President Obama’s first prime-time press conference last evening was a combination of policy nuance and political theatre. Obama was successful in managing the press corps but failed to give me a full picture of what he is going to spend this stimulus package money on in exact terms. President Obama will probably get his stimulus package through both houses of Congress because of the lopsided majority his party controls. However, he needs to do a better job of explaining how many private...

It was only a matter of time. Yes, it’s true, Barack Obama is human. He has and will continue to make mistakes. Obama has to deal with an economic mess, negotiate the landmines his staff has left for him to deal with (Daschle) and deal with foreign and national security policy issues such as closing Gitmo and reducing military forces in two theaters of operation half a world away. I don’t know who I should feel more sorry for – the Michael Steele led Republican Party who think...

As a native from the ‘burgh, from the small town of Beaver Falls, I was thrilled that my Pittsburgh Steelers won their record setting SIXTH VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY! My hometown quarterback Joe Willy Namath presented the trophy to the Rooney family on the 40th anniversary of Namath’s Super Bowl III win. It was a great game throughout. The Arizona Cardinals showed they truly belonged on the biggest sporting stage in the world. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald were as good as advertised...

The “Man of Steele” has swooped in to save the G.O.P. Whoa, Nellie, not so fast… there is only enough room in this town for one Messiah and he lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I live in Maryland and until five years ago knew newly elected RNC Chair Michael Steele very well. There are only a handful of prominent African-American Republicans in Maryland so we tend to know each other pretty well. Michael is smooth, charismatic, and has a knack for being in the right place at...

I have to break up the stimulus hubbub with a belated goodbye to one of my favorite actors of the large and small screen: Ricardo Montalban. Mr. Montalban passed away two weeks ago but with all of the inauguration craziness going on… I did not get an opportunity to write my farewell to him. Of course, Mr. Montalban is best known for his role as the proprietor of “Fantasy Island.” The show ran on ABC from 1978 to 1984. However, his role as Khan Noonien Singh, in ST:TOS episode...

Sixteen years ago, a young Democratic president took office with the mantra of Hope in his eyes. The new president moved quickly to carry out some of his campaign promises to his constituency and they got him into a world of hurt. Bill Clinton pushed for Gays in the Military and universal heath care coverage and was soundly defeated in 1993. Worse yet, his policy proposal gave new life to a devastated Republican Party who would put together the “Contract with America” in the 1994...

Good morning, Mr. President! It seems that yesterday evening you received the first of your wake up calls regarding the love / hate / love relationship between the President and the White House Press Corps. President Obama made an impromptu visit to the cramped press corps suite and discovered that there is no such thing as an off day with reporters (gasp)! Obama wanted to visit and shoot the breeze as he did repeatedly during his months on the campaign trail, unfortunately, he forgot one little...

Over the past six months, Republicans tried to communicate that Barack Obama was too inexperienced to become President of the United States. Timing and Opportunity are two important ingredients in politics and Republicans gave Obama both advantages and he used them to win. What do I mean? Simply put, the Republican Party allowed Barack Obama to elevate to the national stage prematurely, we are the cause of our own demise. In the last two election cycles, Republicans went from having majorities...

As President Obama makes his way through his first full day on the job, a familiar voice reemerged from the depths of the river Styx, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. For the last eight years, aside from a public pain medication addiction, Mr. Limbaugh and most of the conservative talking heads have been relegated to proving air cover for President Bush. Now, with a new Democrat in the Oval Office, their role is in the process of changing once again: the job of apologist is over and new...

Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. I wanted to share poignant images and sounds of his swearing-in ceremony: Before the speech: 1) Introduced as Barack H. Obama but took the oath of office with his middle name. 2) Rick Warren’s prayer was good but was way too long. 3) The John Williams arrangement, “Air and Simple Gifts”, was “Appalachian Spring” on steroids. 4) During the Williams piece, a shot of Michelle, Sasha and Malia playing a game...

As a American of African descent, I am proud of the fact that this country voted for Barack Obama, and tomorrow, he will be sworn-in as the 44th President of the United States. I supported the President-elect, as a Republican, back in January and it has been a worthwhile effort. However, that being said, it is left to me to share a little common sense with the rest of the blogging universe (and whoever may read this post)… the connection between Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream”...

During the course of this campaign cycle, I have written on the issue of race in politics in regards to Barack Obama, however, unlike most bloggers, most of my rhetorical venom has been directed at members of my own racial demographic. As a somewhat politically-savvy 43 year old African-American male, I have voiced my disappointment with the supposed political leadership within the Black community over the past thirty years. I know I will get in trouble over the next comment and I have never backed...

As I watched the speech of President-elect Barack Obama, live from War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore, one person was curiously missing from the crowd: embattled Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Two days ago, I wrote the following excerpt: “My hope is that Obama will politely inform Mayor Dixon that it would be better of she did not attend the event. Unfortunately, in political reality, he can not appear in Baltimore without her… so ‘Change’ will take a back seat to political expediency...

President-elect Barack Obama and President George W. Bush have conducted a fairly seamless transition of power over the last couple of months. Each man is being very gracious to the other, and for the most part, trying to keep from stepping on the other man’s toes. Obama has repeatedly told reporters that there is only one president at a time. Bush, for his part, said in his last press conference that he would he would get off the scene and go back to Texas. Yesterday’s two major political...

In two days, President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to participate in a public event in downtown Baltimore as part of his journey by train to Washington, D.C. and the Inaugural festivities beginning this Sunday. Ten months ago, before the Potomac Primaries (MD, VA, and DC), the political landscape of the Democratic Party of Maryland was split between Senators Clinton and Obama. One of the first supporters for Obama was Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Obama went on to win Maryland and that sweep...

No one assumes that the dinner between President-elect Barack Obama and conservative columnists was a Kumbaya moment where they all held hands and swayed joyfully around the dinner table, but the dinner once again showed Obama in a familiar role, a leader who is going to try to bridge the partisan divide on issues where he and his opponents can find common ground. Obama, with the choice of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to give the prayer at his inaugural and his decision to forward a fiscal recovery...

My official countdown to the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency begins today. The 44th President definitely has his hands full. He has to figure how to spend the $350 Billion dollars on a bailout package that will revive our stagnate economy, close Gitmo quickly while securing the several hundred detainees in a manner that won’t cause future political or national security problems, AND balance the expectations of change that he has initiated with the practical realities of governing...

Revealing, Introspective, Gracious. Three attributes that are not usually attached to President George W. Bush were on display this morning at his final press conference. Bush showed a humble side of himself when talking about the Presidency, his love of the job, and sharing with the White House press corps the “disappointments” that he endured during his eight years at the helm of the country. There are three moments that resonated with me: 1) Bush, at one point, was asked by a Fox...

Change is coming! Change is coming! Change is the mantra that has been communicated to us over the last year or so during Barack Obama’s improbable rise to become President-elect. The question to ask, of course, is a play on those words – “Is change really coming?” Over the past five weeks, Obama has put together a team that is very close to being termed as “Clinton-lite” – all of the taste of the Clinton Administration but none of the Bill. All I need...

You knew the entire transition period couldn’t go smoothly for President-elect Obama, but over the past couple of days, the transition has gone from a placid lake to riding high seas on the North Atlantic. First, Bill Richardson turned down his appointment to be Commerce Secretary because of possible ethics violations concerning campaign funds given to him while he was Governor of New Mexico. As Commerce Secretary, Richardson would have been one of the crucial implementers of any economic...

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid apparently read my column of a few days ago that ended by imploring him to stop whining and just seat Roland Burris and Caroline Kennedy. The upside is having two junior members that the leadership can control; the downside is very, very problematic for two constituencies of the Democratic Party who may take the rejection(s) as a personal insult – African Americans and Women. In New York State, the gender connection is obvious; however, the Barack Obama...

Aren’t Roland Burris and Caroline Kennedy vying for the same type of job? How come the Democratic Party seems ready to embrace one and is ready to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at the other one? The Burris / Kennedy Senate picks (or soon to be picked) is an example of one of the problems of the political class: they like the rules just fine…if it works for people they want to help. Roland Burris has done nothing improper, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, Harry Reid and the...

Greetings! Over the weekend, I will put together a “best of” and “worst of” list of the presidential campaign season, but today, as the year comes to an end, I want to throw out three items to everyone. Resolution #1: I will write a post three times a week and most of these will be germane to the mission of TMV. Of course, from time to time, you readers may not agree with or even read my columns, but I am making a resolution to give you my thoughts on the 1st 100 days of...

First of all, let me apologize in advance for any misapplication of constitutional law that I may make over the next few paragraphs. I am not a constitutional scholar and cannot pretend to be one, however, I am somewhat familiar with the document… at least familiar enough to write a blog entry. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated that Blagojevich’s pick of Roland Burris “unacceptable” and that Burris would not be seated by the Democratic caucus. While that may...

A bit about my history with the outgoing Bush Administration: I volunteered, worked as a paid advance staffer, and served in two transition teams for President George W. Bush from June of 1999 through the summer of 2002. I worked for him because I believed in his message of “Compassionate Conservatism” and I still think that he was the best candidate to become President of the United States in 2000. In 2002, I resigned from my presidential appointment because of White House’s...