William Kern, my colleague at TMV, quoted a Spanish paper's headline: "WikiLeaks: The Assault on ‘Big Brother’ Begins (El Pais, Spain). He also mentions another article headlined "Thanks to WikiLeaks’ Disclosure, Classical Diplomacy is Dead." To the world at large America now, post-United States diplomatic cables leak, appears as a large wild elephant caught in the quagmire … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks: Educating Americans About Open Society
WikiLeaks: The Assault on ‘Big Brother’ Begins (El Pais, Spain)
As I have pointed out over recent days, one of the most riveting aspects of the disclosure of classified U.S. diplomatic cables is that because they touch upon local issues and local leaders around the world, there are fascinating nuances of reaction from country to country. Below are three articles we've translated from Spain's El Pais, one of the five newspapers in the … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks: The Assault on ‘Big Brother’ Begins (El Pais, Spain)
America in the Twilight Zone
A weekend session brings out the worst in the nation's supposedly best lawmakers as the Senate rejects two attempts to deal with expiring Bush tax cuts. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill sums up the weirdness: “I feel like I am in the twilight zone. It’s depressing to me that we have gotten to this level of posturing, that they are saying if you do not give people a tax break … [Read more...] about America in the Twilight Zone
David Brooks and Paul Ryan at the AEI
When David Brooks says that Republicans in Congress today are rigid, inflexible ideologues unwilling to compromise, it's worth our attention (emphasis in original): … [Read more...] about David Brooks and Paul Ryan at the AEI
I Told You So
Scorched earth and hardball tactics are not the same. Scorched earth means we take everything, destroy everything, and there's no compromise: … [Read more...] about I Told You So
Hillary Says Secretary of State is “My Last Public Position”
So is Supreme Court justice a "public position?" CBS New Political Hotsheet: At a town hall meeting appearance in Manama, Bahrain on Friday, Clinton denied intentions to run for either president or vice president on the ticket with President Obama, who defeated her in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. Some experts have also speculated that she could replace Robert … [Read more...] about Hillary Says Secretary of State is “My Last Public Position”
Shop! Don’t Stop!
Thanksgiving is long gone, consumers. Time to shop! … [Read more...] about Shop! Don’t Stop!
An Interesting Look At 200 Years, 200 Countries
A very interesting graphic look at the world over the last 200 yrs. … [Read more...] about An Interesting Look At 200 Years, 200 Countries
Why there will be no recovery
The headline reads: Disappointing Job Growth in U.S. as Jobless Rate Hits 9.8% In a jolting surprise to the economic recovery and market expectations, the United States economy added just 39,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent, according to the Department of Labor. The problem - it's oil. I have repeated over and over the problem isn't … [Read more...] about Why there will be no recovery
Let ALL the Bush tax cuts expire: The right thing to do
There are many messages to discern from voters this midterm election. But surely one of the most important is that we need to start cutting our annual budget deficits and our long term debt. I share that concern - especially the long term debt, which could make future borrowing much more expensive. I think short-term spending was appropriate as a way to boost the economy in a … [Read more...] about Let ALL the Bush tax cuts expire: The right thing to do
The Quasi-Official TMV Holiday Gift Giving Guid
Are you stuck trying to figure out what to get the loony liberal or crazy conservative on your Christmas gift list? Don't you fret, now, because Santa Claus began his career as a political pundit and can recommend the perfect presents for those whose positions on the issues and view of the opposition may be a little "overripe." Santa knows that being a moderate has its … [Read more...] about The Quasi-Official TMV Holiday Gift Giving Guid
The Democratic Party As A Seinfeld-Like Sitcom
Many people are confused about the seemingly incomprehensible behavior of the Democratic Party in recent years. Not me. That's because I'm a regular viewer of old episodes of the sitcom "Senfield." And if you understand what that sitcom was all about, you'll understand today's Democratic Party. "Seinfeld," as was often stated during this series itself, was about nothing. It … [Read more...] about The Democratic Party As A Seinfeld-Like Sitcom
Will the episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” this week make the Mamma Grizzly too grisly for some undecideds?
Although I think far too many electrons have been sacrificed in discussing the phenomenon known as Sarah Palin, a situation is coming down the pike that perhaps merits a few glucose molecules being burned to think about. Personally, I’ve tried to avoid the furor surrounding Governor Palin, but since I watch the Science Channel and the Discovery Channel more than almost all … [Read more...] about Will the episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” this week make the Mamma Grizzly too grisly for some undecideds?
Internet Gambling, Political Payback And Harry Reid
For years Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has opposed online gambling. No more. Staffers from his office are circulating a bill that would legalize web poker, the kind where real money exchanges hands. Could it be that Reid’s about face has something to do with major casino companies being among the largest donors in his recent re-election fight? According to the Wall … [Read more...] about Internet Gambling, Political Payback And Harry Reid
John F. Kennedy On Why WikiLeaks Matters
As the US establishment, and many in the American media, have begun to build up hysteria against WikiLeaks and virtually calling for the assassination of Julian Assange, I am reminded of the warning by President John F. Kennedy which is so relevant even today (See You Tube). Kennedy warned that there was a "danger to the survival of our nation if our traditions don't … [Read more...] about John F. Kennedy On Why WikiLeaks Matters
What Obama Can Learn From Truman
Facing the second half of his term, the 44th President can learn much from the 33rd. As different as Barack Obama is in philosophy, temperament and style from Harry Truman, he faces similar challenges But there is one crucial difference: Truman was a bare-knuckles fighter and, as E. J. Dionne puts it, Obama will "soon have to decide whether he wants to be a negotiator or a … [Read more...] about What Obama Can Learn From Truman
The 2010 John McCain’s Repudiation of the 2000 John McCain Is Nearly Complete
Some of the most fervent leftist 2008 supporters of Barack Obama are now expressing their disappointment over Obama 2010, who they say is far more centrist or (here comes the dirty word for them) moderate than they believed he would be. But Obama's liberal/leftist/progressive (choose the word that least offends you) critics are nowhere as disappointed or shocked as those who … [Read more...] about The 2010 John McCain’s Repudiation of the 2000 John McCain Is Nearly Complete
As Bees in Honey Drown: Bad Buzz from the Capital Hive (Guest Voice)
As Bees in Honey Drown: Bad Buzz from the Capital Hive by Michael Winship Bees in Brooklyn are producing honey that’s bright red in color. Or, as The New York Times described it, “an alarming shade of Robitussin.” No, it’s not a sign of the Apocalypse. Apparently, the insects have been sipping nectar on the wrong side of town. The theory is that they’ve been imbibing … [Read more...] about As Bees in Honey Drown: Bad Buzz from the Capital Hive (Guest Voice)
Barack Obama and Terrorists
Talk radio hosts like to say Barack Obama doesn't really get terrorism or terrorists. The evidence does not support that (unless evidence is supposed to mean a rant by a talk show host who 99.99 percent of the time has bad things to say about Obama and Democrats and 99.99 percent of the time nice things to say about conservative Republicans). But there is one slight … [Read more...] about Barack Obama and Terrorists
Sarah Palin America’s Full-Time Professional Duelist (Guest Voice)
:Sarah Palin: America’s Full-Time Professional Duelist by Tina Dupuy The template for the perpetual Sarah Palin feud was set last Valentine’s Day. The animated series Family Guy aired an episode in which a character with Down Syndrome said her mother was the former Governor of Alaska. From her platform as a paid Fox News contributor, Palin pounced on the moment to condemn … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin America’s Full-Time Professional Duelist (Guest Voice)