When Vice President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan expressed support for gay marriage in recent days, their candor underlined the calculated approach their boss has taken on the topic. As a candidate, Barack Obama opposed gay marriage. As President, he has performed an awkward straddle. Obama is counting on gay supporters for their votes and their money in November’s election. At the same time, he is asking them for patience as he stakes out a hazy position on a moral issue fraught with political peril.
Pop quiz: What’s the difference between an Obama campaign event and an Obama White House event? Answer: At a White House event, Republicans are called “folks” or “politicians.” At a campaign event, names are named. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at a campaign event Thursday in Toledo, wasted no time in giving some free press [...]
These White House contenders give historical fiction a whole new meaning. TIME breaks down nine egregious examples of the type of revisionist flub you can expect in 2012
It now seems likely that President Obama will take a modest course on withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the consensus guess that he’ll withdraw 30,000 troops by the end of the 2012 fighting season. I had hoped for a larger draw down next year, but recent, depressing events in Pakistan have changed the equation. Some thoughts:
Between now and August 2, Congress is highly likely to vote to raise the federal debt limit. And yet, much of what you read and hear seems to suggest otherwise. News headlines are forbidding. Business gurus issue dark warnings; Administration officials stress the “catastrophic” consequences of default. Ratings agencies claim to be spooked. Tea Party [...]
President Obama made no public remarks at Ground Zero. He carried a wreath of white flowers to a stand. Then he stood, head bowed for a time. Joining him were New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and [...]
Updated at 2:30 a.m. Nearly 10 years after he launched the deadliest domestic attack in U.S. history, al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has been killed by American forces. Late Sunday evening, President Barack Obama addressed the American people from the White House while Vice President Joseph Biden called congressional leaders to inform them of the [...]
Count me among those skeptical that a new deficit summit/commission/gang will produce bipartisan consensus – and not just political theater. It’s no big secret what needs to be done to reduce the nation’s debt – raise taxes, cut spending or do both. While the details of what gets cut and who gets taxed are open [...]
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that federal authorities had opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Christine O’Donnell, a former candidate for the U.S. Senate from Delaware, had misused campaign contributions. The key facts went like this: Although O’Donnell’s campaign has denied wrongdoing, she has acknowledged she paid part of her rent at times with [...]
This appears to be the diplomatic equivalent of an ambush. Vice President Biden, on a visit to Israel, spent the day talking up the close relationship between Israel and the United States. “Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the United States and Israel,” Biden said. “The [...]
