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Quote of the Day: The Iowa Debate and the Last Gingrich Standing
Our political Quote of the Day comes from Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who steps back and looks at last night's debate and concludes -- as many have concluded -- that Newt Gingrich is likely to emerge out of it undamaged, undiminished in the GOP race: As Gingrich roared back, Romney faded. Romney doesn’t need to win Iowa, so perhaps he’s writing it off. But then why … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: The Iowa Debate and the Last Gingrich Standing
Been There Thought That
WASHINGTON -- Can we please bury the notion that Newt Gingrich is some kind of deep thinker? His intellect may be as broad as the sea, but it's about as deep as a birdbath. I'm not saying the Republican presidential front-runner is unacquainted with ideas. Quite the contrary: Ideas rain through his brain like confetti, escaping at random as definitive pronouncements … [Read more...] about Been There Thought That
Slouching Out of Iraq
Our departure, after nine years, almost 4500 deaths and trillions of dollars, comes not with a bang but a whimper of exhaustion and relief. “Iraq will be tested in the days ahead,” says Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, “by terrorism, and by those who would seek to divide, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself.” No senior Iraqi official … [Read more...] about Slouching Out of Iraq
Indefinite Detention, A Round-Up
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed The National Defense Authorization Act (S 1867), to the tune of $662 billion. Authored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the bill first passed in the Senate (93-7) on Dec. 1. The House passed the bill Wednesday on a 283-136 vote. Thursday's Senate vote was 86-13. There hasn't been a lot of mainstream reporting on a … [Read more...] about Indefinite Detention, A Round-Up
Christopher Hitchens, Author and Vanity Fair Writer Has Died: The Man Who Would Not Submit to O’Brien
Christopher Hitchens seemed to some to have been born in a bad mood or under a bad moon on the right. He was, I think, more so a man who despised --as in George Orwell's book, 1984 too, that there would ever be "The Party" run by the Big Brothers of the world, that would tell men and women what to think, when to think it and when to unthink it, or else. Christopher … [Read more...] about Christopher Hitchens, Author and Vanity Fair Writer Has Died: The Man Who Would Not Submit to O’Brien
‘Thank You Newt Gingrich …Your Insolence is Required’! (Samidoon, Palestinian Territories)
Newt Gingrich's comment that Palestinians are an 'invented people' is proving to be one of the most globally devisive of the 2012 campaign season - particularly in the Muslim world and especially among Palestinians. For Samidoon in the Palestinian Territories, columnist Abd Al Bari Atwan expresses the frustration felt among Palestinians over the wider meaning of Gingrich's … [Read more...] about ‘Thank You Newt Gingrich …Your Insolence is Required’! (Samidoon, Palestinian Territories)
Big Moment in Tonight’s Fox News Republican Presidential Debate
As noted earlier, due to technical difficulties from my blogging site in Missouri, I can't view the Fox News debate on TV or online and the connection is far too slow to do live blogging. However, Andrew Sullivan who is doing live blogging reports on what SOUNDS as if it is the kind of moment that is going to get Ron Paul a lot of votes and hurt Newt Gingrich: 9.39 pm. A … [Read more...] about Big Moment in Tonight’s Fox News Republican Presidential Debate
Poll: Romney Retakes the Lead in Iowa
Here's yet another in the string of recent polls that suggests that the more former House Newt Gingrich is seen under the microscope, the more conservatives who are looking for a pure conservative (and the more independent voters who are looking for a problem solver) don't like what they seem. Romney is now leading. Andrew Sullivan: As I've said before, Rasmussen is the … [Read more...] about Poll: Romney Retakes the Lead in Iowa
A Period of Eight Years
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Two Former Bush Attorneys Generals Call Gingrich Idea on Courts “Dangerous”
You can't say Republicans -- and Americans -- have not been warned if former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gets the GOP Presidential nomination and is elected. Two former Bush Attorneys General have called his idea on how to deal with the Supreme Court "dangerous": Two former attorneys general under President George W. Bush have found a few things to like in Newt Gingrich's … [Read more...] about Two Former Bush Attorneys Generals Call Gingrich Idea on Courts “Dangerous”
Tonight’s Republican Debate (UPDATED)
NOTE TO READERS: I am at a motel in Missouri with exceedingly slow internet and the hotel does not get Fox News. Due to these to factors I cannot live blog the debate tonight. I may monitor the debate on line. This means I may take some excerpts from live blogging or news reports about the debate. But I myself will not be able to watch it online or on television. Post from here … [Read more...] about Tonight’s Republican Debate (UPDATED)
Lese Majeste -15 Years For Insulting The King
Lese Majeste is translated to English as “injured majesty”. The concept dates back to at least ancient Rome, making it a crime to insult the dignity of a reigning sovereign. You’d think such concepts would have left the statute books long ago, but not so. Known both for its rich history and its scandalous sex trade, Thailand still follows lese majeste. The law there imposes … [Read more...] about Lese Majeste -15 Years For Insulting The King
Wall Street And The City Versus The People: The Same Old Cross Of Gold
In 1896 William Jennings Bryan, a liberal populist, won the Democratic nomination for president. He did it largely on the basis of the rousing speech he made at the party's nominating convention — his famous "Cross Of Gold" speech. The specific economic issue that speech addressed, the question of whether bimetalism, using silver as well as gold as the backing for our … [Read more...] about Wall Street And The City Versus The People: The Same Old Cross Of Gold
Secret Haditha Massacre Documents Are A Fitting Coda To The End Of Iraq War
That the true story of the 2005 massacre of 20 Iraqi civilians, including an elderly man in a wheelchair and women and children, has finally come out because an Iraqi was using transcripts of secret interviews with the Marines involved to cook dinner is a fitting coda to a nearly nine-year war that officially ended today. The events in the town of Haditha in Anbar Province … [Read more...] about Secret Haditha Massacre Documents Are A Fitting Coda To The End Of Iraq War
A Huntsman Moment?
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. -- Since all things seem possible in the Republican presidential contest, is there another turn coming that could benefit Jon Huntsman? That would be the former Utah governor polling nationally at 3.2 percent, according to Wednesday's Real Clear Politics average of national polls, slightly behind Rick Santorum. Huntsman is occasionally touted by the … [Read more...] about A Huntsman Moment?
“Against Gingrich”: National Review Editorial Comes Out Against Newt Gingrich
The longtime conservative icon magazine National Review has now gone back to its William F. Buckley roots: in a scathing editorial it has come out against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's candidacy for the 2012 Republican nomination. This should temper some of Gingrich's polling support. Here is a chunk of it. First, the magazine notes the opportunity at the GOP's grasp … [Read more...] about “Against Gingrich”: National Review Editorial Comes Out Against Newt Gingrich
Gallup Poll: Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
A new Gallup Poll gives evidence to what many pundits have concluded: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is running strong with traditional reliable Republican voters -- but young Republicans (as is the case with the general electorat) favor former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: Newt Gingrich's current lead in Republican preferences for the GOP presidential nomination is … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
And the Winner Is…Rick Santorum?
I dozed off last night watching one of those Liam Neeson action movies in which he wrecks cities for reasons too complicated to explain and switched channels to find more of the same in the Republican demolition derby. Ron Paul is surging in Iowa to bump the tailpipes of Gingrich and Romney while the first frontrunner Donald Trump has been waved off the track, canceling his … [Read more...] about And the Winner Is…Rick Santorum?
eBay Auction
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