Greg Sargent is right that:

The inescapable fact is this: On the biggest and most consequential decision, Obama got it right, and McCain got it wrong.

But it is actually more than this. When contrasting Obama and McCain -- it is not the same as contrasting say Hillary Clinton and John...

Apparently McCain has come around to the long held position of progressives that we need more troops in Afghanistan. McCain's change in positions is welcome. But there is a big question McCain needs to answer: Where are the troops going to come from?

We don't have any...

This is the week that should have effectively ended John McCain's efforts to become the next president of the United States. But you wouldn't know it if you watched any of the mainstream media outlets or followed political reporting in the major newspapers.

During this past week: McCain called...

The McCain campaign just put out a policy plan that says "John McCain will balance the budget by the end of his first term." This declaration leads to the obvious question -- How? The CBO projects a $443 billion deficit in 2013 if Bush's tax cuts are extended...

In an interview with John Roberts of CNN, potential vice presidential nominee Mitt Romney dismissed Barack Obama's bipartisanship accomplishments as being achieved on liberal issues.

Hmmm... John Roberts found that perplexing, as did Richard Lugar. Roberts writes:

McCain hopes to paint Obama as a politician who puts party...

John McCain's comment on the draft should draw attention to one of his most jaw-dropping policy proposals. Last winter, John McCain in his Foreign Affairs article proposed expanding the ground forces by an additional 200,000 troops (ie That is 150,000 more than the current expansion target). McCain pledged:

"As president,...

John McCain just disavowed comments from his top adviser Charlie Black for saying the assassination of Benazir Bhutto "helped" McCain win the nomination and another terrorist attack against the U.S. "would be a big advantage to him."

McCain responded with shock, saying, "I can't imagine why he would...

Elisabeth Bumiller has a fairly bland run down of the similarities and differences between McCain and Bush but she gets to the right place when she concludes that -- well he's the same as Bush:

A look at Mr. McCain's 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign...

This is not a gaffe. This is a pattern. John McCain saying that he is "not too concerned" when troops come home is part of a clear pattern of statements and actions by McCain that should cause real concern. He is developing quite the list:

1. Nitpicking -- Randy...

I am catching this a little late, but this is important to correct. The McCain campaign attacked Barack Obama for saying that the surge would result in an increase in violence. Pointing to this quote from Obama:

"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq...

A few weeks back Ilan Goldenberg and others debated who should be the Secretary of Defense in a Democratic administration. Ilan persuasively argued against Chuck Hagel as Sec Def - but that leads to the obvious question over who should be the Sec Def in a Democratic administration?

One thing becomes clear in John McCain's speech -- if he becomes president, war with another country will be inevitable.

McCain made clear today that the United States will not talk to Iran or North Korea. Instead, he will pursue the Bush administration's policy line toward Iran,...

The New York Times has a truly stunning editorial today. The paper makes the very important point that when Bush made his appeasement remarks in the Knesset it is almost certain that he knew that Israel was negotiating with Syria. Thus, his appeasement attack was directed not just against...

After the invasion of Iraq there was much talk among conservatives about invading Syria. Then Secretary of State Colin Powell was heavily criticized for taking a trip to Syria to talk to its leadership. Newt Gingrich said, "The concept of the American secretary of state going to Damascus to...

In a shocking article from the Economist in March 2002, John McCain is described as having George Bush's foreign policy before George Bush had it. The article, by the Economist's Lexington columnist, is titled "George Bush: McCainiac - How the president has almost become the man he...

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." - President Bush, 5/1/03

"I believe that success will be fairly easy." - Senator McCain, CNN, 9/24/02

It has been five years since President Bush declared victory...

In light of the growing controversy over McCain's earmark flip flop/confusion, it is worth pointing out that McCain has a long history of talking tough and doing very little when it comes to busting pork.

Winslow Wheeler, a former defense staffer to Senator Pete Domenici now at...

Five years ago today and a week prior to Bush's "mission accomplished" speech John McCain was on Chris Matthews' Hardball where he praised the president, Rumsfeld, and the strategy and tactics used to go into Iraq. Of note, McCain said Bush had "done a great job," and that he was...

Here is the title of a report from the Government Accountability Office on combating terrorism released today:

The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

That is not some line buried in the report. That is...

VIOLENCE RAGING IN IRAQ

Bombers kill at least 54 across Iraq. Bombers struck four cities across Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 54 people and providing a stark reminder that American and Iraqi forces are still fighting a war on two fronts. While the...