By E.J. Dionne, Jr. The lame-duck session of Congress that kicks off this week will test whether Democrats have spines made of Play-Doh, and whether President Obama has decided to pretend that capitulation is conciliation. Related Entries November 14, 2010 Somali Pirates Refuse to Board Carnival Cruise Ships November 14, 2010 Professor Obama’s Teachable Moment
Continue reading …NPR on the Bush Book: He Bungled the Budget, and Did We Mention the Drinking Binges?
November 15, 2010 No CommentPerhaps obviously, George W. Bush didn't grant an interview around his memoir Decision Points to National Public Radio, since they described his presidency daily as the Triumph of the Dark Side. But when they touched on the new book, the hostility was still there.On Tuesday's Morning Edition , Don Gonyea, who covered the White House for most of Bush's presidency offer a brief summary of Bush's interview with NBC's Matt Lauer. There was a little bit on Iraq, and then more time on the drinking problem:
Continue reading …Olbermann to Strike Back at Koppel for Saying He Represents ‘The Death of Real News’
November 15, 2010 No Comment
Ted Koppel on Sunday published an op-ed at the Washington Post wherein he claimed that opinionated television personalities like MSNBC's Keith Olbermann represent the death of real news. The “Countdown” host apparently isn't taking this lying down for he tweeted the following Sunday evening: read more
Continue reading …Bob Schieffer: For Obama ‘When it Rains it Just Seems to Pour and Keep on Pouring’
November 15, 2010 No Comment
Bob Schieffer concluded Sunday's “Face the Nation” with a weather metaphor-filled comment about today's politics. With his final observation, the viewer was left with the impression the long-time host feels everything that's happened to President Obama is just bad luck (video follows with transcript and commentary): read more
Continue reading …CBS’s Greenberg Blames America for Mexican Drug Cartels, Claims All Guns Come from U.S.
November 14, 2010 No Comment
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Fake news by Andy Borowitz By Andy Borowitz In yet another public relations setback for the beleaguered cruise ship company, Somali pirates today said they would no longer board Carnival Cruise ships, citing “unsafe working conditions.” Related Entries November 12, 2010 Connecting the Dots on the Great Disconnect November 12, 2010 Ass
Continue reading …By Ruth Marcus The predictably childish reactions of the left and right to the budget blueprint unveiled by the co-chairs of President Obama’s debt commission offer the president a chance to play a role to which he may be uniquely suited: the grown-up in the room. Related Entries November 12, 2010 Connecting the Dots on the Great Disconnect November 12, 2010 Ass
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Britain’s highest military officer, Sir David Richards, has offered some sage advice: Al-Qaeda can never be completely defeated. The admission, which comes almost 10 years into the ambiguously named “war on terror”, puts military focus on containing fighters and not all-out annihilation. —JCL Al-Jazeera English: Britain’s most senior officer has been quoted as saying that al-Qaeda can never be completely defeated. David Richards, chief of the defence staff, said on Sunday that outright victory is “unnecessary” as long as governments are able to contain the fighters. “First of all, you have to ask: ‘Do we need to defeat it (al-Qaeda) in the sense of a clear cut victory?’” Richards told British newspaper the Sunday Telegraph. Read more Related Entries November 12, 2010 Court Allows ‘DADT’ Policy for Now November 11, 2010 Dishonoring Pat Tillman
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The pending START treaty, signed by Barack Obama but not yet approved by the Senate, is being reheated by the president after his trip to Asia and is set to be a top priority of both the White House and the Democrat-controlled Congress before newly elected Republican lawmakers arrive in January. —JCL Los Angeles Times: President Obama made one departing promise as he wrapped up his meeting with world leaders here Sunday, telling his Russian counterpart that he will make approval of their nuclear agreement a top priority in the final days of the Democratic Congress. In what one official called a “full-court press” on Capitol Hill, the administration is arguing that the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is critical to the future of U.S.- Russia relations, and that dragging things out could do irreparable damage. “The president has made it very clear publicly that this is his highest priority in terms of foreign policy pieces of business to get done in the lame duck session,” a senior administration official said here Sunday. “And if the president says that, then the rest of us are doing everything we can to make that happen.” Read more Related Entries November 12, 2010 Court Allows ‘DADT’ Policy for Now November 11, 2010 Dishonoring Pat Tillman
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Who says you can’t mix politics and pleasure? The former chairman of Barcelona’s football (soccer) team has created a new Catalonian separatist party. His strategy is to use the Barcelona team’s fame and the support of the area’s most popular porn star to win an upcoming regional election. The ex-chairman, Joan Laporta, is not the only football figure to vie for political power. Mauricio Macri, former head of the Buenos Aires soccer legends Boca Juniors, is head of government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Despite Macri’s right-wing agenda, many poorer Boca fans voted for him based on his club affiliation. —JCL The Guardian: A former chairman of Barcelona football club has launched himself on a political career as a populist Catalan separatist, whose backers include the region’s most famous porn star. Former club chairman Joan Laporta hopes the popularity garnered by two Champions League wins and four Spanish league titles can be turned into votes when Catalans choose a new regional government on 28 November. His aim is to break Catalonia away from the rest of Spain and create a newly independent state. “It is time to win our independence and administer our own resources,” the 48-year-old lawyer said as campaigning for the elections started last week. Read more Related Entries November 12, 2010 Court Allows ‘DADT’ Policy for Now November 11, 2010 Dishonoring Pat Tillman
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