A lesser known song by one of the greatest musical satirists -- Tom Lehrer: You can buy his great work HERE. … [Read more...] about And Now A Classic Musical Satire Interlude
Wright’s Jeremiads
Bill Moyers did his best last night on PBS to put Barack Obama's controversial pastor into perspective. He succeeded in showing the man's brilliance but created unease in an observer who, by taste and temperament, is not attracted to apocalyptic preaching about the human condition. From the interview, it's easy to see what Obama found in Jeremiah Wright and his church that … [Read more...] about Wright’s Jeremiads
Newsweek Poll: Obama “Losing Ground” Fast To Clinton
Add to the increasingly long list of bad news for Senator Barack Obama in his battle for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination the latest Newsweek poll which shows him losing ground shockingly fast to Senator Hillary Clinton: After an important primary win in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton has reduced Democratic rival Barack Obama's double-digit lead among registered … [Read more...] about Newsweek Poll: Obama “Losing Ground” Fast To Clinton
‘Obamania Sweeps France’
As the craze for Obama spreads across the French countryside, the concern of Democrats Abroad is growing, as fear that Hillary could be doing irreparable harm to the Party's likely standard-bearer in November starts to take hold. Expressing frustration in this news account from France's Le Monde newspaper, one member of Democrats abroad says: "She's playing the Bush card … [Read more...] about ‘Obamania Sweeps France’
Rush Limbaugh, Charlie Brown and Our Cowboy Senator Salazar
Rush Limbaugh has been dreaming, he says. I don't know. John Mark Carr said he was dreaming he killed Jon Benet Ramsey, too And there used to be those old ads in magazines of women in pointy circle-stitched brassieres that made young boys go all whirlygig in the eyes back then... and the caption was always some version of "I dreamed I was flying in my Maidenform … [Read more...] about Rush Limbaugh, Charlie Brown and Our Cowboy Senator Salazar
As We Say ‘Back to Home’: “Ten Pounds of Mud in a Five Pound Bag…”
I lived in Chicago for some years in the 60s, and have also lived in the Rockies and Sangre de Cristos for many years. Here in the Rockies, down in Denver, there's been a nest of meetings between Denver City Council Members and representatives of protest groups... regarding their spaces, durations, permits, etc., at Democratic National Convention scheduled for August … [Read more...] about As We Say ‘Back to Home’: “Ten Pounds of Mud in a Five Pound Bag…”
The Obama Clinton No Holds Barred Democratic Nomination Campaign
More and more the tactics and strategy -- as opposed to the policies -- are dominating the battle between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. And here are two of the most-pointed MUST-READ newspaper pieces out on the battle. 1. Gerald Baker, writing on TimesOnline in a piece headlined: "Obama and Clinton: two cynical … [Read more...] about The Obama Clinton No Holds Barred Democratic Nomination Campaign
News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: April 26th
A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said again this week that he is interested in pursuing a comprehensive peace deal with Israel to determine the direction of diplomatic relations, as well as the future of the much-coveted Golan Heights. In a worrying sign, however, Assad also stated that … [Read more...] about News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: April 26th
Media Conventional Wisdom Shifting Towards Belief Clinton Could Defeat Obama?
There are signs of what could be a shift in the news media conventional wisdom: for the first time in months, some key pundits are hinting and even saying that Senator Barack Obama could lose the Democratic nomination to what has long been described as a seemingly-impossibly behind Senator Hillary Clinton. These kinds of cracks in the conventional wisdom often signal the … [Read more...] about Media Conventional Wisdom Shifting Towards Belief Clinton Could Defeat Obama?
Reform Updates
Vermont House Approves National Popular Vote bill House Republicans reverse course, object to fair elections … [Read more...] about Reform Updates
Round 597
Tab, The Calgary Sun … [Read more...] about Round 597
Food Shortages: It’s The Iraq War, Stupid
Like many guys, I don't like to shop. The Dear Friend & Conscience, on the other hand, loves to shop and just the other day we went out to drop off an old wrought-iron lawn chair at a repair shop so that it could be spot welded and came home with three new bras and an omelet pan. Now the DF&C needed bras and I needed an omelet pan because the old one was beginning to look … [Read more...] about Food Shortages: It’s The Iraq War, Stupid
Wright on Moyers
I watched the one hour Bill Moyers interview with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and came away impressed with the Reverend and disappointed that he has been so abused by the media. To me, in context, the Reverend is passionate, articulate, reasonable and accurate. His comment about "God Dam America" makes sense to me as a condemnation of the selfish and vicious policies of our … [Read more...] about Wright on Moyers
“Ach, if we only knew”
In her book, The Guns of August, historian Barbara Tuchman, told the story of how, seemingly against its collective will, Europe moved inexorably toward World War 1. At one point, she recounted a conversation between an ex-chancellor of Germany and his successor. "How did it all happen?" the first man asked incredulously. "Ach," said his successor, "if we only knew." One … [Read more...] about “Ach, if we only knew”
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: OBAMA AND SMALL-TOWN AMERICA
Rhodes Cook: Barack Obama caused quite a stir a fortnight ago when he told a suburban San Francisco fund raiser that small-town Pennsylvania voters were "bitter" about their economic plight. As a consequence, he added, "they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them..." As political comments go, it was a self-inflicted "twofer". Not only was … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: OBAMA AND SMALL-TOWN AMERICA
New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman Gets Pie In Face At Brown University
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman went to Brown University to give a speech on Earth Day and he was greeted by a big student crowd -- and pies in his face thrown by environmental activists. Note when you watch the video how this form of pie-in-the-face is not funny at all but is done in a way so that it resembles an assault. And it is dealt with (correctly) that way … [Read more...] about New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman Gets Pie In Face At Brown University
Mothers Day Blogswarm for Maternal Death
This post does not reflect the opinions of TMV authors or editorial staff. It is strictly my own. The ArchCrone and the ShortWoman are proud to announce a Mothers Day blogging event called the Mothers Day Blogswarm for Maternal Death. The purpose of this event is twofold: first, it is a counter-protest to a staged "funeral" for embryos and fetuses that hae … [Read more...] about Mothers Day Blogswarm for Maternal Death
Gallup Daily: Clinton Nearly Ties Battered Obama
In the latest see or saw of the see-saw Gallup Daily Tracking poll, Senator Hillary Clinton is nearly tied with Senator Barack Obama among Democrats nationally -- a concrete sign of how Obama has been battered by his loss in Pennsylvania and several weeks of his campaign being on the defensive. The question: will it last? Or will he regain the momentum? Does this portend … [Read more...] about Gallup Daily: Clinton Nearly Ties Battered Obama
That Which We Deny
There is a persistent tendency amongst people (all people, not just Americans) to deny their group or nation's role in oppression or atrocities -- something I discovered recently when I observed that the U.S. has, in fact, supported terrorism in Central America (the death squads of the 1980s). Denial is a tempting emotion. But it is also exceedingly dangerous, and lays the … [Read more...] about That Which We Deny
Iraq: Caught in an American-Iranian ‘Purgatory’
How frustrating is it for Iraqis, caught militarily and diplomatically between America and Iran? For Iraq's Azzaman newspaper, Fateh Abdusalam laments, "For the past few months, U.S. officials and candidates for the presidency have done all they can to avoid linking progress in the Iraq War to the possibility of talks with Iran. Instead, Republican candidate John McCain, a … [Read more...] about Iraq: Caught in an American-Iranian ‘Purgatory’