CNN's Gloria Borger asked Rep. Ron Paul some tough questions about some old newsletters that had some extremist and racist assertions -- newsletters that were under his name but he says he did not write. Paul cut the interview short (not quite walking out since he said good bye and had his body mike taken off him. She was pressing him as to whether he read the disavowed … [Read more...] about Ron Paul Cuts Off CNN Interview When Pressed About Incendiary Old Newsletters
Boehner the Red Faced Reindeer
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Is Eric Cantor Running the Country?
Washington’s new impasse could ironically lead to a gift of sanity as the House Tea Party is finally revealed for the berserk faction it has been all year, holding the nation hostage to a scorched-government ideology. Senate Republicans, after passing a short-term payroll tax extension by 89 to 10, are outdoing the President in denouncing them for “harming the view, if it’s … [Read more...] about Is Eric Cantor Running the Country?
The GOP’s Iowa Chaos
OTTUMWA, Iowa -- Is Rick Santorum the next non-Romney to emerge from the pack? Could he conceivably win Iowa? That these are plausible questions tells you all you need to know about the unsettled nature of the Republican presidential contest -- particularly here, the state whose caucuses on Jan. 3 have become a bookie's nightmare. At the moment, anyone among the six major … [Read more...] about The GOP’s Iowa Chaos
How To Handle a Crisis (and How NOT To)
It is the Winter Solstice at precisely 9:30 PM PST (or 12:30 AM EST, 3:30 AM GMT). And, on the darkest day of the year, we manage to come to one of the darkest moments of the political year, coincidentally. I've never trusted neatness ... Which brings me to a point I've wanted to make for some time: the "crisis" that the Tea Party screams out is not actually a crisis. It is … [Read more...] about How To Handle a Crisis (and How NOT To)
Human rights: Washington is unsure but UN shows gumption
Bahrain, the close American ally with one of the worst recent records of violence against pro-democracy protestors, received a formal a warning on Wednesday from the UN Human Rights chief. A team from the High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Bahrain from 13 to 17 December and concluded that the repression was unacceptable. It insisted the government should … [Read more...] about Human rights: Washington is unsure but UN shows gumption
Newt Gingrich is an Overly-Ambitious ‘Pig’ (News, Switzerland)
Is Newt Gingrich suited to be president of the United States? Trending negative on this question along with much of the rest of the world is columnist Patrik Eschemeyer of Switerland's News. Eschemeyer labels the entire Republican field with the exception of John Huntsman as 'madcap' - and he regards Newt Gingrich as a 'pig.' For the News, Patrik Eschemeyer starts out this … [Read more...] about Newt Gingrich is an Overly-Ambitious ‘Pig’ (News, Switzerland)
Southern Drought Continues; Texas Disasters In 2011
The southern US, almost coast-to-coast, remains mired in drought conditions. Comparisons to the Dust Bowl are common; one estimate has the Texas drought lasting another 10-15 years. And Texas has been "in a period of enhanced drought susceptibility" since at least the year 2000. The drought of 2007-2009 "was one of the worst" residents could remember. In central Texas, the … [Read more...] about Southern Drought Continues; Texas Disasters In 2011
Payroll Tax Holiday
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As We Leave Iraq, a Very Special Christmas Wish for our Troops
With my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season to our readers, especially our veterans and active duty military. Two Christmases ago, in a “Christmas wish for our troops serving in harm’s way,” I expressed my empathy and admiration for the tens of thousands of our brave men and women who were serving in hostile territory , away from their loved ones, … [Read more...] about As We Leave Iraq, a Very Special Christmas Wish for our Troops
Boehner’s Fumble Played Big Role in GOP Payroll Tax House Republicans Fiasco
Last night while listening to some news channels and talk shows on XM Radio, there were some analysts who said Tea Party members in Congress were almost giddy over stopping the payroll tax plan bipartisan Senate compromise. They feel it'll also be good for them politically. But that isn't the view of most independent Republican analysts, even those who are now trying to go on … [Read more...] about Boehner’s Fumble Played Big Role in GOP Payroll Tax House Republicans Fiasco
Andrew Sullivan Endorses Ron Paul and Notes Paul Iowa Victory Would Be Blow to Fox News
The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan has long been a must-read as not just a blogger but in particular for any of his long-form magazine or newspaper pieces. One reason he's a must read is that he marches to his own independent drummer and doesn't always follow the journalistic or Republican Party pack. And now he's doing it again on two fronts. He has written a post formally … [Read more...] about Andrew Sullivan Endorses Ron Paul and Notes Paul Iowa Victory Would Be Blow to Fox News
The Gift Not to Give This Time of Year: “Boobs Job Vouchers”
A warning from a professor in Germany. Think twice about giving a "boobs job voucher" as a gift this Christmas season: People planning to give their loved one a nip and tuck at Christmas could be risking more than upsetting their partners – cheap seasonal offers with time limits are not to be recommended, a top surgeon has warned. Professor Peter Vogt, president of the … [Read more...] about The Gift Not to Give This Time of Year: “Boobs Job Vouchers”
Christmas is the time when the Fire Star brings back the light to the world
This is a great night and day: winter solstice; the time when the light comes back more and more for longer and longer glancing across Planet Earth to us, the Fire Star, that is, the sun, comes back to us. In our family the old people would put on their galoshes over their butchkors and bring in fresh and oh so cold water from the well pump outdoors and we would feast on … [Read more...] about Christmas is the time when the Fire Star brings back the light to the world
A Tale of Two Americas
Lately, I have been watching hours of scratchy black-and-white film about my childhood years, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and seeing through very old eyes a different America, peopled in turmoil by those who don’t resemble their descendants today. Instead of fighting for bargains on Black Friday, they stand patiently in breadlines with gaunt faces and hopeless eyes, … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Americas
Musings Upon Winter Solstice 2011
I've come to view late fall bird feeder activity as an indication of the severity of the coming winter and it looks like this winter will be . . . um, average. The average snowfall at the mountain retreat is about 50 inches a year and there already was a freak one-foot snowfall in late October, so the average is likely to be topped if the pattern of January and February … [Read more...] about Musings Upon Winter Solstice 2011
Quote of the Day: The Wall Street Journal on the Republican House Nixing the Payroll Tax Extension
Tomorrow reliably-polarizing talk show hosts can be expected to applaud and cheerlead the Republican House for rejecting the bipartisan Senate plan as a great courageous development and brilliant political move, but there are many in the Republican establishment who are wondering how their party can get out of this political mess. Add to that the Wall Street Journal, which says … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: The Wall Street Journal on the Republican House Nixing the Payroll Tax Extension
The Call That Demands Leadership
WASHINGTON -- It's late at night when the phone rings at the White House: Kim Jong Il, the ruthless oddball dictator of nuclear-armed North Korea, is dead. His apparent successor is his 20-something son, about whom practically nothing is known. South Korean officials have rushed to put the nation's military forces on high alert. Do we want Mitt Romney answering that … [Read more...] about The Call That Demands Leadership
Gingrich Dismissively Tells Gay Iowan to Vote for Barack Obama
You can nowhere see a better example of how far American politics has fallen then in this news story. And who is at the news center of this story that shows a kind of politics that would have been unthinkable years ago due to is blatantly exclusionary nature? Why, of course, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a person who members of both parties often point to as someone who … [Read more...] about Gingrich Dismissively Tells Gay Iowan to Vote for Barack Obama
Twas the Night Before Gridlock
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