Exactly 20 years ago today, the infamous Berlin Wall “came down.” It would still be weeks and months before the monstrous construction would be actually torn down. However, the symbolic, emotional—and practical—impacts of that night 20 years ago were real, are still with us and are vividly remembered. The following article appeared today in the Austin American-Statesman and has been...

Love her or not — and I’m in the “not” category, most of the time — Speaker Pelosi’s legislative maneuvering on the House health care bill was impressive. See the second item at First Read, h/t Ben Smith.

Paresh Nath, The Khaleej Times, UAE This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Chris Cillizza suggests the answer is somewhere around a half century, as illustrated by a timeline map of presidential and congressional elections, 1960-2008, put together by Cillizza’s WaPo colleagues. Of their work, he writes: Need a shocker? Compare the map that elected Jimmy Carter president in 1976 — a solidly Democratic south counterbalanced by a solidly Republican west coast — and...

This is the third in a series of articles honoring our Veterans on the occasion of the upcoming Veterans Day celebration. I have frequently written about the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for valor in combat, and about its recipients. This Veterans Day gives Americans another opportunity to remember and thank all those heroes who have received that hallowed award for “conspicuous gallantry...

In moments of crisis, Gail Collins writes in the New York Times, “I generally recommend looking to see where Joe Lieberman is going. Then head the other way.” Such wrong-way reliability, which has made Lieberman a lodestar for the anxious and confused, delivered two gems yesterday–on the Ft. Hood massacre and health care reform. As investigators conclude that the shooting spree “was not...

WASHINGTON — Here’s a story you may have missed because it flies in the face of the dreary conventional wisdom: When advocates of public programs take on the right-wing anti-government crowd directly, the government-haters lose. This is what happened in two statewide referendums last week that got buried under all of the attention paid to the governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey....

Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the seminal moments of the 20th century as the Berlin Wall fell. This event marked the beginning of the end for not only the Warsaw Pact but also the collapse of the Soviet Union. For those readers who were not alive at the time I am not sure if you can fully comprehend the incredulity of the moment. For forty years the East and West had been divided. For myself, for...

Formerly Democratic, now Independent, Sen. Joseph Lieberman formally and officially confirmed to Chris Wallace this morning that his conscience requires him to vote no on health care reform when a bill reaches the Senate floor kill health care reform by joining a Republican filibuster to prevent the Senate’s health care reform bill from ever getting to the floor for a vote:

Yes, it’s an historic achievement:

Saturday Night Live last night spoofed Fox News’ 2009 Election Night coverage, offering comedic caricatures of some of the networks’ political coverage faces — and Glenn Beck. Here it is:

To those who’ve finally wanted to see it happen — it has happened: America’s political controversy culture which permeates the way politics is packaged in much broadcast and old and new media, and influences the country’s tone of discussion has finally gotten spanked…by none other than former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. They two former President were reportedly...

When Arizona Republican John Shadegg used a seven-month-old baby as a prop during yesterday’s debate on health care, his symbolism was more apt than intended. What the House passed last night was a bowel movement of a bill diapered by competitive political posturing to cover a messy pile of mandates, entitlements, wishful savings and iffy tax changes. To call the legislative process that produced this...

Reality Raises It’s Head and the Media Wakes Up About the Obama Administration’s Middle East Failure By Barry Rubin There’s something big happening in the air regarding American media coverage of the Obama Administration. With the Washington Post in advance, the New York Times waking up the tiniest bit, the Los Angeles Times trailing far behind, and a lot of other newspapers getting tough, reality...

Yesterday’s House vote unraveled in strange ways, have no doubt about it. The real shocker was not that one Republican (Joe Cao) voted in favor of the legislation. Let’s face it… the guy is from New Orleans and he’s up for election next fall along with the rest of them. No, the real eye opener was exactly how out of practice the GOP seems to be at fighting from the cheap seats. Their...

Judge Oscar Magi: Repercussions over his decision to convict 23 CIA agents of kidnapping on Italian soil are already being felt. Italians today may be proud that their system of justice hasn’t spared intelligence agents of the world’s mightiest power, but the children of ancient Rome are well-acquainted with the consequences that are sure to follow. In regard to Thursday’s convictions by an...

Religious zealots succeed in making low-income women the sacrificial lamb for health care reform:

Watch the debate in the House and the vote live below: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

JUST WESTERN BLUSTER BEFORE THE INEVITABLE DEAL? Could it be that at the end of this tortuous process of negotiating with Iran, the United States and the West will arrive at some sort of entente with Tehran that leaves America’s current Arab allies out in the cold? That is precisely the prediction of Le Quotidien d’Oran Kharroubi Habib, who sounds this clarion call to his Arab brethren to prepare for...

“My fellow Americans, tens of millions of you shared our convictions and gave us your votes. And I thank you for your confidence. For us, it was not our time . . . not our moment. But it is our country . . . the winner will be our president . . . and I wish Barack Obama well as the 44th president of the United States. If he governs America with the skill and grace we have often seen in him, and the greatness...

President Barack Obama met with House Democrats to make a final appeal today — a day when the epic health care reform battle is expected to come to a House vote. It’s a vote that promises to be historic in terms of social programs — and how it defines both parties. One one side, the Democrats, whose votes could determine how members do when they’re up for re-election in 2010. On the...

On Mid Stream Radio today, coming to you one hour earlier than normal at noon eastern, eleven central and 9 am on the left coast, Cindy and I will welcome Ed Morrissey of Hot Air (who it feels like I’ve been talking to all week, but it’s been fun!) to cover the health care bill push as it happens, as well as future birds closing down CERN, more on the Ft. Hood shooting spree, and just how long might...

You know my penchant for using regular Americans’ letters to the editors of their hometown newspapers to make a point or to support a position or issue. Of course, such is not an entirely objective method, but what is, and who is…. Anyway, here are two gems from today’s Austin American-Statesman: Re: Oct. 29 article “Cheney will back Hutchison.” Former Vice President Dick Cheney...

Nancy Pelosi has assured us that there will be. Of course, the job of House Speaker is much like being a bookie for organized crime… you never take a bet when you don’t know how the game will end. Byron York explains how this is putting a lot of Democrats under the gun. The House is in the final rush toward passage of a national health care bill, and there’s one thing Speaker Nancy Pelosi absolutely,...

Get ready for another apology. GOP House bigwig Rep. Cantor has criticized conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and says the party needs more inclusive rhetoric. (”He must be a RINO!!”). Quick: calll your bookie and make your bets on when Cantor will apologize now: Eric Cantor, the second-ranking Republican in the U.S. House, said his party needs to be inclusive and criticized some comments...