The Senate Republican leader is channeling a couple of GOP golden oldies to oppose a public option in the health care reform pending in Congress. Unlike Harry and Louise in the 1993 TV commercials to torpedo the Clintons' initiative, Mitch McConnell's protagonists are real people--sort of--Bruce Hardy of England and Shona Holmes of Canada, who have been brought out to … [Read more...] about Ghosts of Harry and Louise
CNN’s Rick Sanchez Gets “Rare” Correction From Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
In the battle between the cable networks the nastiest battle is between MSNBC and Fox News. CNN more often than not stays on the sidelines or, if an anchor takes a swipe, it's on a different level than the "war" between the other two networks. But CNN's Rick Sanchez recently decided to call Fox News' Bill O'Reilly on another one of O'Reilly's blanket attack assertions...this … [Read more...] about CNN’s Rick Sanchez Gets “Rare” Correction From Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
Liberal Democrats Opposing Anti-FOIA Legislation
Democratic leaders in Congress, among them Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank, may vote against the supplemental war funding bill unless the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)-destroying Lieberman-Graham legislation, which is included in the bill, is taken out. … [Read more...] about Liberal Democrats Opposing Anti-FOIA Legislation
President Obama at Buchenwald
Yesterday, President Obama visited the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany---the first U.S. president to visit this camp. At Buchenwald alone, an estimated 56,000 innocent Jewish men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis during World War II. If it is possible to even say so, perhaps a relatively "small number" compared to the obscene numbers of Jews … [Read more...] about President Obama at Buchenwald
Fear + Principle = Nothing
Philip Mudd, a senior CIA official in the Bush administration, has withdrawn his nomination for intelligence chief at Homeland Security for fear of questions about his role in the CIA's harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. Vice President Joe Biden and other top Obama administration officials have withdrawn from attending a national mayors conference in Rhode Island … [Read more...] about Fear + Principle = Nothing
Pathetic
That's the first word I thought of while reading this article on the Gitmo trials. "Obscene" is the word if it's actually enacted. Let me step back and detail exactly what they are proposing. 9/11 was the second biggest psyche changing attack in our history (or biggest depending on whether you believe that it was inevitable we would join WWII or not) and has now dominated … [Read more...] about Pathetic
The Privatization of “Obama’s War” (Guest Voice)
The Privatization of "Obama's War" Michael Winship The sudden reappearance of former Vice President Dick Cheney over the last few months - seeming to emerge from his famous undisclosed location more frequently now than he ever did when he was in office - does not mean six more weeks of winter. But it does bring to mind that classic country and western song, "How Can I … [Read more...] about The Privatization of “Obama’s War” (Guest Voice)
ObamaCare (TM) Revealed: Right Wing Remembers 4th Amendment
Word on the street is that the President is pushing for healthcare reform in a big way, and draft legislation is being circulated. I don't have much hope that this is going to be enacted in any sort of frugal, sensible fashion, but I agree that there is room for improvement in the system if it's handled intelligently. Unfortunately, we may not be off to a smashing start, as Ed … [Read more...] about ObamaCare (TM) Revealed: Right Wing Remembers 4th Amendment
Fleshing Out Adolph Hitler’s Evil
Do black and white photos contribute to people not realizing how evil can appear in seemingly everyday human forms? Some new material involving Adolph Hitler, the German dictator who wreaked havoc in the first part of the 20th century and who killed millions of Jews, has now come to light -- color material, and even material revealing his private voice. And it somehow adds to … [Read more...] about Fleshing Out Adolph Hitler’s Evil
Obama White House Extols His Muslim Background (Guest Voice)
President Barack Obama's speech from Cairo generated lots of comment all over the world and, in the United States, on the left and the right due to his comments about the Middle East on and Muslims. In this Guest Voice post, conservative writers Floyd and Mary Beth Brown argue that Obama team owes Floyd an apology due to the way they responded to his raising questions about … [Read more...] about Obama White House Extols His Muslim Background (Guest Voice)
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Supremely Representative
Barbara A. Perry on Supremely Representative: Should the Nation's Highest Court Look Like America? The U.S. Constitution is utterly silent on qualifications for members of the federal judiciary. Theoretically, a justice does not even have to be a lawyer, but, in practice, all 110 justices in the Supreme Court's 220-year history have been attorneys. With no constitutionally … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Supremely Representative
Letter From Brooklyn: A Visit To The Village
Editor's Note: This is the second installment of journalist Bob Laurence's letters from Brooklyn which detail life there and in NYC. Bob left his longtime home in San Diego and moved to "the big city." I learned the original meaning of 'stoop' over the weekend. A stoop is the short staircase that leads up from the sidewalk to the front door of the brownstone homes in New … [Read more...] about Letter From Brooklyn: A Visit To The Village
On D-Day 2009, Renewed Thanks to a Friend
Yesterday, I posted the delightful story of how a World War II fighter pilot, who crashed his P-47 in an orchard near Parma, Italy, 64 years ago, has been contacted by the family of his Italian rescuers. Today marks the 65th anniversary of the D-Day allied landings on the beaches of Normandy. As our President honors the more than 9,000 Americans who gave their lives, many … [Read more...] about On D-Day 2009, Renewed Thanks to a Friend
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Why Do We Talk About Judges This Way?
Dahlia Lithwick on Why Do We Talk About Judges This Way? Nobody in America believes the judicial confirmation system works. Not the senators who eat up precious questioning time with windy speeches about pet projects back home; not the interest groups who scour every sordid instant of a nominee's background for evidence that they are unfit for the bench; and not the American … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Why Do We Talk About Judges This Way?
Pay the Writer
Hat tip to Max Boot. Here's Harlan Ellison in a very memorable rant about why you should pay writers if you want them to write something for you. … [Read more...] about Pay the Writer
Australia: Indian Students Try Self-Protection
Australia's leading newspaper, The Age, carries a photograph of Indian students gathered outside St Albans railway station in Melbourne (see above). They have decided to move in groups "after incidents of intimidation in which train inspectors failed to intervene and police failed to respond to calls for help." While the governments of India and Australia are opting for … [Read more...] about Australia: Indian Students Try Self-Protection
With Obama, a ‘New Beginning’: Al Madina, Saudi Arabia
To hear subjects of a Saudi monarchy that bears precious little resemblance to a Jeffersonian democracy wax lyrical about America's Founding Fathers is an odd juxtaposition - but nevertheless encouraging. Continuing with our Arabic coverage of Barack Obama's speech to the Islamic world, this editorial from Saudi Arabia's Al Madina likens the president's address as and his … [Read more...] about With Obama, a ‘New Beginning’: Al Madina, Saudi Arabia
Labour Suffers Yet Another Defeat
In local elections in the United Kingdom the ruling Labour party has suffered another bad defeat, losing control of councils that in some cases they have controlled since the 1970's. The party is rapidly on the way to making the losses by the GOP look mild in comparison. Four years ago when these same councils were elected the Conservative party got 34%, the Liberals got … [Read more...] about Labour Suffers Yet Another Defeat
Obama: Speaker of Verities – Liberation, France
While Francois Sergent of France's Liberation has his doubts about whether Obama's efforts begun in Cairo will succeed, he nevertheless admires his forthrightness and clear statement of ineffable truths that needed to be said out loud by someone with the president's credibility. For Liberation and continuing with our global coverage of the reaction to President Obama's … [Read more...] about Obama: Speaker of Verities – Liberation, France
‘Hussein’ is for Bold: L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon
Contrary to the narrative on the U.S. Republican right, Issa Goraieb of Lebanon's L'Orient Le Jour asserts that President Obama's use of his diverse background to reach out to Muslims is an excellent idea - particularly the proud usage of his Middle name 'Hussein,' or as Goraieb refers to it, the 'H factor.' Continuing with our coverage from the Arab world of President … [Read more...] about ‘Hussein’ is for Bold: L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon