I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Media pundits and analysts generally proclaimed the debate between Barack Obama and John McCain to be near a draw, and have suggested that the debate didn’t offer much by way of memorable moments that will stick with the public later.
When it comes to what they actually said, that may be true although I’d wager that McCain’s reference to the KGB might stick around.
But one thing a lot of people will remember is that McCain simply refused to look at Obama at all, although he was explicitly asked to do so by the moderator, Jim Lehrer. As the debate wore on, Obama increasingly turned to look directly at McCain–and referred to him by his first name 23 times–perhaps to highlight how he was being ignored, to the point that McCain never once uttered his name.
This had my tongue wagging along with just about every person I know. What was up with that? Does it show a condescending attitude on the part of McCain? Or was it a sign of that famous temper he has?
Talking Points Memo suggests it may be the temper, if an account by Jonathan Weisman in the Washington Post about that high-level meeting in Washington D.C. last Thursday regarding the Wall Street bailout package is any indication:
Jonathan Weisman has a fascinating, even riveting narrative of what went down in Washington on Thursday as John McCain made his play to commandeer the high-level negotiations over the bailout bill. And TPM Reader TW called my attention to a passage that may help to explain the smoldering hostility that made it impossible for McCain even to make eye contact with Barack Obama during last night’s debate.
TPM has the relevant passage from the Washington Post story here.
