Candy Crowley
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
She was a high-voltage candidate, lighting a fire in the grass roots of Republican-land - fresh, folksy and fierce.
She famously belittled her party's presidential opponent, Barack Obama, at her coming-out party at the 2008 Republican National Convention:
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."
Sarah Palin remains a force - the most recognizable name in the Republican Party, a headline magnet.
Just over a year after the defeat of the Republican ticket, the Republican No. 2 is Amazon.com's No. 1 in nonfiction presales.
Writer of books, giver of speeches, muser of politics on an unusually active Facebook account. And robo-caller on behalf of a conservative group in this year's Virginia governor's race.
Candy Crowley
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
She was a high-voltage candidate, lighting a fire in the grassroots of Republican-land - fresh, folksy and fierce.
She famously belittled her party's presidential opponent, Barack Obama, at her coming-out party at the 2008 Republican National Convention: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."
Sarah Palin remains a force - the most recognizable name in the
Republican Party, a headline magnet. Just over a year after the defeat of the Republican ticket, the Republican No. 2 is Amazon.com's No. 1 in non-fiction pre-sales. Writer of books, giver of speeches, muser of politics on an unusually active Facebook account. And robo-caller on behalf of a conservative group in this year's Virginia governor's race. Keep reading
Candy Crowley and David Gergen
CNN Senior Political Correspondents
Candy Crowley | BIO
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
Candy Crowley | BIO
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
On that unusually balmy Chicago night a year ago, the candidate who campaigned on what he called the "fierce urgency of now" became the president-elect who needed time.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term," Barack Obama told the crowd in Grant Park. And he still needs time to turn a myriad of campaign promises into policy.
The list of the undones is long, varied and mostly difficult - immigration reform, new financial market regulations and a game-changing energy bill.
And compounding problems on the president's lengthy to-do list is that 2010 is an election year, generally an inefficient time for lawmaking.
Obama can put down several major campaign promises as "in the works."
Candy Crowley
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
Candy Crowley and Ed Hornick
CNN
Race and politics are a combustible combo that explodes into headlines when an ex-president lights the fuse, as Jimmy Carter did recently.
"When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds," the Democrat told students at Emory University on Wednesday.
"I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African-American," he added.
Candy Crowley | BIO
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
Long time no blog. Life is the teensiest bit nutty Chez Crowley but I’ve missed you. And I couldn’t pass up a chat about the story du jour (I’m feeling a little French today).
Anyway, so former President BiIl Clinton is on a mission in North Korea to free those two American journalists sentenced to hard labor. My fave part of the story so far is Robert Gibbs (White House Spokesman) saying this is a “solely private mission.” Um. Ok.
You think Washington-speak is Sanskrit? Try diplo-speak. This is how the game plays out. North Korea wants two things a) admission of guilt by the two women. You’ve pretty much seen that along with some mumblings about how everybody is very sorry about the situation from Secretary of State Clinton (not to be confused with mission-head Bill Clinton). You think she talked to him about his “solely private mission”? Me too.
And b) North Korea wants some respect. The two countries don’t have diplomatic relations, and the Obama administration is in no mood anyway. In his first several months in office, the President’s outstretched hand was greeted by two, three or eight –who’s counting—missile launches from North Korea. Provocative, but lame.
Candy Crowley | BIO
CNN Senior Political Correspondent
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has admitted he “crossed lines” with a handful of other women..but "never crossed the ultimate line," which I assume is code for having a Monica Lewinsky-style affair.
Sanford also now admitting to seeing his mistress more than the three times he copped to initially, including at least one tete-a-tete in New York. Apparently this is going to be one of those “evolving” stories.
Anyway, the latest “evolvement” in the Sanford story has prompted the South Carolina Attorney general who really didn’t seem to want to get into this now wants an investigation of any Sanford trip during which he saw his mistress.
Oh—and this: Sanford called his mistress his soul mate but says he is trying to fall back in love with his wife. Do not get me started on this one. All from an AP interview.
Under a separate circus tent, Supreme court of Minnesota has turned back Republican Senator Norm Coleman’s appeal of the counting process for LAST NOVEMBER’S election.
The Republican governor there had said he would sign certification if the State Supreme court directed him to . And now this just in–after fighting for the governorship all these months, Sen. Coleman has conceded.
Bottom line, the Senate is on the cusp of getting its 60th vote - 58 Democrats and 2 independents - who generally vote with the Democrats.
And... the Senate is about to get an actual comedian, as opposed to all the accidental ones up there.
A behind the scenes look at “Anderson Cooper 360°” and the stories it covers, written by Anderson Cooper, the AC360° staff and a network of contributors. Insight you can’t find anywhere else.
We search the news each day to show you what’s on our radar and what we’re planning for the show each night.
For more details, read our tips on how to win 360° approval for comments.
Send your instant feedback to Anderson Cooper 360°.
- About our show
- Father Henry, a secret father
- Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 11/12/09
- Evening Buzz: Hasan Warning Signs Missed?
- Beat 360° 11/12/09
- Pelosi plays whack-a-mole on health care
- Raw Data: Religious preference in the military
- Sesame Street – A place where everyone owns a piece of the street
- Preventing an epidemic: An eco-perspective
- Obama can't count on Karzai

