It would be hard to exaggerate the interest among Muslims in President Obama's upcoming address to the Islamic world. According to columnist Yahi Rabah of Palestine's Alhayat Aljadeeda, Palestinians more than any other group in the Muslim world are eagerly awaiting President Obama's comments. For Alhayat Aljadeeda,Rabah writes in part: "The Palestinian dialogue … [Read more...] about As Palestinians Await Obama’s Egypt Speech, We Must Show Unity: Alhayat Aljadeeda, Palestine
WaPo: The CIA Is Hampered By Ban on Torture
Walter Pincus sympathetically passes on the "fears" of CIA officials that, without torture, they will not be able to do their jobs right: … [Read more...] about WaPo: The CIA Is Hampered By Ban on Torture
Interview with Ramzi Kassem
Continuing (or perhaps resuming) my series of interviews with relevant players in what was formerly known as "the war on terror" and the plight of "enemy combatants" (both of which terms await their new nomenclature in the Obama Administration), as issues from resumption of the military commissions to release of detainee abuse photos make the headlines, habeas counsel, such … [Read more...] about Interview with Ramzi Kassem
Obama’s Failure
Yaakov Kirschen, The Jerusalem Post, Dry Bones This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Obama’s Failure
Millennial Study Reax
TMV's Kathy Kattenburg chimed in earlier on the recently released CAP study re: just how progressive the Millennial Generation seems to be. Sitting in for Andrew Sullivan, Patrick Appel added to the reax with the headline, "We are All Socialists Now," then pointed to Derek Thompson's take that "Millennials are stoked about the goals of liberal government ... but pretty … [Read more...] about Millennial Study Reax
Healthcare Crisis: Step 5 – If Needed
Years and years of tradition and entrenched industries will bog down sweeping reforms to the healthcare system. In this series I have suggested that a step by step approach would work, perhaps without getting too far past step 2. You can find steps 1 through 4 somewhere in this site or at my blog at http://lipspeak.blogspot.com/ Step 1: Remove State regulation. Create one … [Read more...] about Healthcare Crisis: Step 5 – If Needed
Egypt’s Comments on Israeli Nukes a Betrayal of Muslims: Amal Al Ummah, Egypt
Days ago, Egypt's foreign minister made a comment that shocked many in the Muslim world. According to Egypt's Amal Al Ummah, the newspaper of Egypt's Muslim brotherhood, which includes the largest group of opposition members of parliament, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the following: "The Egyptian perception of perils to our national security don't differentiate … [Read more...] about Egypt’s Comments on Israeli Nukes a Betrayal of Muslims: Amal Al Ummah, Egypt
Democrats Achieve Parity on National Security
Well, there goes the GOP's home court advantage: Executive Summary A new Democracy Corps poll released by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner today shows that after 100 days in office, President Barack Obama has, at least for now effectively erased doubts that Americans have historically harbored about the Democratic Party’s vision and competence on national security. Key … [Read more...] about Democrats Achieve Parity on National Security
Quote of the Day: On Cheney, Limbaugh And The GOP
Our political Quote of the Day comes from Democratic strategist Paul Begala: The inimitable Mark Shields says there are two kinds of political parties: those that seek out converts and those that hunt down heretics. Barack Obama - like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton before him - is a classic seeker of converts. He chose as his running mate one of his defeated rivals for … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: On Cheney, Limbaugh And The GOP
A Hero Close to Home
"CNN's Heroes" confers fame on so-called ordinary people reaching out to help others in extraordinary ways, this weekend a 57-year-old suburban single mother named Pam Koner who, inspired by a newspaper picture of a hungry child, started a network of 600 sponsors to provide families in 13 communities across the country with over 800,000 meals and counting. My admiration for … [Read more...] about A Hero Close to Home
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Crusade
Polimom watches very little television, and when I do, it's almost always as something to do with someone else. Dear Husband and I, for instance, set aside fall Sundays for the NFL, while springtime Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are family time with American Idol -- and since I'm writing this in May, you can easily guess what I'm fixin' to talk about: the culture … [Read more...] about A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Crusade
Unintended Consequences: Credit Card Edition
I think credit card reform is definitely going to pass which is (possibly) good news for millions of struggling Americans. However, as the New York Times points out, it may not be so good for people with good credit. I'll state up front that I am skeptical about the tone of the article, which has a bunch of hallmarks of a financial industry propaganda piece meant to dissuade … [Read more...] about Unintended Consequences: Credit Card Edition
Pelosi in Her Own Words
As regular readers know, I'm among the Republican defectors recently highlighted by Gallup. But while there's no love lost between the Grand Old Party and me, Speaker Pelosi entirely deserves this one, courtesy of the House Republican Conference. Granted, House Republicans didn't have to work very hard. Pelosi handed the noose to them and then jumped up on the … [Read more...] about Pelosi in Her Own Words
The Upside of a GOP Blowout
The blogosphere is chatting about former McCain and now former Huntsman advisor John Weaver's fears of a 2012 GOP Blowout if the party's guiding lights are Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney. There is a lot of talk that if the party doesn't start appealing to moderates soon, 2012 is going to be bloody. That prospect used to bother me, but I'm beginning to wonder … [Read more...] about The Upside of a GOP Blowout
Emission Limits
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Emission Limits
Clinton to Grads: Marginalization of Women & Girls Continues – Use Social Media to Combat
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave the commencement address at Barnard College yesterday. Here's an excerpt: And women’s progress is more than a matter of morality. It is a political, economic, social and security imperative for the United States and for every nation represented in this graduating class. If you want to know how stable, healthy, and democratic … [Read more...] about Clinton to Grads: Marginalization of Women & Girls Continues – Use Social Media to Combat
Bad Time to be a Speaker
.... whether you're Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. or Michael Martin in the U.K. H/t Ben Smith. … [Read more...] about Bad Time to be a Speaker
Hasselbeck (Not Quite) Ready to Rumble with Ventura
Justin Gardner posted this segment from The View yesterday, apologizing that he couldn't remove the unnecessary name calling in the video's title. Ditto. However, like Justin, I also think the clip itself is worth sharing. Though I agree with Ventura, I'll give Hasselbeck this much: She's braver in confronting the former wrestler/governor than I would be. … [Read more...] about Hasselbeck (Not Quite) Ready to Rumble with Ventura
Gallup Poll: Republicans Lose In All Demographic Groups Except Conservatives, Churchgoers And Seniors
A new Gallup poll provides evidence that the Republican party has now been seriously downsized in support from 2001 to 2009 -- steadily losing ground in a host of groups across the boards, particularly among college graduates and moderates. The groups that have held largely firm have been conservatives, churchgoers and seniors -- groups already considered part of the party's … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Republicans Lose In All Demographic Groups Except Conservatives, Churchgoers And Seniors
Nancy Pelosi’s Sniper Fire
Last year, we chuckled when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her stirring account of her experience under enemy fire in Bosnia. This year, we are equally dumbfounded by Speaker Nancy Pelosi's creative tales of how she has been misled, uninformed, or just lied to about receiving briefings by the C.I.A. beginning in 2002. A cameraman, on a tarmac at Tuzla Air Base, … [Read more...] about Nancy Pelosi’s Sniper Fire