Osama bin Laden was so depressed about Al Qaida's low favorability ratings in the Arab world, we now learn, that he considered a name change for the franchise and a new career. No word as to whether he was mulling a Donald Trump invitation to host "The Apprentice: Boardroom Terrorism" or to be the subject of a Comedy Central Roast, which would have certified him as a … [Read more...] about Osama on Our Minds: Everyone Gets Into the Act
Swift Boat Narrative Holds Dynamite for Obama
WASHINGTON - Michael Hastings knows the meaning of being swift-boated, as does Buzzfeed boss Ben Smith. The Buzzfeed swift boat headline is a winner, even if the usage and examples are incorrect, with the most important element of this story a buried lede that has nothing to do with swift-boating and could be a blockbuster if Pres. Obama's opponents pick it up. Of … [Read more...] about Swift Boat Narrative Holds Dynamite for Obama
Paradigm Lost: Why the rEVOLution Has Not Been Televised
To those who care about such things, the silence of the media about the extraordinary events around Ron Paul's campaign is deafening. Some see conspiracy. I don't. I see the expected reaction to a paradigm shift -- a complete change in the concepts we use to make sense of our politics and culture. An excellent illustration of the power of a "paradigm" is the Perceptions … [Read more...] about Paradigm Lost: Why the rEVOLution Has Not Been Televised
The Ghost of Joe McCarthy Slithers Again (Guest Voice)
The Ghost of Joe McCarthy Slithers Again by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship We’ve talked at times about George Orwell’s classic novel 1984, and the amnesia that sets in when we flush events down the memory hole, leaving us at the mercy of only what we know today. Sometimes, though, the past comes back to haunt, like a ghost. It happened recently when we saw Congressman … [Read more...] about The Ghost of Joe McCarthy Slithers Again (Guest Voice)
Witch Hunt for the Zombie Voter
WASHINGTON -- Republicans are waging the most concerted campaign to prevent or discourage citizens from exercising their legitimate voting rights since the Jim Crow days of poll taxes and literacy tests. Four years ago, Democrats expanded American democracy by registering millions of new voters -- mostly young people and minorities -- and convincing them to show up at … [Read more...] about Witch Hunt for the Zombie Voter
2012 Presidential Campaign Could Be Ugliest and Silliest Ever
Get ready for the 2012 Presidential campaign to be one of the ugliest — and possibly silliest — ever. Actually, the campaign has been unofficially underway. It's all but completely launched now that Mitt Romney is the last Super PAC standing and presumptive Republican Party Presidential nominee, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has finally folded a campaign that … [Read more...] about 2012 Presidential Campaign Could Be Ugliest and Silliest Ever
Chen Guangcheng ‘Deluded’ by Western Media Attention (Global Times, People’s Republic of China)
Was the escape of China’s blind dissident Chen Guangcheng from house arrest to the U.S. Embassy the failed attempt by a discredited man to enlist the help of a foreign power? This editorial from China’s government mouthpiece, the Global Times, not only seeks to diminish Mr. Chen’s significance as a global human rights champion, but hopes to persuade readers that seeking any … [Read more...] about Chen Guangcheng ‘Deluded’ by Western Media Attention (Global Times, People’s Republic of China)
Obama Returning Home After Secretive Trip to Afghanistan
It is now “wheels-up” at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, for Air Force One taking the President of the United States home after a secretive, whirlwind trip to the war front to salute the troops, sign an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on post-war expectations and make an address the nation on the future of that long war. For those who were not able to watch … [Read more...] about Obama Returning Home After Secretive Trip to Afghanistan
Laughingstock
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Romney, Obama and the Future of Europe (Die Welt, Germany)
Given the two candidates for the U.S. presidency, what do Europeans and in this case, Germans, have to look forward to? According to Die Welt columnist Alan Posener, "The good news for Europeans is also the bad news: it won’t make much of a difference who wins." To put it another way, American leadership as Europeans have come to expect it is over - and weary-sounding Germans … [Read more...] about Romney, Obama and the Future of Europe (Die Welt, Germany)
A Hopeful Lament on Spiritual Transformation, Gluten, and Depression
I'm tired because of the gluten or is it the depression? Did the doughnut bring about this heavy head, or is it the sorrow, the perpetual sorrow of seeing so many refuse you? Or is it my refusal, my refusal to be at peace with who I am and who you are? It seems easy to blame this heavy hearted sorrow on the rebellions around me or the gluten within me, but maybe it's … [Read more...] about A Hopeful Lament on Spiritual Transformation, Gluten, and Depression
National Security As A Political Issue
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Romney Foreign Policy Spokesman Grennell Under Fire For Being Gay Resigns
We recently did THIS POST having about how Mitt Romney's new foreign policy spokesman Richard Grennell scrubbed his Twitter account of Tweets that were perceived as over the top, sexist or offensive. Now Grennell has resigned from the Romney campaign -- but not because of his Tweets: but because he was under fire from some conservatives for being gay. This somehow made him … [Read more...] about Romney Foreign Policy Spokesman Grennell Under Fire For Being Gay Resigns
Osama in Hell
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BREAKING NEWS: President Obama in Afghanistan — After All (UPDATES)
UPDATE II: “The surprise trip was a closely guarded secret, kept by White House officials and members of the White House press corps — as is customary with presidential trips to war zones.” -- for the security of the President (added by author) Read here how the rumors and news were handled by the media and the White House. UPDATE I: The New York Times now … [Read more...] about BREAKING NEWS: President Obama in Afghanistan — After All (UPDATES)
True The Vote-Guardian At The Gate Of Voter Integrity
When I was in high school I had a curfew of 11:30pm on the weekends. I was grounded a day for every five minutes I was late. It's sounds harsh, I mean, what's 10 minutes, right? But what my Dad knew is that if he allowed me to get away with five minutes, the next time would be 10 or 15 minutes, and I would say, "Hey, I didn't get in trouble before, and I was only five minutes … [Read more...] about True The Vote-Guardian At The Gate Of Voter Integrity
May Day: The Leprous Hand of Rove
Buzz Feed gets it almost right, but the tense is wrong: Will The Navy SEALs Swift Boat Obama? — The operators' resentment is real. And their criticism could undermine the president's clearest-cut victory, the slaying of America's most notorious enemy. — President Barack Obama making a statement on the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Gee. On May 1, a British … [Read more...] about May Day: The Leprous Hand of Rove
Al Qaeda Papers Found in Porn File
CNN reports that Al Qaeda papers were found in a porn file. That's weird: you'd think they would be hid in a file that wasn't often looked at... … [Read more...] about Al Qaeda Papers Found in Porn File
The Bill and Barack Super Fundraising Show
WASHINGTON - It was never going to be otherwise. When he took the backyard podium, Obama, 50, noted Clinton's "remarkable" economic record in his two White House terms and referred frequently to the political powerhouse standing behind him, who stands to be a huge fundraising force in the final months of the presidential campaign. - Obama and Bill Clinton campaign together … [Read more...] about The Bill and Barack Super Fundraising Show
Two Anniversaries: One Some Would Like to Forget, the Other Some Would Like to Play Down
In what could be the cruelest of ironies, May 1 marks both the ninth anniversary of a mission not accomplished and the first anniversary of one accomplished and accomplished magnificently. The media is doing quite a good job of reporting on the latter -- the killing of Osama Bin Laden -- although it is being distorted, “sour-graped” and even discredited in some quarters. … [Read more...] about Two Anniversaries: One Some Would Like to Forget, the Other Some Would Like to Play Down