Obama's 2010 Policy and Iran: Misconceptions Guarantee Failure by Barry Rubin A friend of mine is angry, saying I'm too tough on President Barack Obama and that nothing he does pleases me. Well, I wish he'd do more that pleases me, and disconcerts America's enemies. True, he has done three good things lately: his Nobel speech, which sounded like it was actually given … [Read more...] about Obama’s 2010 Policy and Iran: Misconceptions Guarantee Failure (Guest Voice)
2009 Year in Review
Can you boil down 1 year into a 4 panel cartoon? I'm not sure but we're going to try. … [Read more...] about 2009 Year in Review
Happy New Year
From all of us here at TMV to all of you all over the world who read TMV (and those of you who don't) we wish you a heart felt Happy New Year. Yes, 2009 was not a happy year but the wonderful thing about the start of a New Year is that we start with a clean slate. What it's filled up with is partly up to us. The BEST to you and yours. The cartoon by David Fitzsimmons, The … [Read more...] about Happy New Year
Stay Right Here…
'cause these are the good old days. … [Read more...] about Stay Right Here…
Obama: The audacity to act rather than hope
2009 was a disappointing year partly because President Barack Obama fell short of the hopes raised when he came to power last January following his inspiring electioneering. Perhaps we expected too much of just a man. Most of the world, even North Korea, expected a healer’s touch but Obama looks increasingly like a fly trapped in a spider’s web of political … [Read more...] about Obama: The audacity to act rather than hope
California Court Rejects Furloughs
A California Superior court has ruled that the furloughs ordered by the Guv are illegal. The order is being appealed so it won't go into effect. Details here … [Read more...] about California Court Rejects Furloughs
The Falling Stars: Seven CIA Killed in Afghanistan by Taliban
There is a wall... The CIA memorial wall at CIA headquarters, is located in the Old Headquarters Building. There are 83 stars on the wall. Each represents the a death of a CIA agent in the course of duty. Though the image of CIA might for some be slouch hats, spy vs spy, old guys with white hair and hoary knowledge, these are the faces of the mostly … [Read more...] about The Falling Stars: Seven CIA Killed in Afghanistan by Taliban
Live Times Square Video Streams To Bring In The New Year
For those of us unwilling or unable to brave the wilds of NYC's Time Square to ring in the New Year, there are at least three good choices for a live video stream... CBS News New Year’s Live Stream: Livestream’s Times Square 2010 Live: Hulu’s Times Square 2010 Stream: … [Read more...] about Live Times Square Video Streams To Bring In The New Year
2009: Another ‘Chinese’ Year – Gazeta, Russia
Happy New Year Moderate Voice people! So which superpower or superpower pretender had the best year in 2009? Was it China, Russia or the United States? According to columnist Fyodor Lukyanov of the Russian newspaper Gazeta - the answer is unequivocally China. Outlining the challenges both the United States and Russia have in dealing with the new powerhouse, for Gazeta, … [Read more...] about 2009: Another ‘Chinese’ Year – Gazeta, Russia
Stupid Decade
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Stupid Decade
When Would Osama Have Made the No-Fly List?
From the blame scramble over the aborted Christmas bombing comes a CIA defense of the failure to ground Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The New York Times quotes an anonymous official: “You had a young man who was becoming increasingly pious and was turning his back on his family’s wealthy lifestyle. That alone makes him neither St. Francis nor a dead-eyed killer. “Every … [Read more...] about When Would Osama Have Made the No-Fly List?
Feeling Lucky: Google’s New Year’s Countdown
Google has a fun little search easter egg for the new year. Go to Google, leave the search box empty and click on the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. In bold blue numbers Google's counting down to the new year. You will see a count down to the new year in large blue numbers under the search box. That, and the Google New Year logo above, via Search Engine Land's collection of … [Read more...] about Feeling Lucky: Google’s New Year’s Countdown
Tired of Defending Dick Cheney
Way back in early June, when Mr. Cheney was well into his “Obama is soft on terrorism” tour, Frank Rich wrote a column in the New York Times titled, “Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack?” In his piece, Rich rightly condemned Cheney’s attempts to once again “using lies and fear… rewrite history and escape accountability for the failed Bush presidency…” Rich was … [Read more...] about Tired of Defending Dick Cheney
The Rush to Judge Rush Limbaugh
After noting on TMV that Mr. Limbaugh was taken to hospital suddenly, I see across the blogosphere that there are in various hamlets, outbreaks of some kind of madness regarding Rush Limbaugh, with some issuing the equivalent of “armchair fatwahs” against the man. I think that’s wrong-hearted. I know Mr. Limbaugh from prior associations through our books being neck and … [Read more...] about The Rush to Judge Rush Limbaugh
When Do The ‘Tens’ Start ?
This week everyone has been talking about the start of the 10's. Technically of course just as the millenium really began in 2001 and not 2000 the 10's start in 11 and not 10 (since there is no year zero). Or do we just count the first decade of the AD's as 1-9 ? Why is it we count up from 1 but down to 0 ? So when does the decade really start ? And just to add a … [Read more...] about When Do The ‘Tens’ Start ?
Oh-Oh Decade Police Lineup
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Oh-Oh Decade Police Lineup
Attack and Truth
The White House has finally begun to push back against the right-wing campaign of lies and smears that began immediately after the Christmas Day aborted airline bombing and continue to this moment. In a post on the White House communications blog, Dan Pfeiffer responds to yesterday's Politico interview with Dick Cheney in which Cheney accused Pres. Obama of "pretending we are … [Read more...] about Attack and Truth
Even the liberal New Republic… (Part II)
The cover of the current issue of the New Republic blares, The Battle for Tora Bora: The Untold Story. It's a good article, but it's actually an old story. Some of the details are new, but I think it's been at least five years since we've known that Bin Laden was cornered in the caves of Tora Bora in December of 2001, but the chain of command rejected a request to send in US … [Read more...] about Even the liberal New Republic… (Part II)
Even the liberal New Republic…
...publishes enough cliche polemics to justify the adjective "liberal". Now, it is certainly true that TNR generates enough heresy to justify its reputation as much more than a liberal meat grinder. That's why I have a subscription. But TNR also provides enough simplistic GOP-bashing to fortify the perpetually indignant, self-satisfied liberal intellectualism to which so … [Read more...] about Even the liberal New Republic…
Best Films of the ’00s (Zeros/Aughts)
What qualifies me to do a retrospective review of the best films of the decade? Well, I'd like to think that I know a lot about film, that I've seen a lot of movies, that I love movies, and that I have good taste. Plus, I'm a blogger, so here you go, like it or not. (Oh, and I was a film critic way back when for The Tufts Daily.) Seriously, it's been an interesting … [Read more...] about Best Films of the ’00s (Zeros/Aughts)