If searching for the news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing the news may be among the most important of the next. - Navigating News Online, May 9, 2011 According to research released today by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, in the first nine months of 2010, Facebook drove 8 percent of the traffic at the … [Read more...] about Pew Report: Search Still Drives News Traffic But Sharing Is Important
Donald Trump (Again) Insists He’s Not Racist and Raises Eyebrows
Here he goes again. Donald Trump who in a month has become less famous for his comb-over than for whipping up the birther issue and suggesting that the country's first African-American President got into college and headed the Harvard Law Review via affirmative action has again insisted he's not racist. And he will raise eyebrows with his latest "defense" -- which is certain … [Read more...] about Donald Trump (Again) Insists He’s Not Racist and Raises Eyebrows
Obama’s Seven Days in May
In a 1964 movie, a U.S. President has to overcome a plot by the Joint Chiefs to depose him for being too weak a leader to keep the nation secure. Titled "Seven Days in May," it was a cautionary tale about maintaining civilian control of America's might. This May, in real life, Barack Obama and his military-intelligence apparatus worked together seamlessly to track down and … [Read more...] about Obama’s Seven Days in May
Juan Williams Wakes Up
Now, there goes a guy who became a bona fide journalist and tossed it all away. But at least Williams is waking up to the extraordinary power of Ron Paul. If you live in Texas, you're faced with it everyday in the yard signs -- some antique and faded, some bright new signs. Every time there's talk of a Democrat's approval ratings going up, the Paulistas are out there. … [Read more...] about Juan Williams Wakes Up
No News About Government’s Good News
WASHINGTON -- Don't expect to see a lot of newspapers and websites with this headline: "Big Government Bailout Worked." But it would be entirely accurate. The actual headlines make the point. "Demand for fuel-efficient cars helps GM to $3.2 billion profit," declared The Washington Post. "GM Reports Earnings Tripled in First Quarter, as Revenue Jumped 15 Percent," … [Read more...] about No News About Government’s Good News
NBC Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Back Obama Decision Not To Release bin Laden Death Photos
A new NBC News poll suggests that either the administration was on the same wavelength as most Americans about releasing the Osama bin Laden death photos or it made its case to most Americans: The latest NBC News poll finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans back President Obama's decision not to release the photos taken after Osama bin Laden's death. Fifty-two percent … [Read more...] about NBC Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Back Obama Decision Not To Release bin Laden Death Photos
Political Quote of the Day: Colin Powell on These “Tumultuous Times”
Our political Quote of the Day comes from former Secretary of State Colin Powell who epitomizes the now virtually vanished RINO species in the Republican party, via AP: Colin Powell told graduates of South Carolina's premier historically black university that they were graduating during a tumultuous time that saw a royal wedding, a pope's beatification and a U.S. military … [Read more...] about Political Quote of the Day: Colin Powell on These “Tumultuous Times”
Should Osama bin Laden Have Been Killed? (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Should Osama bin Laden Have Been Killed? (Cartoon)
The Great Osama Bin Laden Photo Controversy
Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the news media when it comes to big stories and controversy. There was bound to be a controversy of some sort over the brilliantly planned and executed Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's palatial pad in Pakistan, and it has centered on whether to release photographs of the slain Al Qaeda leader and the White House's decision to not do … [Read more...] about The Great Osama Bin Laden Photo Controversy
John Yoo Doesn’t Know When To Quit
In some societies, John Yoo would be a disbarred lawyer writing newspaper columns in praise of torture from a prison cell, although speaking engagements and television appearances would be out of the question. But this is the good old US of A, and Yoo, whose pretzel-logic legal opinions as a Justice Department attorney and Bush administration flunky underpinned the use … [Read more...] about John Yoo Doesn’t Know When To Quit
Bin Laden Photo Issue Proves Obama’s Moral Superiority Over Bush (Der Tagesspiegel, Germany)
In a world where nothing is private and the most vulgar images and ideas are bandied about with little concern, is there a place for keeping photos like that of the death of Osama bin Laden private? Der Tagesspiegel columnist Juliane Schauble writes that when it comes to holding the moral high ground on the public's right to know, President Obama is a cut about George W. … [Read more...] about Bin Laden Photo Issue Proves Obama’s Moral Superiority Over Bush (Der Tagesspiegel, Germany)
Torture
The death of Osama bin Laden has once again brought out those who want to justify torture. Of course Darth Cheney is front and center. But Cheney and Rumsfeld moved quickly from their praise to a series of critiques, most notably of Obama’s stance on enhanced interrogation techniques, which have been a constant source of disagreement between the former and current … [Read more...] about Torture
Obama on 60 Minutes: Impressively Growing into Commander In Chief Role (VIDEO)
In watching President Barack Obama's extensive interview on "60 Minutes" about the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden last Sunday something was nagging at me from the back of my mind -- some sense of deja vu. I couldn't put my finger on it. I finally realized it was this: I'm old enough to remember the long interviews President John F. Kennedy gave to CBS … [Read more...] about Obama on 60 Minutes: Impressively Growing into Commander In Chief Role (VIDEO)
Let Us Teach Our Children Fear and Vengeance
I will leave it to each reader to search his or her own soul and decide for himself or herself whether the title of this piece has any meaning in light of the murder of Osama bin Laden. … [Read more...] about Let Us Teach Our Children Fear and Vengeance
Speaking of Evil….
Dick Cheney is still upset at the Obama administration's decision to stop using some of the overt torture techniques pioneered by the previous administration: … [Read more...] about Speaking of Evil….
It’s Finally the Beginning of the End for al-Qaeda (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
Is bin Laden's death, coupled with the Arab uprisings, the 'true beginning of the end for the radical, medieval, imperial and dictatorial ideas with which al-Qaeda proposed to reorganize the world'? Columnist Bartosz Weglarczyk of Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza writes that with its safe havens quickly disaapearing and its ideology falling into widespread repute, the writing is on the … [Read more...] about It’s Finally the Beginning of the End for al-Qaeda (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
Pakistan Names CIA Chief
Another sign of deteriorating U.S. Pakistan relations in light of the killing of Osama bin Laden which suggested either official collusion or official incompetence: Amid bitter, recriminatory exchanges between the United States and Pakistan over the Osama bin Laden extermination, planned bilateral visits of President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington DC and a return trip of … [Read more...] about Pakistan Names CIA Chief
The 2012 GOP Undeclared Candidate Debate (SNL VIDEO)
Another home run by Saturday Night Live: … [Read more...] about The 2012 GOP Undeclared Candidate Debate (SNL VIDEO)
A Correction To My Last Post — Sort Of
In my last post I wrote about the April jobs report. I noted that the sector of the economy reporting the largest job growth (57,000) was retail. I went on to point out that McDonald's last month said it was hiring 50,000 workers, and that this accounted for most of April's retail job increases. I sent out a variant of this post to a number of leading columnists. One was … [Read more...] about A Correction To My Last Post — Sort Of
Afghan Official Asserts: ‘Osama Blew Himself Up’ (The Nation, Pakistan)
Here's the latest bit of news/conspiracy to come out of the Pakistan press about the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden. Is the reason the Obama Administration decided not to release the death photo of bin Laden because the terrorism pioneer blew himself up to avoid capture? That is the claim of this news item from Pakistan's The Nation, which cites an anonymous senior … [Read more...] about Afghan Official Asserts: ‘Osama Blew Himself Up’ (The Nation, Pakistan)