For months it has been a "given" that Senator Barack Obama was way ahead in North Carolina -- in some cases by double-digits in the polls -- and that rival Senator Hillary Clinton didn't have much of a chance to win the state's Democratic Presidential primary, and create eleventh hour "Big Mo" in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. New polls suggest it may … [Read more...] about Polls: Is Barack Obama Poised To Lose North Carolina Democratic Primary? (UPDATED)
McCain & Clinton Flunk Economics 101
Papa says he's gonna fill Ole Bessie up with some of that McClinton gas John McCain's embrace of a summer gasoline tax holiday is an idea so economically unsound but is such terrific feel-good political theater that Hillary Clinton soon joined him in an effort to pander to voters that will be tough to top. But then it's still six months to the election, so who … [Read more...] about McCain & Clinton Flunk Economics 101
Fightin’ words
Wolcott's got a When Democrats go Post-al look at the lefty blogosphere up at Vanity Fair that's getting lots of attention and is generally none-too-flattering. Then today Jeff Jarvis asks, What is Kos? I’m thinking that Daily Kos is not — as it wants to be and is often painted — netroots, the voice of a popular movement. No, it’s more like Tammany Hall, a would-be … [Read more...] about Fightin’ words
Welfare for Politicians vs Welfare for Special Interests
Florida bill repealing public campaign finance likely won't see vote - Thanks to a Republican Committee Chairman! Almost every time you notice our government being unwise it can be traced back to a public policy distorted by the influence of a special interest. "This is an unwise use of taxpayers' dollars," Hays said. "Think of all the good that $11 million could do for … [Read more...] about Welfare for Politicians vs Welfare for Special Interests
Looking for the mouse: Media without YOU isn’t media anymore
Author and educator Clay Shirky (his latest masterpiece is Here Comes Everybody) spoke at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco last week on the "cognitive surplus" and how we'll put it to use. Fascinating: I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a DVD. And in the middle of … [Read more...] about Looking for the mouse: Media without YOU isn’t media anymore
This Good Earth
Helen Hayes once said, "All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar." On this May Day I find myself appreciating such thoughts. One can handle only so much politics without a bit of a break. The poisonous nature of political bloodsport really takes a toll on … [Read more...] about This Good Earth
Of Presidents, Politicians & Expectations
No one survives being president of the United States without looking the worse for wear, but comparing George Bush's stock 2000 campaign photograph with the image above taken at a White House press conference this week is shocking. The man looks like he has aged 25 years in eight, although I suppose the more important question is how much we have. I got into the habit of … [Read more...] about Of Presidents, Politicians & Expectations
Re-Wolfing Urban Parks
Not long ago, several dozen gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. It was part of an Interior Department effort to keep down excess deer and elk populations, and to restore a natural predator to a habitat where it once roamed freely. In a larger sense, it was also a recognition that the natural" approach to public land management, the way it was done … [Read more...] about Re-Wolfing Urban Parks
It’s Hillary Clinton Versus The Coffee Machine (?)
A You Tube making the email rounds and on weblogs. It's bad enough that she has to battle Barack Obama but now...a coffee machine? FOOTNOTE: Some websites and comments on the Internet see some significance in this but -- and far be it for us to set ourselves up for being accused of doing "spin" for anyone who's running -- perhaps this is a possibility: Perhaps that … [Read more...] about It’s Hillary Clinton Versus The Coffee Machine (?)
Wright Look-At-Me
Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com … [Read more...] about Wright Look-At-Me
Why did Wright do it?
By now everybody is familiar with Reverend Jeremiah Wright's National Press Club appearance and Senator Barack Obama's response to it. Obama has had a long and close personal relationship with Wright and when shown the offensive video snippets last month he believed they had to have been taken out of context. Subsequent release of the extended versions of those sermons … [Read more...] about Why did Wright do it?
News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: April 30th
A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) In a strikingly harsh op-ed in Ynet News, entitled "No Need for Phony Sorrow," Israeli columnist Uri Orbach writes that the death of Palestinian civilians is a fact of war and need not elicit an Israeli apology. If we are all destined to suffer here, it would be good that they … [Read more...] about News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: April 30th
Stimulus? What stimulus?
Kevin Drum reviews the schedule for the stimulus checks. It's based on the last two digits of your Social Security number. He also dug up the online calculator to help you figure out the size of your check. You really don't need a calculator... you get $600/person or $1200/couple unless you make either very little money or lots'o'money. None if you owe back … [Read more...] about Stimulus? What stimulus?
U.S. Navy Shows That What America Can Do, Brazil Can Do As Well
When one of Brazil's leading columnists, William Waack, visited the Nimitz-class USS George Washington this week, what he came away with might surprise American readers. Among some of the interesting observations Waack made were these: "The George Washington has 85 combat aircraft, including the Super Hornet, the most powerful carrier-based aircraft. On a single aircraft … [Read more...] about U.S. Navy Shows That What America Can Do, Brazil Can Do As Well
Thinking About the Housing Problem in Detail
Let's imagine a nice little community of 400 homes. It's a perfectly average American community, and it could be anywhere: in town, in the 'burbs, in the countryside. Thanks to the often-cited statistic that 68% of Americans own their homes, we can deduce that perhaps as many as 32% are rental homes, or 128. However, we are going to assume there is an apartment complex … [Read more...] about Thinking About the Housing Problem in Detail
The Daunting Demographics of NATO’s Afghan Challenge
What's poses the greatest danger to NATO's effort in Afghanistan? According to Dutch Scholar Gunnar Heinsohn, the answer is clear: Afghanistan's birth rate. Heinsohn writes for the NRC Handelsblad of The Netherlands: "In 2008, there are 4.5 million male Afghans within the traditional warrior age of 15 to 29 years. Out of that group come the insurgents that the … [Read more...] about The Daunting Demographics of NATO’s Afghan Challenge
Reverend Wright
Sandy Huffaker, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Reverend Wright
President Colom Obtains Little in Meeting With Bush
Even under ordinary conditions, if you are the newly-elected president of a small Central American nation like Guatemala, coming to Washington to meet the U.S. president is a singularly important and daunting event. Unfortunately for Guatemala, President Alvaro Colom's visit comes during an election year in which the idea of legalizing the undocumented is the political kiss … [Read more...] about President Colom Obtains Little in Meeting With Bush
Hurt
The politician was doing what he had to do, but Barack Obama's personal pain yesterday was palpable as he cut his ties to Jeremiah Wright. “Whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed as a consequence of this,” Obama said. “I don’t think that he showed much concern for me." Behind the politician's voice was the anger and disappointment of a man who … [Read more...] about Hurt
Is mainstreet ready for gay PDA?
Maybe yes, maybe no, but lately Birmingham, AL, has come under the microscope because ABC News 20/20 chose to do a sensationalist hidden-camera ratings-grabber of a story ostensibly to find out. Since that time it has been ricocheting around the blogosphere and again today this popped into my RSS reader: On Friday, ABC's 20/20 tackled a palpable double-standard facing … [Read more...] about Is mainstreet ready for gay PDA?