Pam Geller, in the kind of attack mode that some partisans today now think is "debate" and/or scoring intellectual points (NEWS FLASH: volume and rage do not always equal logic or facts), made the breathtaking assertion to the late President Ronald Reagan's son that she knows what Ronald Reagan would think better than he does. She knows Ronald Reagan would just love Sarah … [Read more...] about Pam Geller Knows Ronald Reagan Better Than Ron Reagan, Jr (She Says)
Snowmageddon
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Snowmageddon
Lobbyists Retreat But Never Surrender (Guest Voice)
Lobbyists Retreat but Never Surrender by Michael Winship With George Washington's birthday comes the attendant mythology, hatchet and cherry tree, wooden teeth, throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac River - or the Rappahannock. Of course, as the old joke goes, a dollar went a lot further then. Today, if you tried to hurl a silver dollar across the … [Read more...] about Lobbyists Retreat But Never Surrender (Guest Voice)
Privatized Bureaucracy is Still Bureaucracy (Guest Voice)
Privatized Bureaucracy is Still Bureaucracy by Tina Dupuy The knee-jerk “government is bad” argument against health care reform, the jobs bill or banking regulations is always “it creates more bureaucracy.” This is mainly from Republicans who want to be called lawmakers. Yes, there are people working in the government – gladly cashing their government paychecks – whose … [Read more...] about Privatized Bureaucracy is Still Bureaucracy (Guest Voice)
Tea Party Ogre
Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Tea Party Ogre
Gorbachev to NATO: ‘Learn from Our Mistakes in Afghanistan’: Rossijskaya Gazeta, Russia
Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who has seen it all before, favors a rapid demilitarization of the situation in Afghanistan. In this opinion piece from Russia's Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Mr. Gorbachev reveals some of his Afghanistan battle scars, says the allies have only a "50-50" chance of success, and tells of the advice he offered President Obama. For Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Mikhail … [Read more...] about Gorbachev to NATO: ‘Learn from Our Mistakes in Afghanistan’: Rossijskaya Gazeta, Russia
NY State Senate Expels Member
The NY State Senate voted 53-8 to expel Democrat Hiram Monserrate over a variety of issues relating to his attack on his girlfriend. Since the NY Constitution does not give the legislature the power to expel (state law does) he is going to file an appeal in the courts so this will likely drag out for some time. That could be an issue as the Democrats have a narrow … [Read more...] about NY State Senate Expels Member
PLA Wants To Attack US Via Economy
Just a sign that having massive debt might not be a good thing. And before we get into the partisan battle I blame both sides of the aisle but I am sure many will disagree. And while Rome burns.... … [Read more...] about PLA Wants To Attack US Via Economy
‘Un-European’ Obama Demonstrates Why Europe Needs Russia: Gazeta of Russia
Has Obama turned his back on 'Old Europe?' Americans may not be aware of it, but for quite some time, Russia has been promoting the idea of a new Europe-wide security organization that would exclude the United States. According to this article from Russia's Gazeta, the Obama Administration, in giving the impression that it considers Europe less important that past U.S. … [Read more...] about ‘Un-European’ Obama Demonstrates Why Europe Needs Russia: Gazeta of Russia
Misunderstandings, and Complex Thinking
It's not clear to me whether Sarah Palin really did misunderstand Pat Buchanan's column to mean that he thought Pres. Obama should bomb Iran (he was in fact making the opposite argument), or whether she was indicating that she thought it was a neat idea and was simply, in her verbally challenged way, citing Buchanan's column as the place where she first learned about the idea … [Read more...] about Misunderstandings, and Complex Thinking
They Have A Yen For Gambling
I took Monday off to join a friend help celebrate her 63rd birthday at the local Indian gambling casino here in southwest Riverside County, Calif. Now what I'm about to report is in no way considered on my part a racist comment. So, relax and take it for what it's worth. The vast preponderance of people at the slots and gaming tables were Filipinos and other Asian decent. I … [Read more...] about They Have A Yen For Gambling
Another Day, Another GOP Attack on Our National Security Experts
The other day, John Brennan, the Obama administration's counterterrorism adviser, publicly corrected Republicans in Congress who have been attacking Obama and the FBI for handling the attempting Christmas Day bombing as a criminal justice rather than a military matter. In his letter, he pointed out that he specifically briefed Sen. Christopher Bond, Rep. John Boehner, Sen. … [Read more...] about Another Day, Another GOP Attack on Our National Security Experts
Hope for Cross-Aisle Cooperation
First reaction: Great. It's about time. President Obama and congressional leaders emerged from a rare bipartisan meeting on Tuesday pledging to work together on a range of issues, including a job-creation bill that lawmakers hope to pass this month, along with longer-term goals related to health care, trade and energy. ... The jobs bill represents an important test of … [Read more...] about Hope for Cross-Aisle Cooperation
Too Much Democracy
Is it possible to have too much democracy? The founding fathers certainly thought so, as Kurt Andersen reminds us ... The tea-party movement takes its name from the mob of angry people in Boston who, in 1773, committed a zany criminal stunt as a protest against taxes and the distant, out-of-touch government that imposed them. Two years later, the revolution was under way … [Read more...] about Too Much Democracy
Kathleen Sibelius and Anthem Blue Cross
Now here is something I cannot in a million years imagine a Republican administration doing. Anthem Blue Cross of California just announced that it's jacking up its premiums by as much as 39% -- despite a year of enormous profits -- and Kathleen Sibelius hit the roof: … [Read more...] about Kathleen Sibelius and Anthem Blue Cross
Before the Health-Care Summit
In a pre-Super Bowl interview, President Obama told Katie Couric about a televised bipartisan health-care meeting on February 25th to go through "all the best ideas...and move it forward.” If he hadn't been absorbed in the game, watching Bill Moyers Journal would have given him a more productive idea than meeting with members of Congress who have been bargaining and … [Read more...] about Before the Health-Care Summit
The Wealth of Nations and the Failure of Globalization
While it remains depressingly futile to bang the drum of warning against the dangers posed to the American economy by the new "global economy" there is a piece up at HuffPo this week by Thom Harmann which everyone should read. Globalization Is Killing The Globe: Return to Local Economies The reason I find the subject depressing (which, not coincidentally, is also the reason … [Read more...] about The Wealth of Nations and the Failure of Globalization
Nearly Everybody Wants to Cut Federal Spending?
From a very recent Rasmussen poll: Eighty-three percent (83%) of Americans say the size of the federal budget deficit is due more to the unwillingness of politicians to cut government spending than to the reluctance of taxpayers to pay more in taxes. Considering the public pillorying that occurs every time a politician dares to suggest cuts, I find that percentage to be … [Read more...] about Nearly Everybody Wants to Cut Federal Spending?
Dreams from my mother
We're snowed in here in Washington DC. The government will shut down tomorrow for a second consecutive day. Tomorrow night, we're expecting another storm. One of the nice things about being shut in is the chance to read, and I've finally started on Dreams From My Father. In a word, it's superb. It would be a great book if Barack Obama were still just a lawyer in … [Read more...] about Dreams from my mother
Snow days are evil
Not completely evil. I dialed in to a two-hour conference call from home, which meant I could visit the refrigerator at lunchtime instead of waiting until the call ended to go down the cafeteria. But according to Matt Yglesias, it costs the taxpayers $100 million when the federal government has to shut down because of snowfall. (I've heard it costs the taxpayers $200 million … [Read more...] about Snow days are evil