In a late update (4:28PM, December 18), TPM Election Central reports, "Franken The Likely Winner As Minnesota Recount Heads To Finish Line." If you are like me, your head is spinning from all the changes, reversals, close calls, twists and turns, updates, breaking news, etc., on this never-ending race. So let me just quote TPM's headline news and their concluding "So … [Read more...] about Coleman-Franken—“So What’s Next?”
Suggestion for An Additional Inaugural Blessing
Here is a simple way for Barack Obama to ameliorate criticism from my more impetuous friends: Invite openly-gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to give a blessing as well. … [Read more...] about Suggestion for An Additional Inaugural Blessing
Meditations on Torture
I wrote a post earlier this week about the likability of George W. Bush that came in for some criticism. Some readers seem to conclude that my assertion of Bush being likable was, in some sense, an exoneration of Bush's decisions and actions as president. As I explained in the comments, this is not the case. I'm not interested in backpedaling from the idea that Bush has a … [Read more...] about Meditations on Torture
Punishing Bush’s Crimes Must Be Focus for Obama: La Jornada, Mexico
If you were under the impression that the indignation unleashed against President Bush by the recent shoe-throwing incident was confined to the Arab world, this editorial from Mexico's La Jornada is sure to correct that misapprehension. One wonders what the public debate will be like in our own country when the Bush Administration loses its already diminishing capacity to 'get … [Read more...] about Punishing Bush’s Crimes Must Be Focus for Obama: La Jornada, Mexico
A Call For A Third Reconstruction
Michael Lind says the South has created its own counter-Detroit and Southern politicians are doing the bidding of Japanese, Korean, and German car companies as they argue against federal aid to the US auto industry. He looks to the European Union and sees states collaborating with each other in order to compete against foreign economic rivals including the US, Japan, and … [Read more...] about A Call For A Third Reconstruction
Second Thoughts for Caroline Kennedy
Just when things were going well on her upstate tour comes the word that Harry Reid has been lobbying Gov. David Paterson to name Caroline Kennedy to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Being backed by a Majority Leader who can't get anything done is yet another obstacle for JFK's daughter, following the news that Al Sharpton is supporting her. The usually publicity-shy … [Read more...] about Second Thoughts for Caroline Kennedy
The Difference Between Wealth And Money
Although I disagree with some of the political sentiments (namely that the government by definition can't help allocate resources in a way that does produce more wealth) this description of the difference between wealth and money is superb for understanding our current predicament. I would characterize our problem as using our money to have an unsustainable amount of the … [Read more...] about The Difference Between Wealth And Money
Our Next President
Obama: The College Years - Photo Essay in Time Magazine … [Read more...] about Our Next President
People are Strange
Sing along to the classic tune by The Doors as you read this slice of life (courtesy Nate Silver) from the ongoing saga of "The Minnesota Recount That Would Never End." … [Read more...] about People are Strange
Time Travel for Beginners
With the holiday season in full swing, I'm sure that you - like most of us - find your thoughts turning to... time travel. While not practical at this time, explorations of the furthest limits of general relativity and quantum physics bring us to the nearly inescapable conclusion that travel through time is almost certainly possible if we could just manage to get one of those … [Read more...] about Time Travel for Beginners
Syria And Iran: Know Who You’re Dealing With (Guest Voice)
The incoming Obama administration will have to deal wit Syria and Iran. In this Guest Voice post, Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, offers some advice. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the view of TMV or its writers. KNOW WHO YOU'RE … [Read more...] about Syria And Iran: Know Who You’re Dealing With (Guest Voice)
Obama’s Rick Warren Invocation Pick Sparks Left And Gay Firestorm
Walking a tightrope in a time of high-stakes issues is never easy and it's too early to tell but safe to say this: with his choice of prominent evangelical minister Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church to deliver the invocation at President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration, Obama is now walking a mighty shaky tightrope. The dilemma: THE SIGNAL OBAMA WANTS TO … [Read more...] about Obama’s Rick Warren Invocation Pick Sparks Left And Gay Firestorm
American Icon of Freedom & Romance Hit
Americans are known the world over for their love affair with cars...the bigger, the better. But their long time symbol of freedom and romance --- THE CAR or The AUTOMOBILE --- is in trouble with the car making giants Chrysler, General Motors and Ford in convulsions struggling to survive the recession. The USA and Canada are far behind the European countries in providing … [Read more...] about American Icon of Freedom & Romance Hit
The Year in Pictures
In 3 parts from the Boston Globe. … [Read more...] about The Year in Pictures
NY Senate Appointment: “I Don’t Do Utica”
If New York Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Queens) was harboring any secret ambitions to fill Hillary Clinton's senate seat, he effectively scotched them this week. Many local officials and residents expressed outrage Thursday with comments a downstate U.S. congressman made about Utica this week on a radio show. U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-Queens, said on WOR radio Monday … [Read more...] about NY Senate Appointment: “I Don’t Do Utica”
Deadly Attack On British PM Gordon Brown
Journalists seem to be shedding, with quite a vengeance, their post 9/11 image as subservient/embedded pen-pushers. The Iraqi TV journalist reached the other extreme by using shoes instead of pen. Now a British scribe has made a deadly attack on top British and US political leadership. Sample the 'ballistic missile' from Matthew Norman: "Throwing footwear at the front man … [Read more...] about Deadly Attack On British PM Gordon Brown
What Bush Gets In His Stocking
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner … [Read more...] about What Bush Gets In His Stocking
They Say, Tis A Gift to See Ourselves As Others See Us…
The call of duty sometimes has a strange and unforeseen spellbinding effect.... _______ CODA h/t GreenDreams I found this cartoon at several sites, but without citation. I believe the toon may have been drawn by an artist named Randall Monroe, but am not certain. If anyone can verify, pls let me know and I will cite it properly. UPDATE: TMV Commenters tell … [Read more...] about They Say, Tis A Gift to See Ourselves As Others See Us…
Is Caroline Kennedy Qualified for the US Senate?
"No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen." (Article 1, Section 3, The United States Constitution) There, folks, is the Constitution's sparsely-worded set of requirements for anyone wishing … [Read more...] about Is Caroline Kennedy Qualified for the US Senate?
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: 2008 in Perspective
Larry J. Sabato on THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS: 2008 in Perspective We have reached the end of another election cycle, but this has been no ordinary campaign. The marathon of presidential politics was everyone's focus, and the unforgettable cast of characters was long, from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side to John McCain and Sarah Palin on the … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: 2008 in Perspective