Steadily, NATO and the US are digging themselves into a hole in Libya. Six months into the war, victory is far from sight and the anti-Gaddafi fighters recently recognized by Washington as Libya’s legitimate regime are fracturing by the week. The only quick end would be an Osama bin Laden-style assassination of Gaddafi but that it unlikely any time soon. Of course, the US … [Read more...] about Libya: NATO and US in a labyrinth
Obama’s Blink
The President has apparently caved in to Tea Party blackmail, the cliché about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory has become a working principle in Washington, and the future could be even worse. Behind news of ”a package calling for as much as $3 trillion in savings from substantial spending cuts and future revenue produced by a tax code overhaul” is the reality … [Read more...] about Obama’s Blink
I Am no Michael Smerconish, but …
Today’s headlines on the Pentagon being set to certify that it is ready to end “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell,” remind me of a recent column written by Michael Smerconish at the Philadelphia Enquirer. At the time I read the Smerconish column, I said to myself, “Wow, I could have written this myself---perhaps even better than Smerconish.” Now, do not get me wrong, I am no … [Read more...] about I Am no Michael Smerconish, but …
Special Quote of the Day: Roger Ebert on Today’s Republican Party
A special political Quote of the Day comes from Roger Ebert, who nails it in a post titled "The Republicans Exit History": What I read,and hear is that the Republican Party is abandoning its hopes of speaking for a majority of Americans. It will still win elections. It controls the House. Perhaps it will elect the next President. But steadily and fatally it is moving out … [Read more...] about Special Quote of the Day: Roger Ebert on Today’s Republican Party
UPDATED AGAIN: Terrorists Hit Oslo
UPDATE: The New York Times: After the shooting the police seized a 32-year-old Norwegian man on the island, according to the police and Justice Minister Knut Storberget. He was later identified as Anders Behring Breivik and was characterized by officials as a right-wing extremist. The man was arrested in connection with both attacks. CNN: [Update: 10:20 p.m. ET, … [Read more...] about UPDATED AGAIN: Terrorists Hit Oslo
How Little Wisdom
Paul Krugman has a right to be pessimistic. The powerful elites on both sides of the Atlantic suffer from group think. And, instead of proving the truth of the old adage, "great minds think alike," they offer a vivid illustration of the flip side of that coin: fools never differ. The movers and shakers are entirely out of touch with the people whose interests they are … [Read more...] about How Little Wisdom
Larry Summers: People in Glass Houses
People in glass houses .... Former Government, and Harvard, hack, Larry Summers is in the news again today. No, he isn't bellowing some inane financial wisdom, rather, dissing two of the original Facebook founders, the Twinkle Toes Twins, or whatever their name is; Larry Summers calls Winklevoss twins 'A**holes' "One of the things you learn as a college president … [Read more...] about Larry Summers: People in Glass Houses
LIVE VIDEO FEED: Obama Townhall: Expected to Discuss Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis
Here's a live video feed of a Townhall meeting Barack Obama will hold in Maryland. He's expected to discuss the debt ceiling crisis. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy … [Read more...] about LIVE VIDEO FEED: Obama Townhall: Expected to Discuss Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis
Is Quiznos Going Under?
Is the high-quality sub sandwich chain Quiznos about to go under? It seems they have a problem making enough paper bread in the economy to keep going. Will it go the way of Borders? pp Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com It will be sad indeed if Quiznos vanishes from the scene. What was its main problem? The International … [Read more...] about Is Quiznos Going Under?
Are Cigars Endangered? (Guest Voice)
Are Cigars Endangered? by Tom Purcell Are premium cigars next on the federal government's hit list? You see, as part of the 2010 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority "to regulate marketing and promotion of tobacco products and to set performance standards for tobacco products to protect the public … [Read more...] about Are Cigars Endangered? (Guest Voice)
Obama: Too Much Anger Management
With their fabricated debt ceiling fiasco, the GOP has tested the President’s patience and not found it wanting. As the deadline nears, the question is: What will it take to enrage him? Barack Obama is edging into testy now: "This is actually a self-created crisis in some ways. It has to do with folks who are digging into set positions rather than saying how do we solve a … [Read more...] about Obama: Too Much Anger Management
MSNBC Replaces Cenk Uygur With Al Sharpton: Uygur Burns His Bridges (UPDATED II)
By now you must have heard that Cenk Uygur is out at MSNBC and Al Sharpton is in. And by now you must smell the smoke -- as Uygur systematically burns his MSNBC bridges behind him. Hey, kiddies, if you lose your job, don't try this at home as you exit your old workplace. The New York Times: Mr. Uygur, who by most accounts was well liked within MSNBC, said in an … [Read more...] about MSNBC Replaces Cenk Uygur With Al Sharpton: Uygur Burns His Bridges (UPDATED II)
Pentagon Ready For Gay And Lesbian Troops To Serve Openly
Another step to allowing those who fight for our freedom to enjoy some of it. I think the key word there is OPENLY because anybody who thinks there have not been gay and lesbian troops serving since the start of this country is a fool. Some of them have died for us. … [Read more...] about Pentagon Ready For Gay And Lesbian Troops To Serve Openly
The Running of the Bulls in Manassas
Today, the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War actually begins -- not that you'd know it from the coverage. It was hotter than hell today at Manassas National Battlefield Park, in Prince William County in Northern Virginia. According to the (Manassas) News & Messenger: Manassas, Virginia 99° Feels Like: 105°. The Civil War started in earnest one hundred fifty … [Read more...] about The Running of the Bulls in Manassas
Pentagon to Certify End to ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ Tomorrow
The Los Angeles Times reports that: Pentagon officials will announce Friday that the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military can be lifted without harming military readiness, a step that will likely bring the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy to an end in September, two Defense officials said, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Adm. Mike … [Read more...] about Pentagon to Certify End to ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ Tomorrow
Allen West: Steadfastly Boorish (UPDATED)
After calling Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) “vile, unprofessional, and despicable” and “not a lady;” after refusing to apologize for his crude remarks and after using these very same insults for fundraising purposes (below), Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) now blames his boorish conduct on his military service. Appearing on Fox Business Network, West said an … [Read more...] about Allen West: Steadfastly Boorish (UPDATED)
After Quake, Japan’s World Cup Win is Best Form of Medicine (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan)
For a nation recovering from one of the greatest series of cataclysms in recorded history, the victory of the Japan women's national football team over Team USA in the FIFA World Cup was an invaluable elixir. According to this editorial from Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, what made Japan proudest was when Japan's national team circled the stadium with a huge banner thanking the … [Read more...] about After Quake, Japan’s World Cup Win is Best Form of Medicine (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan)
Can Europe’s Economy Be Saved?
Can Europe's economy be saved? The good news: this breezy CNN report sums up the situation: The bad news: This increasingly seems like it could be slightly changed and be used to describe how America's political class is dealing with the debt ceiling limit. … [Read more...] about Can Europe’s Economy Be Saved?
U.S. Authorities Should Be Punished for ‘Fast and Furious’ (Excelsior, Mexico)
Do Mexicans have a right to feel intruded upon, now that the United States has admitted allowing high-powered weapons to be sold to representatives of the Mexican drug cartels? Excelsior columnist Jesus Ortega Martinez writes that the recent U.S. sting operation 'Fast and Furious' undermines the Mexican state, violates international law and endangers innocent people on both … [Read more...] about U.S. Authorities Should Be Punished for ‘Fast and Furious’ (Excelsior, Mexico)
What America Needs: Structural Political Change
What Can Change in America: The Structure of Politics STRUCTURAL POLITICAL REFORM A way out of our dysfunctional politics (By Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post/Opinions) What has steadily changed over the past three or four decades is not so much the ideological intensity (though it has grown) but the structure of politics, making it more beholden to narrow, specialized … [Read more...] about What America Needs: Structural Political Change