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CAMPAIGN 2008
The Big Picture
Jessica Ramirez 11/10/2008 12:00:00 AM
In the hours before President George W. Bush was set to give his final State of the Union message last January, Sen. Barack Obama was already preparing his response. His campaign wasn't planning a press conference or appearances on network news. Instead, they shot and uploaded video of the democratic presidential candidate's comments onto the only site that could rival primetime power—Youtube.
Detroit: Begging For Help
Keith Naughton 11/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
One intense political campaign may be over, but another one has already begun. "It is time for action," the candidate said forcefully to a nationwide television audience. "And the time is now." But that was not Obama or McCain, or Palin, or even Biden. That was General Motors chairman Rick Wagoner on CNBC on Friday exhorting Congress to give his company, and the rest of Detroit, billions—or have the nation's economy face "significant risks." The auto exec was ostensibly on the financial cable channel to discuss GM's abysmal $2.5 billion loss in the third quarter. But like a savvy political pro, he used the free air time to make his case to the American people and rebut the naysayers who contend that GM, like Lehman Brothers, deserves to collapse from its own ineptitude. "I read the pundits and I suspect these are the guys who said let Lehman Brothers go and you see the impact that had," Wagoner said. "This is a pivotal issue for the U.S."
FACTCHECK.ORG
2008 FactCheck Awards
Jess Henig 11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM
Rep. Mark Udall, who is running for Senate in Colorado, did support a 2003 bill establishing a Cabinet-level Department of Peace, proposed by Rep. Dennis Kucinich. In fact, he cosponsored the bill at one time, though he withdrew that support in March 2003. The department was described as focusing on disarmament, human rights, nonviolent conflict resolution strategies, and education on communication and peaceful intervention. Crystals and transcendental meditation were not mentioned.
STRAW POLL
Elisabeth Unplugged
11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
Poor Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Her co-workers never seem to enjoy her view on "The View." But as she's been appearing on the campaign trail with Sarah Palin, things have gotten extra heated. A sample:
TELEVISION
Why Obama Needs a Tina Fey
Joshua Alston 10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM
If self-sacrifice is the mark of a true patriot, then Mike Barker is an American-flag pin incarnate. Barker is an executive producer of "American Dad," Fox's animated sitcom featuring Stan Smith, a xenophobic, far-far-right FBI agent—the type of Republican who believes we're winning in Iraq because the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner said so. "Dad" derives much of its humor from Stan's slavish adherence to cultural conservatism and President Bush's cowboy diplomacy, so attendees at this year's Television Critics Association press gathering wondered aloud how a Barack Obama presidency might affect the show. Could it benefit more from a McCain upset? Barker put any questions of his allegiance to rest: "I think we have to put the needs of the country ahead of the show." McCain might be hogging the slogan, but sometimes even Hollywood liberals put country first.
THE DIGNITY INDEX
I Condemned That Joke Before I Cracked It
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM