January 2009 Archives

The right wing blogosphere is so anxious to point out any perceived wrongdoing, no matter how minor, by the new Obama Administration that they are jumping on, then publishing without fact checking, every rumor they run across in an effort to discredit the President.  Yesterday, that happened in spades.  I picked up on it in the early evening, when a Chronicle reader printed as fact the ridiculous assertion that a spokesman for the Department of...

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of the adjective bipartisan is:: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties ; specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties...Cooperation, agreement, and compromise.  Congressional Republicans, Fox Noise, Republican Party Chairman Rush Limbaugh, and even parrots on these pages are desperately trying to change that definition by falsely claiming that the stimulus bill vote where 100% of Republicans voted...

You've seen the shows - World Poker Tour, Best Poker Players of All Mankind, etc, etc. where a collection of oddballs sit for hours playing Texas Hold'em while announcers whisper breathlessly about strategies, options, and how smart the players are.  As the game progresses, players fall out one at a time, in the end going all-in - that is, pushing all their chips to the center of the table to go out in a blaze...

I can't remember the last time a President went to Capitol Hill to lobby Congress for legislation.  As I was thinking about President Obama's visit yesterday, I couldn't recall a single time GWB did that.  I even used The Google, and The Google couldn't remember it either.  Surely he did it at least once, correct?  But anyway.President Obama made the rounds yesterday on Capitol Hill talking mainly to Republicans who oppose his stimulus plan.  He...

In his normal curmudgeonly manner, Pat Buchanan summed up his feelings on Inauguration Day.  "High taxes, high budgets, and high fives."  Funny or Die picked up on it and put out this video a couple of days ago.  Watch closely for familiar faces.  Here ya' go: ...

This week, First Lady Michelle Obama got a real taste of crass commercialism and utter disregard for her daughters' privacy.  She reacted as any mom would.Ty Inc. of Oakbrook Illinois introduced two new dolls to their product line, TyGirlz, this month.  Ty is famous for introducing Beanie Babies and have made billions from those sales.  The new dolls?  Dark skinned, black haired girls named Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia, which just so happen to be...

When I was in Washington this last week for President Obama's inauguration, I met a lot of people from all over the country and had a number of experiences outside of the official events.  One of the most remarkable meetings I had was purely serendipitous; a young Army Major named Trey Lawrence.  As I wrote about before, President Obama held a dinner on Monday night to honor Senator McCain.  The dinner, by itself, was an...

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” President Obama yesterday confirmed these words, spoken by Lord Polonius in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in this two word retort to would-be Republican obstructionists and heel-draggers who are question the size and scope of his proposed economic stimulus package. “I won.” From Politico: “President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning - but he also left no doubt about who's...

Yesterday, President Barack Obama ended a dark chapter in our history by ordering the closing of Gitmo within the year.  The order places responsibility on the Secretary of Defense and Attorney General to head a task force to establish detainee policy to be reported in six months.  Additionally he ordered that all interrogation methods follow the practices approved in the Army Field Manual.Doug Mills/The New York TimesWhile signing the order, with retired generals who support...

Speaking of right-wing whackos, here’s a couple more. Glenn Beck said this about the Reverend Joseph Lowery’s benediction at President Obama’s inauguration on Tuesday; “America is with you today, Mr. President. And you're right, we are all tired of the partisan bickering, the racial divides, the greed and the corruption. There are many people in this country who didn't vote for you, myself included, that actually want you to succeed. My family has been down...