The GOP Needs More Sarah Palins

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

Michael Hayden says it would have backfired then, and would now, too

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush's administration pondered an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and ultimately rejected it, says former CIA and NSA chief Gen. Michael Hayden. He and others concluded that an attack on Iran's nuke factories "would guarantee that which we are trying to prevent—an Iran that will spare nothing to build a nuclear weapon and that would build it in secret," Hayden said, according to Foreign Policy . The same rationale holds true today, he warned: Go with diplomacy and back channels or risk pushing Tehran into speeding things up. More»

The public doesn't like either, but they get election wins anyway

(NEWSER) - Back in 1951, a political analyst came up with the theory that at any time in America there’s a Sun Party, which drives the agenda, and a minority Moon Party that shines by reflecting its rays. But these days, “we are living in the era of two moons and no sun,” writes David Brooks of the New York Times . “Neither party has been able to rally the country behind its vision of government.” More»

Chris Dodd, Barney Frank should pay for collapse, not Wall Street bigs: Newt

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich has an interesting idea for resolving political conflicts: Jail Democrats. That was the former House speaker's surprising recommendation in last night's GOP debate . The suggestion came up as he expressed sympathy for the Occupy Wall Street movement, saying protesters have every right to be angry. But they should direct their ire at government officials, not Wall Street fat cats, he insisted. In fact, he added, top Democrats Rep. Barney Frank and former Sen. Chris Dodd, co-authors of financial reform legislation, should be jailed. "If you want to put people in jail, you ought to start with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. And let’s look at the politicians who profited from the environment and the politicians who put this country in trouble," said Gingrich, who also urged "firing" Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner. More»

If you're more partial to Mel Gibson films, you might be a Republican

(NEWSER) - Not only are lefties and righties split on their politics and what kind of food they like —they're split on their entertainment choices as well. A recent poll for the Hollywood Reporter finds that a whopping 45% of Tea Partiers consider a celebrity's politics before paying to watch his or her movies, compared to 35% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats. Among the differences between the parties:

• Democrats are more likely to go to the theater: On average, they have seen 5.7 movies in a theater in the past six months, compared to less than four for Republicans.
• Democrats don't like Charlton Heston: Many have avoided films starring the National Rifle Association president. They're also not a fan of Mel Gibson: 36% have avoided his films. As for Republicans, about 40% try to avoid Sean Penn and a whopping 60% reject Michael Moore.