The movie Frost/Nixon has opened in Bogota Colombia, and according to Antonio Caballero of the newspaper Semana, it is a reminder of the political lessons that the career of Richard Nixon has taught generations of politicians around the world who look to get away with wrongdoing. Caballero writes in part: "In Bogotá they're showing a film entitled Frost/Nixon about the … [Read more...] about Around the World, Politicians Have Learned from Nixon: Semana of Colombia
Mr. President: Less is More
A bit of unsolicited advice for President Obama: Reduce your number of public appearances. Even before his turn on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, when he committed the first gaffe I remember coming from his mouth since he became a national figure in 2004, the President was at risk of being overexposed to the point of becoming background noise. Mr. Obama is personally … [Read more...] about Mr. President: Less is More
Obama to Deliver Three Commencement Addresses
So far... President Barack Obama will deliver the commencement address at three colleges in May, including the U.S. Naval Academy. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that Obama will speak at Arizona State University on May 13, Notre Dame on May 17 and the U.S. Naval Academy on May 22. Presidents typically deliver a speech to graduating students at 1 of the … [Read more...] about Obama to Deliver Three Commencement Addresses
Why U.S. Spurned ‘Spoiled Brat’ Colombians for Brazil: El Tiempo of Colombia
In Bogota, the exchange of recriminations is in high gear over who's responsible for blowing Colombia's valued strategic relationship with the United States. Claudia López of Colombia's El Tiempo writes in part: "As President Lula de Silva of Brazil meets face-to-face to discuss global and Latin American politics with President Obama at the White House, Colombian Vice … [Read more...] about Why U.S. Spurned ‘Spoiled Brat’ Colombians for Brazil: El Tiempo of Colombia
Will Geithner Be Obama’s Ensign Ricky ?
As those who read me with any regularity will know I often season my postings with Star Trek references and today is no different. For those not familiar with the term, Ensign Ricky is a reference that goes back to the original Star Trek series from the 1960's. We would regularly see scenes where 4 of the main characters beamed down to a hostile planet accompanied by one guy … [Read more...] about Will Geithner Be Obama’s Ensign Ricky ?
AIG & The Joys Of Suing Thyself
AIG is suing the government for $306 million in tax refunds. But since the government owns 80 percent of AIG, the company is in essence suing itself. At first this struck me as being not so much a piece of financial news as a plot line for "The Twilight Zone." But the more I thought about it, the more appealing was the idea of suing thyself... The Joys Of Suing … [Read more...] about AIG & The Joys Of Suing Thyself
Nix Those Presidential Gaffes And Customs
There was less tsk tsking than I suspected after President Obama's comparison of himself to that of a Special Olympics participant when it comes to his bowling prowess. Obama uttered the remark mocking himself on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" Thursday. Even so, he apologized today to the head of the Special Olympics program. We still live in a politically correct world and … [Read more...] about Nix Those Presidential Gaffes And Customs
AIG and the Drawbacks of Populism
Matthew Yglesias has a post up that Andrew Sullivan links to (approvingly it would seem given the context?) that adds to the articulated outrage of millions of Americans over the AIG bonuses, If the folks running Citigroup and Bank of America and AIG were good at their jobs, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. That’s the point. But they weren’t good. They … [Read more...] about AIG and the Drawbacks of Populism
The Netherlands Switching to English at its Universities—a Good Thing?
Except for in the Netherlands, in the Flemish part of Belgium---the Dutch spoken there is referred to as Flemish---and in a few of the former Dutch colonies, such as Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, Dutch is not generally spoken anywhere else in the world. (Dutch is also the "parent" language of a couple other languages, such as Afrikaans in South Africa.) The … [Read more...] about The Netherlands Switching to English at its Universities—a Good Thing?
The Big Casino
I'm a regular follower of Chris Matthews' "Hardball" show on MSNBC and learned over the years that he occasionally zeroes in on a political concept that deserves merit. On Thursday's show Matthews outlined a tactic to bypass the Senate's filibuster rules in which the Obama administration could present its entire domestic programs under the umbrella of a budget … [Read more...] about The Big Casino
Warning To Those Who Twitter
Be careful if you use some of a famous journalist's Twitters your blog or you could get dropped. After you read the link: actually, Jake Trapper predicted exactly what is in fact happening. … [Read more...] about Warning To Those Who Twitter
A “Lack of Data” at Recovery.Gov
I originally thought that it was a great idea to set up an online tracking tool so citizens could see what happens to their tax dollars, particularly when the government is so busy handing those dollars out to everyone. The people in charge of the web site, however, seem to be finding it difficult to deliver the goods thus far. Tracking the spending from the $787 billion … [Read more...] about A “Lack of Data” at Recovery.Gov
AIG Bonuses
Jianping Fan, Guangzhou, China This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about AIG Bonuses
The Next Topic For Outrage Over Obama?
Your mark....get set...not quite GO yet but.. Will the next wave of outrage about how Obama is demeaning the office of the Presidency (the one that was so strengthened under George W. Bush) be over THIS? (When you hear it on talk, cable and on some Internet sites, remember you read it here first!) … [Read more...] about The Next Topic For Outrage Over Obama?
Go Get ‘Em, Evan Bayh
Chris Cillizza tosses a spotlight on Sen. Evan Bayh, whose centrist instincts are making the once-rumored VP contender a fly in the soup of Obama's administration: Bayh's actions have caused some grumbling -- privately, of course -- among some in the White House who view his freelancing as less than helpful in seeking to push Obama's legislative agenda through Congress. A … [Read more...] about Go Get ‘Em, Evan Bayh
Tonight Show and the White House
If you could get through all the commercials NBC larded into his sitdown with Jay Leno, the President managed to make his points about the economic crisis to millions of Americans who probably never watch Meet the Press. But Jay Leno's approach to the Leader of the Free World recalled a night almost half a century ago when I was an accidental matchmaker for the first White … [Read more...] about Tonight Show and the White House
The Flip: A Long Road to Success
Everyone's saying Cisco has flipped for the Flip, the "point and shoot" video camera that has became a certified success story with confirmation yesterday that Cisco is paying $590 million in stock to acquire San Francisco-based Pure Digital Technologies. Stacey Higginbotham explains Cisco's interest: It’s easy to draw a line between the Flip camcorder and bandwidth … [Read more...] about The Flip: A Long Road to Success
Obama Sends Video Message To Iran For “New Beginning” In Relations
President Barack Obama has sent a video message complete with Farsi subtitles to the Iranian people saying his administration is "committed to diplomacy" in a "new beginning" with Iran but threats and dabbling in terrorism won't do. And it's notable that he used You Tube which allows him to talk not just directly to the government but to Iranians who are online: The … [Read more...] about Obama Sends Video Message To Iran For “New Beginning” In Relations
President Obama Is Such A Terrible Bowler…
I remember during the 8-year Bush Presidency, various friends of mine on the Left eviscerated President Bush on every word stumble, misplaced thought, "unpolitical" correct utterance, and his Texas ways many times. They eviscerated him on blogs, in conversation, anywhere and anytime. I told them that they better be ready (with a thick skin) because when their guy or gal … [Read more...] about President Obama Is Such A Terrible Bowler…
Bonuses For Failure
John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Bonuses For Failure