What was most notable about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony to Congress yesterday was this fact: if you didn't look at the TV or if you listened to it on the radio you KNEW which party many lawmakers belonged to without hearing them identify themselves. Democrats praised her profusely. And many of the GOPers sounded less like members of Congress and more like … [Read more...] about Congressional Republicans’ Message to Hillary Clinton: It’s Back to Political Reality
Britain Warns of ‘Specific’ Threat in Benghazi
Britain warns of 'specific' threat in Benghazi (via AFP) Britain's Foreign Office on Thursday urged its nationals to leave the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi immediately, saying it had become aware of a "specific and imminent threat to Westerners" there. "We are now aware of a specific and imminent threat to Westerners in Benghazi, and urge any British… … [Read more...] about Britain Warns of ‘Specific’ Threat in Benghazi
Bipartisan Hypocrisy- “Corporate Welfare” and Lowering the National Debt
Enacting the law that kept the nation from going over the fiscal cliff, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle gave a $500 million gift to Amigen and other drug companies, by inserting an unrelated provision into the bill. They delayed by two years Medicare price restraints on certain oral drugs utilized by kidney dialysis patients that will wind up costing the government … [Read more...] about Bipartisan Hypocrisy- “Corporate Welfare” and Lowering the National Debt
Reagan Is Obama’s Touchstone
WASHINGTON -- To understand how Barack Obama sees himself and his presidency, don't look to Franklin Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln. Obama's role model is Ronald Reagan -- and that is just what Obama told us before he was first elected. Like Reagan, Obama hopes to usher in a long-term electoral realignment -- in Obama's case toward the moderate left, thereby reversing the … [Read more...] about Reagan Is Obama’s Touchstone
Reigniting Exceptionalism in American Governance (Guest Voice)
Reigniting Exceptionalism in American Governance by Jed James There once was a time when Washington, DC, represented a sort of promised land. The essence of government at its best, a government “of the people, for the people, by the people.” Government worked for us, creating a highway system, a social security system, and public works programs. Government fought the tough … [Read more...] about Reigniting Exceptionalism in American Governance (Guest Voice)
Clinton’s Back, and Fighting Fit
Clinton's back, and fighting fit (via AFP) It was vintage Hillary Clinton. For those who may have thought that prolonged illness might have taken a toll, the feisty secretary of state proved once again why she's a force to be reckoned with. She may have disappeared off the radar for several weeks -- felled by flu and later a blood clot caused… … [Read more...] about Clinton’s Back, and Fighting Fit
Human rights: Harsh Penalty from a Bygone Age
Incredibly, a Thai magazine editor was sentenced to 11 years in prison today for the crime of lese-majesty against the king. In an unusual reaction for an international diplomat, UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay called the sentence “extremely harsh” and a setback for human rights in Thailand. Earlier, a UN Group branded the detention as arbitrary and asked the Thai … [Read more...] about Human rights: Harsh Penalty from a Bygone Age
Gary The Goat Acquitted
This just in from half way around the globe. Gary the Goat has been cleared of all felony and misdemeanor charges following an August rampage outside a government facility. After months of facing an angry constabulary, the mostly white/gray goat got a reprieve as the judge dropped all charges against the ovine malfeasor. I think goats are ovine, but I'm certain someone will … [Read more...] about Gary The Goat Acquitted
Breaking News: Pentagon to Lift Rule Excluding Women From Combat (Updates)
UPDATE II: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will conduct a news conference on "defense-related topics” starting at 1:30 p.m. EST.on the Pentagon Channel. UPDATE I: While details on this groundbreaking decision are not yet available from the Pentagon, the New York Times provides the … [Read more...] about Breaking News: Pentagon to Lift Rule Excluding Women From Combat (Updates)
Senate Benghazi Theatrics — Part of It
I am sure thousands of Americans watched the entire, long-awaited appearance and testimony of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I watched -- some of it. I watched and listened carefully to the Secretary’s opening statement. A statement wherein the Secretary: • Provided the “sobering facts” that since 1988, there have … [Read more...] about Senate Benghazi Theatrics — Part of It
Hillary Clinton Squelches Republican Sen. Ron Johnson Over Benghazi Attack (Video)
The tone of some of the Republicans questioning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Seante on Benghazi today unofficially gave the hearing the title: "Bitter Partisan Questioning on Parade." The highlight came when Clinton squelched Republican Sen. Ron Johnson when he attacked the Obama administration over its truthfulness on Benghazi, a favorite issue that Fox News, … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton Squelches Republican Sen. Ron Johnson Over Benghazi Attack (Video)
NRA Thinks Shark Jumping Is An Olympic Sport
The National Rifle Association is at it again. This time in the form of a rebuttal to the president's inauguration speech. Some may recall that the president said we cannot mistake absolutism for principal. The NRA apparently disagrees. Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre took the occasion yesterday to set out the NRA's position. Among other things, LaPierre insisted … [Read more...] about NRA Thinks Shark Jumping Is An Olympic Sport
We Could Always Try “No Taxation Without Representation”
I don' t know about you, but I don't think the House represents us, do you? We could try something new. Well, not new exactly but more useful and germane than anything we've seen from the Republican dominated House. Let's stop paying taxes. The President seems to be on the right track. President Obama’s aggressive Inaugural Address on Monday presented … [Read more...] about We Could Always Try “No Taxation Without Representation”
ClintonTestimony on Benghazi Today: a Final Bow to US lawmakers
Clinton in final bow to US lawmakers (via AFP) Hillary Clinton will be grilled by Republican lawmakers as she testifies Wednesday on a militant attack on a US diplomatic mission in Libya, in one of her her last major appearances as secretary of state. Despite keeping a low profile after a long period of ill health in her final weeks in office,… … [Read more...] about ClintonTestimony on Benghazi Today: a Final Bow to US lawmakers
Latin America Takes Action to Decriminalize Abortion
Latin America takes action to decriminalize abortion (via GlobalPost) Roe v. Wade provides framework for progressing past restrictive laws. Mandy Van Deven This month is the 40th anniversary of one of the most important legal decisions of our time: Roe v. Wade. This legislative victory changed the course of history for women not only in the United States, but … [Read more...] about Latin America Takes Action to Decriminalize Abortion
Netanyahu Leads Israel Vote, but Centrists Win Big
Netanyahu leads Israel vote, but centrists win big (via AFP) Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday emerged from hard-fought elections weakened but still best placed to form a new government and likely to reach out to centrist parties strengthened by the vote. In results that defied expectations, the centrist Yesh Atid became Israel's second … [Read more...] about Netanyahu Leads Israel Vote, but Centrists Win Big
Will a More Aggressive Obama and a Resurgent ‘Mighty Middle’ Reshape America?
Say a prayer. Put up a tombstone that reads "R.I.P." for three prevailing political conventional wisdoms that seem to be quickly biting the dust. The first is that President Barack Obama will always go along to get along, will in the end inevitably choose a mediated, moderate course to gain partial victories. That conventional wisdom is on life support as the more … [Read more...] about Will a More Aggressive Obama and a Resurgent ‘Mighty Middle’ Reshape America?
The Constitution For Us
Too often when we see discussions in the news of the Constitution they try to make it sound like some complicated subject that only intellectuals can examine. In truth it is written for us, for the regular people, for the citizens of this nation and it should be examined as such. With that in mind I am pleased to announce the launch of a new web site which will feature a … [Read more...] about The Constitution For Us
Team Obama Mastered the Science of Mass Persuasion — And Won (Guest Voice)
Team Obama Mastered the Science of Mass Persuasion -- And Won by Eric Siegel, Ph.D., Founder of Predictive Analytics World and author of Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die Last October, a colleague and I speculated on how a special, powerful form of predictive analytics would revolutionize presidential campaigning -- and, if … [Read more...] about Team Obama Mastered the Science of Mass Persuasion — And Won (Guest Voice)
What is the Debt Ceiling, Should it be a Problem and What is the Deal with This Platinum Coin? (Guest Voice)
What is the debt ceiling, should it be a problem and what is the deal with this platinum coin? by Contributing Columnist Robert P. Coutinho Now that the fiscal [banned word rhyming with stiff] has gone by, what is all the new talk about? Sit down; have a strong drink; smack yourself in the head as needed and read the sad story of a dysfunctional system from the … [Read more...] about What is the Debt Ceiling, Should it be a Problem and What is the Deal with This Platinum Coin? (Guest Voice)