readersdigest.com Blog: Loose Cannon

In his Loose Cannon blog, Carl shares insider information from our nation’s capital.

John McCain, Exceptional American

By Carl M. Cannon, September 4, 2008
3 Comments
Win or lose in November, John Sidney McCain III—son and grandson of admirals, Naval Academy graduate, fighter pilot, Vietnam War hero and prisoner of war, congressman and senator, father and adoptive father—gave as wonderful an explication of American Exceptionalism tonight as you will ever hear. I have no idea whether McCain is the next president of the United States, or if that responsibility will devolve to Barack Obama. I do know, however, that tonight McCain lived up to the motto of Annapolis: Non sibi, sed patrie (“Not self, but country.”) ...Read More

Sarah Palin's High Nielsen Ratings

By Carl M. Cannon, September 4, 2008
0 Comments
Suspense and novelty will drive television ratings, it seems, even for a staged political event. The Nielsen ratings are in, and Sarah Palin’s speech attracted a large audience last night—one John McCain is going to be hard-pressed to equal when he speaks in a few hours. Many Americans apparently were interested in checking out the bright new face in American politics—and curious about what she would say and how she would perform. Whether they were pleased, disappointed, or neutral will play itself out over the next 60 days. But they watched, that’s for sure. ...Read More

Sarah Palin Wows 'Em

By Carl M. Cannon, September 4, 2008
3 Comments
A ll right, then. That seemed to do the trick. Please disregard the previous post about the Republicans not feeling the love, not feeling the passion, not feeling victory is within their grasp. The 2008 election cycle still might prove rough sledding...Read More

St. Paul: Different Vibes than Denver

By Carl M. Cannon, September 3, 2008
1 Comments
One of the advantages of being a journalist is the opportunity to go right where history is being made. Last week in Denver, I was 15 feet away from the stage where Michelle Obama spoke to her fellow Democrats. I was also on the convention floor for Hillary Clinton’s speech, a week ago today, and that night the Pepsi Center was packed to the point that no one could move on the convention floor. The following night, I was one of 80,000 people jammed into Invesco Field for Barack Obama’s historic speech, one punctuated by sustained applause, fireworks, and tears. ...Read More

Let's Party

By Carl M. Cannon, September 2, 2008
0 Comments
T he television anchors have arrived in the Twin Cities, so I guess that means we’re about to have another political convention. Ol' Gustav got more attention than he deserved, but after Hurricane Katrina three years ago we’ve learned that it’s better...Read More

As Gustav Fizzles, Palin Causes Sparks

By Carl M. Cannon, September 1, 2008
5 Comments
As all good political writers know, being inside “the bubble” is sometimes the exact wrong place to be. The bubble is the zone of security that protects presidents or presidential candidates; and in post 9/11 America, the bubble at a political convention constitutes several square city blocks. Today, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I’m posting from, there were two distinct moods inside the bubble. ...Read More

Gustav Eclipses the GOP Convention

By Carl M. Cannon, August 31, 2008
2 Comments
Loose Cannon, like much of the Washington journalistic community, was planning to post on the Republican Convention in the Twin Cities this evening. Gustav had other ideas. Among those who quickly adjusted to the looming hurricane were President Bush and the 2008 GOP presidential ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. McCain, seizing the agenda, essentially canceled Monday’s opening festivities. In so doing, McCain put his party, and the nation, on notice that he will wait to see what damage Gustav does before deciding whether the scheduled four-day gala in Minnesota should continue. Then the nominee and his running mate flew to Mississippi to view the preparations. Afterward, McCain said he’d use the convention to marshal support for the storm's likely victims....Read More

McCain's Veep Choice

By Carl M. Cannon, August 29, 2008
2 Comments
Your faithful correspondent, having decamped Denver early this morning, was in the air when the Republican presidential nominee surprised everyone by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. I’m at the Charlotte, N.C. airport right now (saving the company money with an indirect flight!), and my plane is about to board, so I’ll give a half a dozen of my initial thoughts quickly—genuine blogger style—although I don't have time to include links. Please forgive any misspellings and such. ...Read More
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