Enough With the 'Wars' on Everything

As the war for the White House heats up, Republicans are accusing President Obama of a wealth of other wars—on oil, coal, energy, religion, the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and reality, to name a few. And now both campaigns are accusing each other of waging a war on women. "Phony wars are nothing new in presidential politics, to be sure," notes John Heilemann in New York, "but rarely have they been this dimwitted, dishonest, debasing, or ... so utterly depressing."

One such war is over economic philosophy: Where Obama focuses on fairness, Romney emphasizes economic opportunity. The two candidates are polling fairly evenly on the economy and jobs, with indications of an advantage for Romney among independents. Among women, Obama has a much-discussed double-digit lead. But the Obama campaign's quick rejection of Hilary Rosen's stay-at-home mom comments shows the president isn't invincible in the "war on women." Things will only get dirtier from here: If you thought the primaries were "sickeningly, deplorably, appallingly brutish, superficial, and mean," you ain't seen nothing yet. Click for Heilemann's full column. (More President Obama stories.)