http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman RSS Feed for Inq Col Dick Polman en-us Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:47:29 GMT http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080722_The_American_Debate__If_Iraq_has_sided_with_Obama__how_will_McCain_spin_his_spin_.html Imagine my surprise, early Saturday morning, to discover, in my e-mail inbox, a news bulletin from the White House, calling attention to an interview that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had just given to the German newspaper Der Spiegel. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080720_The_American_Debate__Obama_in_Dixie.html At the start of every presidential race, the Democrats perform a masochistic ritual. They promise to take a stand in Dixieland, get in touch with their inner NASCAR, sweet-talk the Southerners with a heavy emphasis on faith and flag. The aim, every time, is to capture some of those states and thereby clinch the election. Care to guess how well the Democrats have fared lately? http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080706_The_American_Debate__The_Republican_veepstakes.html Pursuit: Let's try to guess whom John McCain picks as his running mate. It's fun to speculate - even though, if history is any guide, we'll probably all be wrong. Still, we can learn a lot about McCain's candidacy, and the daunting challenges that he faces, simply by playing the veepstakes. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080622_The_American_Debate__Broken_promise_will_probably_benefit_Obama.html Barack Obama wants to campaign on his ideals, but he also wants to win. Indeed, if you want to gauge the gap between his principles and his pragmatics, just follow the money. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080608_The_American_Debate__WHAT_WILL_IT_TAKE_.html So the battle is finally joined. Without further ado, here are some utilitarian tips for Barack Obama and John McCain, offered in the spirit of helping each reach full potential. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080525_The_American_Debate__The.html When John McCain showed up May 17 as a surprise guest on Saturday Night Live, he pitched himself this way: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080511_The_American_Debate__Obama-Clinton__Stranger_things_have_happened.html Obama-Clinton. Don't rule it out. I'm aware that the Democratic "dream team" scenario is widely scorned by the practitioners of conventional wisdom. But now that Barack Obama has attained the status of near-presumptive nominee, I wouldn't be shocked to hear a growing clamor for http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080511_The_American_Debate_.html Obama now leads Clinton in superdelegates. A15. Dick Polman: The dream Democratic ticket. Currents, C1. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080429_The_American_Debate__Dealing_with_the_race_card.html This is a very sensitive issue, but it needs to be discussed. When the unpledged Democratic superdelegates finally look hard at the electability factor, they will be compelled to judge whether Barack Obama would be a risky nominee because of his race. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/dick_polman/20080427_The_American_Debate__Hard_to_believe_the_Democrats_could_lose.html If the Democrats somehow contrive to blow this presidential election, they should be consigned to the dustbin of history - or to a display case at the Smithsonian, where perhaps they can share space with the Whigs.