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  • Rudy's End

    Any slight chance that New York might get a Republican governor next year basically ended with Rudy Giuliani's apparent decision not to run for the office in 2010. There's still some discussion in Hizzoner's camp that he might run for senate against incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand. It's not likely that Giuliani [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:33am EST

  • Palin Prophecy

    As the Sarah Palin media blitz continues full swing this week, it's not a bad idea to realize how scarily prescient Saturday Night Live was with its skits one year ago. Forget the "I can see Russia from my house" bit. This one a couple days before the election is [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:48am EST

  • Partying Like It's 1994

    Like the Ghost of Christmas Past, the specter of 1994 haunts the contemporary political scene. The Obama administration is desperate to learn from the mistakes of the Clintons in 1993 and 1994; the Republicans use those years to inspire them to remember how quickly the electoral landscape can change. In [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 11:45pm EST

  • Obama's Karzai Konundrum

    Eight months ago, President Obama chose General Stanley McChrystal to chart out a new Afghanistan policy. His primary recommendation was for a "surge" of 40,000 more troops. Wednesday's New York Times outlined three primary strategies for troop increases -- with McChrystal's plan being one of them. : Three of the [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:37pm EST

  • Wiping Stains Off The Uniform

    Veterans Day should not be a sad day. The day before America pauses to honor the men and women who step and volunteer to fight for this great nation was indeed a sad one. The country was forced to note the awful handiwork of two men who dishonored their country [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 7:32am EST

  • Don't Sleep on the Huckster

    Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has managed to extend her 15 minutes of fame. Barely known 15 months ago, she's become the "It" girl of the right in the interim. One week from today, her "Going Rogue" book will be released. Her book promotion tour will include stop with both [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:53am EST

  • Open Thread

    Hmmm, interesting week! Including a link from the still-influential Mr. Drudge! Feel free to chat amongst yourselves. [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 8:47pm EST

  • Presidential Disconnect

    UPDATE: Welcome, friends and foes directed here from the Drudge Report! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Democrats worried about this week's off-year elections on Tuesday might have reason to go into full-fledged panic after Thursday. The "spin" over the exact reasons why Republicans won governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 7:32am EST

  • Changing Winds Of Change

    Consider the two portentous signs Barack Obama received Tuesday. Taken together, they represent perhaps the biggest obstacle yet to passing the sweeping health care reform that consumed most of the energy of his first year in office. Sign No. 1 was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, chastened by reaction from [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:31am EST

  • A Promise Unfulfilled

    One year after the exuberant optimism that accompanied Barack Obama's historic election, the nation's mood is considerably different. Conservatives and Republicans are both furious and disappointed that the admittedly liberal senator elected last year has hardly proven to be an individual with whom they can find much ballyhooed "common ground." [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:25am EST

  • Dede Does Dems

    A whirlwind 24-hour period in New York's 23rd congressional district shows the peril and possibilities for the shaky relationship between the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Saturday morning, a Siena Research poll had Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman leading Democrat Bill Owens 36-35 percent. The official Republican choice, Dede [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 3:01am EST

  • Open Thread

    Yankees, Phillies, Halloween, off-year elections...whatever... [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 7:00pm EDT

  • The Yankees White House Stimulus

    The championship round of the national pastime should be a moment of unity. Save for supporters of the teams playing in the Fall Classic, the country should come together and celebrate a sport as American as apple pie. Alas, this year's World Series carries with it serious built in conflicts. [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 9:30am EDT

  • Yes, We Kan-ye!!

    Trying to figure out what to do for Halloween? My day job outlet offers up some suggestions"ripped from the headlines," including, ahem, this one: (Photo: Caitlin Thorne Hersey)If you're in the NYC area, it woudn't be a bad idea to pick up the actual paper to see the full layout [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 9:45am EDT

  • Diminished "Glee"

    In Sunday's Post, I question FOX's new show Glee for its questionable depiction of women. [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 11:28pm EDT

  • Soupy Sales, R.I.P.

    The '60s TV funnyman died yesterday at the age of 83. Here's a classic clip -- two, actually -- of a prank his production crew pulled for his birthday. Let the whole piece run. The first half is what the TV audience saw, then there's a pause and the in-house' [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 10:40am EDT

  • Oprah & Sarah's Sarah Power

    Oprah and Sarah sitting down for a chat? Really? One an uber-famous talk-show host, black liberal Democrat. The other an instant media lighting rod, white conservative Republican. They have hardly anything in common (well,except for both having had famous feuds with David Letterman -- Oprah's was a few years back; [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 8:00am EDT

  • Getting Schooled By Numbers

    Though not getting quite the attention as the economy and health care, education has also been something of a major domestic priority for President Obama. As an example of the importance he placed on the issue, he pulled his friend and well-respected education reformer Arne Duncan from running the Chicago [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 6:32am EDT

  • Open Thread

    Yankee playoffs, great college football games -- plus Jints and "Aints" on Sunday! What a weekend! [...]
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    Posted: October 17, 2009, 3:39pm EDT

  • The Right Man's Burden

    With all due respect to my friends (and corporate colleagues) at The Wall Street Journal, but they are off-base in today's editorial decrying the NFL's deep-sixing Rush Limbaugh's ownership bid:Earlier this year, the NFLPA's Mr. Smith and several player reps visited our offices and made clear their determination to win [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:43am EDT

  • Slouching Toward Socialism

    Bank of America chief executive Kenneth Lewis has decided to forgo his total pay for 2009 -- giving into pressure from the Obama administration's "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg. Lewis announced recently that he was stepping down -- a victim of the continuing fall-out from BofA's purchase of Merrill Lynch last [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 6:30am EDT

  • Fox, Friends & Me!!!

    Up early on Wednesday morning to talk about the Baucus health-care bill: [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 7:48pm EDT

  • The Sacking of Rush

    Conservatives will inevitably be livid over Rush Limbaugh being dropped from the ownership group seeking to buy the National Football League's St. Louis Rams. Consider the seeming hypocrisy: The league has current players either implicated or found guilty in vehicular homicide (current Rams player Leonard Little and currently suspended Cleveleand [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 6:20am EDT

  • Good Idea, Bro!

    RNC Chairman Michael Steele changes the name of his blog on new party web-site. Out: "What Up" In: "Changing The Game." Just when Steele had put together a few good non-bad headline generating weeks, his committee unveils its new Web-site prematurely. To add insult to injury, the Committee comes up [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 10:00am EDT

  • Weeds of the Garden State

    Ah, the wonders of Garden State politics!! New Jersey provides real excitement the off-year elections with enough nutty storylines and subplots to fill an episode of "The Sopranos." But, this being, New Jersey, it's not enough that the race could be dominated by arguments over property taxes, a floundering economy, [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 6:15am EDT

  • Nobel Pile-On

    The old conventional wisdom: Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. The new conventional wisdom: Be careful of what you never-in-a-million-years-thought-you-might-get; it just might cause you unending headaches. Last week's awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama had the unusual effect of uniting the [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 8:50am EDT

  • A Nice Weekend

    New York Yankees in the ALCS for the first time since 2004. New York Giants are 5-0 for the first time since 1990 (they went on to win the Super Bowl, the following January). Admittedly, they benefited from their scheduled opponent, the Oakland Raiders, evidently missing the team plane, because [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 8:26am EDT

  • Open Thread

    A pretty wild week. And it's playoffs weekend! Have your say! [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 8:42pm EDT

  • A Premature Political Prize

    Lose the Olympics, get the Nobel Peace Prize?So, exactly one week after one communal world organization (the International Olympics Committee) delivered President Obama a personal snub by rejecting Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, another one (the Nobel Prize Committee) comes up with a "do-over"? President Obama is now [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 10:00am EDT

  • Reality Check: Funny, Not Racist

    CVS decides to pull its Obama Chia pet for undisclosed reasons. Out of concern that it might be because the item could be considered racist, let me weigh in as the Senior Black Correspondent for Ragged Thots (apologies to The Daily Show's Larry Wilmore): There's nothing remotely racist about the [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 12:00pm EDT

  • Dalai Partin'

    Well, one accusation that conservatives hurl at Barack Obama appears manifestly not true -- that he's another Jimmy Carter. Yes, the jury is still out on his economic program and what to do with Iran, Afghanistan (two nations that bedeviled Carter) However, there's one solid foreign relations area where Obama [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 6:00am EDT

  • Open Thread

    What's on folks mind? (A late thread posted because Robert was just too psyched going to see Springsteen last night!) [...]
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    Posted: October 04, 2009, 12:04pm EDT

  • Not IOC Kinda Town

    Barack Obama needs to resign...as a Chicago politician! No Chi-town pol should ever let himself get out-bribed in a high stakes negotiation. Not only didn't the president's home town not bring home the Olympics, it didn't even "medal" -- getting eliminated on the first ballot!!! Congrats to Rio! Snark aside, [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 1:10pm EDT

  • A Top 10 Day For Sarah Palin

    Sarah Palin must live a blessed life -- and not just because her new book is already #1 on the bestseller list, before it's even been released. Thursday evening, her erstwhile nemesis David Letterman confesses that he's been the Horndog King of Late Night all these years: "I have had" [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 9:57am EDT

  • Roman's Rape Apologists

    So, after 32 years, director Roman Polanski was finally arrested for raping a 13-year old girl and skipping out of the country before he was sentenced for the crime. Since 1977, he's been "in exile" in France and Switzerland, making movies -- including the Oscar-winning "The Pianist" for which he [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 6:00am EDT

  • The Paterson Meltdown

    Who would ever think that South Carolina and New York would have so much in common? Liberal northern urban center vs. conservative southern rural area? Yeah, that's what it looks like on the outside --and that's the way it is most of the time. Not this year though: They are [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 12:00pm EDT

  • The Sacrificial Lambs

    Fantastic piece on the societal criminalization of teen behavior; the left and the right have managed to brand participants in once-normal sexual experimentation (or even juvenile pranksters in some cases) into permanent "sex offender" pariahs. It takes so little for this happen to a child. A girl in school has [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 10:30am EDT

  • Eeexcelllent...

    Finally -- a candidate for New York City mayor for whom I have nothing but glowing remarks!!! [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 10:02am EDT

  • The Overly "Picky" President

    Given everything on his plate as president of the United States, why does Barack Obama feel the need to take on a second job -- chairman of the Democratic National Committee? Officially speaking, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine chairs the DNC. But, as is customary when a party controls the White [...]
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    Posted: September 21, 2009, 6:01am EDT

  • A Very Good Sunday

    New York, New York!! On any given Sunday, both New York football teams could win games against hated division rivals -- and both be 2-0!! The Jets holding a Brady-run Pats team without a touchdown (first time since December '06) -- and ending Brady's personal 21-game regular season winning streak.' [...]
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    Posted: September 21, 2009, 12:08am EDT

  • Open Thread

    Shanah Tovah to all of my friends in the Tribe! Happy Friday to all others. Tell me what's on your mind! [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 9:58pm EDT

  • 2009's Official "WTF?" Moment

    Mark Levin interviews infamous sportswriter/commentator Stephen A. Smith: Most assuredly not what you might expect! [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 9:54pm EDT

  • Obama's Sunday Blitz

    This weekend, Barack Obama goes for the Sunday talk-show equivalent of the all-out blitz: He will be on NBC's "Meet The Press," CBS's "Face The Nation," ABC's "This Week," CNN's "State of the Nation" -- as well as Spanish-language Univision. (The only notable exception appears to be, ahem, "FOX News" [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 9:36am EDT

  • The real ACORN news story

    If "guilt by association" would doom a politician, Obama would have been downed by Bill Ayers. So why should a news story about an organization which is connected to Obama, and which receives federal funding undoubtedly thanks to Obama, be close enough to him to be considered politically toxic? As [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 4:59am EDT

  • A Yankee Accomplishment...

    ...as seen by The Onion. As much of a Yankee and Jeter fan as I am, I must admit that this was very funny. [...]
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    Posted: September 17, 2009, 9:09pm EDT

  • Post Racial America: Greenwald vs. Carter vs. Limbaugh

    The always oh-so-helpful former President Jimmy Carter has added some gasoline to the fire sparked by Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie" last week, declaring that Wilson's outburst had racial animus at its heart:"There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African American should not be president," [...]
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    Posted: September 16, 2009, 10:54am EDT

  • Kanye, Go West -- and Keep Going

    Remember how Kanye West informed the country that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" in the wake of Katrina? Well, it looks like at least one black person doesn't like Kanye West. In the wake of the Video Music Awards debacle Sunday night, President Obama said today (in a [...]
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    Posted: September 14, 2009, 9:58pm EDT

  • No. 2 Stands Alone

    I consider myself most fortunate to have seen the entire career (so far) of the greatest Yankee of the last 40 years, Derek Jeter. Congratulations, my captain!! . [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:20pm EDT

  • Open Thread

    Been a while since we had an OT!! But with health care, football, and goodness knows what else, it seems like a good time to open up the doors!! [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:14pm EDT

  • Joey Wilson's War

    Trust Democrats to overplay a good hand. Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" during President Obama's health care address has become the unofficial Republican response -- letting President Obama keep the offensive going. GOP congressional leaders are embarrassed. They asked Wilson to apologize; he only grudgingly accepted (South Carolina politicians have [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:12pm EDT

  • 8 Years Gone -- And Still No OBL

    Friday in the Big Apple could not have begun more differently from the same date eight years ago, when a bright sun greeted New Yorkers as they prepared to vote in a mayoral primary. It was a day brimming with possibilities -- one that made you feel alive. Eight years [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:29am EDT

  • A Deficit of Ideas

    The following quotes are from President Obama's speech last night (transcript from Fox News):Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid.If we do nothing to slow [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2009, 7:42am EDT

  • Back To School Days

    Obama's "controversial" school speech Tuesday? Transcript is here. It can be viewed here. And, guess what, a liberal did find something wrong with it -- it sounds too much like -- oops!! -- Bill Bennett!! Yeah, the conservative former education secretary and self-styled culture/values czar! Anyone paying attention should have [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 10:00am EDT

  • The NY GOP Blues

    The Post's estimable State Editor Fred Dicker analyzes the battle for the chairmanship of the New York state GOP -- an interesting mix of familiar faces pushing a not so-well-known candidate and a cross-section of district chairs backing the son-in-law of a former president (yeah, that one). But given the [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 7:00am EDT

  • Thrifty Nation vs. A Spendthrift Government

    Tonight, President Obama will deliver what is undoubtedly the most important speech of his presidency so far. His domestic policy priority depends on convincing Congress -- or at least the right mix of influential moderates (like Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus) and liberals among Democrats -- that a reform plan [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 6:45am EDT

  • Obama's Test: Can The Center Hold?

    President Obama wants to use his prime-time address to a joint-session of Congress next Wednesday as a way to jump-start the health-care debate. He would be better off trying to restore civic order that has become dangerously frayed over the last few months. The liberal interest group MoveOn organized a [...]
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    Posted: September 04, 2009, 6:00am EDT

  • Death Care

    From the Daily Telegraph:In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, a group of experts who care for the terminally ill claim that some patients are being wrongly judged as close to death.Under NHS guidance introduced across England to help doctors and medical staff deal with dying patients, they can then [...]
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    Posted: September 03, 2009, 7:01am EDT

  • Crosstown Traficant

    Rare indeed is the person whose career opportunities expand after some time in the slammer. But, seriously, following seven years behind bars, has there ever been a politician more ready for a prime-time reality show appearance than former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio)? The nine-time congressman was released from a federal [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 8:00pm EDT

  • No Will for Afghanistan

    When a major conservative commentator comes out against a war, much like William F. Buckley came out against Iraq, people take notice. Yesterday, George Will did that on Afghanistan.Unlike Buckley, Will did not reject involvement completely:Counterinsurgency theory concerning the time and the ratio of forces required to protect the population [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 8:25am EDT

  • Spidey & the Mickey Mouse Operation

    Ten years back, the purchase of Marvel Comics et. al. by Disney might have been something of a cause for celebration -- for Marvel fans. The company had fallen into bankruptcy, it was at a creative nadir (two words -- Spider-clone). But the company turned around and has been on [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 9:50am EDT

  • Reid 'Em And Weep

    You'd think someone made it the position of senate majority leader might have learned that old Mark Twain adage, "Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel." So, what's going on with Harry Reid (D-NV) escalating a squabble with the main newspaper in his state?' [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 3:31am EDT

  • "A Full And Complete Life"

    In the days approaching Saturday's funeral mass for Sen. Ted Kennedy, there was much discussion as to how much actual politics would be in evidence. In particular, there was the question as to how much contemporary politics would intrude -- and whether President Obama's eulogy in particular would touch upon [...]
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    Posted: August 29, 2009, 11:34pm EDT

  • Bill Gets Off (No, Not That Bill!)

    It seems like forever ago, but New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was President Obama's first choice to be commerce secretary. After being nominated in December, he abruptly withdrew a month later when news broke that the there was a federal probe into charges of pay-to-play involving New Mexico officials and [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:08pm EDT

  • Democratic Rush to Judgment Proves Correct

    From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's website in March:Today Rush Limbaugh yet again crossed the line saying: by the time the debate on President Obama's health care plan is over, "it'll be called the Ted Kennedy Memorial Health Care bill.” It is outrageous to demonize a patriotic Senator who has'" [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 4:21pm EDT

  • "The Speech"

    In a summer where the initials have needed to have been used a remarkably frequent amount of time, once again they are employed to say, R.I.P., Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. His 1980 Democratic National Convention speech was not my earliest political memory. That would have been Nixon campaign commercials and [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2009, 9:18am EDT

  • Ben there, done that

    Now that President Obama has announced the renewal of Ben Bernanke's Federal Reserve Chairmanship, I have to ask, WHY?I don't approve of the Keynesian methods Bernanke uses to run the economy, which were a major factor in our current economic problems. But even IF you buy into his methods, there' [...]
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    Posted: August 25, 2009, 8:14am EDT

  • No, Dave, It's Not Because You're Black...

    The unpopularity thing you mentioned in a Friday interview???It's because you're blind! No, wait, that's not it either. It's because you're stupid, disorganized and politically inept. It's because you said that New York's budget crisis shouldn't be solved by raising taxes -- like a millionaire tax, except as a last' [...]
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    Posted: August 23, 2009, 5:53pm EDT

  • A Bridge Too Far

    There's a definite poignancy to Sen. Ted Kennedy's letter to MA Gov. Deval Patrick and state legislative leadersurging a change in state law to allow Patrick to appoint an immediate successor should the cancer-stricken Kennedy either give up his seat or die in office. The current law, passed in 2004, [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2009, 10:38am EDT

  • Totally Shocking!!!

    Some of the post-9/11 color-coded terror alerts might have been, politically-motivated!?!?Who could have ever thought that might be the case? Uh, anyone who noticed that the whole terror-alert thing seemed to just fade away from the beginning of 2005 and onward. [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2009, 7:31pm EDT

  • Nothing Like The Rielle Thing's Baby

    Who needs either reality television or soap operas when the actual lives of America's politicians have more intrigue, lies and deception than anything appearing on the boob tube? This week's location is North Carolina, not South, which has pre-occupied observers of romantic liaisons for most of the summer: John Edwards [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2009, 8:28pm EDT

  • RIP Robert Novak

    “Always love your country — but never trust your government!That should not be misunderstood. I certainly am not advocating civil disobedience, [much] less insurrection or rebellion. What I am advocating is to not expect too much from government and be wary of [it's] power, even the power of a democratic' [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 1:47pm EDT

  • A "Prince" Neither Feared Nor Loved?

    Longtime Thots observer ERA e-mails a question that's been bothering me of late as well:"Why is the President of the United States not feared on Capitol Hill or anywhere? The guy won a national election by the largest margin by a Democrat in 50 years. Yet, whatever deadline Obama sets," [...]
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    Posted: August 17, 2009, 10:43am EDT

  • Up, Up & Away (DC's Golden Goose)

    As unbelievable as it might be to believe, within just a few years, DC Comics might not own exclusive rights to the most famous superhero of all time. It's a copyright case that, literally, reaches back to the 1930s, and has gone through several iterations over the better part of [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 9:17pm EDT

  • Thanks, Ed

    Since I've been rather out of pocket and sorts this week, I'm glad just the scent of football in the zeitgeist has inspired Ed McGonigal to do some RT posting. Who knows, maybe we can convince him to come back and re-launch the Weekly Picks? [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 9:14pm EDT

  • Tony Award Winner

    He's a trailblazer. The first African-American to take the top prize in his chosen profession. And, despite a rather understated demeanor, he's proven that he may be the most formidable politician in the game. Barack Obama? Oh, please. No, we're talking about Tony Dungy. The political skills of the former' [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 8:45pm EDT

  • Eagles get big Vick-tory

    Dog lovers among NFL fans have probably become Philadelphia Eagle haters with the news of the Eagles' signing of convicted dog-fighter Mike Vick. But from my experience growing up in the Philly area, I suspect most Eagle fans would happily shoot their own dog if Vick turns out to be' [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 8:25am EDT

  • Your health care is in the mail

    "People say, well, how can a private company compete against the government? If you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. Right? No, they are. I mean, it's the post office that's always having problems." - President Barack ObamaIronically, when President Obama made the above statement to [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2009, 9:07am EDT

  • Sinking Mae-flower

    Want to know where the next busting asset bubble will be? In the same place as the last one, according to the Wall Street Journal:Much to their dismay, Americans learned last year that they “owned” Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Well, meet their cousin, Ginnie Mae or the Government National [...]
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    Posted: August 11, 2009, 12:46pm EDT

  • Hillary's '90s Flashback

    After losing to Barack Obama last year -- and then having to go work for him -- one would have thought that some of Hillary Clinton's fabled anger would have come to the surface before now. But, of course, the lady usually can hold all these things back -- except [...]
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    Posted: August 11, 2009, 6:29am EDT

  • 200 Days & Running

    How times change. At the end of President Obama's first 100 days, he was at the top of his game, His approval rating was over 60 percent, the stimulus package had passed and the public waited for it to work its magic through the economy. Around certain parts, however, some [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 6:45am EDT

  • What Does the U.S. Get As Bill Gets Il?

    International news rarely elicits purely good, win-win scenarios. So too with events in North Korea this week. The families of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee have every reason to be elated today at their release from the clutches of an evil Korean regime. They had been sentenced to 12 [...]
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    Posted: August 05, 2009, 9:21am EDT

  • Open Thread

    After a trip out west last weekend, I neglected to do a thread. Mea culpa! What have folks been up to? [...]
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    Posted: August 01, 2009, 12:39pm EDT

  • Car-pocalypse Now

    News reports tell us the government's "cash for clunkers" program, also known as the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), has already burned through the $1 billion allocated for it.(On a side note, this means the CARS program is officially over. From the CARS website: "Program runs through Nov 1, 2009" [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 10:10am EDT

  • Stopping the White House Dine & Dash

    Yes, big business has not covered itself with glory over the last several years. Yes, it's unfair that the banks managed to screw up multiple times -- and still got bailed out to the tune of $700 billion in taxpayer money. Yes, the U.S. automakers have been messing up for [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2009, 7:33pm EDT

  • Yo, Teach This!

    Despite (or perhaps because of) President Obama's rare White House Press Room visit Friday, the racial flap involving Prof. Henry "Skip" Gates and Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley continued to roll along through the weekend. Monday saw the release of the original 911 call from a Gates neighbor and the police [...]
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    Posted: July 27, 2009, 9:42pm EDT

  • Skipping The Record

    President Obama may have made the biggest mistake of his young presidency in Wednesday's press conference. Indeed, he may already be wishing he hadn't taken "one last question" from his hometown Chicago reporter Lynn Sweet. It's funny that he would find himself in an awkward -- that could metastasize into' [...]
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    Posted: July 24, 2009, 6:15am EDT

  • Wasted Opportunity

    Everyone remembers that old joke: "How can you tell if a lawyer is lying? His lips move." Here's a variation of it: "How can you tell when a politician gets desperate and disingenuous?" He (or she) declares that an expensive program will actually be less costly because of all the [...]
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    Posted: July 23, 2009, 6:00am EDT

  • The Way It Was

    The word most associated with Walter Cronkite is one that hardly ever gets used to describe individuals in media in contemporary times: "trust." "The most trusted man in America" was his reputation. And it wasn't just a rep: Polls in the 1970s supported that notion. That's raather interesting because it' [...]
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    Posted: July 20, 2009, 2:27am EDT

  • Open Thread

    Busy days all around. What's going on in your respective worlds? [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 6:15pm EDT

  • A High-Tech Temper Tantrum

    Meet two people who deserve one another. Sen. Barbara Boxer meet Harry Alford, Chairman of the National Black Republican Chamber of Commerce. Alford is testifying in front of Boxer's committee on the issue of climate change. He's brought with him a in-depth report on the economic impact of the cap-and-trade [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 6:00pm EDT

  • Black-To-Black Responsibility

    Giving credit where it's due: President Obama's address to the NAACP last night was the perfect book-end to last weekend's speech in Ghana. Each was an exhortatory addresses that recognized the past wrongs, respectively, of colonialism (in Africa) and racism/discrimination (in America). But ultimately, the president declared that the power [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 11:00am EDT

  • On The Right Side of Shakedown Street

    Two weeks ago, The Washington Post was caught "inviting" lobbyists to cozy off-the-record "salons" with various Obama administration VIPs -- for prices ranging from $25K-$250K. Now, Politico discovers that conservative interest groups have plunged into the pay-to-play waters:The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 10:43am EDT

  • Heading Into The E.R.

    If President Obama's health care reform plan were a patient, it would be in the emergency room, its condition downgraded to critical. The prognosis may not quite be terminal, but long-term survival looks iffy.Six months into a new administration and DC reality has sneaked in rather quickly -- and on [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:30am EDT

  • 21st Century Advancement

    The National Association For the Advancement of Colored People wraps up its 100th anniversary celebration meeting in New York this evening with a very special guest: The 44th president of the United States. And, as you may have heard, that man -- one Barack Obama -- happens to be black, [...]
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    Posted: July 16, 2009, 9:44am EDT

  • Guns And Purse Straps Kill People

    Football player Steve McNair -- killed by his younger girlfriend while he slept -- is, according to the Daily News' Mike Lupica, another victim of America's "gun" culture. By this logic, boxer Arturo Gatti -- allegedly killed by his younger wife as he slept -- is, apparently a victim of' [...]
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    Posted: July 13, 2009, 1:29pm EDT

  • Open Thread

    In Atlanta visiting with family this weekend, hoping I might become an uncle by the time I head home on Monday. Anyway, chat amongst yourselves in the meantime. [...]
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    Posted: July 11, 2009, 7:30pm EDT

  • When The Levi Breaks

    Except for a short post last weekend, I've tried to keep the Sarah Palin drama at arm's length.Regular readers of this blog know that, from the announcement last summer of Palin as McCain's running mate, I've been rather skeptical of the soon-to-be-former governor of Alaska. My initial doubts had more [...]
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    Posted: July 10, 2009, 2:31pm EDT

  • Never Can Stop Saying Goodbye

    Perhaps the Jewish people have it right: When a person dies, they are dead -- and gone. Above ground is for the living. Thus, burial is within 24 hours if possible. The dead are returned to earth. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. The alternative seems better, considering that it [...]
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    Posted: July 08, 2009, 7:00am EDT

  • Fall of A Titan

    Over a holiday weekend that produced the Sarah Palin shocker, sports and reality intruded in an awful way with news about the murder of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. All the cliches about McNair's playing days were mentioned during the coverage on sports outlets -- "toughest guy that ever played" [...]
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    Posted: July 06, 2009, 10:32am EDT

  • Palin Out

    Leaves the governorship in two weeks. My hunch is that if we hear about Sarah Palin in terms of national office again, it will most likely be in 2016, rather than 2012. Adopting the Nixon '62 line, we won't have Sarah Palin to kick around for about seven years. By [...]
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    Posted: July 03, 2009, 8:04pm EDT
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