hard to tell: he’s pretty much always talked like a man with nothing to lose. And his spin on intelligence reports that Iran
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04 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Muck-O-Rama! The 2007 Golden Dukes- we want your nominations
As we've been telling you, TPMtv is ending 2007 with a big, exciting, super-well Muck-O-Rama Extravaganza contest, honoring the great acts of venal corruption, outstanding self-inflicted losses of dignity, crimes against the republic, bribery, exposed hypocrisy and general muckiness. And we've
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04 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
The Would-Be Mormon President
"It's not what kind of church I believe in, for that should be important only to me, but what kind of America I believe in," JFK urged America. And that's where Romney goes wrong: the whole purpose of his speech was to prove that his church, America, is just like yours. I swear.Sean Hannity on
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03 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
About That Nuclear Threat... Nevermind
Ahh, the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad Iranian Nuclear Threat. It was bound to run its course - thankfully, a slightly shorter one than that which paved the way for WMD-mania. And - rest easy, America - our own trusty intelligence agencies have concluded that Iran has no nuclear program af
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03 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Rove Defends Comments on Congress's Role in War
As the Bush administration’s inside man, Karl Rove liked to say that his unmoved mover status in D.C. is pretty much the stuff of myth and legend. Well, now that he’s spending more time in front of the cameras than behind the scenes, it may also be the stuff of history.So, Charlie Rose ate it
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03 Dec
Blog: Veracifier
Monday Morning Must-Reads
This week's a doozy. Especially because one of the offerings is a Memo to Obama - from Karl Rove. (And no, it's not a joke.) Memo to Obama: Win Iowa or Lose the Race [FT] It should not go unsaid that Rove is about as good at writing as he is at making friends, but you have to admit, u