Ron Brownstein, writing over at the Atlantic, basically puts a fork in all that talk you have been hearing from Republicans (like Karl Rove and Mike Gerson) about what a remarkably politically divisive figure President Obama has turned out to be, according to recent polls. He’s not, if you dig deep in the numbers and [...]
1. Shakespeare and Blink 182 don’t have anything to match this: “Taliban gunmen executed a young couple in southern Afghanistan for trying to elope, shooting them with rifles in front of a crowd in a lawless, militant-controlled region, officials said Tuesday. The woman, 19, and the man, 21, were accused by the militants of immoral [...]
Like Dana Stevens, I was struck by the fact that Elizabeth Cousins, the 16-year-old single mother in this New York Times slideshow, decided against abortion because her friends told her this could be her last chance to get pregnant. (Her daughter is 19 months, which makes Cousins either 14 or a young 15 when she conceived.) [...]
When North Korea launched a three-stage ballistic missile last week, President Obama was awoken before dawn to address the urgent matter. Hours later, he stood in a Prague square before a vast crowd calling for a prompt response to punish North Korea. “This provocation underscores the need for action –- not just this afternoon at [...]
It’s better to be lucky than good. It’s even better to be lucky and good. One can easily imagine all the different ways the rescue of Captain Phillips might have been screwed up–and the political firestorm that would have resulted. But President Obama appears to have been crisp and decisive throughout…and what can one say [...]
Arrr! Da seas r’ roiled, an dis’ time da pirates ‘rrr not the cauz’. Instead, the morning’s newspapers are adrift with stories of the economic conflagration of the news media. A brief tour of the littered galleys: 1. The New York Times’ David Carr discusses the coming pressure for media outlets to start charging (again) [...]
ABC’s “This Week” began Sunday with this announcement from a slightly miffed George Stephanopoulos: “For those of you tuning in this morning expecting to hear from Pastor Rick Warren, we were too. But the pastor’s representatives canceled moments before the scheduled interview, saying that Mr. Warren is sick from exhaustion.” The interview had promised some [...]
The White House closely guarded the secret of where the Obamas would worship for Easter this morning. But it was only to make sure that the church wasn’t swamped by gawkers, not because there’s any significance in their selection. Actually, that’s not true. The fact that they went right across Lafayette Park (well, technically, they [...]
Charles Krauthammer, the ultimate bleating-heart neoconservative, is all atwitter over Barack Obama’s foreign trip. Where most rational observers saw a significant U.S. triumph, the beginning of our reconciliation with the rest of the world after eight years of stupid bellicosity, destructive threats and empty bluster, Krauthammer sees decline and weakness. Obama admitted past U.S. misbehavior! [...]
I’d missed this until now, but apparently the trustworthy folks at Newsmax have been circulating a report claiming that the Obama administration has submitted three separate ambassadorial candidates to the Vatican for approval and each has been rejected for being “insufficiently pro-life.” You’ll be shocked to learn this is not true. But oh how perfect [...]
