I mean, really (this is not a joke)... … [Read more...] about The Attempt To Get ANYTHING Against Obama
CNN Poll: Six In 10 Oppose Federal Automakers Bailout
When President-Elect Barack Obama said a few weeks ago that the automakers had not made their case very well for getting a big, fat federal bailout, it turns out he was speaking for a growing number of Americans: a new poll finds that a politically-poisonous six in 10 now oppose the federal government bailing out the big three auto makers: A national poll suggests that six … [Read more...] about CNN Poll: Six In 10 Oppose Federal Automakers Bailout
Saxby Chambliss Victory A Model For The GOP?
There's been lots of comment on Saxby's gushing over Sarah. Less on his victory as a model for the GOP: Chambliss told reporters at this Cobb County campaign headquarters Wednesday morning that he believes his double-digit runoff win can be a “model” for Republicans in the next election cycle. “This is the first election of 2010,” he said, as movers in the background were … [Read more...] about Saxby Chambliss Victory A Model For The GOP?
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: The Election Without End
Larry J. Sabato on THE ELECTION WITHOUT END: Senate Aftermath of 2008 Continues Decades ago, a merry band of pranksters took to the streets of a state's capital city a few days after an election for governor. Riding in the van of a defeated candidate, the vehicle still much decorated with the slogans and banners of the electorally deceased nominee, the newly unemployed … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: The Election Without End
Obama and Clinton – ‘The Shock Team’: From Les Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alscace of France
Now that Hillary Clinton has been nominated to be President-elect Obama's secretary of state, there's a new narrative going around Europe: 'Are we ready for this?' Jean-Claude Kiefer writes for France's Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace: "The political couple, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, had better prompt Europeans to reflect quickly, shake them out of their torpor … [Read more...] about Obama and Clinton – ‘The Shock Team’: From Les Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alscace of France
Richardson’s Life Lessons
Esquire scores some candid remarks from the former New Mexico Governor, reminding us yet again that Mr. Bill is both very funny, and perhaps a tad too straightforward on some topics for some people's taste. Of course, it's difficult to offend me -- I'm a dense, insensitive man -- thus, I had no problem with any of Richardson's comments ... but I'm just sayin', not everybody's … [Read more...] about Richardson’s Life Lessons
Are Iraqis Capable of Building Their Nation?: Kitabat of Iraq
Is President Bush being wrongly blamed for the faults of Iraq's people? It is a provocative thing to suggest, especially for an Iraqi. But in this article from one of Iraq's most controversial columnists, Khadir Taaher, it is Bush who is praised and Iraqis who are trashed for their failures. For Iraq's Kitabat newspaper, Taaher writes in part: "The administration of … [Read more...] about Are Iraqis Capable of Building Their Nation?: Kitabat of Iraq
Harvard Endowment Down 22% and Falling
The bigger they are, the harder they fall: Harvard University’s endowment, which stood at $36.9-billion on June 30, has lost at least $8-billion in the four months since then, the university’s president says. In a letter on Tuesday to Harvard’s deans, Drew Gilpin Faust said that Harvard’s endowment had lost at least 22 percent of its value since June 30 and had very likely … [Read more...] about Harvard Endowment Down 22% and Falling
Moishe Hertzberg of Mumbai
The two-year-old, in Israel now after his parents were gunned down last week, evokes tears and stirs a childhood memory. One day when I was ten, in a Bronx park, a band of kids from another neighborhood suddenly attacked half a dozen of us. In the melee, I was pinned against a tree by a bigger boy. He held me with one hand and kept driving a fist at my head as hard and fast … [Read more...] about Moishe Hertzberg of Mumbai
81% of Black Friday Shoppers Shopped for Themselves
So says a survey conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs. Does that fact make the Wal-Mart worker's death at the feet of shoppers last Friday any more tragic? Either way it was a senseless death. But there seems to be something qualitatively different between a parent looking to capitalize on low prices so they can see a child's eyes light … [Read more...] about 81% of Black Friday Shoppers Shopped for Themselves
Obama and the Challenges of Dirty Weapons of Mass Destruction
The recent bloody attacks in Mumbai, India, signal a clutching quicksand potentially more dangerous for President-elect Obama and his defense and foreign policy teams than the Middle Eastern wars or rising tensions with Russia. The main reason is the possibility of dirty nuclear weapons and crude biological weapon formulas falling into the hands of terrorists, as Pakistan … [Read more...] about Obama and the Challenges of Dirty Weapons of Mass Destruction
Mitchell For “Meet The Press”
Under the helm of Lawrence Spivak and Tim Russert, NBC's "Meet the Press" was the leader in Sunday morning political talk shows. So powerful, it oftentimes set the agenda on Capitol Hill. Its competitors are copy cats. With the untimely death of Russert at age 56, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw stepped in and wishes not to continue. NBC may be passing the torch to up and … [Read more...] about Mitchell For “Meet The Press”
Modesty Patrols Under Attack
Israeli groups are fighting back against ultra-Orthodox Judaism's version of the Taliban. These people make my entire religion look bad. … [Read more...] about Modesty Patrols Under Attack
America: Things are Looking Up!
Some new rounds of polling from Rasmussen Reports indicate that, reality be damned, the future is so bright we should probably wear shades. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Republican voters now say America’s best days are in the future, while 48% think they are in the past, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Democrats say America’s best … [Read more...] about America: Things are Looking Up!
Politicians And Sexism: Gov. Ed Rendell’s Foot-In-Mouth Open Mic Moment
Take an open mic. Put it next to the refreshingly outspoken Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who forgets that it's on. And what do you get? The perfect video moment as Rendell opens his mouth wide and firmly sticks his foot in it. But is it just a collection of words he'd never say if he was on the record? Or do his words -- and attitude -- raise more fundamental issues? CNN's … [Read more...] about Politicians And Sexism: Gov. Ed Rendell’s Foot-In-Mouth Open Mic Moment
Report: WMD Bioattack Or Nuclear Attack Likely On U.S. By 2013
The bloody events in Mumbai, India served as a jolting reminder to the world -- and particularly to the U.S. -- that terrorists can strike suddenly, in many places, in many ways and using various techniques. And a new report now makes a grim forecast: the United States is likely to be hit by a terrorist biological or nuclear attack by 2013. The report will be delivered by … [Read more...] about Report: WMD Bioattack Or Nuclear Attack Likely On U.S. By 2013
A Modern Day John Adams, Fighting for your Rights
In the small village of Endicott, located in Upstate New York, we find Lloyd Knecht III, a man who is fed up with "the government under President George W. Bush and Congress trampling on citizens' rights for the past eight years." Rather than sitting still in the face of continued outrages, Knecht is striking a blow for liberty and personal freedom. How is he doing this, you … [Read more...] about A Modern Day John Adams, Fighting for your Rights
President Elect Obama
Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant … [Read more...] about President Elect Obama
Search Engines Can Make You Sick
In the latest example of information overload, a new study suggests that surfing the Web can cause "cyberchondria," needlessly escalating medical concerns and causing anxiety leading to physical harm. Sponsored by Microsoft, researchers found that online seekers of medical information often attribute innocuous symptoms to serious diseases, which are the unlikely causes, as a … [Read more...] about Search Engines Can Make You Sick
A Quote for Our Times
With credit to Google's "Quotes of the Day" widget (which is fed by "The Quotation Page") -- and with apologies to all economists everywhere -- this remark, more than 200 years old, struck me as remarkably relevant to our circumstances today, given NBER's announcement of the obvious, earlier this week: "An economist is a surgeon with an excellent scalpel and a rough-edged … [Read more...] about A Quote for Our Times