President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to head a department that, under the Bush administration---while a war was raging---often failed to adequately protect and support those entrusted to it, those who have sacrificed so much for their country: the Veterans Affairs Department. I will not go into the failures and the shame of that department … [Read more...] about Never Mind “Poetic Justice”— Shinseki Is Right for the V.A.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Chris Matthews (A Poetic Tribute)
Full disclosure: embarrassing as it is to admit, I ---like Nora Ephron---am practically in love with Chris Matthews. This does not make me blind to his faults (with his Hillary-hatred topping my personal list), but it does impel me from time to time to compose a poetic tribute. This one, for which I tender in advance my profoundest apologies to the late and very great … [Read more...] about Thirteen Ways of Looking at Chris Matthews (A Poetic Tribute)
Diplomacy Set Free
Obama’s “New” New Deal gets to America’s Heart
My colleague Pete Abel wrote earlier about President-Elect Obama's 21st Century New Deal. Like Pete Abel, I applaud the Obama's vision and boldness. I also appreciate the concern many of the Right have about Obama's "New" New Deal. Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has many concerns about Obama's plans: Obama invokes both FDR and Eisenhower in his new program. Ike built the … [Read more...] about Obama’s “New” New Deal gets to America’s Heart
O.J. Simpson and The Media: ‘Obsession’ Likely To Last
At the end of the famous 1931 Warner Brothers crime film "Little Caesar," Edward G. Robinson as Caesar Enrico Bandello aka "Rico," the Al Capone-modeled gangster who's reached the end of the line asks "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" Former football great and shunned exonerated murder defendant O.J. Simpson's sentencing in Las Vegas to some 9 to 33 years in … [Read more...] about O.J. Simpson and The Media: ‘Obsession’ Likely To Last
Ah, Dollar Bill, We Hardly Knew Ye’
One of the continuing mysteries of American politics is how William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson managed to keep holding on to his Congressional seat in Louisiana's second district. After investigators located tens of thousands of dollars, neatly wrapped in tin foil, taking the place of burgers and steaks in his freezer, one might think Bill would have been shown the door. The … [Read more...] about Ah, Dollar Bill, We Hardly Knew Ye’
Pakistan: Major Attack On NATO Supplies
In a major attack, about 30 "suspected militants" armed with guns and rockets attacked the Portward Logistic Terminal in Peshawar (Pakistan) burning 106 vehicles carrying critical supplies (including Humvees) to NATO and US troops in Afghanistan. A latest report says:"Rising violence and instability in Pakistan's northwest coincides with serious tensions with its eastern … [Read more...] about Pakistan: Major Attack On NATO Supplies
The “Coalition of the Willing” Comes to an End
Most of us were aware that a United Nations mandate authorizing the presence of foreign military troops in Iraq expires at the end of the year. It is for that reason that the U.S. has been relentlessly and aggressively negotiating the terms for a continued American military presence in Iraq, when that mandate expires. Finally, last Thursday, Iraq's Presidency Council … [Read more...] about The “Coalition of the Willing” Comes to an End
The Bear that Devoured Wall Street is Still Hungry; Now Nibbling at Private Wealth of Its Citizens
There is no one on earth I hate enough to want to watch him or her being mauled by a bear, so I'm not laughing or anything at this sorrowful tale of the woes of "Big Rich" as Michael Schnayerson calls them. Cue the mournful scraping of a solitary violin! With Wall Street hemorrhaging jobs and assets, even many of the wealthiest players are retrenching. Others, like the Lehman … [Read more...] about The Bear that Devoured Wall Street is Still Hungry; Now Nibbling at Private Wealth of Its Citizens
Blackwater Contractors Indicted for Sept. 2007 Nisoor Square Massacre: A Round-Up & Retrospective
The September 2007 massacre in Nisoor Square was one of many shameful chapters in a long history of discreditable/tragic incidents. Private contractors ---or, as some call them, "mercenaries" --- spooked by an unfortunate incident, opened fire into a crowd of civilians who were milling around the street trying to go about their lives. We're relieved that some of those … [Read more...] about Blackwater Contractors Indicted for Sept. 2007 Nisoor Square Massacre: A Round-Up & Retrospective
Caroline Kennedy’s Genetic Conflict
News that she is interested in being appointed to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat is coming as a surprise to those who have always seen Caroline Kennedy as an essentially private person, temperamentally more like her mother than her father. “I believe that she is considering it,” her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells the New York Times. “A lot of people the last couple of … [Read more...] about Caroline Kennedy’s Genetic Conflict
Von Bulow Dies
After nearly 30 years in a coma, Sunny Von Bulow has died at the age of 76. Her husband was acquitted of attempted murder charges during the 1980s but there are many who still consider him to be guilty. … [Read more...] about Von Bulow Dies
Stuck In The System
An article appearing in a local paper today struck me as an excellent illustration of both the current problems in our health care system and a possible warning of problems with a nationalized health care system in the future. The basic story is that a woman was admitted to the hospital with severe pneumonia. She spent more that three weeks in the hospital intensive care … [Read more...] about Stuck In The System
Feeling Pain For The Big Three
Burned by the absence of accountability with half of the $700 billion spent to bailout the financial sector, Congress is poised to loan U.S. automakers $15 billion with a million strings attached. The reason is simple. Congress and the American people don't understand the intangibles of financial markets. You can't wrap your arms around a tranche like, say, a … [Read more...] about Feeling Pain For The Big Three
Surging Support for Gay Rights & Proposition 8: The Musical
Newsweek: [T]he latest NEWSWEEK Poll finds growing public support for gay marriage and civil unions -- and strong backing for the granting of certain rights associated with marriage, to same-sex couples. Americans continue to find civil unions for gays and lesbians more palatable than full-fledged marriage. Fifty-five percent of respondents favored legally sanctioned unions … [Read more...] about Surging Support for Gay Rights & Proposition 8: The Musical
The Anti-Settler Turn
After radical Israeli settlers launched what can only be described as a pogrom against innocent Palestinians outside of Hebron, are we finally seeing the formation of a broad-based anti-settler backlash amongst mainstream (and even conservative) Israeli and American Jewish elements? Because if so, it will be well past time. … [Read more...] about The Anti-Settler Turn
WWD: Sketching Michelle Obama
Women's Wear Daily commissioned a bunch of fashion designers to imagine outfits Michelle Obama might wear to the inauguration. A good bit of the chatter the slideshow triggered was around how incapable the world's top fashion designers are of sketching Michelle. Slate's Julia Turner: The fashion world is notoriously inhospitable to black women—if Michelle Obama lands the … [Read more...] about WWD: Sketching Michelle Obama
Frank Suggests Obama Can’t Count
"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, [Obama] says we only have one president at a time. I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have." -- Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) … [Read more...] about Frank Suggests Obama Can’t Count
Roll Over Roosevelt, Tell Eisenhower the News
Per a breaking news report at Politico on Obama's Saturday message to the nation: President-elect Barack Obama added sweep and meat to his economic agenda on Saturday, pledging the largest new investment in roads and bridges since President Dwight D. Eisenhower built the Interstate system in the late 1950s, and tying his key initiatives – education, energy, health care –back … [Read more...] about Roll Over Roosevelt, Tell Eisenhower the News
Caroline Kennedy for US Senate? Royalty Continues in the Colonies
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg has spoken with New York's governor regarding the Senate seat which may be open soon, should Hillary Clinton's nomination for Secretary of State go through.* Her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has confirmed that she is interested in the post. Kennedy may be qualified for the US Senate. For one thing, unlike Clinton, she's actually lived in New … [Read more...] about Caroline Kennedy for US Senate? Royalty Continues in the Colonies