Eric Allie, Caglecartoons.com … [Read more...] about Questionable Change
‘Our Current Polity’
Wow. That's the single, befuddled reaction I'm able to muster after reading some of the negative critiques of Obama's speech yesterday: Wow. Wow ... what happened to careful, accurate analysis? Wow ... when did the ability to hear and understand and appreciate nuance die? Wow ... is "benefit of the doubt" a permanently lost luxury? Andrew Sullivan had his own … [Read more...] about ‘Our Current Polity’
An Open Letter To Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke
Dear Ben, I'm not an investment bank, not a hedge fund, not any kind of major player on Wall Street. But I know that your efforts to save the economy aren't just geared to making the big people whole, but to helping little folks, plain old Americans, such as myself. So I'm hoping you can extend to me the same kind of deals you are now daily dishing out in giant dollops to … [Read more...] about An Open Letter To Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke
Black Conservatism, Revisited
An expansion on my previous post -- this one explaining strains of Black Conservatism that are not separatist (such as Clarance Thomas') and how they fit within the overall paradigm, as well as the difference between Black Conservatism and conservatives who are Black. … [Read more...] about Black Conservatism, Revisited
(Updated) It’s Clinton’s Turn in the Spotlight
Barack Obama's speech on race and religion, called a seminal moment in the presidential campaign even by some conservatives, is now history and the spotlight is about the shift to Hillary Clinton. And perhaps uncomfortably so for someone who has spent so much time attacking her opponent on the issue of experience. This is because of the long awaited and much anticipated … [Read more...] about (Updated) It’s Clinton’s Turn in the Spotlight
Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Clinton Has 7% Lead Over Obama
The latest Gallup daily tracking poll shows that the controversies swirling around Democratic Senator Barack Obama have taken their toll -- in the form of rival Senator Hillary Clinton taking a healthy lead in the numbers: New Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Hillary Clinton with a 49% to 42% lead over Barack Obama in national Democratic voters' presidential nomination … [Read more...] about Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Clinton Has 7% Lead Over Obama
Violence On The World’s Roof…
In the wake of the recent bloodbath that followed violent protests in Tibet, and the crushing of the rebellion by the Chinese troops, the Tibetan spiritual and political leader in exile in India, the Dalai Lama (a Nobel laureate), is back in the news. A useful Q&A on Dalai Lama and the Tibetan issue appears in The Independent...Click here... Excerpt: "Why is Dalai Lama so … [Read more...] about Violence On The World’s Roof…
How will Obama, Clinton health care plans impact death by lack of insurance?
The Families USA report, Dying for Coverage for Ohio, was released yesterday. Families USA has released similar reports for Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The site contains other resources, including a section called, The Uninsured. From the press release related to Ohio: “Our report highlights how our inadequate system of … [Read more...] about How will Obama, Clinton health care plans impact death by lack of insurance?
“A More Perfect Union”: Reflections on Obama’s Speech
Andrew Sullivan (a fellow Obama admirer/supporter): "I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime. It is a speech we have all been waiting for for a generation. Its ability to embrace both the legitimate fears and resentments of whites and the … [Read more...] about “A More Perfect Union”: Reflections on Obama’s Speech
Progressives Seize the Moment
Liberals to spend $150 million on '08 A loose coalition of liberal and labor organizations expects to spend about $150 million this fall to push its causes and help Democrats win the White House and strengthen their grip on Congress... While the groups cannot coordinate with candidates, they can coordinate with each other — a change from 2004 when top Democratic donors … [Read more...] about Progressives Seize the Moment
Washington State Levels the Playing Field for Moderates
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