After his surprise visit to Baghdad, Barack Obama is heading home to rising approval ratings after a week of showing all the symbolic talents he brings to the White House with both rhetoric and body language. On the weekend in Istanbul, he affirmed US-Muslim relations and wowed young Turks in a town hall but, to balance any adverse reaction by hardliners back home, stopped … [Read more...] about Touch-All-the-Bases Presidency
It Reminded Me Of Mr. Ed, The Talking Horse
For a guy in the broadcast industry for 30 years, one would expect Ed Schultz not to be conned by a politician. That's exactly what transpired in Monday's launching of "The Ed Show" on MSNBC. Politicians are notorious for not answering questions directly. President Barack Obama is the best of the best. His Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is in his boss's league. Mr. … [Read more...] about It Reminded Me Of Mr. Ed, The Talking Horse
Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage
Reuters: Vermont lawmakers on Tuesday overrode a veto from the governor in passing a bill that would allow same-sex marriage, clearing the way for the state to become the fourth in the nation where gay marriage is legal. The Vermont House of Representatives passed the bill by a 100-49 vote after it cleared the state Senate 23-5 earlier in the day. In Vermont, a bill needs … [Read more...] about Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage
BREAKING NOW: Obama Makes A Surprise Trip To Iraq
Fresh on the heels of his trip to Turkey, President Barack Obama made an unannounced trip to Iraq -- a country where the war has settled into a kind of un-normal normalcy enough that Obama has been able to put the focus when he talks about war on the war in Afghanistan: President Obama made an unannounced trip to Baghdad on Tuesday, punctuating his week-long overseas trip … [Read more...] about BREAKING NOW: Obama Makes A Surprise Trip To Iraq
Israeli Army Vindicated
This should get as much media and blog coverage as the scurrilous war crimes accusations it refutes but it probably won't.... Jerusalem Post: 'Isolated vandalism isn't a war crime' Operation Cast Lead was completely justified, isolated acts of vandalism do not make the IDF an army of war criminals, and religious graduates of the military preparatory programs add to the … [Read more...] about Israeli Army Vindicated
Seder with Brando & Dylan
Jerusalem Post: Louie Kemp: 'When Marlon Brando made me a Pessah offer I couldn't refuse A few weeks ago, as he began preparing material for our Pessah supplements, The Jerusalem Post's Managing Editor Steve Linde placed a small ad in the paper inviting readers to submit amazing but true Pessah stories. More than 100 flooded in, several of which appear in our April 8 … [Read more...] about Seder with Brando & Dylan
More On Italian Earthquake
I posted yesterday about the Italian Earthquake. Here is an update. BBC: Death toll rises in Italy quake At least 207 people have been killed by Monday's earthquake in central Italy, with 100 residents critically injured, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says. He said 150 people had been rescued alive so far, and the operation would continue for a further 48 hours … [Read more...] about More On Italian Earthquake
Full Video Of Obama’s Town Hall Meeting With Turkish Students In Istanbul
Can President Barack Obama's ability to hold an impressive town hall meeting in spots throughout the world become a valuable international-clout producing tool? It's far too early to judge that. But just as in the case of his town hall meetings in the United States, his huddle yesterday with Turkish students was again framed in an advantageous setting where he engaged those … [Read more...] about Full Video Of Obama’s Town Hall Meeting With Turkish Students In Istanbul
Walt Minnick and the Democrats’ Dilemma
Walt Minnick was one of the 22 budget-dissenting Democrats I wrote about last week. Today, Politico profiles him, shedding light on the reasons for Minnick's resistance to the Obama administration. Minnick is one face of the Democrats' larger governing dilemma, which Sean Trende reviews, in length, at RCP. Trende's conclusion: Obama still has a number of members from … [Read more...] about Walt Minnick and the Democrats’ Dilemma
Foreign perception vs. Domestic policy
CBS News is reporting that a new public opinion poll shows that 66% of the people interviewed approve of the job that President Obama has done in his two plus months on the job. The interesting thing about this poll is the timing of it... while the President is on his first major foreign trip. President Obama has accomplished the unthinkable over the past 70 days. In his … [Read more...] about Foreign perception vs. Domestic policy
Businesses Adapt
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Businesses Adapt
Political Spines of Steel
Earlier, in his guest column, Don't Blame The Republicans For Having Principles, Dalitso Njolinjo raised some interesting points about the difference between obstructionism and principle in the political arena. Upon reading one of his conclusions, though, I found myself a bit too cynical to get on board. "In the end, isn’t that what we want from our politicians, to have the … [Read more...] about Political Spines of Steel
Don’t Blame The Republicans For Having Principles (Guest Voice)
Don't Blame The Republicans For Having Principles by Dalitso Njolinjo I’ve just been debating with my friends about the big evil in American politics, the Republican Party. To simplify the two hour debate, the argument against the Republicans boils down to this: they are sour losers. They can’t take it that they lost the last election that badly and now they are … [Read more...] about Don’t Blame The Republicans For Having Principles (Guest Voice)
Unequivocally, Obama Has ‘Conquered Europe’: Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
Is there any doubt that Obama's trip to Europe has been a monumental PR success? In a 900-word exposition on his week in Europe, Olivier Jay and Pierre-Laurent Mazers of France's Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidie write in part: "In five days, more than just a new leader, it is the face of a new America that has been offered to Europe. Self-assured and charismatic but … [Read more...] about Unequivocally, Obama Has ‘Conquered Europe’: Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
CBS News/NY Times Poll: Obama’s Approval Rating Hits New High
A new CBS News/New York Times poll has President Barack Obama hitting his highest approval yet in his short-tenure in the White House -- and indicates that he has put together a coalition of Democrats and independent voters that is blunting a high level of Republican opposition: As President Obama concludes his well-publicized trip to Europe, Americans are more positive … [Read more...] about CBS News/NY Times Poll: Obama’s Approval Rating Hits New High
‘Prague Spring … Pyongyang Frost”: Financial Times Deutschland
HUNGRY MAN'S T-SHIRT SAYS: 'NORTH KOREA' Continuing with our coverage of the reaction to President Obama's proposals on nuclear disarmament, this editorial from the Financial Times Deutschland is more amenable to the president's proposals than Die Welt's Ansgar Graw, but nevertheless, it warns that overcoming those who flout the rules with impunity will be a long, hard … [Read more...] about ‘Prague Spring … Pyongyang Frost”: Financial Times Deutschland
Obama’s ‘Erroneous’ Comments on Nukes: Die Welt, Germany
It's been a marathon week for journalists following President Obama's first visit to the Europe since his election. From the G20 in London, to the NATO Summit in Strasbourg, to the U.S.-E.U. Summit in Prague and now his visit to Turkey, the president's actions and comments have made headlines around the world. Today the president's speech on nuclear disarmament, delivered in … [Read more...] about Obama’s ‘Erroneous’ Comments on Nukes: Die Welt, Germany
A Fallen Hero Returns For All to See and Honor
I have been writing about the deliberations on whether to permit media access to our returning fallen heroes when they touch American soil at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. A lot of controversy and apprehension surrounded the issue and the decision. Finally, on February 26, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced a policy consistent with what we presently have at … [Read more...] about A Fallen Hero Returns For All to See and Honor
Did Kim Jong Il “Win” In North Korea’s Rocket Launch?
Some perspectives HERE. … [Read more...] about Did Kim Jong Il “Win” In North Korea’s Rocket Launch?
A Real, Big Problem in Michele Bachmann’s District
That is, real as in "not imaginary," and big as in "very significant." What is that real, big problem? Foreclosures. In fact, Andy Birkey of the Minnesota Independent tells us, Bachmann's district and Keith Ellison's district, which is right next to hers, have the highest and second-highest foreclosure rates, respectively, in the state. But the two House members are responding … [Read more...] about A Real, Big Problem in Michele Bachmann’s District