Some things are so far out, it’s hard to believe they’re true. Like when a broadcaster in one of the most open, liberal countries in the world bans episodes of a TV show like The Simpsons as a public safety measure. But according to an incredulous Patrick Etschmayer, Swiss Radio and Television [SRF] has done precisely that. For Switzerland’s News, Patrick Etschmayer writes in part: After...

I originally predicted that President Obama would be a one-term Chief Executive in a TMV post dated 11/8/10 that was picked up by a number of prominent blog sites. I even started questioning his chances of re-election in other earlier 2010 TMV posts. Today respected long-time independent blogger Charles Hugh Smith made the same prediction on his excellent political/economic/social blog called Of Two Minds...

It increasingly looks like the rug is being pulled tug by tug from under European and American hopes that Muammar Gadaffi’s main supporters might abandon him to avoid further punishment from US and NATO warplanes and naval missiles. The risk has increased that Libya may turn into a new quagmire for the US because it is the pivotal power in that alliance. Of course, predictions deserve large pinches of salt...

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Eric Allie, Caglecartoons.com This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Is it possible that in this case at least, the Beijing government version of the middle way is best for Libya? This editorial from China’s state-run Global Times lays out a convincing case for why it’s time for laying down weapons and launching talks, leading to a safe exit for Qaddafi and a process that puts Libyans on a track toward genuine nationhood. The Global Times editorial says in part: Qaddafi...

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Stephen Harper’s suggestion that he and Michael Ignatieff go one on one in a leaders debate is intriguing. I doubt that it will happen. As Elizabeth May is proving once again, you simply can’t exclude the leaders of the other parties. Nonetheless, Harper’s suggestion is interesting because of what it reveals about him. For Harper, this election isn’t about the budget. It’s not...

WASHINGTON — Someone should introduce the Barack Obama who addressed the nation Monday on Libya to the Barack Obama who has been dancing around the edge of the budget fight. In his Libya speech, Obama was clear, forceful and principled. Yes, there were some ambiguities but these were dictated by a genuinely uncertain situation on the ground, not by muddled thinking. The president made the case for...

A So-So Presidential Speech by Michael Reagan If President Obama’s address to the nation the other night was meant to keep the American people up-to-date on the situation in the Middle East, it missed its mark, leaving us in a state of confusion. For starters, the president implicitly limited America’s proven exceptionalism. We may be exceptional, he admits, but not in his opinion nearly enough to maintain...

On a day when a poll found President Barack Obama getting his lowest polling numbers ever, and as the big political story playing out is whether or not there will be a government shutdown, a new story has surfaced via an exclusive report that promises to spark a new extensive debate. And it already has — a debate sweeping like lightning through the Internet and on cable news and cable talk shows: Reuters...

Hajo de Reijger, The Netherlands This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unautorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

A new Gallup Poll finds President Barack Obama is steadily losing the battle to be seen a strong leader: Americans have grown increasingly less likely to view President Obama as a strong and decisive leader since he took office. Roughly half now believe this aptly describes, him compared with 60% a year ago and 73% in April 2009. Some other perceptions have not changed: The decline in Obama’s leadership...

Is the West in Libya once again getting involved with tribal and sectarian disputes beyond its understanding? That is the message of this editorial from Pakistan’s Frontier Post, which outlines what is likely to happen as the ‘eastern revolutionaries’ close in on Tripoli – with NATO support. The Frontier Post editorial says in part: It’s more than apparent now: The Western adventurists...

Anyone who has read the news over the past month knows about the dire situation in Japan and another unrelated mess that is Detroit. However no one has yet to merge the two disasters and thus create a win-win solution for the vast majority of people in both areas. Japan needs to permanently relocate hundreds of thousands of people who formerly lived in and around the coastal city of Sendai due to the 9.0 Magnitude...

Is it even possible that the Libyan conflict will end well? For Brazil’s Folha, columnist Joao Pereira Coutinho writes that whatever its intentions, there is a very strong likelihood that the latest Western quagmire has just begun. For Folha, Joao Pereira Coutinho writes in part: The first decade of the 21st century was marked by Western effort to combat terrorism by fundamentalists. That’s why,...

Time’s Mark Halperin nails it.

RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Since the 2012 election season has already begun, we can anticipate nothing being accomplished with respect to any new major federal legislation. Instead, the status quo will continue as Congress is completely gridlocked and paralyzed. The only excitement will be how long the federal government stays closed, and after a few months of general inactivity, will anyone really notice or care. TMV writers and readers...

This article is inspired by… Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy So, over the past 3 years or so, many Democrats have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Obama presidency. Some have complained that Obama is too timid, he doesn’t fight for liberal values enough, he’s too willing to listen to the “Rethuglicans” and is too in love with the magical idea...

Is U.S. enthusiasm for Chile as a model for other nations in Latin America bad for Chile? For Chile’s La Tercera, columnist Carlos Ominami writes that while it was great to host President Obama, the perception that Chile is a ‘good pupil’ of Washington also makes it appear to Chile’s neighbors that it is a ‘a bad colleague, obsequious toward the teacher and disdainful toward the...

Here’s the full video of President Barack Obama’s address on Libya. If you haven’t watched it, watch it and make your own decision before new and old media pundits tell you what they believe he said or did not say: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Here’s the full text of his address, as carried by Reuters: Our most effective alliance, NATO,...

David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

The rebels are advancing in Libya. The key question now becomes: do they have “big mo” and will head towards Tripoli? Or is this yet one more blip on the screen with a final ending that will mean their defeat or a stalemate? Here’s a report from Newsy.com: Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com According to ABC News, rebels are now advancing...

While President Obama was visiting El Salvador – it seems that the people of that country had a few other things on their minds. One of them being: Are Hugo Chavez and his closest Latin American allies worried that if Libyan dictator Mohummar Qaddafi is toppled, their own populations might take note of the precedent? For El Salvador’s El Mundo, Dr. Mauricio E. Colorado writes that President Chavez’...