Supreme Court Upholds Washington's 'Open' Primary The Supreme court voted 7 to 2 to allow Washington to go forward with its new electoral structure, under which the top two vote-getters in the open primary advance to the general election, regardless of party. That means two Democrats or two Republicans could end up facing each other in November in a gubernatorial or … [Read more...] about Washington State Levels the Playing Field for Moderates
Yet Another Forever War Anniversary: OBL, GWB, The Politics of Fear & Much More
Having run through a series of rationales for the Iraq war that would have daunted a less arrogant man, George Bush finally settled on a real keeper in the fifth year of the Forever War: It was necessary in order to bring down the very terrorists who launched the 9/11 attacks. While it took some time to debunk the earlier rationales, this one was an instant classic, a … [Read more...] about Yet Another Forever War Anniversary: OBL, GWB, The Politics of Fear & Much More
Our Leaders and Athletes Must Do More for Tibet …
Is it time for Western leaders to do more than utter disapproval to challenge Beijing over Tibet? François Sergent writes for France's Liberation, 'The heads of state could threaten to boycott the opening ceremonies if the massacres in Lhasa continue and if the repression across the country doesn't diminish. ... Athletes also have a role to play. Sport is not a bubble outside … [Read more...] about Our Leaders and Athletes Must Do More for Tibet …
Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)
MORE HERE. Photograph by Gemunu Amarasinghe/The Associated Press … [Read more...] about Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)
The Obama Racial Division Speech: Success Or Failure? (With Reaction Roundup)
So was it a home run or not? Was Democratic Senator Barack Obama's historical racial division speech -- delivered due to the continuing political firestorm over his relationship with his controversial family pastor Jeremiah Wright Jr but containing one of the most thoughtful discussions of the racial issue ever uttered by a modern politician -- a success or a flop? Much of … [Read more...] about The Obama Racial Division Speech: Success Or Failure? (With Reaction Roundup)
Lucky Democrats
Bush’s Optimistic Speech Can’t Hide His Economic ‘Impotence’
Is there anything that President Bush - or any policy maker - can do to address the economic crisis that the United States and the world now confronts? More to the point, perhaps, how many people believe there is anything he can do? William Waack, World Affairs columnist for Brazil's O Globo, writes, 'If the economic consequences, as mentioned above, are difficult to foresee, … [Read more...] about Bush’s Optimistic Speech Can’t Hide His Economic ‘Impotence’
Sometimes “None of Your Business” May Be the Right Answer
Nearly twenty years ago, then-Ohio Governor Dick Celeste went to Iowa, exploring the possibility of making a run for the Democratic presidential nomination. One of Celeste's hosts while there was a transplanted Ohioan, a Methodist pastor. During that stay, a wire reporter asked Celeste about reports that he'd stepped out on his wife. The pastor-host told the reporter that if he … [Read more...] about Sometimes “None of Your Business” May Be the Right Answer
He’s Got Spine
I've been trying to put my finger on why I feel Obama's speech today was important, not only to me personally, but the country as a whole. And as I've been surfing the blogosphere and reading the various opinions, I found a word that pretty much sums it up. And all thanks to a title of one of Andrew Sullivan's post that's really only tangentially related to what I'm about to … [Read more...] about He’s Got Spine
All Hat, No Cattle
Brilliant:AMMAN, Jordan -- Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran. He said several times that Iran, a predominately Shiite country, was supplying the mostly Sunni militant group, al-Qaeda. In fact, officials have … [Read more...] about All Hat, No Cattle
News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: March 18th
A biweekly feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press. 1.) A new poll has found an uptick in popularity for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister, in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. His surge in public approval comes as Mahmoud Abbas's is dropping. The survey, which was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey … [Read more...] about News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: March 18th
Obama Threads the Needle
Earlier, I posted my take on the speech and Shaun Mullen posted his. Jill Miller Zimon offered the full text. Elsewhere, publius and Justin Gardner believe the finest moment of the speech was Obama's decision to reiterate his condemnation of Rev. Wright's remarks while refusing to disavow completely the man behind the words. They have a point. It was a clear moment of … [Read more...] about Obama Threads the Needle
No Do-Over in Florida
It looks like there won't be a do-over Democratic contest in Florida, mail-in or otherwise. "We researched every potential alternative process -- from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections -- but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida," said state party chairwoman Karen Thurman. The state's congressional delegation had already come out … [Read more...] about No Do-Over in Florida
Spitzer’s replacement and his wife had extra-marital affairs
The New York Daily News is reporting that,"In a stunning revelation, both [New York Governor David] Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago." In the course of several interviews in the past few days, Paterson said he maintained a … [Read more...] about Spitzer’s replacement and his wife had extra-marital affairs
‘Not This Time’
I watched most of Obama's speech live on CNN.com. Of all the words he spoke, those three -- "not this time" -- seemed the defining words of the moment; not just of the speech, but of his entire campaign. Better than most, those words capture, I think, why so many people from so many corners of the country -- from different races, income levels, genders, and ideologies -- … [Read more...] about ‘Not This Time’
Obama: Race, God & A More Perfect Union
I have come to believe that the 2008 presidential contest will be the last -- or perhaps the second to last -- where the race and the religion of the candidates really matter. The reason is that many voters, and this is especially true of young voters, simply don't care about that stuff like their parents and forebears did and do. This already is substantially true in the … [Read more...] about Obama: Race, God & A More Perfect Union
Text of Barack Obama speech on race, 3/18/08
From the Union Leader: "A More Perfect Union" Remarks of Senator Barack Obama Constitution Center Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania As Prepared for Delivery “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these … [Read more...] about Text of Barack Obama speech on race, 3/18/08
With Barack Obama, Democrats Find Answer to the Paucity of Ideas
While the debate in the United States seems to center around whether with Barack Obama, there is any there there, it seems that in some places he is regarded as the Democratic answer to the much vaunted Republican idea machine. Alfredo Toro Hardy of Venezuela's El Universal writes, 'Confronted with the flood of proposals from their Republican counterparts, the fonts of … [Read more...] about With Barack Obama, Democrats Find Answer to the Paucity of Ideas
A Trillion Here, a Trillion There
A publisher I knew once proposed a picture book, "They Must Know What They're Doing or They Wouldn't Be Where They Are," to show the captain of the Titanic, the designers of the Edsel, LBJ running the War in Viet Nam and other overseers of spectacular 20th century blunders. The Bush Administration now rates a sequel all its own for being in charge of two cataclysms, in the … [Read more...] about A Trillion Here, a Trillion There
‘Barack is Not White, Barack is Not Black’ The Possible Gift in Being Bi-Racial
Barack is, like I am, like many others of us are--for lack of a more graceful word-- we are Bi-racial. Cross-racial is probably a slightly better, but still awkward term. That is, we are born twinned: one of each of two or more races is inside us. The blood of often opposing groups, runs in our cells, our bloodlines. Barack's mother was Caucasian. His father was an African from … [Read more...] about ‘Barack is Not White, Barack is Not Black’ The Possible Gift in Being Bi-Racial